What to Wear to Gun Range

When it comes to shooting guns, it can be very difficult to teach new shooters because guns can be scary. For most of us, guns are just a part of our lives and we’re comfortable with them. However, if you’re trying to train a new shooter, they won’t have that level of comfort and confidence when holding, shooting, and holstering a gun. I created a list of tools that are perfect for firearms training with beginners.

I’ve mentioned a few times in previous blogs that I’ve been working with my wife to help train her to be comfortable with firearms. Just like every other husband and father, you want nothing more than to keep your family safe from harm. One thing that has kept me up at night is the idea of what happens when I’m not there and my family is in harm’s way? I know many of us feel that and don’t know what to do. 

I’m not here to tell you that buying guns and knives is going to always keep you safe. However, if you want your wife, children, or husband to defend themselves effectively, they need to learn how to use a firearm. 

Why Should You Train With Your New Firearm?

Some of you are probably asking why I would ever want to ask a question that a lot of already know the answer to. It’s simple, there are more Americans out there with guns that have never trained with them than ever. With the civil unrest, the paranoia, and distrust from the Covid pandemic, it’s not shocking to see hundreds of thousands of new gun owners. Many new gun owners that I speak with at the range assume they know how to use it and handle it with other people around. 

Thinking that every gun owner already has the proper training and knowledge of their firearm is a little naive and unempathetic. I first thought of this when I started going to a public range close to my house. Looking around at the shooters there, I immediately started to feel a lot of anxiety about the lack of safety and knowledge these people had with guns. 

I guess my point is that just because most of our readers are connected to the hunting,  law enforcement, or military community, doesn’t mean everyone else has that knowledge. This enlightenment about the things I consider simple and standard is not even known or understood by new gun owners. Frankly, it’s scary as hell to be around new gun owners with loaded guns in their hands and nobody to help guide them. 

E-Max Electronic Hearing Protection

The first thing I think about when I want to train my family members is how do I make them comfortable around guns? Before you ever shoot with someone, you should make sure they can take assemble and disassemble the gun. This helps them learn about the components and lets them see and interact with the gun’s safety mechanisms. Learning how to hold the gun and manipulate it if you got a jam is vital to every gun owner.

One of the easiest ways to have a person lose interest in shooting is to have them shoot a gun with no hearing protection. They’re most likely not going to ever want to shoot again and it could cause irreversible damage. I like the E-Max Electronic Hearing Protection from Caldwell because of the comfort and 23db noise reduction rating. If you’re new to electronic hearing protection, it’s really cool technology that can amplify your environmental hearing ability and still protect you from loud noises, such as gunshots, trains, and planes. 

I’m not a scientist so I won’t regurgitate the science behind it all, but electronic hearing protection amplifies sound below 85 decibels. This is the average noise level for basic conversation and your environmental surroundings. Anything above 85db, such as a gunshot or plane taking off, is capable of doing damage to your hearing if exposed enough to the noise. 

Caldwell designed the E-Max earmuffs to instantaneously shut off if any sound going above 85db. This means that every time you shoot a gun, the electronic technology will shut the amplification off and block the noise out. To be clear, this will not cut the entire noise out and it will still be loud; it just won’t hurt or make someone jump every time they fire their pistol. 

One important factor to keep in mind is that these earmuffs are meant for outdoor use, not an indoor gun range. Indoor ranges are much louder due to the echo of the building and will require a 28-31db reduction rating.

Caldwell Mag Plus Recoil Shield

Along the same line of thought with having good hearing protection is a fact that many rifles or shotgun owners don’t like to shoot because of the felt recoil. I’ve been shooting rifles and shotguns most of my life, but I know my wife hasn’t. I have a Stoeger M3500 that shoots 3.5″ magnum shells and although the recoil is better than most shotguns, it still hurts after a few shots. 

One thing I’ve seen with people at the range is that they tend to judge and look down upon people who wear recoil shields. At the end of the day, I’d much rather have fewer bruises on my wife’s shoulder while I train her to use our gun collection. The Magnum Plus Recoil Shield eliminates more than half the felt-recoil in my Stoeger, almost 100% of my 30-06, and almost half the felt-recoil on my 7mm Remington Mag. 

When you first start to train new shooters, having a recoil shield will give them the confidence they need to continue to pull the trigger and focus on their fundamentals. For example, no one wants to be punched in the arm repeatedly by another person. Now imagine getting hit harder than an average punch on someone who’s never shot a rifle before? I’ve seen it many times where new shooters will flinch before they pull the trigger in anticipation of the recoil. 

Caldwell Shooting Gloves

Shooting gloves get the same kind of wrap that recoil shields get from the gun nuts that like to judge new shooters. Once again, it’s important to ignore any hate do what’s best for you. Do you have small hands? Do you have a weaker grip than you’d like?

Are you worried about brass burning your hand or getting a slide bite from your handgun? If you can answer yes to these questions, shooting gloves will help with all 3 of those problems. 

My wife really likes the extra padding in the Caldwell Shooting gloves when she shoots my pistols because she doesn’t feel the recoil in her hands at all. For new shooters, muscle memory has to build up in their hands because they will be fatigued much faster if not.

The fingertip on the gloves is also compatible with any smartphone you have, so you never have to remove the gloves to take a pic, answer a text, or take calls when you’re at the range. The only knock on these gloves that I have is that it’s difficult to use with a CCW like my Walther PPS M2.

The trigger well is just barely big enough to get my finger in and makes me feel a little cramped while shooting. However, any full-size pistol, hunting rifle, shotgun, or AR-15 fits perfectly with plenty of room for your finger without feeling like you’re jamming it in the trigger well.

Caldwell Universal Mag Charger Pistol Loader

Now that you know your new shooter is comfortable and safe, the aspect of saving time while at the range can be a difference between wanting to go shoot and saying it’s not worth it. When I was reloading without a reloader, it would take a total of about 45 minutes to load the 300-500 rounds that I shoot on the weekends.

The first time my wife came with me to the range, she mentioned how long it took to just prepare. She was right and I just didn’t have my reloader that day because I left it out of my range bag. Once I remembered the Mag Charger Pistol Loader from Caldwell, it was like a night and day difference. I could load my Glock 19 within about 20 seconds.

The Caldwell Mag Charger Universal Pistol Loader works with my pistols, including my Walther and Glock. However, the only issue I have with it is that it doesn’t load 1911 9mm magazines. It will load 9mm, 10mm, .380 .357 Sig, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP with ease and within seconds. 

My favorite characteristic of the pistol loader is it’s incredibly easy to use; you just place a magazine into the holder (it clips in with an audible click), load a bullet in the magazine and squeeze the lever. Once you get into a rhythm, it’s easy to use and doesn’t strain your hands. Once the magazine is locked in, the Mag Charger keeps any pistol magazine secure and lined up for a fast reload. 

Are There Magazines That Don’t Work With the Mag Charger?

• 1911 9mm magazines
• Bersa Thunder .380 ammunition
• CZ Scorpion EVO3 S1 9mm ammunition
• Taurus PT 92 magazines

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