What NOT to Wear at the Range

Although it may be every man's dream of a woman with a gun, this sweet lady to the right here is not dressed for the shooting range. When I posted in a forum the I frequent, I received some ideas that I had never thought of and many that I had, so I wanted to share with you ladies how to be comfortable and ready to learn when you head to the range for Girl's Night Out, a class offered by our shooting league, range sponsored events, or just heading out with your family to practice. We will start at the top and work our way down...

HAIR - What NOT to WEAR:

While beautiful and enticing, long or even medium length hair left down could blow into your face, obstructing your view. It can also blow into the action and get caught. I promise, it does not feel good to get your long hair caught in the action of any firearm, I have seen it happen.

It is a good idea to wear your hair pulled back in some manner, in a bun or ponytail and top it off with a cute hat or visor to keep hot brass from hitting your face and even lodging between your face and glasses.

I don't have a "What NOT to Wear" picture regarding glasses, as simply what not to wear is nothing, most ranges require Safety Glasses of some kind. Many of them will allow prescription glasses without safety glasses covering them. If you don't wear prescription glasses, a nice wrap around pair will be great. The girls over at Bang Bang Boutique sent me over several pair to try out, and I loved all of them. We tried the "Player", which is anti fog and made for smaller faces. My daughter loves this pair and they always seem to end up in her bag instead of mine.

The Geneva really wrap around your eyes and have a light mirror lens. They're very light and comfortable and if they weren't made for a woman's face would be in Cowboy's bag because he loved the way they look as much as I did.

And also the Pink Cougar With Smoke Lenses...my fave! I wear contacts and have an issue with light sensitivity, so I need dark lenses. These a so comfy, come in three shades of pink and meet ANZI Z87. You can see pictures of all of these and place your order at their website. A Girl and A Gun members receive a discount!!

Also, you don't want to wear a whole lot of make-up, especially liquid foundation. Gasses and vapors from shooting get trapped in your make-up and stay on your face. Mineral foundation and cosmetics trap less chemicals and are safer to use. Always, always wash your face and hands after shooting.

EARS - What NOT to WEAR:

While they are stylish and draw attention to your beautiful face, any earring besides a stud will be uncomfortable underneath earmuffs.

Ear protection is another requirement at most shooting ranges. Even the smallest firearms can cause hearing damage and you only have one set of ears. Please protect them. Earmuffs are not expensive and can protect you from losing your precious hearing. Amazon has many stylish options for ladies like these

SHIRT - What NOT to Wear

While it may attract the attention of the man at the coffee shop, it may also become the landing place for a nice flying piece of hot brass. I promise, you don't want this to happen to you

Instead wear a nice, comfortable, closed necked t-shirt like my favorite from iCarry2

It has also been suggested that long sleeves can prevent burn on the arms if you are shooting rifles in which you are resting your arm on the table.

SHOES- What NOT to Wear

Of course barefoot is not a good idea for many reasons, but just had to throw that one in there.

As for the heels, while again, sexy and styish...just not practical sisters. For one, we will be outside and standing. For two, you want to learn to shoot in something comfortable. If you can't shoot a target in your trusty rusty old sneakers, there is no way you're going to protect yourself from a bad guy in your Manolo Blahnik strappy sandals.

As with everything else, we will have practice nights where we will ask you to bring the shoes you normally wear to work or on a night out with the hubby or girlfriends so that you can take some time to practice in what you might be wearing in a given situation, we just ask that you don't wear these things to the range.

I didn't mention hands above because this is kind of a controversial subject in some forums. I do not take off my artificial nails to shoot. Since I wear them most of the time, I need to be able to load a magazine and fire with them on.

I do; however, take off my rings with the exception of my wedding ring. My rings are simply not comfortable to shoot repeated rounds in. I do practice, from time to time, shooting a single magazine with them on so that I have an idea of what it will feel like. An hour at the range, though, will leave my fingers raw and sore if I leave them on. They also trap residue and gasses underneath them and I prefer to leave them off.

Here is a picture of me at the range with my kids in my normal dress, including my iCarry2 tee and your can't see them under the visor, but I have on my Bang Bang Boutique Pink Cougar glasses. I am also wearing comfy tennis shoes.

I hope that this post has been informative and helpful. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them here or email me at thatTexasLady@gmail.com.

Have a great day!

UPDATE: Kim over at Bang Bang Boutique has extended us an amazing offer good though October. Mention That Texas Lady's Facebook Page or Blog and receive FREE SHIPPING on custom orders!!!!