Probably my most embarrassing gun range moment happened on the line in a women’s pistol class. We were outdoors and it was chilly, so I was well bundled up in a T-shirt, long-sleeved button-up shirt, and a collared fleece over that. It was all well-layered at my neck, zipped most of the way up, but somehow a stray piece of ejected brass from the shooter to my left managed to drop right through all those layers and sear my bare skin inside three shirts.
One minute I was concentrating on shooting and the next minute I was bent over at the waist, yanking at my shirts to try to stop the burning. The instructor rushed to my side and put her hand on my gun, which I’m pretty sure I had kept pointing at the ground in front of me—but to be honest, it happened so fast and it was so distracting that I can’t be sure I had maintained muzzle control through the whole incident. And that is pretty shameful, actually.
Even though I was dressed appropriately at the range that day, the hot-brass incident was a powerful reminder of how what we wear (and don’t wear) matters when we’re shooting. The whole subject of “what to wear to the range” is pretty simple: You want to be comfortable but still functional and, most of all, safe. To that end, be sure you’re not committing a fashion DON’T by wearing any of these things to the gun range.
Low-cut tops: This happens to women all the time. They wear a scoop neck or V-neck shirt to the range because it’s hot out, or they just weren’t thinking about what they were putting on, and they get the old hot-brass-down-the-shirt reminder. Not only is this extremely painful, but it’s also a major safety hazard, as I learned firsthand. Even for an experienced, vigilant shooter, it’s easy to lose track of your trigger control and muzzle awareness when you’re distracted by a flash of pain. For this reason, avoid low-cut tops and anything that exposes a lot of skin—brass striking your arm or leg is just as painful and distracting as brass down the shirt.
Scarves and shemaghs are popular among shooters for this very reason.
This shooter is appropriately dressed for the most part. Although shorts might not be the smartest idea, the partitions at this indoor range and the shelf she’s standing in front of will help keep hot brass from hitting her exposed skin. You can’t see it in this photo, but she’s also wearing firm-soled sneakers.
Flip-tops or other flimsy shoes: This is partly because of the hot-brass thing we’ve already talked about, but it’s also a safety hazard to be wearing anything in which you can easily slip. Indoor ranges usually have ejected brass on the floor on which you can step and slip if you’re not wearing robust shoes, and outdoor ranges present the problem of dirt, rocks, and assorted creepy-crawlies. There are some ranges—primarily in the desert—where I only wear over-the-ankle boots, both for the ankle support and for the protection against scorpions and tarantulas.
Cheap sunglasses: Unless they are ANSI-rated for shooting, your normal sunglasses might not be adequate eye protection. Get a pair designed for shooting, some of which are very inexpensive. If you wear prescription eyeglasses, they likely are adequate, but check with your optometrist to make sure.
Airpods or other music earbuds: Airpods and other in-ear buds designed for playing music are not designed to protect your hearing from loud noises like gunfire. You need real hearing protection for that, and plenty of companies are now making options that connect to your phone via Bluetooth so you can take calls and listen to music while shooting safely.
Chunky jewelry: I’ve never had a problem with small necklaces and rings, but chunky rings can interfere with your grip. And be careful with earrings. I have a couple of small pairs that stab me in the neck when I’m shooting a long gun pressed to my face. This is more of a comfort issue than a safety issue, but you don’t want big dangly jewelry getting in the way of how the gun functions or how you move with it.
Pocketless pants: I’m not a leggings girl, but I know a whole lot of you are. If you wear leggings to the range, I recommend a pair with pockets. It’s just handy to have a place to tuck an extra mag, a couple of spare rounds, another foam earplug, or any number of things.
Anything too loose and baggy: Don’t wear anything that’s loose and flowy enough to get in the way of the gun or your movement. For example, I wouldn’t wear a batwing-sleeve top or a flowy kimono to shoot shotguns, because the extra fabric could interfere with my mount.
Anything you don’t want to get dirty: Shooting is dirty business, and the more you shoot, the dirtier it gets. I have ruined more than one shirt because I wore it to the range and came home with mystery stains from dirty gun oil and who knows what else. Now I have dedicated range clothes that I don’t mind staining.
The same outfit you’re going to wear out later: If you’re going anywhere but home when you leave the range, consider bringing a change of clothes. As we mentioned, shooting is dirty, and you’ll have traces of powder and lead all over you when you leave the range. Lead isn’t anything to freak out about, but it is recommended to wash your clothes when you get back from the range rather than letting them sit around the house dirty, and if you have errands to run after the range, you’ll be more comfortable and feel cleaner in a fresh shirt at least.
