What to bring and why

Handguns
Long Guns
Ammunition
Ear and Eye Protection
Food and Drink
Clothing
Holster and Belt

No matter where we hold your class most of the following is dictated by our concern for firearms safety: yours, ours, and everyone else's. Gun safety is our foremost concern and is never negotiable.

Although each instructor has preferences and we won't speak for anyone else, we wouldn't be surprised if you found that our core recommendations helped you in other classes—and after class too. That's good.

What follows is intended to ensure your success and your comfort consistent with our concern for safety. We really are on your side. We want you to succeed and to enjoy the experience. We also know you're more likely to practice what you enjoy doing. Very smart people have been using firearms for purposes including both recreation and self-defense long before there were people who tried to tell others it was wrong to do so. Of course everyone needs to be safe around any potentially-dangerous mechanical device, which is why we focus on firearms safety in explaining what to bring.

Students may not bring firearms or ammunition into a classroom. Student firearms brought to the shooting range must be safe, unloaded, and either cased or in a bag or other appropriate container. Bring a safe, unmodified, perfectly functioning gun that you can shoot. We're not gunsmiths and can't check each gun but we will not allow one that seems unsafe to us nor can we repair malfunctioning guns. No one ever points a firearm at anyone else. We don't allow reloaded or handloaded ammunition in any class. 

When there are specific requirements or suggestions for a particular class we will e-mail them to you. Don't expect us to lend you what you need unless we agree to do so in advance. Be self-sufficient.

Handguns. If you already own a handgun you intend to carry concealed we'd like you to use it in class so you get as much as possible from that class. Either a double-action revolver or a semi-automatic pistol in a self-defense caliber is good. No single action revolvers, derringers, target, plinking, or novelty guns, and no .25 or .50 caliber guns. Avoid bringing .22 caliber semi-automatic pistols: they tend to be fussy about ammunition and we can't stop the class while you fiddle with them. A .22 caliber revolver is all right to use in some classes and it's a useful practice tool but it's not ideal for self-defense.

If you don't already own a handgun we can lend you one of ours if you arrange the loan with us in advance and pay us for the ammunition in class before you use it. If you use our gun you must use our ammunition. It's a safety issue. We want our guns used with the ammunition we ourselves would use. If we lend you a handgun we'll lend you a belt holster for it too but you need to provide your own 1-1/2" wide sturdy belt to use with it. We don't have belts or other clothing to lend. Be sure to see our comments on Holster and Belt below.

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Long Guns. Not every class involves the use of a "long gun" (a shotgun or rifle). If you're taking a class that requires a long gun bring the kind of shotgun or rifle that is appropriate for the class as we describe it. We're highly flexible in such matters. You won't need a long gun in a CWP, Basic Pistol, or personal protection class. We do offer shotgun and rifle classes and we also provide personal training in the defensive uses of shotguns and rifles.

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Ammunition. Bring only fresh factory ammunition for the gun you use. Read the gun, read the manual, read the box, and read the cartridge case: they all should specifiy the same ammunition. No reloads or handloads: only new ammunition from a major manufacturer such as Winchester, Remington, or Federal. We're not fussy about the brand: those are just examples. (Tip: When there's a choice between ammunition labeled something like "Target" or "Personal Protection," choose "target" for use in class unless we say otherwise. It's less expensive and works just as well on paper targets as more powerful and more costly ammunition.)

All ammunition must be in factory fresh boxes just as you bought it. Don't bring old, corroded ammunition and don't mix or repack what you bring. These are safety concerns. Nobody does you a favor by telling you it's okay to overlook problems with ammunition that could hurt you.

Bring more ammunition than is required for any class: that way you won't run short, can take advantage of opportunities to practice, and return home with the excess. It won't spoil and we want you to have a great experience in class. We don't think anyone does you a favor by advising you to bring exactly the amount of ammunition you're required to shoot for a qualification. For example, we think it's unwise to bring just 50 rounds of ammunition to meet SLED's requirement that you must shoot 50 rounds to qualify for the CWP: if even one of those rounds fails to work you are in trouble. It's just like real life. You lose if you're not properly prepared. So right from the start we teach you to avoid unnecessary risks. We teach you how to win.

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Ear and Eye Protection. Bring good hearing protection and vision protection, and always wear them when anyone is shooting on the range. Anyone shooting a firearm must have and must employ good eye and ear protection. Use them or suffer permanent physical damage. Consult your own health care professionals for what you need to protect your health. We're not vision or hearing specialists and we won't risk your eyesight or hearing by lending you cheap products that might not work for you. We can show you the right direction but it's up to you to take responsibility for your own protection. That's why you're taking this class.

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Food and Drink. Proper hydration is essential in our Southern climate, even during fall and winter in the vicinity of Columbia, SC. You should bring water to our classes and drink frequently, but of course we can't parent you and must rely on your own good sense. Bring lunch to CWP classes and other classes that span lunchtime: there's no nearby place to purchase lunch. (Tip: Feel free to bring other snacks, especially health bars, but not chocolates or other sweets. You don't want a sugar rush.) Of course we do not allow beer, wine, or other alcoholic beverages or intoxicants anywhere in or near our classes or on the shooting range.

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Clothing. Dress appropriately for the weather and a sandy environment in the Columbia, SC area. Men and women both should wear long pants with pockets for spare ammunition, a shirt with sleeves that can roll up, socks and sneakers or boots or rough shoes, and a baseball type cap as additional protection. (Tip: When you join the NRA or renew in our class we give you an NRA baseball cap that is perfect for range use.)

We suggest you dress in layers including a T-shirt so you can adjust according to temperature and humidity. The shooting range is outdoors. That's good when you know how to adjust for conditions—better than an indoor range for serious defensive training and much better ventilated too, which is important when lead particles are in the air. We shoot in all but the most extreme weather conditions. Check your e-mail the morning of a class: if you don't get an e-mail from us that morning calling a class off, assume that the class is on.

Sweatshirts, pullovers, or anything else that can catch a gun, dangle inside its trigger guard, or get in your way are unsafe for our classes. If a cover garment can't tuck into your pants it must unzip, unbutton, or unfasten so it is completely open. No threatening or offensive slogans on anything please. Do wear socks and don't wear sandals: your feet must be protected from hot shells. There are good reasons why experienced people who use shooting ranges dress as they do. Personal safety is foremost among those reasons.

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Holster and Belt. These are safety issues, not fashion preferences. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You don't want to walk around dangling an unholstered and potentially loaded handgun. You most certainly don't want to be around other people who behave that way. It's not cool and we're not just meanies. We're alive and uninjured and we have plans to continue that way.

You do want to develop skill in how to draw from a holster and shoot to stop an attacker. In our CWP and NRA Basic Pistol classes we require belt holsters (also known as "outside the waistband holsters") because those holsters tend to be safest for people in basic classes. Your equipment should work for you.

You also want a belt holster so that later you can practice marksmanship and other basic skills without getting tangled in more complex holsters required for concealment. You need a holster if you're taking the required training class for a South Carolina CWP because SLED's shooting qualification test for certification requires you to shoot a substantial number of rounds after drawing from a holster. We don't know how you can do that unless you're wearing a holster.

Good holsters are made for specific handguns. Bring a good quality belt holster suitable for your handgun and make sure it fits perfectly before you come to class. ("Belt holsters" are also called "outside-the-waistband" holsters.) No retention, inside-the-waistband, cross-draw, shoulder, small-of-back, bellybands, or novelty holsters. We'd like you to practice what you've learned in class after it's over and we know you'll enjoy shooting more with a good quality belt holster and belt than with something makeshift.

The belt must fit you, the holster, and the belt loops on your pants. The idea is for the belt to support your gun in your holster without flopping or sagging. We usually wear Original Wilderness Instructor Belts of the 5-stitch kind. We like that belt 1-1/2" wide, which is the width required by holsters we use. Order it from Lightning Arms Sports (if you phone them ask for Craig and tell him you were recommended by Paladin Services in Columbia, SC) or from EOTAC™.  We've found that the Original Wilderness Instructor Belt (5-stitch) is so comfortable that we've taken to wearing it off the range too. 

If you're wheelchair bound or have some other relevant medical disability we'll work out an appropriate holster situation with you in class. We want you to succeed.

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For more information and an application to attend any of our classes please click on this link to e-mail us. Please include your local phone number so we can call you to answer questions and get information about what you need. We'll be happy to hear from you.

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