Hell in a Handbasket

I prefer beefy gloves with an outer nylon shell for my cold weather gear. These used to be called "ski gloves" when I was growing up. I have no idea what the proper term is nowadays.

The reason why I chose this type of glove is not due to any self defense consideration, but because they are suitable for the greatest variations in cold weather. (I know that you are shocked that there is some piece of gear I carry that doesn't have an obvious self defense role, but it is true!) This design seems to work from about 40 degrees Fahrenheit down to negative 20 degrees or so, which keeps me from having to switch out my gloves when it gets colder or warmer. But the downside is that they bulk up your hand and fingers so it becomes problematic to work the controls on an autoloader.

See all those little levers and buttons? It is a pain in the backside to manipulate them when wearing gloves. I have found through experimentation that I can draw from concealment and fire my weapon while wearing my cold weather clothing, but I really have to take them off if I want to reload. Bummer!

There are some gloves out there that are extremely thin, yet are also advertised as being insulated enough to keep your hands warm.

The problem is that they really don't work all that well, and they don't keep your hands as warm as the ski gloves mentioned above. Add in the higher price tag that these sort of gloves usually have and you can see why I prefer to keep to my first choice.

So gloves will get in the way, reducing your ability to manipulate small guns and the controls on autoloaders. What I do to get around this problem is to use the fact that the weather turned cold to my advantage.

I like to layer thin outer garments instead of relying on a large overcoat, which means that I can usually retain a light jacket of some kind even when I get someplace where I will spend some time. Might as well upgrade my concealed carry handgun if I am going to wear all that extra clothing.

This means that during the summer, I favor small frame autoloaders carried in an inside-the-waistband holster for my concealed carry choice. But when the mercury dips, I strap on a shoulder rig and opt for something with a bit more power.

What is the big advantage that autoloaders enjoy over revolvers? Mainly it is that you can reload them much more quickly, keeping up a volume of fire that revolvers simply cannot match.

This advantage is partially countered when you have to defend yourself while wearing gloves. The gloves increase the difficulty of reloading a revolver from a speedloader, but not by a significant amount. While I have to remove my gloves to eject an empty magazine and slip a new one into the magazine well of an autoloader, I can unload a cylinder and reload using a speedloader while still keeping my fingers nice and toasty warm.

Sure, my 9mm can send 10 rounds downrange before it runs dry while my .357 only has six. But I don't think that is particularly significant when one considers the extra power level that using the Magnum brings to the equation.

So that is my solution. I switch to a larger gun, something I can get a good grip on, when things get frosty and I need to wear gloves. Is this the right solution for you? Go to the range and try to fire your concealed carry gun whole wearing gloves to see.

UPDATE
CT from the excellent What Do You Drive has a suggestion on cold weather hand protection. He found some mittens that fold back to free up your fingers.

I have seen these around. They are very popular with hunters up here in Ohio. Just slipped my mind the first time around, so I'm glad that CT was on the ball.