I bought a smallbore rifle few months ago.
At first I thought I´m not going to buy a shooting jacket, a leather street jacket will do. But now..
Do you have experience with these inexpensive (100-200€ price range) shooting jackets? I´ll be shooting prone only.
http://www.schiesssport-buinger.de/shoo ... ANDARD-Men
http://www.schiesssport-buinger.de/shoo ... -Color-Men
http://www.schiesssport-buinger.de/shoo ... d-Plus-men
http://www.schiesssport-buinger.de/shoo ... n-Herren_1
http://www.intershoot.co.uk/acatalog/Sc ... t-743.html
http://www.intershoot.co.uk/acatalog/Ge ... 3-374.html
http://www.intershoot.co.uk/acatalog/Ge ... 4-372.html
http://www.schuetzenbedarf-baur.com/pro ... iessjacken
http://www.schuetzenbedarf-baur.com/pro ... iessjacken
Are they approx. equal in quality etc. or is there some model that is a good deal?
Inexpensive shooting jackets?
Moderators: pilkguns, Marcus, m1963, David Levene, Spencer
Most of the cheaper entry-level jackets are similar in my experience. Double canvas is very strong; for prone you don't need a super strong jacket, but canvas is not bad, so long as the jacket fits. For prone the most important areas are the shoulders and sleeves. The most important is the fit across your shoulders (roughly armpit to armpit); if the jacket is too big here, it will be dragged down by the weight of the rifle.
In terms of the buttons, it's only to top two or three that are load bearing in prone. The jacket does not need to be a good fit around your hips/stomach - if it's tight, leave the buttons undone. The buttons can be moved to make minor adjustment, but if you have to move them too much, the jacket is too big.
One place where stiff fabric isn't so good is the right shoulder (for a right handed shooter). Flexibility is important for the butt to fit properly, and for ease of loading. Cheaper jackets are often a little stiff here, especially at the neck (trapezius muscle). More expensive jackets have soft leather sections. Even with straps to tie back loose material, I don't see many cheaper jackets that fit very well around the neck and shoulder. It's just something you have to live with unless you spend more money.
For the sleeves, the elbow pads must cover the elbows! This can be a problem for tall slim people; sizes seem to be for broad builds. The left sleeve should be long enough to cover/protect the left wrist from the sling, but not so long that it touches the rifle.
In terms of the buttons, it's only to top two or three that are load bearing in prone. The jacket does not need to be a good fit around your hips/stomach - if it's tight, leave the buttons undone. The buttons can be moved to make minor adjustment, but if you have to move them too much, the jacket is too big.
One place where stiff fabric isn't so good is the right shoulder (for a right handed shooter). Flexibility is important for the butt to fit properly, and for ease of loading. Cheaper jackets are often a little stiff here, especially at the neck (trapezius muscle). More expensive jackets have soft leather sections. Even with straps to tie back loose material, I don't see many cheaper jackets that fit very well around the neck and shoulder. It's just something you have to live with unless you spend more money.
For the sleeves, the elbow pads must cover the elbows! This can be a problem for tall slim people; sizes seem to be for broad builds. The left sleeve should be long enough to cover/protect the left wrist from the sling, but not so long that it touches the rifle.
Last edited by Tim S on Fri Jan 03, 2014 7:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
I have some experiance with the first two jackets that you linked to. There is a shooter using one of the Gehmann jackets for air rifle at the club I shoot at. The quality is OK but style wise it looks a little dated. My daughter uses one of the Shultz jackets, so I can be a lot more specific. The sizing suits a medium build, so it may be a bit too loose if you are skinny and a bit tight if you are very large (like me). This jacket has a soft flexible insert around the back of the neck which is good as well as on the insides of the elbows. It is very similar in cut to the Gehmann jacket. One issue with the Shultz is that the rubber pads are quite soft. My daughter shoots a Walter LG400 Alutec in air rifle and the butt plate has some rather sharp serrations which wear the rubber badly. Prone she shoots an Anschutz 1813 which has a much smoother plate which is not so much of a problem. The chap with the Gehmann jacket also has a similar (but not as bad problem shooting a FWB P700. I think this is more an issue with the modern butt plates, he has a MEC plate on his rifle IIRC. I would say that either of the two jackets would be fine for a club level shooter looking to not break the bank.
Yes a leather/canvas jacket will look nicer, feel a bit nicer to wear, and will probably last a little longer (it's not as if the double canvas won't last a good while if looked after, but it might be ten years of club use instead of twenty). As in all things in shooting you can spend a lot more money for a very small gain in results. With jackets a good fit is important, and if you are not a "standard" size that is where going to a made to measure jacket can be of benefit.
Alan
Yes a leather/canvas jacket will look nicer, feel a bit nicer to wear, and will probably last a little longer (it's not as if the double canvas won't last a good while if looked after, but it might be ten years of club use instead of twenty). As in all things in shooting you can spend a lot more money for a very small gain in results. With jackets a good fit is important, and if you are not a "standard" size that is where going to a made to measure jacket can be of benefit.
Alan
Question On Fitting
I have always been under the impression that the tighter the jacket the better? As in the jacket will help keep the shooter stable, I'm talking about prone shooting.
Regards,
D.
Regards,
D.
No I don't agree that tighter is better. The jacket shouldn't be really loose, but it shouldn't be super tight. If the fit across the shoulder blades is perfect, the front can be completely loose; look for photos of Sergei Martynov (current World and Olympic Champion), and you'll see he has no buttons fastened.
Too tight can interfere with natural breathing, and also not comply with ISSF rules, which stipulate that the jacket must be capable of 7cm overlap, i.e. the front can be pulled 7cm beyond normal fastening, so really tight may not meet this.
In comparison with a suit or sport jacket, then yes a shooting jacket will fit much more tightly, and you may need a smaller size.
Too tight can interfere with natural breathing, and also not comply with ISSF rules, which stipulate that the jacket must be capable of 7cm overlap, i.e. the front can be pulled 7cm beyond normal fastening, so really tight may not meet this.
In comparison with a suit or sport jacket, then yes a shooting jacket will fit much more tightly, and you may need a smaller size.
It would be good if I had a chance to go and test these jackets.. but no.
So I have to measure.
Chest - 118cm
Waist - 118cm
Gehmann 56 - chest 118, waist 115
Gehmann 58 - chest 122, waist 119
How are these jackets cut at the factory? If I order size 58, will it be big enough to pass that 7cm pull test? Or should I go for 56 so chest dimension is just right and move buttons (if needed) so that test will pass?
So I have to measure.
Chest - 118cm
Waist - 118cm
Gehmann 56 - chest 118, waist 115
Gehmann 58 - chest 122, waist 119
How are these jackets cut at the factory? If I order size 58, will it be big enough to pass that 7cm pull test? Or should I go for 56 so chest dimension is just right and move buttons (if needed) so that test will pass?
The jackets should be made to meet the overlap. You should not normally need to buy a jacket that is too large to meet this. Does your club test the overlap anyway?
If the jacket is too large, the weight of the rifle will drag it across your shoulders, so the sling slips down (making it longer), and your position sags.
Don't worry about the waist measurements for prone. You can leave the jacket open at the bottom, and it should not affect strength. It's only the buttons around your chest that work in prone.
If the jacket is too large, the weight of the rifle will drag it across your shoulders, so the sling slips down (making it longer), and your position sags.
Don't worry about the waist measurements for prone. You can leave the jacket open at the bottom, and it should not affect strength. It's only the buttons around your chest that work in prone.