A Dozen Essential Extras for Your Range Kit
April is just around the corner. Many shooters in the Northern latitudes are getting ready to start their shooting season. That means collecting all the gear they’ll need at the range. It’s easy to forget small, critical items, so we’ve provided a checklist of the small “extras” you should pack before you head out to the range. In addition to rifle, rests, ammo, targets, and cleaning gear, here are a dozen essentials you should include in your range bag.
• Shell-holder — Use the shell-holder to gauge if you are getting excessive case expansion from hot loads. If a fired case doesn’t slip into the shell-holder easily, your load is definitely TOO HOT.
• Extra earplugs — Always use ear protection when shooting. We bring a 35mm film canister with extra sets of foam earplugs.
• Hex wrench or screwdriver for action screws — Action screws can work loose with time. Always bring the appropriate hex wrench or screwdriver whenever you go to the range.
• Small wrench for scope rings — Check the tension of your scope base and ring fasteners before you go. Bring along a small Torx wrench for the ring screws (or other tool that fits your fasteners).
• Normal and under-sized jags — It is often wise to use one-caliber undersize jags when applying solvent with cotten patches. You should have a couple sizes in your range kit.
• Extra batteries — Bring extra batteries for all your electronic gear — which can include chronograph, windmeter, digital camera, GPS etc.
• Small notebook and pen or pencil — Use the notebook to record chron data, log group sizes, and make notes about wind and weather conditions.
• Adhesive dots — Bring a few sheets of adhesive dots (sold at office supply stores). Use small white or black dots as target pasters. Use larger red or orange dots as aiming points (target centers).
• Folding chair or camp stool — This comes in handy if you’re spotting for another shooter, or if you reload away from the firing line.
• Water bottle — You can’t shoot well if you’re dehydrated. Bring at least two quarts of water with you and keep a bottle at the bench.
• Surveyors’ Tape and wood stakes — You can make inexpensive wind indicators using surveyors’ tape attached to the top of wood stakes.
• Small plastic ruler — Use this to measure your group sizes. A transparent (see-through) ruler works best. Rulers are also useful for drawing lines on targets.
This list is not intended to be exclusive. There are many other items you may wish to include. We invite our readers to add other “essentials” to the list. The important thing is to plan ahead, packing your key items before you drive to the range.
how about safety glasses—grey, yellow, and clear should cover most needs.
Maybe some blue painters tape for those times you don’t want tape to stick forever.
don’t forget sharpie markers
Always a roll of masking tape, buff colored, approx. 1″ wide, piece of cardboard to use as target backing on ranges where the target backers are shot up to the extent that tgt. cannot be stapled. Regarding the shellholder(s): Don’t understand how this would work, since the blown-out/enlarged area is usually well above the top of the shellholder. Even a standard FL die cannot be lowered enough to reduce this larger than normal diameter, the reason a small base die must be used. Just asking: not trying to be a smart-a**.
Frank,
It may surprise you, but with a truly over-the-top load, the Extractor Groove diameter will expand enough that you’ll get interference (a hard fit) as you try to put the case in the shellholder. Indeed, I’ve had some brass (shot with deliberately hot loads), where the case would not slide in the shellholder at all. Consider the shellholder “hard fit” an indication of an extreme load… it’s a quick check that doesn’t require calipers.
I continue to learn: had no idea an over-pressure load would have any effect on the rim/ extractor groove: thought it was confined to the case head area only. Thanks for the tip.
my virgin lapua 308 is somewhat tight in a redding shellholder. what does that mean?
Also what’s the benefit to using a jag one size smaller?
EDITOR: If the unfired brass is a tight fit, using the shellholder as a gauge can still work… you’re trying to see a growth in the diameter of the extractor groove.
When using a wet patch, you don’t want the patch too tight. You don’t want to squeegee off the solvent before it gets down the bore and you watch to have enough clearance that the patch can move smoothly without putting a lot of force on the rod which can cause it to bow.