I need help with winter shooting gloves

[grter]

Mittens are the defacto standard that works. Wool is the inner liner material I like. Wool wicks sweat away from your body into the air while insulatin your body heat similar to the wicking polyester materials like underarmor without the foul polyester stink.

If I can smell it I bet the game can.

Wool has a natural antibiotic that kills the stink of sweat. I have a sweater that I have jogged in multiple times and sweated up and I still have not washed it. It does not smell at all and has kept me warm even when profusely sweating.

Wool while not 100% waterproof is very water resistant and still insulates your body heat when moist, unlike cotton which works really good until it gets wet (the nodules in cotton colapse when wet) then you are totally screwed and maybe dead if the weather is cold enough since cotton draws heat away from your body when too moist.

Those people in the old days who wore scratchy wool knew what they were doing. I would imagine a lot of people who work outdoors in the freezing cold use wool liners. Now we have merino wool which is not as scratchy as standard wool but more costly.

I ride my bike to work in temperatures as low a 7 deg F but usually in the 20 deg F range and I use THIN wool gloves as liners so my fingers don't separate too much with knit wool mittens over them. I have had no problems with this combo at all. If it were colder I would probably choose mitten liners as well (100% mittens) and if too wet I might want a water proof shell like treated leather over those mittens.

I too like the idea of having the mitten strings because you really don't want to lose them on a cold day. That being said as far as I know mittens work best.

If it's really cold and you plan on gripping rocks to pull your body weight up all day or perhaps doing pushups on your finger tips every 3 to 5 minutes then maybe high quality gloves are the answer otherwise I would choose mittens.

A little word about underarmor long john under pants (tights or whatever) they work great but allow your nuts (testes) to freeze when windy so I use my patented "Nut Guard" technology which consists of a placing a folded t-shirt down your pants in front of your crotch for wind protection which works quite well. I think underarmor should address that quirk with a little extra padding in that region.

 

[dusty14u]

Glomits.

Nothing better when it's really cold.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabe...=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=03601400&rid=20

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-MT050reg-Extreme-II-Glomitts/1222750.uts

rc

I agree with glommits. I like the wool versions over most others. I did pick up a pair of Arctic Shield glommit combo that were lightweight and kept me warm. The inner liners were thin gloves with a glommit that you pulled over them. The inner gloves were thin enouh to pick up a dime or other small objects.

 

[Pyzon]

Give winter golf gloves a try. Nice and thin insulation with a good grip, not bulky.

 

[OpticsPlanet]

I think for the price point, the insulated mechanix are hard to beat and they sure can take a beating

-Matt S.

 

[taliv]

given the range of replies, it would probably be best if the OP shared what kind of weather he's shooting in. KY/StL gets chilly, but it's not exactly WY/ND/AK, and if he only goes out when it's sunny in the daytime, something like golf/mechanics gloves may work. having the ability to function and be reasonably comfy in any condition is a different story

 

[Vern Humphrey]

A little word about underarmor long john under pants (tights or whatever) they work great but allow your nuts (testes) to freeze when windy so I use my patented "Nut Guard" technology which consists of a placing a folded t-shirt down your pants in front of your crotch for wind protection which works quite well. I think underarmor should address that quirk with a little extra padding in that region.

When I was in the Army, I used to ride a bicycle to work -- 12.5 miles each way. Riding a bicycle will keep you warm all over -- except for one place. For that, jam a wool scarf down the front of your shorts.

One cold morning, the first after a long Indian Summer, I forgot my scarf. After considerable suffering, I decided to go into the latrine and sit on the circular seat, so there would nothing touching the affected part.

That didn't work, but as I sat there I was looking at the office coffee pot -- a 60 cup arrangement, all cleaned and stacked in the maids sink. And I had an idea.

A friend of mine, worried that I had been in the latrine a long time, came in just as I was lowering the affected parts over the healing steam.

I recovered completely -- but not my friend. He still bursts into hysterical laughter whenever he sees someone drinking coffee.

 

[deepskyridge]

Gloves

I have a pair of these, I have used them in the snow and they work well. If it was crazy cold you would need something heaver.

http://www.outdoorresearch.com/en/mens/gloves/ironsight-gloves-old-498.html

Gary

 

[rcmodel]

Kansas winter glove collection over the years.



Top left to right:
*Deerskin + Thinsulate + fleece @ $45. = Not real warm.

*Deerskin Mittens with trigger fingers + sheep wool @ $60. = Not real warm.

*1969 GI Issue leather + wool liners @ free. = Fairly warm, except they have shrunk up and are too tight now.

*Thin suede + thinsulate + loose fitting @ $15 = Very warm.

* Waterproof Neoprene decoy gloves with foam insulation @ $15. = Freeze your fingers off cold!

Second row L to R.
*Walmart Glommits @ $5. = Very warm in any weather.

* Frost Breaker heavy stretch nit with waterproof palms and fingers @ $5. = Sorta warm for a little while.

* Lighter Walmart Glommits @ $5. = My goto Zero degree winter gloves!!!!

* Columbia nylon Insulite ski gloves @$20. = Very loose & very warm & light weight.

* 1970's GI issue wool riflemans mitten liners @ Free. = Warm & even warmer with the proper outer shells over them.

Again, if I had to pick just one winter glove from now on for zero weather?
It would be Glommits!!!

rc

 

[X-Rap]

I've been using the thinsulate ragwool version of the glomit for years hunting and fishing both ice and open water for years.
There's different kinds of cold and if your just moving from one warm spot to another all those space aged gloves work fine but if your spending hours out in the cold and need some dexterity, especially when wet the ragwool is hard to beat.

 

[barnbwt]

I prefer mittens. Gloves too often restrict periphery circulation and make a bad problem worse (if my fingers are already cold/desanguinated, they often never warm up inside gloves). Mittens, however, provide a free, open, single space in which your entire hand --fingers to palm-- can reach an equal temperature.

But how to use mittens with a firearm? Winter triggers. That's how the whole world that deals with cold ultimately configures their rifles.

<folds up the winter trigger of the STGW57 for the night>

TCB

 

[Tinpig]

These are the last of the winter mittens I was issued in the Army. Leather and wool.
They get a little heavy when wet, but still very warm and comfortable in cold and snow.

And useful for chainsaw work as well as shooting.

Tinpig

 

[rcmodel]

But how to use mittens with a firearm? Winter triggers. That's how the whole world that deals with cold ultimately configures their rifles.
<folds up the winter trigger of the STGW57 for the night>

Witness the M16 winter trigger guard that everyone and his dog is designing out of the AR-15 lower receiver lately!

I would not own an AR-15 without the fold away trigger guard of the original design.

But I'm not a TackyCool Operator either.

I just used to use one in mittens in sub-zero weather occasionally.

Its a handy dandy feature when the bottom drops out of the thermometer and you can't keep your fingers from freezing without GI mittens like TinPig posted above.

rc

 

[RustyShackelford]

Post #37...

Yes, US Army weapons, uniforms & gear had a lot of sly little tricks & tidbits, .

I first learned of the "open" trigger guard format in USFK(Korea). That was with a M16a1 too...

I also "learned" how the milspec rucksack could be quickly detached in a dire emergency(get to the chopper).
At my 2nd duty station I showed a platoon leader(2LT) how to convert a M12 nylon holster from right to left. He was prior service too(E-6/SSG) .

Rusty

 

[zerobarrier]

If you don't mind spending a little more money they do make electric heated gloves that run off of batteries. These would work great http://www.thewarmingstore.com/venture-battery-heated-glove-liner.html for $160.00. They have more but I think those would work best with shooting.

 

[Walkalong]

A newer firm that is gaining support is www.setwear.com .
I've seen a few operators & 3 gunners wearing them.
Setwear gloves are now common with film/tv production crews & construction/contractor guys too, .

Rusty

What's an "operator" in this case? Just curious. "Gunner" either for that matter.

When I scour a thread looking for advise in a subject I am interested in, I look for people sharing their real experience, not parroting an advertiser or telling me this one looks good. I can scour the net for consumer ads if I want. First you "saw" an "operator" wearing one, then say you don't have any so you have never really tried them. I am sure you mean well, but real world experience is what people are looking for.

 

[Drail]

I spent a few years working on an airport ramp. In winter weather we had to de ice aircraft. We tried every kind of glove we could find to keep our hands from freezing. There were nights that were so cold our equipment would freeze up and quit working. The pumps and generators would just quit. (batteries would freeze solid and burst) The ONLY glove that actually worked for us were some special gloves made for divers working on oil rigs in the North Sea (probably the most miserable wet cold conditions imaginable). They are made from a heavy weight closed cell foam, the same material used in their wetsuits. They worked so well that even if water entered the glove your hand was able to heat the water (just like a wetsuit) and your hands stayed warm. They are expensive and somewhat bulky and kind of a pain to get on and off, but they are the only glove I have ever found that insulates as well (or better) than a mitten yet allows you to handle tools and equipment. Look online at diving equipment suppliers and you'll find them. But generally speaking a glove which allows cold air to circulate between your fingers will not work anywhere near as well as a mitten. You can also find a cheap version at Kmart/Walmart type stores that are sold for ice fishing (look in the fishing aisle). They insulate really well but won't hold up to a lot of use with sharp metal edges that will shred them but they're only about $7.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Warm hands...

Going to suggest a different direction for warm/winter/hands:

(a) Leather outer mitts, called "choppers" because they were used by old-time lumberjacks in the winter north woods. (I have one pair I've used for 50 years.) Liner is a wool knit mitten. I've gone 1 step further and use a sub-liner of a polypro glove. When hands are not occupied you can ball up the fingers.

(b) When hunting from a blind or a stool, I use a muff and keep both hands in it. A chemical handwarmer can be used in there too. Cosy! When game appears, one slips one's bare hand out for doing the trigger work, and holds the rifle with the muff still on ones other hand. For the short time it takes to aim & shoot, this isn't a problem. The muff lets both hands at once warm each other. I bring along a set of gloves in a pocket, for hiking in & out, etc.

 

[BigG]

Nomex flight gloves are my favorite to maintain dexterity. I shoot with them on.

 

[wgp]

glomits and mittens work best when deer stand sitting, when you are unlikely to need to shoulder and shoot quickly.

For bird hunting, where mittens just don't work for me because you don't have time to get them off to shoot, I've had the best luck shopping in high-end hiking/camping/climbing stores. They may look at you with a stare when you tell them your needs are for shooting, but they tend to have gloves that are warm but also allow you to actually use your hands. I have a brand called Cloudveil, work very well.

 

[OYE]

Shooting gloves

Spend most of the winter out and about. Gloves we use depend on the temperatures and what we are doing. 5 finger wool glove liners is about all we wear if it's not wet snow down to about 20 degrees and we're often fine to about 10 degrees if we are busy. These are the good wool glove liners from the eastern bloc countrys, think ours were Czech. Bought about a dozen pair from Sportsman guide about 15 years ago, still have most of them. Outlast the US ones more than 10 to one. For colder we just slip an extra large pair of German army mittens over them and slip them off when needed. For well below zero, in the high mtns we often use wool glove liner mittens with a shooting finger (from the eastern bloc) inside of the wool lined US arctic flyers mittens and just slip them off when needed. We do have a pair of the goretex thinsulate gloves from cabelas that get worn now and then between about 5 to 20 degrees, but these aren't good to shoot in.
When we are out for a 12 hour day around here, we have 2 pair of the 5 fingered wool liners, a pair of german mittens in the saddle bag, and the goretex thinsulate gloves in the other saddle bag. We can handle 10 below zero easy enough. For a quick shot we still prefer no gloves. OYE

 

[RustyShackelford]

Well...

Well, I saw people wearing them outside when it was cold outside, so I guess they liked them, .
I have owned & wore Hatch Shorty Operator gloves. That's the name Hatch uses not me.

I also think forum members should be able to express opinions or ideas on THR as long as they meet the member criteria.

 

[Goju]

This is a subject near and dear to my heart, as I am always on the look out for gear to keep my hands warmer during bird hunting. For reference, the last two seasons the temp range has been 60F to -20F in SE Wisconsin.
As mentioned by Smokey Joe, stand hunting is the easy solution. Use a hand muff around your waist with warmers in it. Carrying your rifle safari style across your chest easily maintains the gun at a ready position and your hands in the protected environment. I've deer hunted in temps to -60F with wind chill, and as miserable as that is, your hands don't get the worst of it. Pulling them out as needed while wearing wool glove liners, you'll be fine.
Walking while bird hunting is a completely different issue. You do not need to have much dexterity on your non-trigger hand. So I've come to use a densely woven wool glove liner inside a heavy ragg wool mitten. On my trigger hand, i wear a one size larger Mechanix insulated glove over a silk glove liner. Does my hand always stay toasty...no. But it is the best combination I've come up with for max warmth while still having enough dexterity in a reactive shooting environment.
The diver gloves that Drail discussed sound great for that environment. But just this season i tried (again) the cheap consumer ice fishing version ($15 Gander Mtn) and they performed terribly. The neoprene seems to help create, then trap moisture - and my hands we icy in no time.
I have the shooting mittens Tinpig pictured. Dexterity on the shooting hand is not good with the one size fits none sizing, and the warmth factor was very mediocre for me.
To the OP, if you are shooting at the range, some variation of the hand muff will probably serve you well. If you are in northern climates, add glove liners. Down south, SPF 50 should be fine.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Nomex/flight gloves...l

When I was a lower enlisted MP there were a few of the soldiers in my MP company that wore Nomex milspec gloves on duty. Either the OD or black style.

Many just wore the GI black leather gloves which were serviceable but not ideal.
This was about 10/12 years before the wave of good, mission specific gloves like the military, hunters & armed professionals use now.

 

[twofifty]

For anyone who happens to be new to cold weather hunting or shooting,
here is a very practical tip: whenever you take off a mitt or glove layer to perform a fine task, immediately stuff them inside the front of your jacket where they will stay warm. Your cold hands will thank you when you put those mitts back on.

This is a good habit to build into one's personal winter discipline. It only takes a gust of wind to sweep mitts into a creek, lake, puddle, or off the edge of a cliff. Once they're gone you are up the creek. Never put mitts down on the ground or snow, even for a minute.

For those reasons, in severe extended conditions (below 5 degrees) there is a backup mitts or glove system, or at minimum a spare inner layer, in my pack.

 

[Sav .250]

Good winter type gloves and good/bad circulation go hand and hand. No joke intended.

My "fix" is to wear 2 gloves. One inside the other. The outer is Gortex material. The inner, what ever liner you like. Think mine are fleece.

Not bulky at all. Hands stay reasonably warm. Hands have always been a problem but my "fix" has helped greatly.

When hunting on my stand. I just take them off .Use a Muff with a hand warmer to really keep them toasty!