EN 
SL What is joint mobility and why is it important for shooters?
Tactical Pointers, Shooting Pointers
4 Shooting Kit Essentials
Sonja Benčina
Aug 1, 2025
If you are in this sport long enough, you know that your kit bag is getting bigger and bigger. Through experience, you have realised that any bit of gear you have extra may come in handy when something breaks during travel or in a mishap, when you would like to try out something different, or when your teammate forgets their glove again. Yet for those who are only starting out, there are definitely a few shooting kit essentials that they need to have ready at any moment.
A Set of Allen Keys
Almost every piece of equipment – from buttplates and cheekpieces to sight risers – uses hex screws. A set of metric allen keys is essential for quick adjustments or tightening gear at the range. Tightening and releasing the screws causes wear through time, so use quality tools and don’t apply excessive force. Remember: test your screws after every travel, especially plane rides or bumpy roads.
Cleaning Kit
Do you agree with the saying that the larger the calibre, the more often you have to clean? Whether you clean your barrel after every practice (which is a popular choice among the elite precision shooters) or only every so often, having your own cleaning kit is essential in maintaining accuracy and ensuring the longevity of your setup. Make sure that you always use the right tools for cleaning, such as a non-abrasive pull-through cord, a bore guide, a straight rod, cleaning patches, lead solvent, and brushes (or a simple toothbrush). Before you attempt to dismantle and clean your rifle or pistol, make sure you read the manufacturer’s guide.
An Elastic Band
Arguably the most useful tool in your pre- and post-shooting stretching! Using the elastic band or resistance band warms up the muscles in your arms, shoulders, and upper back, as well as activates your core and postural muscles. Follow a light stretching routine to prepare your body for a longer period of standing and perfect control.
Shooting Notes
The final but perhaps most important piece of your kit is your shooting journal. Tools are replaceable but the accumulated knowledge and experience you gain from each practice and competition are not. Writing down your settings, hints that you get from your environment, mental preparation, things that work and those that don’t is something that nothing and nobody can do but you. Record everything and use it to rely on your findings to keep your momentum going or to veer back onto the correct path forward. Shooting Notes by Aiming Art are designed to guide you in the best possible way.
Good organisation makes a strong foundation for a successful shooting journey. Just like with your shot routine, having a functioning setup laid out on the line will give you additional mental strength. Knowing that you have all the necessary tools to deal with any gear adjustment or malfunction will allow you to relax and turn your focus to your shot process.
Share this post
More Recent Pointers
Why Shooting Notes are your most valuable shooting companion if you’re ready to make every training session count.
Three metaphorical SOS Exits: quick, creative mental switches that help you regain control when things get noisy, stressful, or overwhelming in competition.
Make every practice count by writing your personal shooting analysis. Monitor your progress and see yourself improve!
Be among the first to receive our Practical Pointers and best offers,
a few times per month!
Shopping Cart
4 thoughts on “4 Shooting Kit Essentials”
Hello,
I also have a thin normal screwdriver for trigger adjustment and a little penknife for cutting tape ect..
With best regards,
Theo Aarnink
Hi, Theo!
We totally agree. And then again – you can never have too many tools because you never know what kind of unpredictable situations you’ll end up in! Thanks for your valuable input.
Good list. I would like to nominate “a pen” as the fifth item on the list, so the Strelski zvezek can actually get filled in!
Nomination accepted! =D
Useful for more than just filling in your Shooting Notes, the pen can help you mark the settings on your rifle/pistol, jot down important information regarding match times/firing places, and … give autographs!