Training Checklist

To respect your instructor’s time is to respect your instructor, and whenever you head off to a class, it’s important that you remember everything you’ll need on hand in order to maximize the experience.

Few feelings are as frustrating as arriving at your destination and realizing that something you needed to bring with you was sucked into your kitchen table, garage floor, home entryway or other such shooting gear black hole. I was well into my 20s before I finally acquiesced to the reality of the human condition: I needed to use a checklist whenever I was attempting to leave my residence and accomplish anything beyond locking the door behind me. But, hey, there’s no shame in that. In fact, in hospital deaths were reduced simply by having surgeons employ simple checklists before and during surgery, so there’s no reason why you can’t streamline your shooting and training through the addition of a training or range checklist.

Depending on your circumstance, there will be other class-specific gear that you’ll include, but this list covers the bare-bones quantity of equipment that should accompany you to any training seminar or even just to the range. Ed Combs Senior Editor, Concealed Carry Magazine 

1. Proof of registration for the class you are attending and required class materials as designated by the instructor 

2. Eye and ear protection with backups 

3. Brimmed hat and shooting gloves 

4. Gunshot-specific emergency first-aid supplies 

5. Firearm with which you intend to practice and, if you have one, a backup Ammunition for this gun and extra magazines 

6. Multi-tool and cleaning rod for basic maintenance and barrel-clearing 

7. Targets and staple gun, thumbtacks or whatever you use to affix targets to a backstop 

8. Notebook or shooting journal with extra pens or pencils 

9.Extra batteries for lasers or weapon lights 

10. Permanent marker for target identification 

11. Seasonal items (sunscreen, insect repellent, warm clothing, raingear, etc.) 

Most important 12. Lunch (if applicable or at least a snack) and Water