Beginners kit - what to buy

[Andrew Jenkins]

Me again  ;o)    Anyone bored of answering my newbie questions yet ?

I'm a scuba diver, and like shooting, there's a myriad of equipment and shiny things to buy.  Some we define as things that every diver should own, and not rent / hire / borrow.  We call them, the ABCs - which stands for Mask, Fins and Snorkel (yes, yes, I know .. ABC != MFS).

I digress .. given the list of things that a new shooter could buy, what are the 3/4 or 5 things that every shooter should have of their own ?  (excluding gun of course)

Eye protection ? Ear Protection ? Cap ?
 

 

[Dog Tyred]

In no particular order of importance;

Skeet vest or cartridge pouch

Gunslip

Ear defenders or plugs

Shooting glasses are a good idea (if you are going to shoot CPSA registered you will need some)

Range bag (to carry all your newly acquired bits)

Wellies (assumed sporting shooter)

Gloves -its cold out there

Thermals + warm socks

hat - protection against falling bits of clay

That's Christmas sorted then

DT 

PS: a good sense of humour

 

[Bebo]

Ear protection, gun slip, eye protection (you can get away without, but some grounds get very shirty if you don't put your glasses on and you can get disqualified from competitions if you shoot without glasses).

A bag to put your cartridges and other bits in is helpful.  Something to carry your cartridges to hand in when you are shooting also makes things less of a faff (vest with pockets or a pouch).

 

[Finners]

In order of "need" AFAIC:

Gunslip/Ear protection - essentials

Eye protection - as Bebo says - ie only in 3rd place if your ground insist.

Warm/dry clothing (only because it's Winter now)

Cleaning kit - oil/cloths etc

Skeet or Shooting vest of some kind - you can manage without, but having the carts easy to hand does make for a more relaxed approach.

Cartridge or Range bag (same as the vest - just makes life easier)

Peaked cap for the low winter sun in your eyes...

 

[WildZebra]

As a relative newbie to the sport - I found in order of importance/impact the following:

1. 'Great' Eye and Ear protection - Personal aside: I am always amazed that people don't spend up and buy fantastic kit in this department - Ears and Eyes to my knowledge are a one-time offer and incredibly susceptible to damage.  Put simply - if you can't afford good eye and ear protection, you can't afford to shoot .....

2. Vest - keep shells in your pocket (digging them out of boxes is slow and annoying), helps with smooth gun mount, makes you look like all the other cool kids.

Remember rule #1 in shooting is the same as diving: always look good

3. Clothing/shoes - I'm on the west coast of the US so for me it's breathable and handles the desert/dust conditions.  I was wearing my regular clothes and it was just destroying them.  I will leave it to those in the wet/cold/dreary/unpleasant conditions in the UK (smile) to comment on what's best for you

4. Cap - Helps you to sharpen focus, keeps the sun out (is there sunlight in the UK?), helps when clay pieces are dropping from the sky (yes, it definitely happens).  

Referring back to rule #1, make sure it's branded to your favourite manufacturer/sponsor/local club etc

5. Range/Cartridge bag - Just buying one now myself (i've been shooting for a couple of months).  This is best left until you you get settled with what you want then you can acquire the right bag for your circumstances/vehicle/budget etc

Hope this helps

Adam

p.s - Yes, i'm Australian.  Yes that's why i'm picking on your wonderful weather.  That said let's be honest - you sent all of us to the most beautiful country in the world and stayed back in the UK - it's impossible not to throw in the odd *** here and there haha

 

[MJJ]

Ear defenders or similar. Gun cleaning kit with cleaning fluids and gun lube/grease. A proper shooting vest/coat/jacket. Gun slip. The rest you can make do with what you have until such time you can either afford to buy them or need them. 

 

[chippy]

In order of importance

Well paid job or lottery win

Divorce

Patience

20/20 eyesight

Patience

And an unbelievable amount of natural talent.

 

[move-mount-miss]

In order of importance

Well paid job or lottery win

Divorce

Patience

20/20 eyesight

Patience

And an unbelievable amount of natural talent.

You missed out own farm with a high tower and several auto clay traps.

 

[chippy]

You missed out own farm with a high tower and several auto clay traps.

damn it, I always miss something.

 

[dbob]

No1 - Ear and eye protection. I don't understand why anyone wouldn't protect their eyes. I've twice had shards of broken clay hit me in the forehead, an inch lower and could have taken my eye out. It's just not worth risking in my opinion and you don't have to spend silly money on shooting glasses. 

 

[Nimbusgb]

If you shoot sporting then a 4x4 or at least a crossover with decent road clearance or works van!

( hint .... A low slung 2 seat sports car is not ideal for winter shoots in a field. )

A cap is required at some shoots because of falling clays. Baseball caps are not ideal as they limit your field of view imho.

A gun care package. 

Rod and end pieces, bronze brush, soft mop, soft brush and a split end ( jag ) for pushing patches though. Use paper towel instead of fancy mops, far cheaper and more effective! Your favourite potion for cleaning, gun oil, light grease. Stock oil. Get a gun cleaning mat if you value the dining room table and an apron if you want to keep muck off your clothes. If you are tempted to buy an all in one cleaning kit for over £40 in the gun shop you might be surprised to discover that the same kit is on ebay for 9.99.

 

[Andrew Jenkins]

If you shoot sporting then a 4x4 or at least a crossover with decent road clearance or works van!

I've got a pretend 4x4 (Lexus NX) .. so I'm covered on that front. ;o)

No1 - Ear and eye protection. I don't understand why anyone wouldn't protect their eyes. I've twice had shards of broken clay hit me in the forehead, an inch lower and could have taken my eye out. It's just not worth risking in my opinion and you don't have to spend silly money on shooting glasses. 

I think eyes and ear protection is commonsense .. 

So I think I'll start with

Eye and ear protection
Skeet vest
Some kind of cartridge / range bag.
New Credit Card
 

Thanks all for the suggestions. 

 

[RobertBeard]

Surely the lottery win should come after the divorce!

 

[chippy]

Surely the lottery win should come after the divorce!

very true robert . what a costly mistake.

 

[Rob C]

You have all forgotten an essential item an  A4 sized notepad for your excuses for not shooting well..........That reminds me must get a new one.

 

[Goldfish]

A flask so you can sit and have a coffee when you get stressed and start wondering if you bought blanks with you!

 

[Tom Tristram]

Hand warmers are a good idea , a lot of people use the peak cock hand warmers, but I dont have a clue how to turn them off and they get way tpp hot sometimes! I use this product called Hotrox its electronic it takes 30 seconds to get up to 50 degrees and its got 3 settings  You can get them from lake land from about £15-£20 or from their website ( http://www.thehotrox.co.uk ) its worth a look even if you dont want one just because its a really good design and build quality which I think is demonstrated on the website  

 

[maddmatt]

My advice is a good set of golf clubs... 

To start off all you need to buy is:

Gun
Glasses
Ear Defenders
Skeet Vest
Warm waterproof jacket
Waterproof (warm) trousers or golf style over trousers
Waterproof Boots (Wellies, Walking doesn't matter)
Range Bag

That is the basic kit, obviously if you have more money you can buy more gear...

 

[Nick Selby]

Best thing I spent money on (other than gun) when I started was a couple of lessons with a very good coach.... That was money well spent.