Shooting jacket recommendations

[Jeff L]

Do you guys have any recommendations on shooting jackets that won't break the bank. What do you look for in the features?

thanks

-Jeff L

[dave]

the only one I have, ever had, is one of those OD jackets that were advertised as being Marine jackets. I only got it for the padding it provides cause as I got older I just can't take recoil much anymore! Don't know if they are still available but they were cheap in price.

[Dan Shapiro]

What do I look for? Support and durability. I'd recommend the Creedmoore Lite Cordura Nylon Shooting Coat. Runs around $225 plus shipping. First and last coat you'll have to buy.

http://www.creedmoorsports.com/store...cat=465&page=1

[John Kepler]

I'll second the Creedmoor Rag-Jacket....sometimes "cheap" isn't worth what it costs. And disagreeing with the other poster, the GP Maes "Marine Shooting Jacket" is exactly what I'm talking about...waste of money for a real shooting jacket, not as good as a sweatshirt for anything else.

Then there's my Creedmoor Hardback Combo.....most expensive article of clothing I''ve ever bought, and maybe the best value of all my shooting gear. As I learned empirically long ago...there are places in shooting where cutting corners and not going "top-of-the-line" right out of the box or "incrementally" improving over time is prudent as there is plenty of value llurking in the middle of the pack...but a shooting coat isn't one of them. Best advice I can give you on this one, Jeff is: make room in your budget for a good jacket FIRST...all you can afford even if it hurts.

[Jeff L]

So the lightweight USMC style ones are no good? What about the Champions Choice jackets? Do the Creedmore Lite jackets get hot (too much insulation) or is it vented at the armpits?

thanks

-Jeff L

[John Kepler]

Yes, the Creedmoor is vented in the arm-pits. But Jeff....trying to find an effective jacket that isn't hot is like trying to find "light-weight" lead! Jackets that work are hot. You find used ones at the same store that sells used toothbrushes and for the very same reasons...they ALL end up smelling like something you are totally convinced couldn't possibly have originated with you! I'm at CP as we speak. Temps in the mid/high 80's with 70+% humidity. My coat already smells like something rather large crawled into it and died at least several months ago. I drank over 2 gal of water today and haven't peed yet. A lot of that is still in my coat at 2030, and at least some will remain at 0800 when I'll be shooting again. It's just part of the game!

[Jeff L]

Roger that. Good luck at Camp Perry.

thanks

-Jeff L

[Dan Shapiro]

Jeff, I might add that the guys in Arizona have a light weight vest they pull from their ice chest when it gets really hot.
Here's an example, and there are many out there.
http://www.arcticheatusa.com/
Once or twice during the year, I clean my coat with a spray 'dry cleaner'. The rest of the time, a splash of "Frabreeze" keeps me
from 'offending'.

[John Kepler]

Febreze and Lysol spray keep things managable.....oh, and did I fail to mention the sweat-shirt most guys wear under the coat? Comfort is relative...and a decent string is PLENTY comfortable.

[dave]

Well Mr. Kepler I only gave a suggestion for "cheap" the only requirement Jeff gave. I said I only got one for the padding, never had much use for a "strait jacket", hell might as well clamp the rifle in a vise, probably do even better!