Shooting gloves in cold climates

[Totem Polar]

I ran into a problem with my Mechanix; I could shoot Glocks fine but could not function the grip safety on any of my 1911s. Nice to find out on the range! Seems they restricted me opening my palm enough or something.

Concur. There is something funky about the fit of Mechanix through the web of the hand, IMO. That said, the same oddity in the web of the hand that messes with 1911 grip safety deactivation also makes the gloves amazing for shooting +P in J-frames. A basic, no-frills pair of black Mechanix are my favorite gloves for small revolvers, because that weird fit creates a mini-trampoline that spreads out and absorbs recoil at the top of the backstrap. Pretty cool with LCRs or a 640. JMO.

[GJM]

I think the best winter shooting glove solution is bare hands with plenty of chalk on your hands and battery powered hand warmers in your pockets.

[nalesq]

For handgun shooting, I find that winter gloves thick enough to actually be comfortably warm not only mess with my grip and trigger manipulation, but also increases the likelihood of a malfunction due to the glove material catching on the slide or something else on the gun.

So for me, the preferred solution has been a hand muff (the kind you can strap to your waist) with some hand warmers inside. Keep my hands in the muff until I need them to do something. Better than pockets for me because I usually already have other crap in my pockets, and if I yank my hands out of my pockets expeditiously (like needing to draw my pistol), there is a chance I’ll accidentally also pull something else out of my pockets and lose it.


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[camel]

Shooting with any gloves is hard. Everyone uses a different pattern. Like shoes. Something like mechanix uses sizing to the most general size. If I buy a medium mechanix glove it’s way to loose everywhere. Having a pair of simple cotton mittens underneath helps.

[Malamute]

Ive used well fitting deerskin gloves quite a lot. I used to buy the good quality deerskin "Ropers" at western/cowboy stores, they were about $30 or $35 last I bought them, but I found a source for cheap deerskin gloves that I can try on to check fit and leather quality so buy them for $14. I wore them when doing carpentry work, i could work my tools, pick out individual nails or screws from my tool bags, can load cartridges in the loading gate of a Winchester 94, load revolvers, operate all of the above, and they have a grippy effect on guns and tools, so you arent dropping them. I get them so they are snug, almost skin tight, no wrinkles, but I can pull them off with my teeth after they break in.

In deeper cold I often wear heavy wool mittens with deerskin outers with Eskimo type cords on them so i can pull one off in my teeth and drop it and function. I sometimes wear the deerskin gloves inside the mittens if i expect to need protection for longer than I want to have bare skin exposed.

One thing i liked about ARs was the hinged trigger guard, turn it down and you can shoot with mittens on, but it seems that function isnt very popular considering all the aftermarket trigger guards that dont seem to function well that way. I left the stock ones on so i had access to that feature.

Ive used cut-off deerskin or cowhide leather gloves for riding and shooting at times, they gain a small amount of warmth over bare skin. but had a bit of a surprise once when I attempted to shoot a rattlesnake and the gun wouldnt go bang, the edge of the cut off finger was behind the trigger on a Smith revolver.

[JHC]

I am out before daylight regularly walking/rucking the dog and something I've drilled at the range and works well with both the wool OR gloves and another pair of insulated leather gloves which are warmer yet than the wool OR set is to strip the strong hand glove off for at the start of the draw. It's been discussed here on this topic before IIRC how in real cold some use mittens they can drop like a hockey player fixin' to start throwing fists.

[JHC]

Ive used well fitting deerskin gloves quite a lot. I used to buy the good quality deerskin "Ropers" at western/cowboy stores, they were about $30 or $35 last I bought them, but I found a source for cheap deerskin gloves that I can try on to check fit and leather quality so buy them for $14. I wore them when doing carpentry work, i could work my tools, pick out individual nails or screws from my tool bags, can load cartridges in the loading gate of a Winchester 94, load revolvers, operate all of the above, and they have a grippy effect on guns and tools, so you arent dropping them. I get them so they are snug, almost skin tight, no wrinkles, but I can pull them off with my teeth after they break in.

In deeper cold I often wear heavy wool mittens with deerskin outers with Eskimo type cords on them so i can pull one off in my teeth and drop it and function. I sometimes wear the deerskin gloves inside the mittens if i expect to need protection for longer than I want to have bare skin exposed.

One thing i liked about ARs was the hinged trigger guard, turn it down and you can shoot with mittens on, but it seems that function isnt very popular considering all the aftermarket trigger guards that dont seem to function well that way. I left the stock ones on so i had access to that feature.

Ive used cut-off deerskin or cowhide leather gloves for riding and shooting at times, they gain a small amount of warmth over bare skin. but had a bit of a surprise once when I attempted to shoot a rattlesnake and the gun wouldnt go bang, the edge of the cut off finger was behind the trigger on a Smith revolver.

Deerskin work gloves are getting almost impossible to find locally. Lowes stocks a Mechanix "Durahide" glove that is a treated cowhide that feels and functions a lot more like deerskin that cowhide.

[GJM]

I am out before daylight regularly walking/rucking the dog and something I've drilled at the range and works well with both the wool OR gloves and another pair of insulated leather gloves which are warmer yet than the wool OR set is to strip the strong hand glove off for at the start of the draw. It's been discussed here on this topic before IIRC how in real cold some use mittens they can drop like a hockey player fixin' to start throwing fists.

Extra credit for being a 226.

[BobM]

Deerskin work gloves are getting almost impossible to find locally. Lowes stocks a Mechanix "Durahide" glove that is a treated cowhide that feels and functions a lot more like deerskin that cowhide.

If you have Rural King down there, might be worth checking. The ones up here had plenty both insulated and unlined.

[Malamute]

Deerskin work gloves are getting almost impossible to find locally. Lowes stocks a Mechanix "Durahide" glove that is a treated cowhide that feels and functions a lot more like deerskin that cowhide.

Try your local specialty tack shop that caters to saddlery, cowboys, rodeo, and horse people. Thats where i used to buy them before finding the other source in a small shop.

The work gloves are often a bit clunky, thick seam edges, not very well fitted. The ropers are made to maintain dexterity, and sometimes with a reinforced palm, but not annoyingly done.