Pistol shooting shoes...do they work?

If you wish to make a donation to this forum's operation , it would be greatly appreciated.
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/targettalk?yours=true

Moderators: pilkguns, m1963, David Levene, Spencer, Richard H

Forum rules
If you wish to make a donation to this forum's operation , it would be greatly appreciated.
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/targettalk?yours=true
User avatar
RobStubbs
Posts: 3183
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2004 1:06 pm
Location: Herts, England, UK

Post by RobStubbs »

Spencer wrote: some of the 'known brand' pistol shoes can run into trouble with the flex testing.
I'd be interesting in knowing which ones have had trouble. Coramis are amongst the stiffest I know of and they pass - or shooters I know that shoot with them have had theirs pass at world cups last year.

Rob.
Spencer
Posts: 1889
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2006 9:13 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia
Contact:

Post by Spencer »

RobStubbs wrote:I'd be interesting in knowing which ones have had trouble. Coramis are amongst the stiffest I know of and they pass - or shooters I know that shoot with them have had theirs pass at world cups last year.

Rob.
Without checking with my EC staff I am not 100% sure of the brand, but they apparently released a (short?) production run that was VERY stiff, though later production passes OK.
User avatar
RobStubbs
Posts: 3183
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2004 1:06 pm
Location: Herts, England, UK

Post by RobStubbs »

Spencer wrote:
RobStubbs wrote:I'd be interesting in knowing which ones have had trouble. Coramis are amongst the stiffest I know of and they pass - or shooters I know that shoot with them have had theirs pass at world cups last year.

Rob.
Without checking with my EC staff I am not 100% sure of the brand, but they apparently released a (short?) production run that was VERY stiff, though later production passes OK.
Ok interesting to hear, I'd not heard that but I have heard of rifle shoes which were apparently the reason the device was invented / implemented for.

Rob.
Spencer
Posts: 1889
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2006 9:13 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia
Contact:

Post by Spencer »

RobStubbs wrote:...but I have heard of rifle shoes which were apparently the reason the device was invented / implemented for.
Rob.
Yes - there was no 'problem' with the pistol shoes until just before the measuring machine was introduced at ISSF competitions when the duck walk could be ocassionaly seen on pistol ranges - maybe one or two manufacturers saw a bandwaggon to jump on?.
User avatar
Richard H
Posts: 2654
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2004 11:55 am
Location: Guelph, Ontario
Contact:

Post by Richard H »

The "duck walk" has absolutely nothing to do with stiffness, its about shooters wanting to keep the soles flat. Even the Stiffest shoes can be flexed under normal walking. It was a solution to something that wasn't really a problem. But someone got to make nice expensive gauges.

Even keeping the soles flat is silly, the ranges all have relatively flat hard floors so when you stand in your shoes they will conform to the hard flat floor.
Spencer
Posts: 1889
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2006 9:13 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia
Contact:

Post by Spencer »

Richard H wrote:...Even the Stiffest shoes can be flexed under normal walking...
When a fit man cannot flex the sole by more than a few mm, you have to start wondering.
User avatar
RandomShotz
Posts: 553
Joined: Sat Dec 04, 2010 5:24 pm
Location: Lexington, KY

Post by RandomShotz »

RN Hawkins wrote: ... Also very good is shooting barefoot
david alaways wrote:I shoot better in my socks, and my feet feel better.
So, maybe these are the ideal pistol shooting shoes?
Attachments
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/index.htm
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/index.htm
BenEnglishTX
Posts: 326
Joined: Wed May 05, 2010 8:34 pm
Location: Texas

Post by BenEnglishTX »

RandomShotz wrote:...maybe these are the ideal...?
That thought had occurred to me.
User avatar
Richard H
Posts: 2654
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2004 11:55 am
Location: Guelph, Ontario
Contact:

Post by Richard H »

Image

I've tried them, due to the nature of how they are suppose to fit, pretty tight, I found you don't get much feeling from the feet so the small muscles in the foot really aren't utilized in helping with balance and sway control. That said I really only tried shooting in them a couple of times and dryfiring a few times so didn't really give them a big trial.

I think if the rubber on the toe tips was thinner they would work better. The toe tips are quite hard to provide protection, it almost makes your toes feel numb (very little feeling).

What they really would be good for is shooting outdoors on a wet and muddy range when you need to go down range frequently to change targets and score.

Well maybe I'll give them another try.
Gwhite
Posts: 3296
Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2004 6:04 pm
Location: Massachusetts

Post by Gwhite »

It all depends on what you want your shoes to do for you. For example, the tread on my Keen walking shoes is fantastic for picking up .22 brass...
ModestoPete
Posts: 105
Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2012 7:36 pm
Location: Northern California

New shoes

Post by ModestoPete »

Champion's Choice (www.Champchoice.com) has just come out with a Pistol Shooter's shoe which is reasonably priced at $75.

I have only seen it in their new catalog so I can't comment on it for fit and comfort.

If anyone out there gets a pair, would you please evaluate it for the rest of us?
shadow
Posts: 358
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2005 7:56 pm

Shooting Shoes

Post by shadow »

I have the AHG Anschutz shooting shoes. They are fine if you do not have to walk down range to score. If I have to do any walking my feet cramp up and I am very happy to get out of them at the end of the match. With target carriers they are just fine. I found a good compromise in Nike skateboard shoes.
User avatar
conradin
Posts: 2001
Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2012 1:18 am
Location: Basement.

Post by conradin »

They do give a slight advantage, or rather one less factor you need to deal with so that you can concentrate on what you need to do. I usually wear Adidas Samba soccer shoes when I shoot, but I do have a set of Corami. My Samba are naturally unstable simply because they are soccer shoes and they can bend easily. The Corami's advantage is that not just they have a rigid sole, they also suck you into the floor. So once your foot position is set, you don't need to worry about any accidental slip or bend, also it is easier and more accurate to adjust your feet position, since you do not need to deal with the bending that the soccer shoes will give. If you find a price break or even the right distributor, they are not that expensive, and certainly much cheaper than a pair of high quality indoor soccer shoes. You should be able to find a pair well under $200.

Of course, I am such a poor shooter and a noob that it does not really matter...
Isabel1130
Posts: 1364
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 7:19 pm
Location: Wyoming

Post by Isabel1130 »

I shot in my socks at the last Winter Air. People evolved to balance barefoot, and theoretically that should be your most stable platform. If my shoes did not pass the flex test, I would sigh with relief as I threw them back in my bag. It seemed overly warm at the last winter air. My feet felt so hot in my regular shoes, it was a relief to get them off, and not have to put another pair back on. No difference in my scores, in fact, they were a little better but for me my errors are all triggering errors, or holding the gun up too long. If it was cold in the hall, I might want to wear shoes just to keep my feet from becoming a distraction, which they would be if they were too cold.
VAshooter
Posts: 49
Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2005 9:29 am
Location: Virginia USA

Post by VAshooter »

I wore shooting shoes simply to avoid problems with inspections and distractions during the match. No one said anything when I wore a brand name shooting shoe.

Didn't seem to have any effect on my score. My personal demons took care of that.
lakiraly
Posts: 87
Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2019 9:30 am

Re: Pistol shooting shoes...do they work?

Post by lakiraly »

I own a pair of shooting shoes that I purchased from "Champions Choice" and I like them, they are more affordable and I feel that in my pistol stance I feel more stable than other types of flat shoes made for other purposes.
With that said I also own a pair of the current Sauer Easy Top shoe. Much more costly but much better built with a wider solid but flexible bottom sole. I feel even more stable in my pistol stance.
I have tried many different shoes and I have come to the conclusion that whatever you are accustomed to and train in is going to be the best choice for that individual.
Don't expect to increase your score because you are wearing shooting shoes, there is no substitute for good old fashion practice and dry firing while wearing whatever shoes you wear while shooting and/or competing.
lakiraly
Posts: 87
Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2019 9:30 am

Re: Pistol shooting shoes...do they work?

Post by lakiraly »

I will add this to my above post, the Champions Choice shooting shoes and the Sauer Easy Top feel extremely flat to my feet and I had to add a 3/4 arch support: Protalus ET75.
GaryN
Posts: 637
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2004 4:57 pm
Location: California

Re: Pistol shooting shoes...do they work?

Post by GaryN »

For me, the value is that it forces me to remove my worn out street shoes and put on a shoe that has a FLAT sole.
My street/sport shoes tend to wear at the heel. The older the shoe the worse that heel wear. And that worn heel makes it easy for me to rock backwards.
A flat shoe, that is NOT worn at the heel won't rock backwards.

Because I only use if for shooting, I pay attention to the heel of my shooting shoe more than my commonly worn shoes.
B Lafferty
Posts: 459
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2018 11:23 am

Re: Pistol shooting shoes...do they work?

Post by B Lafferty »

Just curious to know if anyone has used these shoes from Creedmoor. The same shoe is also available from Champion's Choice.

https://www.creedmoorsports.com/product ... air--rifle
"No mud; no Lotus."-- Thich Nhat Hanh
brent375hh
Posts: 740
Joined: Wed Apr 17, 2013 8:04 am
Location: Minneapolis

Re: Pistol shooting shoes...do they work?

Post by brent375hh »

B Lafferty wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 9:51 am Just curious to know if anyone has used these shoes from Creedmoor. The same shoe is also available from Champion's Choice.

https://www.creedmoorsports.com/product ... air--rifle
I have the Champion Choice shoes. They are very flat and stable. Very little give to the soles. The Creedmoor were on sale for $50 last month, but my size was not in stock.
Post Reply