BFR with Gloves Photo's Added

[sixshot]

After shooting some good groups with the BFR 44 magnum but struggling at times because of cold fingers & slippery ivory micarta stocks I decided it was time to try some leather gloves after being pushed in that direction by David Bradshaw.

I've always liked to shoot bare handed but these stocks are so smooth it's a challenge to get a tight grip in cold weather. So, yesterday I did what David suggested, I bought some gloves, not any gloves but some deer skin gloves, something thin where I could get some "feel" for the grip. I used some mineral spirits along with some bees wax & after drying them I headed to the range at 12 degrees.

At least it was calm. So I sat down & ran 5 rounds down range & each round rapped my knuckle so I knew something was off a bit, this hadn't happened before. The first target shows the results. A load that had been shooting very well for me was now shooting around 2-3 inches. I loaded 5 more rounds & concentrated on getting a better, tighter grip on the big 5 shooter. This time no rapping on the knuckles & my group went back to the old normal, great!

You can see on target #2 the 5 shots snuggled into less than 1/2" with nothing but a grip change. I did adjust left & a tick higher before shooting. The last target is sitting on the ground with my back against a post shooting off of my shooting sticks. I had no rest for either elbow. I can do better than this next time, this was a terrible target for me, just didn't show up well but I'll take this group for now. It's for sure an elk killer.





Dick

[bula]

Agree with the gloves. Do prefer Sno-Seal. When I hunted the 44mag SBH with the 'Pachy's on, I used my Steelhead fishing gloves. Fingerless rag wools. 

[taffin]

I STARTED WEARING GLOVES, GOLFER'S OR BATTER'S, WHEN SILHOUETTING 40 YEARS AGO.I STILL DO AND HAVE WORN OUT A GOOD PILE OF THEM.

[junebug]

Good visual example Dick of how vital a consistent repeatable grip is to good groups.

[bradshaw]

Dick.... good show! Good looking gloves, too. Deerskin is great. Also, elk, goat, and pigskin, each harder too come by. My treatment, mixed in a soup can on the stove, low heat, is clear MINERAL OIL, into which I stir shavings of pure BEESWAX. I treat about everything leather except suede with it. That BFR banana grip, which I have yet to hold, looks like I’d start with my HEEL INDEX grasp, the heel of my palm down by the butt. I do not choke up on a single action grip unless it can’t be helped. Looks like the balance of that big .44 should facilitate the heel index. This keeps the middle finger out of sight of the trigger guard.

12 degrees Fahrenheit, eh? Reckon we’ll see it soon enough, uninvited. You know, Dick, when you shoot groups with bare hands it takes a long time in a hot armpit to get ‘em warm again.
David Bradshaw

[foxtrapper]

Home Depot has thin deer skin gloves for around 15 buck iirc

[magnumwheelman]

I found the gloves greatly improved my enjoyment of shooting my warmly loaded 500 JRH Bisley BFR... in the past I've used fingerless gloves with padded palms for motorcycling... but this last time ( it was cold & windy ) I used full gloves... groups a little bigger than I usually shoot with full gloves over the fingerless style

I shot a couple cylinders full barehanded & had lines on my palm, where there was a slight amount of "bite" between the grip frame & the grip panels from the JRH under recoil forcing my palm into the slight gaps ( not even close to drawing blood, just enough to leave a small cut line )

[squigz]

Great shooting Dick! I really like the looks and the set up of that BFR a lot! Can't wait for my 44 Smith to be back so I can get to shooting it again!

I've always been a glove shooter. Even in the summer time, I wear the same gloves. I try to put forward the principle; practice how you hunt, all year round. So, if I'm planning on hunting with a particular revolver, I'm wearing the same gloves I wear in hunting season even in the dead of summer with 100 degree days.

My gloves of choice are the Mechanix Wear Durahide M-Pact's. I like a velcro strap on gloves, and these are also think enough that I can grab a thorn bush and not have to worry too much, and we have a lot of mountain thorns in my area.

[magman]

Since all my hunting is done below 40 degrees. I always wear gloves when shooting. Even on 90 degree days.

[oddshooter]

I have tried a dozen or so expensive shooting gloves that just took too much feel out of my hands.

I then went to the least expensive gloves, the weight lifters gloves from Walmart. Fingerless, perfect gel padding in the perfect spots. Very soft and have never "bunched up". I used to give them out to shooter friends who all converted after the first trial.

I particularly love stories about overcoming a bad group by figuring out what was wrong and correcting it.  It gives me hope.


Prescut

[sixshot]

I've had a pair of shooing gloves for many years, still have them & hardly ever put them on, just never cared for the feel but these micarta stocks are so slick I discovered that it's almost useless to shoot without gloves in order to control your grip. If I had my choice they would have a palm swell or something to give me a little purchase.

I love the looks of the micarta but sure don't like the way they move in cold weather. The gloves have corrected the problem but I'll be back to bare handed as soon as possible. One thing is certain, this gun is one dandy shooter & my next session will be shooting between my knees at 100 & 150 yds. Yesterday my old African shooting sticks did pretty good considering I was sitting on a slope & neither elbow supported because I couldn't get either knee high enough.

In a few days I'll be in pretty deep snow on horse back not far from Freedom Arms hunting elk & trying to stay warm!!!! When you're pushing 75 years old that can be a chore. BFR.....BUTT FREEZING RIDE!

Dick

[bigbrowndog]

Dick, I had the same slickness issue with my 500L and the black micarta that came on them. I took a tip from a Master Bladesmith buddy and sanded them with 600 grit sandpaper, it provides just enough grip and stickyness to be helpful, he also suggested bead blasting, so if your son has a blasting tank that’ll work as well.

This is contingent on your grips being actual micarta and not corian or other material.

Good luck on your elk, I’ll be doing the same in Colorado

Trapr

[paul105]

I've used both golf and batting gloves. You have to make sure the seams aren't between your hand and the gun.

Also used bow string wax on bare hands or on grips -- sort of like waxing skis on surf boards -- works pretty good on sweaty or cold dry hands on slippery grip material like micarta.

FWIW,

Paul

[magnumwheelman]

I'm not a blade smith or named smith for that matter... on my 1st set of grips, the factory white ones, I cracked a corner out & there was no fiber look to the inside where it cracked out & I don't recall seeing "micarta" anywhere on their website, except with the black grips... so i'm assuming the white grips are "fiber free" & are another material...

BTW MRI replaced my broken factory white grips for no charge switching to the black "micarta" but it did require sending the gun in for "fitting"




No Smith

[sixshot]

mwm, thanks! I thought I saw on their website where it was ivory micarta, whatever it is, it's some slick material for a big bore six gun (5 gun) I like them but not in cold weather. These gloves are an absolute must if your hands are cold, at least for me.

That's a nice looking shooter you have there.

Dick