doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Protective gloves for vintage double shooters

Just wondering if anyone makes a light and flexible glove with Kevlar or some other very strong fiber that would offer protection to the left hand in case of a barrel rupture. When I was surveying the firearms in our local historical society's collection several years ago, I had the opportunity to examine several muzzleloading doubles that had let go in the left barrel. As I recall, the failures tended to be in the first third of the barrel, suggesting that a charge might have moved forward under recoil from the right barrel and acted as a barrel obstruction in the left. The damage appeared as a large, open tear, sometimes with some metal missing and with damage to the forend. (None of the cartridge doubles with twist barrels in the collection had suffered any barrel bursts.) A high-tech glove on the left hand would offer some protection under such circumstances, but not complete, and of course no protection to an rearward blast of gasses of metal toward the head. Obviously, one shouldn't fire dangerous shotguns, but one never can be sure with 19th century metallurgy.

While Kevlar is highly resitant to penetration, I fear the glove would only contain the remnants of an explosion rather than prevent the injury.

The amount of Kevlar needed would I believe, make the glove very difficult to use.

I use Gripswell sxs gloves. But I have no illusions that they will protect in the event of a barrel rupture.
http://www.gripswell.com/SxS.htm

Pete

I find the Argentine gloves made for polo to be about as comfortable as any for shooting. They are quite supple leather, but stand hard use well. While I can appreciate your concern for protection, and without meaning this in any terse sense, it is best to shoot a gun that is sound and on face with reasonable loads and not worry about grenade proof gloves. I doubt that I could shoot at all if I had something like that floating around in my mind when pulling the trigger.

Although rare, we do read or hear of ruptures, but seldom with exact information as to cause, but it most likely is the result of something well outside the parameters I described above. Want more killing power [?] use bigger sized shot. Keep the velocity to 1220 fps. Learn the leads necessary to hit those longer targets, if that is the kind of shooting you are doing. Pattern the gun to determine its effective range with a given load & choke, then you can fully appreciate the luck involved for a truely long range shot.

To your original question, there are Kelvar gloves made for fish cleaning that are quite flexible. They are sold to keep one from getting cut. You could also look at what the bomb squad guys wear. I have no familiarity with their pref'd gear, but would think it would require allowing some dexterity to be of any value.

If had any concern that a barrel might rupture I would not shoot it. If Kevlar gloves are used for this purpose, a Kevlar facemask might be in order as well.

It begs the question though... How do you guys decide if an older gun is safe to shoot and do you fire it remotely first? I was thinking of putting one of my old hammer guns in a vise and pulling the triggers with a string a few times and then checking for bulges or other signs of deformation.

Any suggestions?

If you are going to put a double in to a vise, then it must a poor quality one. If it was made by a reputable maker, then after disassembly, checking the locking mechanism to the barrels and replacing any broken parts, I would gather some chamber and barrel dimensions and make a call. Last, use the correct shell length and appropiate charge. Whether you subscribe to Sherman Bells' school of thought or not, you should read "Find Out for Myself - Part XXII" Spring 2007. Although, shaving the barrel to around a couple of thousandths and using proof loads is a little much in my opinion. But obstructions are generally the culprit.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse