Does Your Finger Fit? Firearms and Winter Gloves

Shooting in cold weather (Source)

         Normally, when shooting in cooler weather, I will wear what I would described as form fitting light weight sports glove or a light-to-medium weight pair of insulated gloves in order to retain as much dexterity as possible. I've never had any issues with these types of gloves when shooting, except with S&W revolver triggers sometimes pinching the glove material as the trigger is released after a shot and preventing the trigger from resetting.

Light weight gloves on the left, heavy winter gloves on the right.

          But I have much heavier winter gloves with a water resistant outer fabric--you know the kind, where the insulation is so thick that it spreads your fingers wide enough that your hands ache after a while of wearing them. Needless to say, these gloves are for very cold weather when I will be outside for an extended period of time. But with all the news of the Polar Vortex, I began wondering whether I could actually use these gloves for shooting. I didn't take the firearms shooting at a range, but just wore the gloves at home while trying some basic weapons manipulations and dry firing. The results:

• AR: worked for charging the weapon, manipulating the safety (although the forefinger on an ambidextrous system worked better than trying to use the thumb), dropping the magazine, and I was able to get my finger into the trigger guard (a standard AR style) without problem to fire the weapon even without opening up the trigger guard. I also tried my AR pistol, which has an enlarged trigger guard, and it worked fine there.
• AK: worked for the charging the weapon, but I could not manipulate the safety because of the thickness and slickness of the glove fabric. I could insert my trigger finger into the trigger guard without any issue.
• SKS: I could charge the weapon, manipulate the safety, and insert my trigger finger into the trigger guard without any issues.
• CETME: I could charge the weapon, although it was a little slower to get the cocking handle unfolded. I could not manipulate the safety because I couldn't get the necessary purchase, and the glove kept slipping off it. This was aggravated because the safety selector is located well above the trigger and hard to reach with one's thumb as it is. The trigger guard was more than ample for the trigger finger. I could not use the paddle magazine release, but could use the button release.
• Garand: I could charge the weapon. I could not get my trigger finger into the trigger guard at all, meaning I could not disengage the safety or fire the weapon. I assume that the same would hold true for a Mini-14 or M1A (M14 clone). 
• Bolt-action hunting rifle: No problems with operating the bolt, or fitting my finger into the trigger guard. The safety was a bit of an issue because it was small and the glove kept slipping on it. A larger safety lever, such as on a Remington 700, would probably work better. Alternatively, old-timers would sometimes carry the weapon with the bolt unlocked, so they simply had to push the bolt handle down into the fully locked position and they could then fire.
• Glock pistol: I could rack the slide, but could not fit my finger into the trigger guard far enough to deactivate the safety on the trigger or to pull the trigger.
• Revolver: I tried a few different models--none of them had trigger guards that were large enough to accommodate the finger to actuate the trigger in double-action.

Light-to-medium insulated gloves on left, shooting mittens on right.

        I also have hunting mittens that are I would describe as somewhere between medium to heavy weight, but certainly not Arctic mittens. Because they are shooting mittens, they had an opening through which I could stick my trigger finger, which worked for all firearms. Just using them as mittens (without sticking out my fingers), however, I did not have any problem with the rifles, but this was partly because the fabric was stretchy enough that I could force the forefinger into the trigger guards enough to pull the triggers. I don't know if this would be possible with a pair of truly heavy weight mittens. However, opening up the trigger guard on the standard AR trigger guard was definitely the best option. The handguns were still a no go.

     So, if you need a heavy winter hand covering, I think a shooting mitten would work best. If you think you will be hunting or poking around your homestead while wearing heavy weight winter gloves or using some seriously heavy weight mittens (without a hole or slot for the trigger finger), the AR with the standard trigger guard (which can be opened up to accommodate mittens) is the way to go. Next best would be an AR with an enlarged trigger guard, or an SKS.

Of course, you can always take off a glove or mitten. (Source: From the Finnish winter warfare exercise in 1937).