Have no fear of perfection.
You’ll never reach it!
Salvador Dali
Gloves negatively affect our dexterity with guns.
No doubt!
However, in “modern times,” gloves are mandatory in many circumstances
In the 1970s, latex gloves were rarely included in an LEO’s training curriculum.
It was accepted that we would get blood on our hands while treating GSWs and other traumatic injuries in the field. Washing one’s hands afterward was considered sufficient.
Now, due to a bewildering host of today’s blood-borne pathogens, donning nitrile gloves (never-mind latex) is SOP prior to any kind of unknown contact(s).
Thus, the immediate necessity of effectively operating pistols while wearing gloves, is not only possible, but likely!
Thin nitrile gloves can prevent pistol magazines from being seated properly. They can also thwart reliable depression of the slide-release lever.
Try depressing the slide-release lever on a Glock while wearing gloves, versus simply pulling the slide back and then releasing it with your support-side hand. Which is more reliable under high stress, or when wearing gloves?
In cold weather, winter gloves can change how well we grip the handgun.
The perfect pistol for carry in July may be unusable in January when we are forced to wear gloves due to the cold. Short grips like those on a G26, G42 or G43, while fine in bare hands, often don’t do well in gloved hands. Conversely, “normal-sized” grips (G48) work either way!
Thin, non-insulated “driving gloves,” made from deerskin, can be a good choice for cold weather. I know through long experience that leather is heat resistant. Some synthetics will melt to your skin when sufficient heat reaches them.
Musashi spoke about “indoor technique” versus “outdoor technique” with regard to sword training.
I recall his dire warning with regard to skills, tactics, and techniques that were oh-so glamorous within the comfort of the dojo, but failed on the battlefield.
Techniques and equipment that may be fine while you’re comfortably standing upright at an indoor range or even at an outdoor range during warm/mild weather with no wind, may fail when called-upon as you find yourself in a cold, muddy ditch, at night, in the rain, with bullets whizzing by your ears!
I have never seen an indoor range floor (nor a dojo floor) that was slick with mud, blood, and ice, covered with snow, large rocks, downed power lines, and glass fragments, with sharp curbs, fallen tree-branches, and cracked/uneven pavement!
Thus, having “summer tactics” and “winter tactics” isn’t wise. What is wise is to embrace sound tactics, equipment, and techniques that can be depended-upon to work, regardless of exterior conditions.
“Universal techniques” are thus always superior (in my opinion) to “situation-specific,” or “gun-specific” techniques, which make far too great a demand upon fortune!
/John
