I generally don’t wear gloves a lot when I shoot. Typically I like to be able to feel the firearm flex in my hand and have complete control and dexterity over what I’m handling. I feel that it increases my proficiency and muscle memory ESPECIALLY when shooting handguns. However, I also understand that certain circumstances call for adjustments in the norm or what we’re used to. Sometimes the weather determines it, or it could be the shooters environment, and sometimes there are guns that are just plain hard on your hands (see Nighthawk T3 Custom or Mosin Scout Project). So you can imagine my hesitation to drop $75-$80 on a high quality “tactical” (overused I know) pair of shooting gloves.
Let me make something very clear. I am not nor do I consider myself to be an operator. I practice concealed carry daily. I practice drawing from concealment, carbine shooting & technique and spend a lot of time on my feet and rolling in the dirt. But there is nothing inherently dangerous to my hands about running a camera or loading a magazine. Some guys prefer to wear gloves all the time, I am one that does not. If I’m in a grab and go scenario, I like to have gloves available, but I often times won’t have a chance to get gloves on before I grab my piece and spring into action.
So let’s say I’m putting together my Bug-Out-Bag (or B.o.B. for short) and I need an inexpensive pair of gloves to go with. Here’s where I landed…. The Mechanix Wear XL Original Glove in Tan. Check out the reviews on Amazon, looks like there are more ACTUAL operators and soldiers using and writing reviews on these things than mechanics are!!! IN all seriousness, at $17 with my Amazon Prime account, these were hard to beat to test out. A fair heads up, they run a little small. After trying some on in the local automotive store I noticed the XLs fit me perfectly, and I really consider my hands to be more on the standard Large side of things rather than XL.
So what do I think? For the price these things are incredible. They take a little breaking in to get the stiffness out but the velcro doesn’t wear out, they keep their fit and actually have fingers and palm sizes long enough so that they don’t feel weird on my hands. Make no mistake, these are not impact rated nor do they contain flak blocking material, but for your basic hand protection needs, I am pleasantly impressed with their performance. I think I’ll be ordering the CAMO PAIR next.
SO WHAT DO YOU THINK? DO YOU WEAR GLOVES WHEN YOU SHOOT?
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
3 Responses to Cheap Shooting Gloves
Leave a Reply
FIND US HERE TOO!
E., How do you think they wold hold up to shooting an autoloader ? Would you be able to load shells quick and without getting fabric stuck anywhere?
I have resorted to buying baseball gloves for shooting the last few years. They hold up well and fit tight. Always looking for something better to try.
Bart I’m assuming these would work well for what you’re thinking, though they take a little more breaking in than a batter’s glove would, which is also what I’ve used when my hands get eaten up in the past. I shoot my Kahr CW9 and my Glock 22 RTF2 with these on. Despite having larger hands I’ve got skinny thumbs though, so I take my left glove off when it comes to loading mags. Both for dexterity and preventing the thumb from snagging in the follower.
+1 on the Coyote Mechanix gloves. I’ve been using them for a year now for bowhunting and they are such a great (and cheap) investment. I’ve got a pair in black for actually doing work!