TargetTalk

Hi Fellow Shooters,

My primary shooting discipline is NRA smallbore.

Im in the market for a good shooting coat. I have several friends that shoot in the leather Creedmoor Hardbacks and they of course recommend them highly. I actually purchased a used cordura hardback on ebay for a price that if I didn't like it I could get my money back. Needless to say it didn't really work for me. Good coat, but had some discomforts I wasn't willing to deal with. Not sure if the leather is better or not, but am willing to give another try if I get that kind of feedback.

I'm shooting in a borrowed Mouche jacket now and really like it. I like the canvas on the forearm as it buffers my arm from the sling. Only thing is I don't know how to buy a Mouche or have any idea what they cost.

Before this Mouche I purchased a used Gehmann from here on TT on the buy,sell, trade forum. It has been a good coat, but the sleeves could be a little longer, and I think I'd benefit from a slightly smaller size as I seem to have a little more movement than I do in the Mouche. Over time my entire position seems to get loose. Most likely because the coat is slightly to big. I'm a right handed shooter and the coat tries to slide down my sling arm.

I'm going to Perry in July to check out all the vendors, hopefully get measured and find the perfect coat. Any and all recommendations is very much appreciated.

Thanks,

Tenring

I am currently shooting a Freeland coat. I hate it. I have on order a Monard Standard. I should pick it up at Perry.

The most common clothing is Kurt Thune. The Emmons' use Kustermann. And some people really like Sauer.

I would wait until camp perry so you can handle different coats and get measured.
Sorry I wasnt much help,
Matt

On this side of the Atlantic the popular jackets for prone smallbore are (in no particular order):

Kurt Thune
Truttmann
Gehmann
AHG Anschutz
Mouche
Monard
Kustermann
Sauer

Thick Double Canvas may be stiffer but gets dirty quicker - Leather may not give quite as much support as it wears but is more waterproof and doesn't get quite as shabby after a few years.
If you don't intend shooting 3P, a specifically designed Prone jacket might offer the best support.
There is an element of "you get what you pay for".

(FWIW, I have a Thune leather & canvas 3P "made to measure" jacket).

My next suit is going to be a made to measure Sauer Advantage Extra. This is a personal preference, having owned a MTM Thune and having looked around all the rest. I like the way Sauer cuts their suits, the emphasis they place on individual tailoring (Like wanting photos of the shooter in all positions from various angles to accommodate idiosyncracies - I felt KT scanned the sheet and developed an impression of what the shooter looked like out of hand), the materials involved and the impression of the quality I get from their suits. Friends have high end Thunes, AHGs, Sauers, Kustermanns and my impression is that the Sauers and the Kustermanns have turned out nicest, though some of the Thunes have been superb; I just don't think they're as likely to turn out perfectly from my own experience, probably because of what I mentioned above. You definitely pay for what you get though. I'm not familiar with NRA rules, only ISSF, so my recommendation is based on that experience. If necessary, take it with a pinch of salt, but that's my two cents, for whatever it's worth.