What To Wear and Bring To Gun Class

Here is a short list of what I want to see when my students show up to one of my gun safety/familiarization/marksmanship/etc. training classes.

Respect: no cussing, no fighting, no shooting people. Obey the Four Rules. Make a nuisance out of yourself and you may be asked to leave.

Food: bring enough lunch for you and maybe a little extra. Sandwiches are an easy and quick meal, well suited to eating out of doors (which you might want to do here).

Guns: bring yours if you have any. If not, you have to at least bring yourself (or get a ride). Bringing ammunition for other peoples' guns keeps the classes free -please bring ammunition unless you are dead flat BROKE.

Eye & Hearing protection: if you have impact-resistant glasses or earmuffs, bring them. If not, I can lend you a set.

Hat: a boonie hat or cowboy hat are preferable because they have a brim all the way 'round. A baseball cap will work, but your ears and neck stand a good chance of getting sunburnt. Also a brim behind your head can prevent hot brass going down the back of your shirt

Shirt: something with a high collar. A button-up shirt that buttons all the way up, a polo shirt, a non-stretched-out T-shirt, are acceptable. A V-neck or stretched-out collar are not. It is entirely possible to get a burn on your . . . well, on what a low-necked shirt doesn't cover. Guns sometimes send hot casings out faster than you can see, and when I say hot, I mean 2nd degree burn hot. I usually wear long sleeves but you don't strictly have to.

Pants: the shooting range has scrub mesquite on the grounds. You do NOT want to catch a scratch or puncture from a 2 inch long thorn. Also some firing positions call for lying on the dirt (these positions are optional).

Shoes: closed toes, for the same reasons as you want a proper shirt and pants. Wear some shoes you don't mind getting dusty or dirty.

Sunscreen. Texas summer, 'nuff said. Be sure to get your hands ears, and neck, especially.

Ammunition: Please bring, at a minimum -if you can afford it-
a box of .40 Smith & Wesson a.k.a. 40-caliber,
a couple of boxes of 7.62x39mm, and
a box of .22 Long Rifle a.k.a. 22LR.
Tell the guy at the gun store counter you want plinking ammunition, not specialty, hunting, or self-defense ammunition, unless you plan to use it for that, later.
It is not uncommon to have a few rounds left over at the end of class, and leaving these with the instructor is always appreciated and helps out for the next class. It also happens sometimes that the instructor will have to dig into his own ammo stores. Bringing your own ammunition keeps class fees to $0.

Feel free to bring as much ammunition as you want in any of the following calibers:
7.62x39mm <-- Men tend to like this one; we burned up 5 boxes last class
.40 S&W <-- Goes pretty fast sometimes
.38 Special <-- A favorite for beginners
.380 ACP
.22LR
12 Gauge

If there are other guns at class, there may be a limited supply of ammunition for them. If you are bringing a gun, please bring a box or two of ammunition for it.

This page is for me, so I can just send students coming to my classes a link instead of having to type up an email for everybody. It's also for you, if you found it by accident ;)