Curious what folks used for elbow and shoulder pads.
Thinking of taking an OD BDU shirt, 1 size larger than I wear, and getting elbow and shoulder pads sewn into it.
Anyone?
I know how I have the machine's to do so But I do not .
Let me explane when a shooting jacket in made the pads are sewn on before the jacket is put together ( thus it can be done with flat table sewing machine Yes I have a commercial type flat table sewing machine ) to do a mod of adding the pads one need either to take said jacket apart and have a sewing machine that will go that thick or sew by hand , or have a shoe makers patching machine (witch has a free arm and a walking foot that sews in any direction you want) A true shoots Jacket has more then just the elbow pads and shoulder pad it also has pads on the bicep for the sling ,,,
I am not going to say you cannot do it by hand it can be done but for the effort extended I would think for starting out you would be better off just buying some flexable elbow pads till you find a shooters jacket at a good price you can live with,,,,,however if you insist on doing it your self Marine corps style shooters jackets use the same cloth that they are made out of for the pad's they are made by stacking up layers of cloth and sewing it together and then sewn to the jacket and then the jacket sewn up most likely your home model sewing machine will not be able to do this an upholstery sewing machine would probably be able to do the work a singer 30-xx and many other Industrail machines will do the job I have my doubts of there being very many home model machine that will do the outside of perhaps some very old home model machine (think old as in treadle )wish I had a faster better answer but that's just how I see it for me it just cost me less(time verse's money) to just buy a shooters jacket and be done with it .
Good luck and let me know how it go's for you .
Wade
Quote from: Norseman1 on July 31, 2011, 09:51:36 PM
Curious what folks used for elbow and shoulder pads.
Anyone?
try mouse pads
I made mine on E-Bay.
Surplus USGI sleeping mat, cut to the size needed. This exact thing is why the current ACU's we wear (I still serve) have one side of the elbow and knee reinforcements velcroed.
Sew velcro into the upper seam of the shirt's elbow reinforcement.
Shoulder pad you'll have to fabricate.
I used a small sewing machine, not industrial. I used a Dickey's XL large shirt, sewed in black pan hot-pads bought at Wal-Mart for $2. I pinned the pads where I wanted them and sewed them in. I sewed two in the left arm for pulse pad, and two on right shoulder for recoil. These work great.
I opened the sleeves and sewed durable material and a thin pad for elbows. I then re-sewed the sleeves back together. I find that this works good for LTR lightweight training. I put on some slip on elbow pads (volleyball type, no hard plastic) when I spend more than a half day shooting prone shooting HP.
I like it. It is not too heavy for summer wear, and big enough to put layers on under the shirt for colder weather. There is no back support of course for the standing stage. I don't shoot standing enough to need anything more.
Total cost $30. $20 shirt, $10 for rest of stuff. Don't forget your cool RVWA oval patch. Good luck