What's with the gloves?

[deputy tom]

I'm not an operator,I'm old. Once you get past 59 you end up doing whatever is needed to do your normal activities. Gloves while shooting (sometimes) , cane while walking (sometimes) , well you'll see. tom.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Well said I'm in the same boat due a misspent youth.

 

[stonecutter2]

My hands get sweaty so I wear gloves. Lately I haven't as much, since for self defense I won't have them.

For those saying the issue isn't he man/manliness related, I see a decent amount of replies referring to soft, pink, tender, non-manual labor hands that must need gloves. Seems condescending and unnecessary. I don't base manliness on how beat up anyone's hands are. I base it on one's attitude and actions.

 

[Rockrivr1]

44 mag our of a 2.5" bbl equals gloves!

 

[reb27]

Been rolling around in a wheelchair for over a quarter century. Carrying a pistol longer than that. I wear gloves every single day (usually a pair of lightweight batting gloves) to keep the crap everybody walks in off my hands. So when I shoot, I generally wear gloves. I also shoot without them, in case I'm not wearing them and need to use the gun...

 

[HRnightmare]

I shot my SBR AR15 with a suppressor for the first time and went through about 400-450 rounds. I wished at the end I had been wearing gloves. I also shot cheap steel cased crap through it so it made it even dirtier. Other than that I dont see a need. I took a survival course and wore them but it was not so much for shooting but more for the other parts.

I am taking a course next weekend and the instructor requires the use of gloves. I am curious as to why.

 

[OneSevenDeuce]

Let me just say that after a painful afternoon spent getting to know an AK, I will wear gloves at times. They were essential equipment in the military. Things just get hot, or sharp, or abrasive sometimes. Just as a matter of course, I never shoot my CCW with gloves. Train as you fight.

 

[1911 guy]

First off, the "gloves all over the place" phenomenon is different than a "specific glove for specific reason" thing. High-Power shooters wear a single left handed glove. Heavy revolver guys often wear recoil-reducing gloves. Some people have arthritis and a glove helps avoid pain. That's one thing. The other is every Tom, Dick and Harry wearing a glove just because.

As a civilian, I don't wear gloves when i shoot. Back when I was in the military, gloves (the nomex ones Willie Sutton is probably very familiar with) were at first recommended then required. Things in third world countries are dirty, sharp and in very inconvenient places. Gloves helped. A lot.

Do I wear them now? No. I find shooting bare handed (except for high round count classes and then i just suck it up) to be more comfortable.

Why are the folks at the range wearing them? If I had to guess, it would be because all the cool kids (military) are wearing them in every picture and video they see on the news.

If you told me the mutant-ninja-zombie bear apocolypse was going to happen in a week, I'd start wearing gloves again because my neighborhood might start to resemble a third world country. But until then, no. I'm too old to be one of the cool kids anymore.

But, to each their own. It's still a free country. I don't have to understand it , agree with it or like it. And it's no skin of my nose either way.

 

[edmo01]

I thought everyone knew...

Operators, while operating on operational missions, always wear gloves!

That's the way it is and don't question the operators...

Edmo

 

[Kynoch]

First off, the "gloves all over the place" phenomenon is different than a "specific glove for specific reason" thing. High-Power shooters wear a single left handed glove. Heavy revolver guys often wear recoil-reducing gloves. Some people have arthritis and a glove helps avoid pain. That's one thing. The other is every Tom, Dick and Harry wearing a glove just because.

As a civilian, I don't wear gloves when i shoot. Back when I was in the military, gloves (the nomex ones Willie Sutton is probably very familiar with) were at first recommended then required. Things in third world countries are dirty, sharp and in very inconvenient places. Gloves helped. A lot.

Do I wear them now? No. I find shooting bare handed (except for high round count classes and then i just suck it up) to be more comfortable.

Why are the folks at the range wearing them? If I had to guess, it would be because all the cool kids (military) are wearing them in every picture and video they see on the news.

If you told me the mutant-ninja-zombie bear apocolypse was going to happen in a week, I'd start wearing gloves again because my neighborhood might start to resemble a third world country. But until then, no. I'm too old to be one of the cool kids anymore.

But, to each their own. It's still a free country. I don't have to understand it , agree with it or like it. And it's no skin of my nose either way.

Why speculate? There are a several functional reasons why people wear gloves them they shoot. Protection; improved grip; response to climate, etc. They have been covered at length in this forum. While this thread is pretty good, I took part in a similar thread on another website that was sad.

Lots of people there seemed to have the extreme need to express their belief that: #1) The wearing of gloves will never become really popular in shooting. #2.) The only reason they are worn now is for tacticool reasons. I'm not really sure why they were so ardent about their beliefs? That thread was 3-4 years ago and glove use by shooters across the spectrum has greatly increased. As many here have noted it's not necessarily (or even predominately) for tacticool reasons either.

 

[Doc7]

A lot of times I shoot for fun. I find wearing Mechanix gloves like Marky Mark in Lone Survivor to be fun. I also wear gloves when it is cold out, and when I hunt, but they are not the same Mechanix gloves. I support gun rights as much if not more than the average guy next to me not wearing gloves, so I couldn't care less what other people think of civilians having fun with tacti cool stuff.

 

[redefined]

My method is as follows. Put whatever on your hands so long as it's what mos likely will be on your hands if you have to use your weapon in an emergency. If you live in Alaska.... I'd probably train with gloves

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I personally never wear gloves when I shoot unless it is really cold but everyone is sensitive to different things. Big bore magnum revolvers don't bother my hands a bit. I also work with my hands a lot and they are beat up and calloused on all my fingers. But put my hands in a sink full of really hot water, and I pull them out like I just stuck them in a pool of molten rock.

originally posted by : jeepnik Or old arthritic busted up hands. But then, that's pretty much something younger folks will never get, cuz you've actually got to do some work to get them.

Soapbox: Maybe I should start a new thread on this topic. I realize that it is customary in our culture for some, not all, older individuals to make comments of how soft the younger generation is and how afraid they are of getting dirty or hurt. The blanket comments I see like this on THR are totally inappropriate in my eyes.

True, younger generations are consistently blessed with new technology and modern solutions for doing easily what was once difficult and done by hand. This is true of firearms tech as well as other things. Modern lasers, lightweight building materials, enhanced recoil systems, modern GLOVES if they choose to use them, and modern optics undoubtedly make learning to shoot easier than it once was. I don't think those innovations are substitutes for real experience or trigger time, but why would we fault anyone for using them? We tell our kids to get an education and get a good job, and then mock them for being soft? Isn't having a good job that doesn't require hard manual labor sort of the point? Well, I for one did not go to college to be a ditch digger. Am I willing to dig a ditch? I sure am and would rather enjoy it more than working on a computer as much as I am required to.

I'm 33 years young, I work hard outdoors as a regular part of my job, my body is showing serious signs of wear, I put in way more than 40 hours a week year round, I have crow's feet you could fill in with spackle, and I enjoy firearms. There are plenty of folks out there like me, and some younger than I who are tougher and harder working than I am. How do I know that? Because I used to do the jobs they did when I was a kid.

So rather than making stereotypic comments and posting them for the entire universe to see, that push new and younger shooters away, why don't we try listening to them, and being welcoming to them. Let's try NOT mocking them and see what happens. I for one stop listening when someone makes a comment about me based solely on a generalization.

Any skill worth learning is worth learning from someone with experience. When we mock young people for being different or doing things differently than we do them, we push them away and defeat one of the major points of this forum. Most people like to be mentored by someone wise when learning. When we make generalized insulting comments about young people, or anyone for that matter, they will stop listening and move on. We rob them of that mentorship.........

Apologies to the OP for hijacking the thread, and apologies to the mods for diverting off topic. I think this needs to be said though as I see a lot of comments on THR like the above, and I think they are detrimental. Bringing new shooters into the fold is crucial to proliferating our sport, and protecting our rights.

 

[oneounceload]

I wear golf gloves for shotgun shooting warm or cold and I prefer them for revolver shooting - helps with my grip AND helps keep a lot of the powder residue off my hands.

 

[SC Shooter]

Many on here are stating that they wear gloves to reduce the effect of recoil. As I have never worn gloves while shooting, the comments did make me think about the bite from a Polish P-83 I picked up awhile back just for fun. However, with that one, I think even a catchers mitt would not be enough.

 

[Jaymo]

I wear them at work as PPE.
I wear them hunting in cold weather because it's easier to shoot accurately when you can feel your trigger finger.
I don't wear them when shooting because I'm not trying to emulate some scumbag, violent felon, ex-rapper, hack actor.
Proper grip design does far more for shooting comfort than any gloves you may wear.

Mechanix gloves are great for Mechanix, until you need fine dexterity of your fingers.
Try picking up a dropped small washer or snap ring with them.
Try starting small threaded fasteners with them.
Try operating your company issued smartphone with them.
I spend as much time taking them off as I do wearing them.
They also make your hands sweat like a prostitute in church, though not as badly as the rubber gloves I wear more often.

Only two times have I wished I'd been wearing gloves when shooting.
Once when I shot a Freedom Arms Casull, I wished for PAST gloves.
Once when shooting my Ruger Flattop .44 Special I wished I'd worn any gloves to keep the cheesegrater grips from chewing into my palms during a good range session.
I ended up replacing those grips with American holly from Pvt Schultz. Problem solved.

So, in a nutshell, the only reason I'd wear gloves while shooting would be as PPE.
Protection from heat, cold, or sharp and/or abrasive surfaces.
For most shooting, I don't like how they interfere with my feel of the gun and trigger.

Maybe, once the operators stop wearing gloves and Suunto watches, I'll wear both.
As long as it's the current fad, I'll stick to barehanded shooting and wearing my Casio G-Shocks at work (tough, and nonconductive) and my automatic wristwatches and pocket watches off work.
I refuse to follow the crowd.
I refuse to fall for fads.
I don't care what others think.
I guess I'm just a damn rebel. I'd rather do my own thing, than do everyone else's thing.

Nothing against Suunto watches, BTW. I like them a lot. They'll never have the class or style of a good automatic or hand-wind.

I will also, NEVER wear my hat or pants incorrectly, hold my sidearm sideways, or wear an idiotically huge POS Invicta watch.

 

[usp9]

As I get older ,I have arthritis in my shooting hand. I now use a gel bicycle glove for shooting hotter handgun loads at the range...

This. After a few hundred rounds my hands hurt. The glove helps. All of you macho men will get old too and change your tune I suspect.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Dexterity, fingertips.....

I don't understand all the hostility & resentment towards police gloves(gun gloves).
To me, they're just protective gear for your digits so you don't get cuts, burns, grease-oil, sweat, etc.
One valid point, Id say is a pain re: gloves is the dexterity or tactile touch on the fingertips.
I bought a pair of Hatch Operator Shorty gloves that were thicker & more awkward than I expected for the $$$. You Tube channel host & trainer James Yeager said he tried many glove brands & stated the Hatch Operators didn't hold up to rough use or everyday ops.

Newer gloves have improved but few are cheap or match the same feel/touch of a fingertip.

 

[Jaymo]

Shooting compact autos makes me wish for my welding gloves, to protect from hammer or slide bite.
Trouble is, they're too bulky.
I did wear my Mechanix Fastfit gloves last weekend when I was shooting. I'd been working at the hunting lease and was wearing them because the machete and the sling blade and the post hole diggers even blister even my hands after a while.
So, anyway, I was already wearing them so I kept them on while shooting.
It's actually good that I did. The guns got very hot in the hot GA sun. They only got hotter after shooting them a bunch.

I didn't feel like a Navy Seal, though. Felt like a hot, tired, sweaty, sore, borderline dehydrated 44 year old.
But my hands felt ok.

 

[Kynoch]

I personally never wear gloves when I shoot unless it is really cold but everyone is sensitive to different things. Big bore magnum revolvers don't bother my hands a bit. I also work with my hands a lot and they are beat up and calloused on all my fingers. But put my hands in a sink full of really hot water, and I pull them out like I just stuck them in a pool of molten rock.


Soapbox: Maybe I should start a new thread on this topic. I realize that it is customary in our culture for some, not all, older individuals to make comments of how soft the younger generation is and how afraid they are of getting dirty or hurt. The blanket comments I see like this on THR are totally inappropriate in my eyes.

True, younger generations are consistently blessed with new technology and modern solutions for doing easily what was once difficult and done by hand. This is true of firearms tech as well as other things. Modern lasers, lightweight building materials, enhanced recoil systems, modern GLOVES if they choose to use them, and modern optics undoubtedly make learning to shoot easier than it once was. I don't think those innovations are substitutes for real experience or trigger time, but why would we fault anyone for using them? We tell our kids to get an education and get a good job, and then mock them for being soft? Isn't having a good job that doesn't require hard manual labor sort of the point? Well, I for one did not go to college to be a ditch digger. Am I willing to dig a ditch? I sure am and would rather enjoy it more than working on a computer as much as I am required to.

I'm 33 years young, I work hard outdoors as a regular part of my job, my body is showing serious signs of wear, I put in way more than 40 hours a week year round, I have crow's feet you could fill in with spackle, and I enjoy firearms. There are plenty of folks out there like me, and some younger than I who are tougher and harder working than I am. How do I know that? Because I used to do the jobs they did when I was a kid.

So rather than making stereotypic comments and posting them for the entire universe to see, that push new and younger shooters away, why don't we try listening to them, and being welcoming to them. Let's try NOT mocking them and see what happens. I for one stop listening when someone makes a comment about me based solely on a generalization.

Any skill worth learning is worth learning from someone with experience. When we mock young people for being different or doing things differently than we do them, we push them away and defeat one of the major points of this forum. Most people like to be mentored by someone wise when learning. When we make generalized insulting comments about young people, or anyone for that matter, they will stop listening and move on. We rob them of that mentorship.........

Apologies to the OP for hijacking the thread, and apologies to the mods for diverting off topic. I think this needs to be said though as I see a lot of comments on THR like the above, and I think they are detrimental. Bringing new shooters into the fold is crucial to proliferating our sport, and protecting our rights.

Excellent posting, thanks. For thousands of years there have been people whose jobs require manual labor and people whose jobs do not.

One huge development over the past few decades is personal safety. Protection from the sun, hearing protection, eye protection, respiratory protection, etc. are all very important. The difference in the relative health of those that take safety seriously and those that do not can be stunning.

 

[Field Tester]

I wear them at work as PPE.
I wear them hunting in cold weather because it's easier to shoot accurately when you can feel your trigger finger.
I don't wear them when shooting because I'm not trying to emulate some scumbag, violent felon, ex-rapper, hack actor.
Proper grip design does far more for shooting comfort than any gloves you may wear.

Mechanix gloves are great for Mechanix, until you need fine dexterity of your fingers.
Try picking up a dropped small washer or snap ring with them.
Try starting small threaded fasteners with them.
Try operating your company issued smartphone with them.
I spend as much time taking them off as I do wearing them.
They also make your hands sweat like a prostitute in church, though not as badly as the rubber gloves I wear more often.

Only two times have I wished I'd been wearing gloves when shooting.
Once when I shot a Freedom Arms Casull, I wished for PAST gloves.
Once when shooting my Ruger Flattop .44 Special I wished I'd worn any gloves to keep the cheesegrater grips from chewing into my palms during a good range session.
I ended up replacing those grips with American holly from Pvt Schultz. Problem solved.

So, in a nutshell, the only reason I'd wear gloves while shooting would be as PPE.
Protection from heat, cold, or sharp and/or abrasive surfaces.
For most shooting, I don't like how they interfere with my feel of the gun and trigger.

Maybe, once the operators stop wearing gloves and Suunto watches, I'll wear both.
As long as it's the current fad, I'll stick to barehanded shooting and wearing my Casio G-Shocks at work (tough, and nonconductive) and my automatic wristwatches and pocket watches off work.
I refuse to follow the crowd.
I refuse to fall for fads.
I don't care what others think.
I guess I'm just a damn rebel. I'd rather do my own thing, than do everyone else's thing.

Nothing against Suunto watches, BTW. I like them a lot. They'll never have the class or style of a good automatic or hand-wind.

I will also, NEVER wear my hat or pants incorrectly, hold my sidearm sideways, or wear an idiotically huge POS Invicta watch.

*Deleted

 

[RustyShackelford]

Trigger guards; Joe Cool.....

Many NATO counties R&Ded semi auto pistols with large square trigger guards because they knew the end-users; military troops, LE & "operators" would be using, wait for it... gloves.

Shooting or PMC gloves aren't just cool, they help protect your hands.

If you don't like them, don't wear them. I'll buy or use gloves if I can get a decent pair I like(and don't use, ). Call them "snivel gear", I'll keep mine.

 

[jim243]

Shooting or PMC gloves aren't just cool, they help protect your hands

What a novel idea, I use them every time I test a new load, it is cheaper to replace a pair of gloves than fingers on my hands. Also from mid Oct. to mid May I use gloves for shooting. Getting treatment for frost bite is no fun. I would not go out hunting without a pair.

Just as I would not go out shooting without eye and ear protection, I would not go out without hand protection as well. I don't care if this is fashionable or not. The whole idea of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) is just not for the work environment any more. So if the kids are smarter than us and use PPE for shooting you should not fault them for doing so.

Jim

 

[Nom de Forum]

I try to wear "gloves" every time I shoot, specifically liquid glove. Washing powder/ lead/lube residue off is much easier. If I am going to be doing some shooting that involves handling soon to be very hot weapons and/or exposure to hand abrasions or just very cold weather, of course I wear appropriate protective gloves. If I recall correctly the highest percentage of minor wounds soldiers experience was determined in a study to be burns from their own weapons.

 

[Schwing]

I wear gloves for the same reason that I wear a lead/asbestos mask when I shoot now. For some reason, I seem to absorb every molecule of lead I come into contact with. Even with my precautions, my lead level hovers over 30.

I do this stuff so I don't have to give up shooting completely.