Hunting gloves – what are the best options? Don’t miss our top picks.

A good pair of hunting gloves can be the difference between a great day of shooting and a disappointing one. It’s easy to focus on the bigger ticket equipment like your gun or scope and forget that you actually shoot with your hands. If they are cold or wet, your shooting will suffer and you won’t enjoy yourself, which is why a pair of good hunting gloves are so essential. The best hunting gloves will protect your hands from the elements and be flexible enough to give your fingers the range of movement needed to shoot. Hunting gloves need to give good grip and be comfortable to wear for extended periods in any weather. Here are the hunting gloves we would recommend. (You might also like to read our advice on gloves for airgunning.)

Hunting gloves – what are the best options?

1. Seeland Winster Softshell Gloves, £19.99

Most versatile

• Style: technical
• Weight: 200g
• Closure type: button

+ Waterproof and breathable SEETEX� membrane
+ Fold-back trigger finger with magnetic closure
+ Safe-grip palm
+ Very affordable

Matt Clark, Editor of Sporting Gun commented: “My favourite gloves at the moment are the Seeland Winster Softshell gloves. 

“They are warm but not too thick, so you don’t lose sensitivity in your fingers. A stretchy adjustable cuff fits snugly around the wrist ensuring your hands are insulated against the cold and wet.  Being made from a stretchy material they are very comfortable and the material on the palm provide amazing grip making gun handling in the cold safe.  I use mine for walked up shooting as well as clayshooting.”

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2. MacWets Climatec Gloves, £30.75

Best lightweight pair

• Machine washable
• Closure type: velcro
• Style: sports

+ Excellent grip in all weather conditions
+ Short or long cuff ranges
+ Aquatec fabric responds to moisture and climate charge, giving grip, sensitivity, feel and comfort at all times
+ Any moisture on the skin is wicked to the outside of the material as a result of the breathable palm fabric.
+ Dry naturally within 5-10 minutes

Matt Manning, airgunner and writer for Shooting Times said: “I prefer a light trigger and that can make gloves feel like an encumbrance. Shooting without gloves is probably the best option, but that is not always desirable in cold conditions or when you need to hide your skin from sharp-eyed quarry.

“In really cold conditions when insulation is paramount, I’ll go for a neoprene glove or woollen mitten with foldback fingers so I have sufficient feel and dexterity  When it is not so cold but I want to keep my hands concealed, I’ll wear a thinner glove such as MacWet. These gloves offer impressive trigger feel and excellent grip, even when wet, and the Climatec version also provides some insulation against the cold.”

Mark Heath, Instructor Manager at West London Shooting School:  “We don’t wear gloves, the reason for this would be because it’s harder to feel the trigger. In the colder winter months we would opt for a thin running glove. If we were to wear gloves, MacWets would probably be our go-to brand.”

Lady Melissa Percy, founder of ladies outdoor clothing brand Mistamina is also a MacWet fan, saying: “I use MacWet gloves …. the style I get is the Climatec long cuff sport glove… I use them for pheasant and grouse shooting… (any shot gun shooting really).

“I find the gloves last a couple of years … purely because I wear them whenever I am holding my gun. They have great grip and great stretch. The elasticated Velcro strap for the wrists ensures they stay in place and keep your hands warm and dry. They’re great in any weather.

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3. Laksen Handmade London Shooting Gloves, £95.00

Most luxurious

• Water resistant
• Sizes Available: 7 – 11
• Closure type: cuff and strap

+ Super soft, single layer glove with maximum feel
+ Flexible with an excellent fit
+ Made from nubuck calfskin and hydrophobic treated
+ Elastic cuff with adjustable strap

John Sugden, keen stalker and manager of Campbell’s of Beauly states: “On cold December and January days I swear by a very fine leather glove. They’re not always the warmest, but they ensure the grip on your gun feels the same. At Campbell’s we still source all our shooting gloves from the UK, as there is still a good nucleus of British glove makers remaining, particularly in the South West.”

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4. SEALSKINZ waterproof all weather shooting gloves, £49.99

Best overall

• Style: all weather
• Material: polyester
• Colour: Olive green/Black

+ Waterproof
+ Zero liner movement provides excellent control
+ Great grip and control
+ Pre curved fingers for greater control

Three-layer construction makes these gloves warm, durable and waterproof. The Coolmax liner doesn’t move giving you more control, enhanced by the sheepskin palm and fingers which also add grip. Pre-curved fingers will make you more dextrous and your hands will stay dry and comfortable whatever the weather is doing.

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5. Proclimate Neoprene Shooting Gloves, £8.89

Most affordable

• Colour: camouflage
• Style: technical
• Closure type: velcro

+ Machine washable
+ Adjustable Velcro Wrist Strap
+ Reinforced split fold back forefinger and thumb
+ Rubber grip on palm for better grip

Made from the same material as wetsuits, neoprene, these shooting gloves have a reinforced split foldback forefinger and thumb. A better grip is provided by rubber area on the palm and an adjustable velcro wrist strap makes for a good fit. They are lightweight and machine washable.

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6. JACK PYKE Suede Palm Shooters Mitts, £9.99

Best for hunting-specific use

• Material: Acrylic
• One size fits all
• Colour: green

+ Suede palm grip
+ Ideal gloves for hunting
+ Thinsulate lining
+Converts to full mitts

If you don’t like shooting in full gloves, this one size fits all fingerless option is a good choice, particularly as they convert to full mitts for warmth when you don’t need your fingers. It also means they are completely silent. The Thinsulate lining keeps out the cold and a suede palm gives good grip.

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