shooting gloves

[joeislove]

It's starting to get a little chilly out around here at night, so I want to get some gloves. I went to a couple of stores and tried some on, but they were so big and bulky that I can imagine myself not being able to get my finger on the trigger of my carry gun, should the need arise.

It doesn't get too cold around here, so I'm just looking for a light pair of gloves, but I'd like them to be black leather. Any recommendations? I used to have a great pair of gloves, but I lost them, and I don't remember where I got them. They were soft, made of calfskin or something.

 

[Preacherman]

Try the Uncle Mike's gloves. Their shooting gloves are excellent - I've used them through several week-long, thousand-round-plus courses, and they really tame the recoil. The neoprene duty gloves cover the whole hand, but are pretty gun-friendly. Their retail prices are on the Web site, but you can usually find them cheaper through distributors and dealers.

 

[El Tejon]

joe, have any motorcycle supply shoppes around you? Check them out.

 

[Wild Bill]

Choice one – motorcycle shop: good moderate weather gloves there
Choice two – sporting goods shop: golf gloves work great

 

[Henry Bowman]

Ditto on the golf gloves. They are usually in white, which shows a lot of powder, but sometimes can be found in black, too.

Now if we could get them to turn several of those vast (wasted) pieces of real estate into shooting ranges . . .

 

[ambidextrous1]

Weight training gloves are another choice; they're available in black and a lot of other colors. The glove fingers are cut off at the second joint, which enables good tactile interaction with the trigger. They provide some recoil "absorbtion", probably due to distributing the reaction force more evenly.

 

[joeislove]

Thanks for all the responses.

I should make myself a little more clear, I think. What I'm looking for, primarily, is something to keep my hands warm, as I've never felt the need to cushion my hands while shooting and, when possible, prefer to shoot barehanded. I want some nice looking black gloves that are light and snug-fitting enough to allow me to still shoot.

The motorcycle glove idea is a good one. I think the gloves I lost were originally purchased from Dennis Kirk, but they don't appear to carry them anymore, according to their web site. I'll run by Cycle World sometime.

I went to Franklin's to see what they had, and walked out with a pair of pretty nice gloves, but they do not fit as snugly as I would like. They're some kind of brushed leather, but I'm not sure what kind.

I'm looking at the Airprene Specialist right now (see them at Your American Backyard), made by Hatch. They look promising, but I'm not sure what size I wear, and I don't have a measuring tape.

The price is right, anyway. Can anyone recommend these?

Again, thanks for all the responses.

 

[SkaerE]

flight gloves are what i use.

tried the Mechanix brand gloves as well. they work ok.

FWIW i had a pair of Hatch "operator" gloves that fell apart ASAP. under normal every day use, not used as work gloves.

 

[feedthehogs]

Pretty much anything with insulating properties is going to be un friendly to gun handling.

 

[romulus]

I use standard Isotoner brand leather dress gloves with a really thin cashmere liner. They are soft and supple, fit snug but not tight, flexible, give great feel, warm, and look good even for a night at the opera.

 

[Variable1]

I use the Secialists NS430 as my cold weather gloves here in Minnesota. The Airprene is a hot weather glove designed to aid in cooling. I find the standard specialists work great, but there is also a cold weather version NS430L as well.

I am on my second year with the Specialists, and I have a pair of Operators I have put through some training classes as well as a lot of range time and are holding up great.

 

[OH25shooter]

I would second the 'flight' gloves suggestion. Know anyone in the military? Have yet to find a pair (the kind pilots and flight crews wear) in a military surplus store.

 

[Sven]

There are a bunch of Flight Gloves listed on eBay right now.

 

[Detritus]

Sporty's Pilot shop, and US Cavalry both carry the Mil-spec flight gloves.

If i had a need for shooting gloves that's most likely what i'd wind up with.

then again because of my weird sized hands (fat AND long) the best bet for me would be to find a leathgoods maker that was willing and able.... and a get a pair of calfskin ones with minimal Thinsulate lining.

 

[Kobun]

FWIW i had a pair of Hatch "operator" gloves that fell apart ASAP. under normal every day use, not used as work gloves.

I've had the exact oposite experience.
I use the Hatch Operator gloves daily.

I've worn them while fitting snow chains twice.
I've used them all year round, from -15F in the winter in Norway, to +102F in South Africa.
They are great to wear while shooting, and you can even load your magazines with them on.
They are so nimble you can flip through a phone book while wearing them.
They hold up really well and are the best gloves I've ever had.

 

[Jaywalker]

Well, they aren't black, but yesterday I just bought my second pair of Orvis deerskin gloves for $50. I've worn the first ones for about 7 - 8 years, and while they're a little ragged, there's no holes in them. They're very thin with internal seams, and comfortable bird and deer hunting down into the thirties and up to at least 60 degrees. They show the sweat, so they act like a real skin with evaporative cooling. They protect like they're a second, thicker, skin from branch scrapes. You can wash them and they stay flexible. These are magic gloves, and I like them much better than the Air Force flight gloves I used to wear for a living. I wore them to work in the winter, but I'll use the new ones for that, now.

Orvis also has a slightly heavier version with external seams and a tightening strap across the back of the wrist. These were actually cheaper at $40, and I was tempted, but I know where the magic is for me, so I went with the ones that have worked so well for me.

Worship mode off.

Jaywalker