Shooting vest question

[BridgeWalker]

I'm curious about shooting vests. Some have heavier padding and a reactar (tm, not mispelled ) pad pocket. Some seem as thin as or even thinner than the rest of the garment.

I made myself a shooting shirt by sewing a thicker quilter patch on the shoulder and sewing a pocket for a reactar pad, which worked ok, but a bit hard to get a consistent mount because sometimes the toe would catch on that thick fabric.

Today the rangemaster gave me a vest. I'll wear it, and proudly, but it's a very nice Browning woman's vest (in other words, it fits, unlike any vest I can find in a store around here) and it has no pocket for an add-on pad and just a single layer of leather.

Is a layer of leather *really* *that* good at spreading the recoil out that I won't get beat up? I'm a little nervous about it giving enough protection. But it's a very nice, mid-range vest, so it shoudl be ok, right?

 

[Dave McCracken]

IIRC, Delta9, you are female. As you probably have noticed, most shooting carments are made for males.

Browning has a few garments made for females. Orvis does also, and companies like Kevin's and Ugly Dog Hunting are carrying SHE Safari hunting duds.

You need more of a range vest, I venture.

As for padding, it's up to you. None of the 5 or 6 vests here have that much.

A couple range vests have just the leather. That does help, though I'm loath to quantify it. Others have a bit of quilting and that helps more.

Try out what you have. Adding a bit of quilting or a pocket to hold a Reactor pad would be simple if needed.

Do use light loads. I'm getting the most hits on difficult targets I've ever had using the least loads I've ever used.

HTH....

 

[elkhuntingfool]

I picked up a shooting vest at Wal Mart - was around $13. Has nice big pockets. The padding was a bit weak so my mother in law added padding. Very very nice. I just couldn't drop $70-$120 for a vest. This option was great for me.

 

[cat_IT_guy]

Watch Cabela's bargain cave for good deals on nice vests. I got what is normally an $80 vest on sale for $28.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

Another option would be something like this.

http://www.cabelas.com/spod-1/0012758.shtml

It would allow you to wear your nice vest, but have a little extra padding, if needed.

 

[BridgeWalker]

Well, I am gonna wear the nice vest in any case. It was a gift of the kind, for reasons that don't need to be stated here, one doesn't take lightly. Just not sure about the protection factor.

Yeah, a second pad of some kind might be a good plan.

No super light for me for a while. Got thirty boxes of AAs on trade, not super-light loads, but a great deal and they'll start me on reloading. But the super-light loads will have to wait for a while.

Anyone else have difficulty getting a good, consistent mount with thicker recoil protection? Perhaps this is why many vests have such light padding?

 

[LHB1]

Quote: "Anyone else have difficulty getting a good, consistent mount with thicker recoil protection? Perhaps this is why many vests have such light padding?"

Yes, thick pads/vests/etc. can cause problems when shooting shotguns because they effectively increase the stock length. This in turn can cause difficulties with stock fit and especially with mounting the shotgun. In extreme cases, they move the head backwards on the shotgun stock and thus lower the rear eye placement which causes the shotgun to hit lower. I prefer to go with the minimum thickness of cloth/leather/padding behind shotgun stocks for these reasons.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

 

[TrapperReady]

delta9 - I had a Browning vest with the Reactar pad for a while. Eventually, I got tired of inconsistent gun mounts and cut it out. Problem solved. The couple of vests I now wear have either very thin leather pads or very thin cloth pads. Often, I shoot with just a shell pouch and a polo-style shirt.

If the gun fits and has a decent recoil pad*, a thick recoil pad should not be necessary. My wife uses a woman's Beretta vest that has almost no padding at all, and she's 5'3" #110.


* IMO, that means a Pachmayr Decelerator, Kick-Eez or Limbsaver... preferably the Decelerator.

 

[Dave McCracken]

There's a wearable pad here, Delta, an early PAST pad. I use it when benching, but it's a bit awkward, for me at least, when wingshooting.

Agreed with TR about fit and pads.

 

[onemsumba]

The little bit of leather or heavy material on the shooting vest won't do much to spread out the recoil, it should help when you shoulder the shotgun.

there are alot of different types of inserts you can get. I just got a filson shoulder pad with a removal insert. My friend is going to sew a pocket into all my vests for it. I'll try it out this weekend and let you know how it works.

Also slip on recoil pads are very good. I have a limbsaver and highly recomend it.

-one

 

[sm]

delta9,

Welcome to THR.

Good information above already. Gun fit and Pach Decels are also big keys IMO.

Taking for granted your gun fits and you have correct basics-

Old, Old trick. Get the P.A.S.T , recoil "slip on" - the thinnest one they make.
Put this on under without any inserts of the vest you have.

Old Old trick again<cringe>
-replace inserts with the cut up P.A.S.T pad.
-have this cut up system sewn in.
-have your vest custom "altered".

Fact is, most Equipment is not made to fit anyone. Just folks get lucky and off the rack stuff fits.

It ain't about you - it is about manufacturers instead; it is about getting money for stuff made and sold.

So I go back a few years, and ladies never fussed about stuff not being made for them, they just altered it and went on with it.

Guys (being a bit slow and dumb ) decided they too could have stuff altered and fitted to them and not be called "sissies".


Ah yes...there is something about macho guys whimpering, rubbing a shoulder and the petite gal is finishing up the 8th box (200 rds) and her custom /altered shooting vest, has a Mae West quote on the patch, on shooting side.

Say big fella, why don't you come up and see me sometime - Mae West.

Just a going strong with that 12 bore she was. 199/200 ain't too shabby - huh?



It ain't cheating if'n it works - called ingenuity. - anon

 

[BridgeWalker]

The gun fit is pretty good. Professional stockfitting in the spring. Right now it's as good as it can get using the provided shim set.

So far just the factory pad on the gun. That may be the best answer here, switching up to a better one.

So I go back a few years, and ladies never fussed about stuff not being made for them, they just altered it and went on with it.

Heh, guess I'm more old-fashioned than I look--see my OP where I mentioned that before the gift of the vest I altered a t-shirt into a shooting shirt. I figure versatility is key. I'm about the only person I know who can handle both a sewing machine and a shotgun. Still marginally better with the sewing machine than the shotgun, but I'm getting there.

Fact is, most Equipment is not made to fit anyone. Just folks get lucky and off the rack stuff fits.

I have to take exception there though. I know enough about the history of clothing and the rise of off-the-rack garments to know that they are indeed designed to fit someone, generally the most average build within a set of parameters. There are substantial enough differences between shooting garments for men and women that in most cases alterations are both necessary and so drastic as to be very difficult to do at all and well-nigh impossible to do without making the thing look like a patchwork quilt. That last is thanks to modern construction methods that involve a single serged edge with no slack fabric.

Not only are women's shoulders and necks contructed differently, but hips and breasts mean than we (well, me at least, I'm fairly um, well-endowed in the chest region) would have to get a very large men's vest and then cut it down. The larger vest means that the padded area/pad pocket falls about an inch below where the toe hits my shoulder.

You're right--they are designed for a certain common denominator. I have fairly broad shoulders for a woman and would probably not fit well in a woman's shooting shirt, but the vest is ok. That is luck.

But a woman trying to fit well into a man's shooting garment? That's not about luck. That's trying to use the wrong tool for the job. Until the right tool fell in my lap I made my own rather than use the wrong thing.

 

[sm]

You're right--they are designed for a certain common denominator.

This was my main point.
I already figured out you knew all this and are pretty sharp in regard to shotguns, and shotgunning.


Off the rack shotguns, are often just set up for some male, 5'10, 160 pounds with a 32" sleeve length.
Not all guys in "this" slot are the same. Chest , shoulders, neck and other factors differ with guys that fit this slot.

Folks have changed, both genders. And as you pointed out, Clothing changed.
No offense, but staying with ladies, ladies changed from being "soft and plump" , to "V" shape (wider shoulders, little waist) to "Twiggy" (yuck) to ...

Guys do the same thing. Pear and Gravity Pouch is in

So the folks that shot competition, altered. Some that travel and work the circuits doing gun smithing, leather shell pouches, and other stuff, including the Clothing folks altered stuff.

These folks usually were known and sent info ahead they were coming to town/to a shoot.
These folks had recommendations and prior customers had the brochures.
One could buy a Ready made shirt with a quilted shooting patch, right shoulder, left shoulder, or both.

One could bring their own shirts, light jackets. Some that were left handed, just had the patch added to the left where it did them good.

This "P.A.S.T trick" was done , along with other tricks.

I had a buddy in the clothing business, ladies and gents clothes.
Same shirt for instance sold to different Stores. Just one paid more if the tag was that of the hi-dollar store.

One of the ladies in our "gang" turned 36. She had slowed down in shooting with kids, family stuff, and not shot in about 6 months.

Seems her gun and everything did not fit.
"Oh dear, guys fix it" she said (a running joke we did)
We of course offered to send her in to the "Girl Factory" and write a note -"please repair and refurbish to age 25 again" - we even got to digging through boxes to find one we could stick her in, to mail her in.
We were helping.

She ended having changed enough, and needing her already custom fitted gun, fitted again.
At a shoot, she brought some shirts this clothing buddy had her try on samples of, and she had patches added to them.

"Guys, I am back from the factory, how did I turn out ?" -

By golly when a lady says that color is "Salmon" she means "salmon" - not pink, "salmon" !

Keep us posted, you are sharing a problem and many can learn from it.

Sending best-

Steve

 

[ugaarguy]

...but a bit hard to get a consistent mount because sometimes the toe would catch on that thick fabric.

I've no idea if this product will work, but it seems from the description that this Slick-Eez buttpad slickener might help. Considering that it's marketed by the folks at Kick-Eez, who know a thing or two about recoil pads, I've got a stronger hope that it would work. I'll default to Dave, Lee, and sm for real world experience on it, but hopefully it provides some help.
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/productdetail.aspx?p=7402&st=pad slick&s=
Alternately, perhaps your shooting shirt underneath the thin leather shoulder patch of the vest would combine to give you a lower snag mounting surface on top, and a good recoil absorber underneath. Just throwin' out ideas with the thought that either something will work, or be the catalyst to spark someone here to think of a solution.

 

[sm]

I/we cheat.
We contour the toe, heel and inside of recoil pad.
Inside of recoil pad being contoured is especially considerate of ladies.

Shaving Powder applied to face also allows stock to slide into pocket.
Unlike talcum and other powders, this does not blow into eyes.

I "are" not that old, just started real damn young is all...

 

[Dave McCracken]

SlickEez, applied to the sides of a pad does aid a good mount. So does electrical tape,a la Brister. That's my choice.

RE women and shotguns.....

Fit varies because women are built differently. As a lose rule, they need less length, less drop, less distance between grip and trigger, less cast and differing amounts of pitch.

The old style pads with a pointy tip are not conducive to comfort. and for best results with MOST women, the inside edge should be rounded a bit also.

A belt sander can be great for helping here, but go lightly.

Like Delta said, a man's vest is as poor a choice as a man's bespoke shotgun.

Delta, if it's any comfort, there's 5 vests here theorectically mine.

None fit perfectly. Some bind on the swing, others hinder the mount. I tend to just use a belt and pouch most of the time. However, I'm not terribly recoils sensitive, use light loads and heavy shotguns that fit.

Good luck...