Brace Yourself for this Review of the Pro-Aim Glove!
By Cybele Elaine Werts
Written for Shooting for Women magazine

You might suppose that Vermont in winter might not be the optimal time to test shooting gloves, and you’d be right. Nevertheless, my friend Eve Greene who is the director of Vermont Outdoorswomen (VOW) and I crunched through freshly fallen snow in ten degree weather to have a little shooting fun. You see, we’d already rescheduled three times thanks to varying days of sleet, black ice, and whiteouts. A messy winter indeed.

So off we went to the Jonesville range, all bundled up warm (or relatively so anyhow) with Rosie my rifle and a .45 caliber STI Ranger with a short grip, courtesy of BJ’s Hunting and Shooting Supply here in Williston, Vermont. As our breath plumed out in the sunshine, Eve and I tried out the Pro-Aim glove with both the rifle and the handgun. Despite the fact that the fingerless gloves allowed my fingers to morph into ice cubes, I much appreciated the extra support which kept my wrist straight and true.

The way it works is that a form-fitting brace is placed in the base of the glove, which extends to the wrist. This is particularly important to me because I have tendonitis in my shooting arm, which is similar in symptoms to carpal tunnel syndrome. The glove gave me a similar feeling to the neoprene support I wear while typing, the end goal being the same – to keep the wrist straight. While I was not able to ascertain if my aim had actually improved (the blowing snow prevented any serious target shooting) there is no doubt that I felt more steady on the mark.

I understand that supports like the Pro-Aim glove are not acceptable under competition conditions, but it is nevertheless very useful for target shooting, hunting and other shooting sports. I liked the gloves, and also note that both fingerless and regular gloves can be worn under gloves for those of you who are as foolish as I to go out in mid-winter. Eve told me that she appreciated the extra support, but being a purist of mind, she preferred to proceed sans accoutrements. She also found them somewhat difficult to pull off because they are so well fitted to the hand. I agreed and might suggest to Pro-Aim that they add a band to the top above the knuckles to assist in removal.

In addition, I recommend purchasing the gloves in a store where you can try on various sizes. The sizing guide available on Pro-Aim's website will result in a glove that fits well, but you might prefer (as I did) an extra tight or loose fit which would be a size up or down. Ron Roush, the engineering president of Pro- Aim told me that the glove is widely used among law enforcement personnel, and that sure makes sense to me. He says that it "strengthens the wrist for better recoil recovery to enable a faster acquisition of target." While Ron might use more fancy words than I, we'd both agree that when it matters, you don’t want to be shooting wildly.

Overall if I had one wish, it would be that the glove came in hot pink, but otherwise I think it is an excellent product and well worth my frozen nose for the tryout. The gloves come in three models including full finger, ¾ thumb and index finger, and half finger for use in warmer climes (what I was using in Vermont's colder climes!). They also come in Black or a more sporting look in red, black and gray in six sizes. I look forward to further refining my skills come summer.

 

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Read the Interview with Eve Greene

 

Pro-Aim  
Pro-Aim^TM introduces a remarkable, patented, assist for the shooter to obtain the desired results through the application of an unobtrusive stiffening splint in the base of the glove that extends to the wrist thus creating, in essence, a 'bench rest in a glove.' It thereby enables the user to easily acquire targeting and aids in retaining a steady grip while the weapon is discharged. Accuracy is substantially improved.
http://www.pro-aim.com/ 

Shooting for Women magazine
http://www.bestadmktgrp.com/shootingintro.html

Thanks to: BJ's Hunting and Shooting Supply 
541 Industrial Avenue 
Williston, VT 05495
802-862-5500  
jobrien@bjshootingsports.com 

Reprinting Information
Would you like to reprint this review? If so, do ask! I usually allow distribution because spiritually speaking, sharing ideas is an important way of expressing my faith. Please e-mail me at CybeleW@aol.com