Glove sizing, plus shooting gloves

In the course of our basement water pipe flood this summer, I seem to have lost my couple of pairs of light shooting gloves. I like to shoot with gloves even when it isn't too cold. Most of the hunting I do tends to be in cold weather so I like to get used to the feel of gloves on a trigger.

And I have a mild case of Raynaud's.

Glovemakers vary in what they mean by L,M, S, etc. Here's a great way to determine your numerical glove size when ordering online. Leather, of course, tends to stretch a bit with use.

Sierra Trading Post almost always has nice shooting gloves at a meaningful discount. Those are for cool - not frigid - weather. Not just for shooting either - good cool-weather all-purpose gloves.

The right gloves for hunting grouse in the snow or ducks in the sleet at 10 degrees F is another topic. The perfect gloves for those things do not exist, as best I have been able to determine. Heavy waterproof gloves, obviously, do not fit rapidly and easily inside a trigger guard, and if you are using a double-triggered old s/s, it's really a problem.

Ideas are welcome. I wonder what the Army uses in Afghanistan in the winter. Maybe things like this.

Posted by Bird Dog in Hunting, Fishing, Dogs, Guns, etc., Our Essays, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 12:56 | Comments (8) | Trackbacks (0)

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Long-time 'lurker' here....howdy guys.

Have been shooting competition trap for a while (12-16rd/wk) and have always been happy with Footjoy golf gloves. Very comfortable and last a while. Another upside is that they're inexpensive. You'll have to purchase a left and right separately, of course - seems golfers only have one hand. Downside - the brilliant white is not camo-friendly. During winter-league I'll slip a pair of inexpensive fleece Columbia's over them....with the trigger-finger cut off.

Keep up the great work. Maggie and Theo my favs.

Cheers
Bill

#1 W. Stengel (Link) on 2009-11-17 14:26 (Reply)

BD - "The perfect gloves for those things do not exist, as best I have been able to determine."

That's because you left the word "electric" out of your Google search.

Happy (warm) hunting!

#2 Dr. Mercury (Link) on 2009-11-17 15:06 (Reply)

BD, I've got a similar problem with the hands. I've got a delicate set of chicken claws that would be great for a gynecologist. But for an industrial instrument mechanic in the oil and gas industry in northern Canada, it's a problem in winter. At -40 deg. my hands are good for about 30 seconds before I have to warm them.

The main problem is having something thin enough, but that still insulates. I don't have any magic solution, but one of the things that help to extend my working time when I need dexterity is pretty cheap and low-tech. I use thin knit cotton glove liners as gloves. This kind:

http://www.watsongloves.com/item-0-603-Wat_Pak.htm

A six pack cost me CAD$6.00. You can get them at workwear stores. They're basically disposable once they get gunked up. I've tried washing them, but they get pretty threadbare. But for the price, who cares. They keep the chill off for a while, and help prevent your skin coming in direct contact with metal, which really sucks the heat out of your hands. You can also use them under thinner unlined leather gloves.

I've also noticed that if you keep your forearms and wrists well-insulated and warm, that really helps with the hands, too. Hope that helps.

#3 rg on 2009-11-17 17:31 (Reply)

I love silk or polypro glove liners under just about any activewear glove for winter activities. Cabelas has both, TourMaster also.
Misery is cold hands or feet! Same goes for socks BTW - liners are great! and you can change out your outer gloves/socks if they get wet/grubby; the liners usually dry right out while wearing. Polypro keeps body heat in even wet; silk is nice, but not as good wet.

#4 milabro on 2009-11-17 18:47 (Reply)

Decades ago when I hunted, I wore a mitten/glove hybrid. It was like a mitten except there was a glove finger for the index finger. Kept my hands warmer than gloves.

#5 feeblemind on 2009-11-17 19:48 (Reply)

I have seen picturesof what look like Army/Air Force issue nomex flight gloves being warn by the infantrymen. I know the fingers are not too bulky. but I don't know about the warming bit.

#6 TomR on 2009-11-17 23:34 (Reply)

The military issues several different types of cold weather hand gear. Back in the 80s when I went through cold weather training in the Marine Corps we were issued very large mittens that were completely useless for anything other than the most basic carrying and keeping your hands toasty. They were large enough that you could wear a thinner pair of gloves underneath, and they were designed so they could come off very easily.

Of course, if you have a setup like this you want to make sure the mittens are secured to your sleeve as you don't want to lose them.

I also have a vague memory of a well insulated mitten with a shooting finger that was uninsulated.

Yes, here:

http://store.colemans.com/cart/extreme-cold-weather-mittens-usaf-flyers-p-757.html

and

http://store.colemans.com/cart/gloves-cold-weather-us-gi-p-924.html

#7 William O. B'livion on 2009-11-18 01:43 (Reply)

Shooting grouse in the cold with a 12 gauge over and under was MISERY for the hands until I realized that surgical alteration of gloves was an ownership right.

Now I use a pair of thin liner gloves and a pair of heavy insulating gloves with parts cut away where they'd interfere with shooting. I cut away the right forefinger for trigger pulling and the tips and undersides of both thumbs for a tight hold on the stock. You get to decide what cuts are best for you!

Then get some kind of non slip tape and tape up the parts of the liner gloves that are exposed. Sure, you have to redo it once in a while, but it takes just a minute. I twirl plumbers tape around and around, works great for me and repels water, too. Duct tape makes a good no-slip patch on your coat, if you carry your gun broken over your shoulder.

Don't forget to roast your grouse with plenty of bacon. That is all.

#8 askmom on 2009-11-18 23:02 (Reply)

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Tuesday, November 17. 2009

Glove sizing, plus shooting gloves