equipment

Rifle, Service or Match and ammunition.
Magazines, enblock or stripper clips
Shooting sling
Empty chamber indicator
Shooting Mat or some other kind of ground cover (a blanket or old piece of carpet will do for starters).
Spotting Scope.
Ear plugs or hearing protection
Eye protection.

Equipment you will want

As you progress

Shooting glove
Shooting coat
Higher quality spotting scope and stand
Shooting stool

.
Ammunition. Not all ammo is created equal, buy good quality. Reloading is most popular in competitive shooting. It is more accurate and much more cost effective.
Magazines. You will need at least two magazines (AR15, M14) enblock clips (M1) or stripper clips (bolt rifles) for reloading during the rapid fire stages. It's also nice to have a dedicated magazine for single loading for slow fire and sighters but this is optional.
Shooting Sling. Any sling is better than no sling, service rifles are limited to a web sling or a M1907 style leather sling.
Empty Chamber Indicator. This is an important, required and inexpensive safety device.
Shooting Mat. A good shooting mat has a rubber top to hold your elbows in position.
Spotting Scope. The spotting scope will be one of the most expensive piece's of equipment you buy. Money spent on a scope is not wasted, usually the more it costs the better it will be.
Scope Stand. Either home made or production, you'll need a stand to be able to see through your scope in all positions.
Eye Protection or Shooting Glasses. Can range from inexpensive to "the sky's the limit". How much are your eyes worth? Though not always required at matches, do yourself a favor and protect your eyes!
Ear or Hearing protection. A must. It will save your hearing and also help concentration.
Shooting Gloves. Sooner or later you will want a glove (for comfort). There are many different styles and prices, find one you like or have one of each.
Shooting Stool. A stool is a nice thing to have, it gives you a place to sit when scoring (for another shooter), it's also a handy place to store your gear.
Shooting Coat. A good coat is expensive but money well spent. Basically they are made of three different materials. Cloth , Cordura and Leather or a combination.

Shooting Gloves
Half finger	Full finger	NRA mit style

Different styles of shooting mats

Shooting coats
cloth	Cordura	leather

Scope, Stand, Slings, Empty Chamber Indicators
Spotting scope & stand	NRA (match rifle) & M1907 style (Service rifle) slings 30 cal empty chamber indicator (M1, M14) Empty chamber indicator (AR15)

Heres a photo of shooters at a match on the firing line in preparation for sitting rapid,
you can see the various stools, stands and misc. gear.
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Questions or comments? Please contact:

Gary Swaney

mailto:gswaney@tampabay.rr.com