An email from a subscriber suggested we take a look at shooting gloves, particularly gloves that protect your hands from harsh recoil. Shooting gloves offer protection from heat and cold as well as abrasions, and they can take the sting out of recoil. The question is, how much protection do you need? Shooting gloves typically offer less protection than tactical gloves, which provide knuckle and finger protection from abrasions and knocks.
Another criteria was dexterity. Could we easily remove a single cartridge from a full box of ammo and load a single round into a chamber? Could we write or use a smart phone? And could we easily manipulate a firearm? We did find that the smaller the gun, the more of a handling liability the thicker and bulkier gloves were.
With some gloves you lose that positive feel or sensitivity when gripping the gun and pressing the trigger. Some gloves offer a nice balance between the extra gripping texture and padding for recoil. Gloves also offer heat/cold protection against hot shotgun barrels after a round of sporting clays or the chill from an early morning hunt in November. They also provide defense against abrasions, such as the sharp edges of an AK-47’s magazine release or the pinch of some enlarged charging handles on AR-15s. Some had hook/loop straps at the cuff to adjust fit. In our experience, the hook/loop material can lose its effectiveness after extended use, requiring more cinching.
How We Tested
We have been wearing these gloves for the past 12 months to see how they perform in hot and cold temperatures. All types of guns were used, from a lightweight S&W J-Frame revolver chambered in 357 Magnum, and N-Frame 44 Magnum revolvers with rubber and wood grips, to centerfire semi-automatic pistols like the compact Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro, and a full-size 1911 in 45 Auto. We also ran AR-15- and AK-47-style rifles, and pump and semi-auto shotguns with pistol-grip and traditional-style stocks. Some gloves offered more dexterity to perform fine-motor movements than others, like loading one 357 cartridge, which was more difficult than loading a 12-gauge shell. We took handwritten notes with each pair and tried to operate a touch-screen device as well as electronics with small buttons, like on a GoPro camera and Garmin chronograph. We also put on and took off the gloves numerous times to rate the ease and the comfort of that process. Some of these gloves could double as work gloves for chores around the house.
Hands down, we’d take some of these gloves over others. Here is what we found about each one.
5.11 Tactical TAC A4 Glove,
$30
The 5.11 TAC A4 glove has a breathable and stretchy nylon fabric with a synthetic suede palm and grip overlay. There is a gusset between the thumb and shooting finger. The thumbs have a sweat panel that is soft and allows the user to wipe sweat from the forehead. At the cuff is a reinforced tab for easy pull on. The cuff is Neoprene and has an adjustable hook/loop closure that secures on the back side of the glove. The gloves fit snugly and are very flexible, offering good dexterity and allowing use of touch screens. Padding in the palm was adequate, but big-bore magnums still transferred plenty of recoil.
Our Team Said: The TAC A4 glove is a well-made general-purpose shooting glove that offers a good compromise between gripping texture and dexterity. These will keep the chill off as well as keep cool in extreme heat.
Gun Test Grade: A-
First Tactical Medium Duty Gloves,
$40
The First Tactical gloves have a full leather palm and fingers. The leather gusset in the area between the thumb and palm offers better comfort and wear against the gun’s grip, especially the tang on a 1911. The backside is Neoprene, so the gloves are stretchy. The knuckles are also lightly padded with foam. The finger knuckles have flexible Neoprene for added protection, and the index finger is smooth and ventilated like a golf glove for more sensitivity when shooting. The cuff has a hook/loop strap for an adjustable fit around the wrist, and the backside is rubber with a cutout for a watch. Dexterity was excellent with these gloves. We could write and operate a smart phone with no issues. The padding in the palm was good except when shooting magnum revolvers. They were comfortable, but not overly tight fitting. The material was breathable, so our hands didn’t heat up.
Our Team Said: Trigger control was excellent with the First Tactical Gloves. They did not feel too thick nor too thin. The gloves also took the chill off and still allowed us to grasp a hot barrel without getting seared. These gloves are a good option as an all-purpose tactical glove without the hard knuckles.
Gun Test Grade: A-
Our PICK: Lightweight Glove
Glove Station Fingerless Knuckle Tactical Gloves,
$21
Glove Station gloves are a fingerless design, so you do not lose any dexterity. You can tie a fly on your fishing lines with these gloves and use the hard carbon-fiber knuckles to knock out a brown bear who wants your spot in the stream. Well, maybe not. These gloves have air holes built into the shell for more breathability. The palm is a textured rubber that offers an excellent grip. The material on the backside is a breathable faux leather. A tab helps to pull on the gloves, which are tight on the hand. Pulling them off takes more effort, and we used the hard knuckles to pull the gloves off. We found these gloves were tight around our fingers. Palm padding was minimal. A hook-and-loop strap keeps the gloves secured around your wrist and can be adjusted to as tight or as loose as you want.
Our Team Said: If you don’t like your fingers covered with the resulting loss of dexterity, then the Glove Station Fingerless Gloves are a good option. While they were tight and required effort to remove, we liked the thin, flexible material, which did not interfere with the grip feel. But there’s not a lot of recoil padding when shooting magnums.
GUN TEST GRADE: B-
Magpul Patrol Gloves 2.0,
$42
The key features on the Magpul Patrol Glove 2.0 are the thin goatskin leather palm and thumb panel. A leather gusset in between the thumb and forefinger, as well as finger tips, offers good durability at these wear points. The backside is corded stretch nylon with closed-cell foam-padded knuckle protection. The gloves are lightweight and stretchy. A tab on the cuff allows you to easily pull them on, and they are easy to peel off. The Magpul gloves offer excellent comfort and good dexterity for writing and tasks with small objects, like loading 9mm cartridges into a pistol magazine. However, only the thumb allows use of a touch screen. Because they are thin, you don’t lose a lot of feel when gripping a gun or pressing a trigger. In fact, the leather provides good texture on synthetic and wood grips. The elastic cuff is snug, but not binding around the wrist. The palm offered little protection from heavy-recoiling revolvers. The cuff is elastic and stretches when you pull them on, and we learned that the elastic in the cuff will stretch over time and be loose around the wrist.
Our Team Said: The Magpul Patrol Gloves 2.0 are thin and comfortable and provide good dexterity. They lack padding in the palm for recoil protection. Use these for chilly morning hunts, running an AR-15 or AK-47, and when training with semi-auto pistols, especially if you want more grip adhesion without bulk.
GUN TEST GRADE: B+
Mechanix Wear M-Pact Tactical Gloves,
$31
The M-Pact glove is constructed of a synthetic leather palm with extra palm padding and texture. The trigger finger and thumb are ribbed and can be used on touch screens. There is also a gusset for added wear protection between the thumb and the index finger. On the back side is rubber protection on the knuckles and gripping fingers and a breathable fabric that wicks moisture away from the hands. A reinforced pull-on loop makes it easy to don the gloves. The fit is snug, but not overly tight. A rubber strap with a hook/loop design allows you to adjust the cuff. The tab is secured on the inside of the wrist. This glove offers excellent padding to absorb impact from recoiling handguns. Dexterity is good, even with the rubber guards along the back of your three gripping fingers.
Our Team Said: The M-Pact is a heavier glove, much like a work glove, so there is a lot of protection, yet fine motor actions, such as picking up a 9mm cartridge, are easy to perform. The padding in the palm squashed the stinging recoil of magnum revolvers.
Gun Test Grade: A-
Our PICK: Heavy Glove
Wolf Tactical Shooting/Tactical Gloves,
$25
Wolf Tactical gloves feature molded-rubber knuckle and finger-guard plates. The padded palm is constructed of leather, and the thumb, index finger, and middle finger have a rubber ribs that allow use with touch screens. Built-in pull tabs make it easy to put the gloves on. The cuff around the wrist is adjustable with a hook/loop strap. Dexterity was good, but was less than with the other lightweight gloves. We could adjust the touch screen on the GoPro camera and press small buttons on a Garmin chronograph. There was extra padding in the palm, so there was less sensitivity when gripping a gun. On the other hand, that extra padding helped tame the recoil from magnum ammunition. We actually enjoyed shooting a lightweight J-frame 357 Magnum revolver with these gloves on.
Our Team Said: Wolf Tactical gloves provide added recoil protection in the palm, while the backside has flexible rubber guards for knuckles and fingers. The glove was snug, but not overly tight. The fabric is breathable, so in hot weather, our hands did not overheat. These gloves are a good option if you want relief from heavy-recoiling pistols without losing too much dexterity.
Gun Test Grade: A-
PIG Delta FDT Utility Gloves,
$30
PIG (Patrol Incident Gear) FDT gloves feature a suede palm and the inside of the fingers, which also rolls over the top of the finger tip. The thumb and index finger tip also have an extra layer of leather for better wear resistance. The back side is a soft nylon. There is a gusset at the wrist and a tab so the gloves are easy to pull on and off, but the elastic in the cuff wears out with continued use. The gloves offer a tight, yet comfortable, fit along the fingers and palm.
FDT stands for Full Dexterity Tactical, and we did find that dexterity was excellent with these gloves. We could write, manipulate small objects easily, and we could use a smart phone. The suede palm offers fairly good recoil protection.
Our Team Said: The PIG Delta FDT Utility Gloves offer the most dexterity while still keeping your fingers covered. They take the chill off your hands in cold weather, and they breathe when using them in hot weather. The gloves did not get in the way when shooting compact pistols. They also took the edge off recoil with magnum revolvers.
Gun Test Grade: A-
Best Buy
Written and photographed by Robert Sadowski, using evaluations from Gun Tests Team members. GT
