I realize I have not done a good job of keeping this blog active so today, I'm going to do something I haven't done in a LONG time. I'm going to write my second post in under a week. I will try to do better in the future so that there is new, interesting (I hope) things to read when you visit.
Today, I want to talk about what I consider the bare minimum you should have in your gun collection. I will admit right now that I am missing a couple of these myself, but they are on my list to buy as soon as possible.
1. A gun safe. If you are going to own firearms, you need to take personal responsibility for them. This means that even if you don't have kids, you have a duty to keep these guns out of the hands of criminals that could break into your house. The #1 thing you should have is a safe, secure place to store you guns. I have a list of gun safe manufacturers in my link section on the right side.
2. A rimfire rifle. Personally, I prefer the good old .22LR, but the point is you need something that is cheap to shoot and fun to keep you going back to the range to get good trigger time. The most common choice here is a Ruger 10/22 and it is my personal favorite.
3. A rimfire pistol. For the same reason as the rimfire rifle, there will be times when money is tight or ammo is scarce, but you can almost always find a 500 round box of .22 at Wally World. These are also great for introducing new shooters to our hobby. The most common of these would be the Ruger Mark II/III or a Browning Buckmark. I like both, but I currently have a Buckmark in my safe. Either is a great choice.
4. A self defense type handgun. The most important function a gun can serve is to protect you and your family. You need a good, self defense style handgun that is reliable and you can handle well. Personally, I recommend 9mm or larger for semi-auto and .357 Magnum for revolvers. Don't go TOO large. Bigger magnums don't allow for quick follow-up shots so they are best left for hunting and not self defense. Some good examples would be a Glock 17, Glock 19, Sig P226, Sig P229, HK P30, HK45, S&W M&P, S&W 686, Ruger GP100, Springfield XD or a Springfield XDm. This is just a short list of the most popular of these types of guns but there are tons more to choose from. Stick to a known brand and you should be fine.
5. Another self defense type handgun. Since, if you are ever involved in a self defense shooting, your primary handgun is the most likely gun you will have used, you need a duplicate of it. The gun used will be ceased by police as evidence until you are cleared. In the meantime, you need to still have a way to defend yourself. I've read nightmare stories of a man shooting a robber, his gun is taken for evidence and then the friends of the robber come and kill him. He was left unarmed because he only had the one gun. I recommend getting a gun that can share the same mags, holsters and ammo as the primary gun, but this is not absolutely necessary. It's just a nice convenience.
6. An "Evil Black Rifle". These are just great fun, and I think every gun owner should have one if for no other reason than it makes liberals uncomfortable. My personal choice is an M4 style AR15, but there are more variations than you can shake a stick at so do some reading and pick one that puts a grin on your face.
7. A home defense shotgun. The shotgun is one of the best tools for home defense and a staple of a good collection. The most common are the Remington 870 and the Mossberg 500/590. The Remington seems to operate a bit smoother and has more after market support, but I like where the controls are located on the Mossberg better which is why it is my choice.
8. A snubby revolver. There will be times when you need to conceal carry and your full size gun can't be hidden. There will be times when you are running out the door and don't have time to dig out your holster and get it all positioned. Drop a 5-shot .38 Special in your pocket (in a pocket holster so the trigger is covered) and you are reasonably protected with nearly no effort. I can't imagine not owning at least one of these. My personal choice is a S&W 642-1. The "-1" is important because the newer "-2" models have that wretched internal lock I hate so much. See my rant on gun shop employees for more details. There are some good choices out there by Ruger, S&W and even some older Colts. Just get a quality gun and practice with it.
Depending on the type of shooting you prefer, there could be several other entries on this list like hunting rifles, cowboy action shooting guns, sporting shotguns, etc... However, I consider the #1 job of guns is to be a tool for self defense. That is why I have focused on that. By all means, add more and more until your gun safe is so full you are afraid to open it, but this is a good starting point for a well rounded collection... in my not so humble opinion.
Stay safe out there, and watch your six.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
What should you have in your range bag
First, let me say that this list is what works for me, but everyone has different needs so I may carry stuff you see no need for and I may leave out stuff you wouldn't dream of heading to the range without. This list isn't meant to be complete because it is always evolving. I've intentionally left out a few obvious things... guns, ammo and mags. The reason for that is that I don't store these in my range bag. I add them on my way out the door depending on what type of shooting I'm about to do. What I keep in the bag are things I would use for most types of shooting.
1. Food & Water. If you only shoot for an hour at a time at indoor ranges, this might not be needed, but when I go to IDPA matches, I am there 4 - 5 hours, outside in the heat or the cold. If I go to an outdoor range with friends, we usually make a day of it. My particular range bag doesn't have a pocket for a water bottle so I just bought a 32 oz. Nalgene bottle and a D-ring and clipped it to the bag. I keep a couple of Slim Jims in the bag and I'll add a bag of trail mix or granola bars or beef jerky when I'm packing up the bag for the range trip.
2. First Aid Kit. Accidents happen, and even a minor cut or scratch can get badly infected if not cleaned quickly. Let's face it, gun ranges aren't anything close to sterile. In fact, just today I got a bad gash on my left ankle when a pepper popper I was resetting fell back down and gouged my leg. That was rusty steel that was stored outside. That could have become bad if I hadn't had a way to quickly clean it properly. My first aid kit is pretty basic... 10 Advil, 10 Tylenol, a roll of sterile tape, a bottle of Bactine, some alcohol wipes, an assortment of band-aids from small to pretty large and even a few 4x4 sterile pads.
3. Sunscreen and Bug Spray. You are going to be outside all day. This one seems obvious, but can easily be overlooked.
4. Some basic tools. I don't feel the need to have everything I need to completely rebuild my gun, but it would be nice to be able to handle minor issues without losing your day at the range. I keep a small screwdriver with multiple bits, a Gerber Multi-tool and a folding knife.
5. A basic cleaning kit. You never know when your gun could just need some quick lube to make it keep running and not end your day at the range early. I keep it simple, but I have one of those free brushes that get included with a new Glock, a small pack of patches, a small amount of pipe cleaners, a couple of shop towels and a small bottle of RemOil.
6. Eye and ear protection. I keep a pair of electronic ear muffs for the winter (or IDPA matches even in the summer since it is easier to hear the S.O. commands) and a pair of custom ear plugs for summer shooting. I also keep a few disposable sets of ear plugs just in case someone forgot theirs. I wear glasses, but I keep one set of eye protection just in case a friend forgot theirs.
7. Stuff to attach targets. Depending on the range you go to and the type of target holders they have, you will need different things to attach your targets. I keep a bag of laundry line clips, paper clips, masking tape and a staple gun. The laundry clips do take up a lot of space so if I'm going somewhere I know I won't need them, I will pull them out and leave them at home.
8. Targets. Seems obvious, but unless you are going to a match where the targets are provided, you will need something to shoot at. I print out my own targets because I'm cheap.
9. A bag for your brass. It's a good idea to pick up your brass even if you don't reload since odds are you have a friend that does. I just use an old Crown Royal bag. It works fine.
10. A hat. It's good for keeping the sun off your head and out of your eyes as well as deflecting brass heading for your face. I got a free one from Ruger due to the LCP recall so I keep that one in my bag.
11. Misc. stuff. I also keep spare batteries for my electronic muffs (learned that lesson the hard way), extra staples for the staple gun, target spots, target pasters, a pen, membership cards for any ranges or organizations such as IDPA, lens wipes, IDPA Rulebook, Work gloves, a notebook, Purell Hand Sanitizer and a small towel.
I'd like to add a shot timer, but that will have to wait a while.
There are also things I'll add for specific trips, but don't keep in the bag because I don't always need them and they take up a lot of room. For example, if I'm going to an IDPA match, I'll add a cover garment, a holster and a double magazine carrier for the gun I'm taking. If I'm going to shoot rifles at a distance, I'll pack my bench rest. If I'm taking a lot of guns and might be there all day, I may carry my entire cleaning kit.
Just think it through when you are packing your bag and think about where you are going, how long you will be there and what you might need while you are there. The worst thing is to make a long drive to the range and have your day cut short because of something you should have had with you but forgot.
Stay safe out there and watch your six.
1. Food & Water. If you only shoot for an hour at a time at indoor ranges, this might not be needed, but when I go to IDPA matches, I am there 4 - 5 hours, outside in the heat or the cold. If I go to an outdoor range with friends, we usually make a day of it. My particular range bag doesn't have a pocket for a water bottle so I just bought a 32 oz. Nalgene bottle and a D-ring and clipped it to the bag. I keep a couple of Slim Jims in the bag and I'll add a bag of trail mix or granola bars or beef jerky when I'm packing up the bag for the range trip.
2. First Aid Kit. Accidents happen, and even a minor cut or scratch can get badly infected if not cleaned quickly. Let's face it, gun ranges aren't anything close to sterile. In fact, just today I got a bad gash on my left ankle when a pepper popper I was resetting fell back down and gouged my leg. That was rusty steel that was stored outside. That could have become bad if I hadn't had a way to quickly clean it properly. My first aid kit is pretty basic... 10 Advil, 10 Tylenol, a roll of sterile tape, a bottle of Bactine, some alcohol wipes, an assortment of band-aids from small to pretty large and even a few 4x4 sterile pads.
3. Sunscreen and Bug Spray. You are going to be outside all day. This one seems obvious, but can easily be overlooked.
4. Some basic tools. I don't feel the need to have everything I need to completely rebuild my gun, but it would be nice to be able to handle minor issues without losing your day at the range. I keep a small screwdriver with multiple bits, a Gerber Multi-tool and a folding knife.
5. A basic cleaning kit. You never know when your gun could just need some quick lube to make it keep running and not end your day at the range early. I keep it simple, but I have one of those free brushes that get included with a new Glock, a small pack of patches, a small amount of pipe cleaners, a couple of shop towels and a small bottle of RemOil.
6. Eye and ear protection. I keep a pair of electronic ear muffs for the winter (or IDPA matches even in the summer since it is easier to hear the S.O. commands) and a pair of custom ear plugs for summer shooting. I also keep a few disposable sets of ear plugs just in case someone forgot theirs. I wear glasses, but I keep one set of eye protection just in case a friend forgot theirs.
7. Stuff to attach targets. Depending on the range you go to and the type of target holders they have, you will need different things to attach your targets. I keep a bag of laundry line clips, paper clips, masking tape and a staple gun. The laundry clips do take up a lot of space so if I'm going somewhere I know I won't need them, I will pull them out and leave them at home.
8. Targets. Seems obvious, but unless you are going to a match where the targets are provided, you will need something to shoot at. I print out my own targets because I'm cheap.
9. A bag for your brass. It's a good idea to pick up your brass even if you don't reload since odds are you have a friend that does. I just use an old Crown Royal bag. It works fine.
10. A hat. It's good for keeping the sun off your head and out of your eyes as well as deflecting brass heading for your face. I got a free one from Ruger due to the LCP recall so I keep that one in my bag.
11. Misc. stuff. I also keep spare batteries for my electronic muffs (learned that lesson the hard way), extra staples for the staple gun, target spots, target pasters, a pen, membership cards for any ranges or organizations such as IDPA, lens wipes, IDPA Rulebook, Work gloves, a notebook, Purell Hand Sanitizer and a small towel.
I'd like to add a shot timer, but that will have to wait a while.
There are also things I'll add for specific trips, but don't keep in the bag because I don't always need them and they take up a lot of room. For example, if I'm going to an IDPA match, I'll add a cover garment, a holster and a double magazine carrier for the gun I'm taking. If I'm going to shoot rifles at a distance, I'll pack my bench rest. If I'm taking a lot of guns and might be there all day, I may carry my entire cleaning kit.
Just think it through when you are packing your bag and think about where you are going, how long you will be there and what you might need while you are there. The worst thing is to make a long drive to the range and have your day cut short because of something you should have had with you but forgot.
Stay safe out there and watch your six.
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