I have a love/hate relationship with gloves.
It seems like every pair of gloves I pick up have some hidden flaw that rears its ugly head at the most inopportune time. Generally when hunting I don't even like to wear gloves because they sacrifice dexterity and the "feel" of the trigger for warmth. I would rather have frostbite than make a bad shot.
How do you get around this? For several years I wore rag wool gloves that had the fingers lopped off. They *almost* worked for my purposes. The wool was no doubt warm and the tip-less fingers made squeezing the trigger accurately a possibility. But, again, they were flawed. Wool can get too hot and the pair that I had featured a annoying fold-down mitten that would not stay out of the way for anything.
Glove trial 2.0 was brought on two Christmases ago when my dad thoughtfully responded to a request for dexterous gloves. This pair was an very light, very stretchy blend of some sort of spandex/elastic compound. I thought that they might just do the trick! I wore them shortly thereafter on a late season antlerless hunt, snagged one briar and the entire glove unraveled from the wrist up. Splendid!
Once again today my common sense flew off somewhere to roost and I thought that I would look for a pair of shooting gloves. Of all the places I found myself it was Tractor Supply Company that had the best looking set. I picked up a pair of the C.E. Schmidt Hen's Hi Dexterity Goatskin gloves for $19.95. That is quite a bit of money for a pair of work gloves, but not so much for shooting gloves. A decent pair of leather shooting gloves will easily run you $100.
I brought the gloves home and fiddled with them for quite a bit. The gloves are a combination of spandex, neoprene and goatskin. They have a stitch around each wrist to ensure snug fit and do not feature a cinch or a strap. The gloves were not too hot at all in today's spring weather. The goatskin is fairly supple and dexterity was good. I attempted to test the dexterity by working the slide, ejecting and inserting magazines and manipulating the safety and bolt-release on my Ruger Mk. III. The gloves were satisfactory in all tests. I was also surprised that I was able to get my large fingers into the small trigger-guard of the Mk. III with little difficulty.
Overall, I really like these gloves. If I were to rate them on a 1-10 scale I would have to assess them an 8.
Pros
~Very dexterous
~Snug-fitting
~Lightweight and breathable
~Relatively low cost
~Palm and fingers padded (This is a major winner for shooting those hand cannons!)
Cons
~Goofy rubber tags on gloves (I removed them with my pocket knife.)
~Uncertain of durability (The goatskin is soft, but we will see how it holds up.)
I would recommend these gloves for anyone who prioritizes economy, comfort and dexterity. I don't think that anyone would have a problem looking pompous and privileged wearing them on the sporting clays range either...
(If you want to see a larger image just click on the picture.)
Manufacturer's specs and ordering:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/workwear-clothing-footwear/gloves/mens-work-gloves/c-e-schmidt-reg-men-s-hi-dexterity-grain-goatskin-gloves-734102599
