I’ve used a lot of tools in my life, power and manual, and controlling them expertly required a firm grip, dexterity and tactile sensitivity. Expert operation of a firearm requires no less, and it can be very rough on your hands in certain circumstances, yet few shooters wear gloves. I was one of them until recently. Like most barehanded marksman, I felt gloves limited the sense of feel that made the firearm an extension of my body. Then I tried Ironclad gloves.
If there’s a job to be done, Ironclad Performance Wear makes the right gloves to wear to protect your hands while doing it. These people are seriously into gloves as a look over the downloads under the “resources” tab of their website will immediately reveal. (I highly recommend that.)
The company was founded on the idea that there was no single glove design that was ideal for every job. They pioneered the development of task-specific gloves to help workers in a wide range of specialties get their job done more safely and efficiently, In the process they explored new technologies, materials and innovations resulting in the award of 30 patents worldwide and 70 trademark brands.
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Ironclad Shooting Gloves
They used this experience to develop their Tactical lines which are very reasonably priced in the $20 to $35 range, well constructed, allow the wearer to maintain unexpectedly high sensitivity and dexterity while offering significant cut, abrasion, and even impact protection to the hands, and amazingly permit the use of I-phone touchscreens for the life of the gloves.
Here’s what the four different styles I tested have to offer.
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Caliber Standard Duty
The Caliber Standard Duty are designed for uncompromised dexterity to allow fine manipulation of mechanical and electronic equipment in the field. The palm, underside of the fingers and thumb are thin, supple sheepskin, The back is a uniformly stretchy, highly breathable polyester Spandex knit. They are meant to fit snuggly. Rather than sewn flat, the fingers are sewn pre-curved to match the natural shape of the hand so the material doesn’t bunch up when the fingers are closed and interfere with movement.
The sheepskin from the palm extends as a single piece from the wrist to the end of each finger where it rolls over the tip and is sewn to the backing behind the first joint. This feature was patented by Ironclad when they found it permitted a nearly perfect form fit at the fingertips. It’s so good I had no issues typing this story while wearing these gloves.
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The fingers and thumb are permanently touchscreen compatible. The cuff is reinforced with a large carabiner hole to secure the gloves against loss when you aren’t wearing them. When you select the proper size, these gloves feel like a second skin, protecting your hands from abrasion and to a limited extent the cold and wind, without compromising your ability to operate any firearm, fine mechanical device, or electronic device. Available only in black. MSRP $34.99.
Caliber Vented
The Caliber Vented tactical gloves are similar to the Standard Duty type but the sheepskin has tiny vent holes on the bottom of each finger and near the wrist; and the back of the hand is made of a slightly thicker but more open weave, highly vented, Airmesh Spandex. This helps perspiration dry faster to keep your hands cooler in hot weather. Keep in mind the Caliber gloves are intended for delicate work, not shoveling snow or chopping firewood. Available in black only with an MSRP of $34.99
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Tactical Grip
Tactical Grip gloves are designed for greater versatility in the field, and more protection against abrasion, puncture and cold than the thinner, sleeker, Caliber line. For starters they comesin camouflage, coyote tan, OD green and black and have a soft terrycloth fabric on the back of the thumb so you don’t rub your runny nose raw out in the field during cold weather.
The entire palm is a synthetic suede with a silicon rubber “X” gripping pattern infused into the surface to improve the dry gripping characteristics. The back of the glove is breathable polyester knit with a hook & loop closure tab on the outside of the wrist. On the inside of the wrist, there’s a carabiner loop that serves to pull on the gloves as well as easily secure them when not wearing them.
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The synthetic suede palm offers a natural feel and wear resistance and the tips of the thumb and index finger are permanently touchscreen compatible. Somewhat bulker on the hand, they are sturdier than the Caliber line but still quite close fitting and well suited to hunting with bow or rifle. MSRP $19.99
Tactical Impact
Tactical Impact, like the Tactical Grip, are available in four colors and have a full synthetic suede palm, terrycloth nose wipe at the back of the thumb, and a permanently touchscreen compatible thumb and index finger. However, the glove back and palm differ significantly.
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The Impact’s palm uses a plain synthetic suede that extends around the sides of fingertips and has pads sewn on just behind the fingers and below the thumb creating a reinforced glove that is more durable overall and better suited to carrying things and protecting the hand from impact injury. A glove like this is ideal for operating the bolt of a Savage Impact straight-pull rifle which is hard on the palm.
In my opinion the standout feature of these gloves is the patented TPR Impact Protection on the back. This, flexible, soft, rubber like, protective panel is sewn on top of the knuckles and the three lower fingers.
For triggerguard clearance, the index finger is only padded over the knuckle. This feature makes these gloves perfect for shooting any lever action firearm because the fingers are slender enough to allow easy entry through the lever loop and provide excellent cushioning during operation. The back of the glove is a breathable polyester knit with an Airmesh panel on the outside top of the wrist for dissipating perspiration, and a carabiner look on the inside of the wrist. MSRP $24.99
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