The United States has more registered firearms than any other nation in the world. There are between 200 million and 350 million, according to estimates. This is significant because there are only about 300 million people in the United States.
Being a responsible gun owner means storing your gun/s in a safe place and knowing how to use them without injuring yourself or someone else. This will take practice, and that will mean going to a gun range.
It’s important to pack the right equipment for a visit to the gun range. What is the best gun range equipment, and why? We’ll discuss that in this article.
Ear Protection
It’s a simple fact that the human eardrum was not designed to withstand the sound of gunfire. The quietest guns produce roughly 140 decibels when firing, which is pushing the limit of how much our hearing can take.
Louder weapons vastly exceed what our ears can take, and, though rare, it is possible for a gunshot to rupture an eardrum. For this reason, most gun ranges insist that their customers put on ear protection.
The best ear protection usually comes in two parts. The first is a set of earplugs to protect your inner ear. This should be followed by specialized headphones which are designed for this specific purpose. While the gun range will likely provide these, you should have some for personal use.
Eye Protection
In addition to excessive noise, there’s also the possibility of a ricochet. Again, this isn’t particularly common, but it does happen occasionally, and precautions need to be taken.
To this end, many ranges provide goggles for eye protection. Owning a gun without owning eye protection is a major unnecessary risk, so we recommend you invest in your own set.
Ammunition
Target shooting doesn’t work unless you have something to fire. Even if you shoot blank rounds, they’ll still be effective against the paper targets at the shooting range.
Ultimately, the ammo you need will depend on the gun you’re using, and the gun should be chosen based on purpose. For instance, the best weapons for hunting are usually rifles, such as the 30 30.
If you’re looking for a beginner gun for hunting, we recommend you view this 30 30 rifle and see if you like it. Making sure you have ammo is just one part of caring for a gun. You’ll also need to clean it regularly, so that wear and tear don’t build up.
Gun Range Equipment Everyone Needs
If you’re planning on practicing shooting anytime soon, you’re going to need the right gun range equipment. We’ve discussed gun range equipment, what it does, and why you need it in this article, but there’s a lot that we couldn’t cover as well.
For instance, if you want more technical advice, such as what the best accessories are for a 30-30, you’ll need to look into other articles.
If you want more information and advice on various outdoor activities and wilderness survival, we can help. We encourage you to look around our site and see what else you can learn.