6 Best Pistol Range Bags [2024]: Shooting Range Options

Introduction

Going to the shooting range is some of the most fun money can buy.

Getting to put rounds down range and punch paper is a great way to spend the afternoon. To top off the experience, you get the benefits of honing your skills as a shooter and becoming more competent at hunting, self-defense, or target shooting.

One of the most important items you should have is a quality pistol range bag. The right bag will help you stay organized and prepared for whatever you encounter at the range. Whether you’re a casual shooter or a competitive marksman, we’ve rounded up the best pistol range bags on the market to help you find the perfect one for your needs.

Why a Range Bag

One of the challenges of going to the range is getting all your toys there and having them organized in a manner that makes using them hassle-free.

If your guns, ammo, and accessories are just piled into a bag, helter-skelter, going to the range will quickly go from a fun experience to a frustrating one.

Having a high-quality pistol bag helps ensure you have a successful day at the range.

A Few Guiding Principles When Selecting a Range Bag

Before we get into the bags in our guide, a few guiding principles when selecting a range bag. You want your range bag to be durable. If your bag falls apart in a single use, it is not worth the material it was made of.

You want your range bag to be organized and spacious. It needs to be able to store all the gear you plan to take to the range and do so in a manner that makes going to the range more pleasurable, not less.

You want to look for a range bag that meets your specific needs. Consider what you hope to accomplish going to the range and the firearms and gear you plan to take.

If the bag you are considering purchasing does not address those concerns, you need to move on to a different bag. For many shooters, their range bag will be used to transport their firearms to places other than the range. This is not a guiding principle when selecting a range bag but something to consider.

We will explore the available pistol range bags and help you pick the one that best fits your needs.

6 Best Pistol Range Bags

Best Overall – Shooters Connection Tournament Series Shooting Bag Pro II

Specifications

Pros & Cons

The best overall choice is the Shooters Connection Tournament Series Shooting Bag PRO II. This bag is awesome. It provides everything you could ask for in a range bag and then some.

If your range bag does not have enough space to transport your firearms, ammo, and accessories effectively, then why are you using the bag? The Shooters Connection Tournament Series Shooting Bag PRO II solves this issue and then some.

It has a magazine storage pocket, four side/back pockets, and a main pocket. This plethora of pockets provides ample storage.  

The main bag isn’t the only storage that comes with Shooters Connection Tournament Series Shooting Bag PRO II. It also has two other bags. First, it has an inner bag that could serve as a small range bag on its own. It also has a brass bag for those who collect their brass for reloading.

The Shooters Connection Tournament Series Shooting Bag PRO II uses 500×500 Denier Nylon and Ykk Zipper and Sliders. Heavy foam padding keeps the whole bag safe and helps ensure that the most important items, your firearms, are kept safe on your way to and from the range.

If you only make it to the range once a year, this is the bag for you. If you make it to the range once a month, this bag is for you. If you are a competition shooter and spend more time at the range than home, this is the bag for you.

Best Large Pistol Bag – 5.11 Tactical RANGE READY™ BAG 43L

Specifications

Pros & Cons

The best large pistol bag is the 5.11 Tactical Range Ready Bag. This bag is huge, even bigger than our overall top choice from Shooters Connection. The Range Ready bag sports plenty of space to bring everything you need to the range.

Similar in design to the Shooters Connection bag, the 5.11 Tactical Range Ready Bag has six compartments for storing your gear. One of these compartments has loops for magazine storage. Another compartment has integrated hydration storage for keeping your preferred choice of hydration and its container.

Another similarity the 5.11 Tactical Range Ready Bag has to the Shooters Connection bag is the inclusion of two secondary bags. These bags can be used in various ways and are very useful, especially if you are reloading and want to collect your brass or have multiple shooters going to the range and don’t need or want a second full-size bag.

One thing to remember when bringing a large bag to the range is that the ability to bring so much will inevitably lead to lots of gear being brought along. For weight-averse shooters, this could prove an issue. This is not a negative of the bag, but it is something that anyone considering this bag should consider.

Best Value – MidwayUSA Competition Range Bag

Specifications

Pros & Cons

The value choice on our list should look very similar to our top overall choice. The MidwayUSA Competition Range Bag is a clone of the Shooters Connection Tournament Series Shooting Bag PRO II, our top overall bag. It is a truly excellent bag that will meet the needs of the vast majority of shooters.

The MidwayUSA Competition Range Bag has a ton of space. There is room to fit firearms, ammo, magazines, & accessories in this bag.

The bag has six pockets. A magazine compartment, four side/back pockets, and a main pocket give you lots of space to store your stuff and options for organizing your storage.

The bag itself is made of PVC-coated polyester with reinforced stitching and heavy-duty zippers. Closed-cell foam padding provides long-lasting durability to the bag and ensures that your gear is protected.

Since this is a value version of our top choice, there are some tradeoffs for the lower price. The two biggest materials are PVC-coated polyester vs. nylon and the extra bags/accessories that come with the Shooters Connection bag.

If you are in the market for a high-quality bag but don’t want to break the bank, then this bag is for you. Depending on sale prices, these bags can be found for as low as $40.

Best Backpack Range Bag – GPS Tactical Range Backpack

Specifications

Pros & Cons

The hand-held pistol range bag is not always the best choice for your given situation. For many, a backpack pistol bag provides needed versatility for their trip to the range. The GPS Tactical Range Backpack meets this need.

Durability is the name of the game with the GPS Tactical Range Backpack. Made with 1,000-denier nylon, this bag is tough. You can trust the bag to stand up to the rigors of use, and it won’t fall apart after a few uses.

The bag comes loaded as well. It has six pockets to store your guns, magazines, ammo, ear and eye protection, and anything else you might need during your trip to the range. It also includes 3 internal handgun storage cases. This is a nice touch.

The GPS Tactical Range Backpack is equipped with MOLLE webbing as well. This allows the shooter some flexibility to customize their backpack to their personal preferences.

If you are in the market for a high-quality range backpack, pick up the GPS Tactical Range Backpack. It is a solid choice that will meet your needs.

Best Range Bag for Braced Pistols – Savior Equipment American Classic

Specifications

Pros & Cons

When you want to take your braced pistol to the range, the traditional pistol bag leaves a lot to be desired. That is where the Savior Equipment American Classic comes in. This range bag is perfect for a modern sporting rifle or braced pistol.

The American Classic tactical bag is large enough to easily accommodate your braced pistol or modern sporting rifle and, at the same time, small enough to be easily transportable.

Padded, adjustable shoulder straps make getting the bag to the range a cinch. Just adjust the straps, put it on like a backpack, and you are off. This also makes it easy to carry a second pistol case like the MidwayUSA Competition Range Bag.

There are plenty of pockets on the Savior Equipment American Classic. The main storage bag has a divider for carrying two rifles or braced pistols. It also has two large padded pistol sleeves, two zipper pockets, and three exterior accessory pockets.

Best Small Range Bag – Orca Tactical Range Bag

Specifications

Pros & Cons

Our choice for the best small bag is the Orca Tactical Range Bag. The Orca Tactical Bag is a highly versatile bag that meets the needs of most shooters.

Sporting a smaller footprint than other bags on this list, the Orca Tactical Range Bag allows you to carry everything you need for a productive day at the range without feeling like you brought your whole gun closet.

The Orca Tactical Range Bag has two small internal pouches, four external pouches, as well as dividers to help organize the bag’s space. This allows you to bring your magazines, eye and ear protection, tools, ammo, and anything else you might need at the range.

The Orca Tactical is both durable and lightweight. Made of 600D polyester, the Orca Tactical is durable to handle the rigors of heading to the range. The bag also sports YKK zippers that can be locked using a luggage lock (lock not included). The carry handle for the bag is also a nice size preventing the handle from cutting into the palm of your hand.

The Orca Tactical Range Bag is a great choice if you are looking for a bag that effectively uses its space to provide the shooter with plenty of carrying capacity but in a smaller size.

How We Chose our Top Picks

Anyone who has been to the shooting range and discovers an essential piece of gear has been forgotten will have an unpleasant experience. A high-quality range bag is an essential piece of gear. A good range bag helps ensure you arrive at the range with everything you need.

The areas that we placed the most emphasis on when looking at pistol range bags were organization, durability, how functional the bag was, and if the bag had a reputation in the broader shooting community as a solid performer.

Buyer’s Guide: What To Look For In A Good Range Bag

Durability

First and foremost, you want a durable bag. If you don’t care if your range bag will hold up to carrying your gear to the range, then next time you go to the grocery store, save your plastic bags and save some money.

The most important part of durability is a strong bottom. Your range bag needs to support the weight of your guns, ammo, gear, etc. A heavy-duty bag is the first and most important requirement for a range bag.

When discussing durability, the quality of the fasteners, usually zippers and velcro, matters as well. If your zippers fail, whether the first time you go to the range or the one hundredth, your bag will lose a significant amount of its utility and ability to protect your gear.

Make sure you get good quality fasteners with your range bag. Having double zippers, on every compartment, is also a big quality of life improvement as well.

Organization

Whether you choose a large range bag or a small range bag, you want your bag to be organized.

For range bags, that usually means compartments, pouches, and pockets. The number of compartments, assuming they are not so small as to be useless, allows the shooter to organize their range bag in a fashion that best suits their needs.

Many shooters like their bags to have a dedicated compartment for magazines. Others are looking for bags that make it easy to keep their eye protection safe and unscratched. Some shooters really want a separate compartment for storing their firearms within their range bag. We all have our ways of organizing and storing our gear.

Purpose of the Bag

If you are planning only to take one pistol at a time to the range, then the biggest bag is probably not the right bag for you. Conversely, if you plan to take an AR pistol to the range every time you go, our choice for the smallest bag, the Orca Tactical, is probably not your ideal choice either.

Tailoring your selection of range bags to your needs as a shooter is paramount in your range bag meeting your individual needs as a shooter.

Basic Items to Have in Your Range Bag

Ammunition

Nothing turns a good range trip bad faster than arriving at the shooting range and discovering you forgot your ammo at home.

Deciding how you plan to take your ammo to the range is your personal choice. Some people leave it in the box; some put it in the magazines ahead of time to save time loading magazines as the range.

Magazines

If your firearm requires a magazine to function and you forget your mags, then you are in for a very short range trip.

Eye Protection

One of the responsibilities of exercising your second amendment rights is doing it responsibly. Having eye protection is paramount in ensuring that you protect yourself if the unexpected happens.

Ear Protection

Firearms are loud. Firearms are very loud. Don’t permanently damage your hearing by being lazy. Make sure you have proper ear protection.

Extra Eye and Ear Protection

Two is one, and one is none. It never hurts to have extra.

Other items to consider

Gloves

Firearms get hot. Suppressors get hot. Sometimes, having a pair of good shooting gloves comes in handy. They don’t have to be specifically shooting or tactical gloves. You can get a good pair of mechanics gloves and they can provide the same protection.

Shot timer

If you want to time yourself running drills, a shot timer is a great tool.

Pen & Paper

Being able to record your experiences or training can be useful.

Medkit

You are always your own first responder.

Spare Targets

It’s nice to put up a new target when needed without having to pay the high prices charged by ranges. Along this same vein, having a sharpie, stapler, and tape can also be useful in marking your targets to help ensure your targets stay where you put them.

Tools, Cleaning Rod & Cleaning Supplies

Being able to troubleshoot issues with your firearms is really useful. It sucks to shoot one magazine and then have a malfunction that is easily fixable, but you don’t have the tools to fix them.

Batteries

Batteries die. Spare batteries keep your optic running.

FAQs

Conclusion

Our top overall range bag is the Shooters Connection Tournament Series Shooting Bag PRO II. This bag is a great choice for shooters of all shapes and sizes. It is durable, has plenty of storage, and includes smaller secondary bags that can limit the need to purchase multiple range bags.  

Getting a good range bag will help ensure that you have a good shooting experience. Whether you select our top choice or one of the other choices, like the Savior Equipment American Classic or Orca Tactical, you will enjoy your trips to the range more by having a good range bag.

Anything that makes going to the range more fun and therefore, more likely to happen, has to be a good thing.