Range Bag Addition: EasyShot Staple Gun

20131111-110610.jpgI’m always on the look out for new gadgets that will make range time more fun. Sometimes, these items are not particularly gun related, but make such a deference that I feel the need to share them. When I began frequenting an outdoor, rather than indoor range, I noticed a new tool requirement. My favorite range, at Clybell Wild Life Management Area in central Georgia, provides target stands with metal bases and wood uprights with a rectangle of cardboard tacked to the top. These stands are preferred because bullets are less likely to ricochet off of their parts. However with the dust and heat, tape and sticky backed targets don’t work as well as they should. Due to this issue, I now carry thumbtacks in my target holder. The problem has been, that tacks fall off or get shot and then I need more. Often I end up borrowing a neigbor’s staple gun. These tend to be the best solution but the ones the guys bring are usually heavy and require a lot of upper body strength to operate.

This leads me to my latest find. I stumbled on the EasyShot, by Arrow, while procrastinating on Amazon, and I’m very please with what I found. A staple gun that is light, easy to operate and has other features to make it a multi purpose tool. I have seen a reverse-trigger staple gun before and always thought, why didn’t anyone think of this sooner? Instead of requiring pressure on the staple-out corner, while push on the opposite corner to depres the trigger, the EasyShot puts all my strength in the same place. This causes fewer misfires and wasted staples.

Let’s be honest, the EasyShot is inexpensive and made of thick plastic but with metal internal parts, so I wouldn’t run it over or drop it in the mud. However, this staple gun is solidly built and can handle the grease and dust of an outdoor range. Even better, if it were to be left out over night, it won’t begin to rust like those heavy all-steel models.
20131111-110711.jpgYes, this staple gun is “light duty” so it shouldn’t be used on your tough jobs, but on soft wood, , cardboard and paper, it works great! It takes 3/8″ stapes, Arrow JT21, which should make it through many layers of materials, exactly as would be needed at the range. I tested on a 1/4″ stack of paper and the EasyShot had no problems. My favorite part is the extra base plate that comes with the EasyShot. I’ve never seen a staple gun sold with the option to be used as a typical stapler, but this concept is what sold the device for me! Now I can set up pieces of cardboard, mounted with targets, in advance of my range visits. I can staple together draped visual barriers and keep them from flying away. Then again, because the base is detachable, I can use the staple gun as a regular stapler, but with unlimited reach! Also, as a crafty gun girl, I imagine I will find 100 more uses for the EasyShot staple gun.

12 Comments

  1. Yes, these staple guns were actually conceived from logic. Pressing te trigger down actually applies force needed to maintain contact with the paper/wood/whatever you are stapling. The older style pulls the staple away from the wood when trying to fire it

  2. I’ve had a Black and Decker version for years and love it. The “backwards” configuration does work better. Having used traditional staple guns forever I had a brain fart with my new B&D and held it “backwards” by accident and put a 1/2″ staple right into the bone of the palm of my left hand. Ouch! Since then I treat a staple gun just like a real gun. Eye protection is mandatory too.

  3. Gabby,
    Do none of the other gals at the range bring staplers that are “usually heavy and require a lot of upper body strength to operate”.
    Would you say the Easyshot stapler is girl friendly?

    Instead of spending money on that stapler invest in some Captains of Crush grip trainers!!

    Just kidding! Thanks for sharing. Looks like a nice addition to my range bag.

    KT

  4. Have had one of these in my range bag for a little over a year. Great piece of gear, no problems at all.

  5. A staple gun requires a lot of upper body strength to operate? Don’t be silly.
    I’ve been using a standard staple gun for years and they work great, just make sure you get the heavy duty ones.

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