What is a Shooting Coat? What is it worth in MOA?

[USNAVYCHIEF(Ret)]

Funny story first, myself and Orion59 (an active SB), attended our first Appleseed (AS) events together, we both knew we would absolutely dominate any standing records in the program, LOL...that was seriously our mindset.

Not knowing of this forum at the time, we did a search online about AS, and found an article on "how to prepare for an AS", it was woefully inadequate and full of misleading information, but....we took it verbatim! LOL

In that article (cannot recall where we found it), it stated that knee pads and elbow pads were recommended!  So....we showed up, looking like tactical morons!  First off....elbow pads are an AWFUL recommendation, and even worse if they provide a pivot point for the support elbow.  If you wear elbow pads, and I know some do, the ones that are not hard on the outside (as to provide a pivot point/ball swivel) are definitely recommended. 

Needless to say, we did not qualify, and we laugh a LOT today about that first AS event.

I took the path of 3 position marksmanship a bit further with starting in CMP and NRA HP rifle.  Shooting coats are worn in that discipline, they are not mandatory, but at some point, everyone procures some type/brand of a shooting coat.

Hindsight being 20/20, a cheap (talking under $150) canvas basic coat would have served me better than those knee and elbow pads, of which hit the trash can after my first event.

OK, here are my findings/thoughts/conclusions on what a shooting coat is, and what it is worth on the target:

Appleseed (AS) is not an equipment race.....but....

I have often alluded to AS as the "gateway drug" to the competitive shooting disciplines. For many that are competing today in different disciplines this is a true statement.

So...AS instructs the basics of 3 position shooting, it is an Olympic sport, it is also the way some of the Military instructs basic marksmanship (of which AS has based a majority of its course of instruction from).

Those that compete in many 3 or 4 position disciplines wear shooting "garb". One particular item you will see common across most disciplines is a shooting coat.

You may see some AS instructors wearing an old USMC cloth shooting coat, or a replica of that as well.

What does the coat do?

In my personal experience a coat that fits well, will absolutely shrink your hold (assuming you have the fundamentals down) by at least 1 MOA.

The "cloth" USMC coats work "OK"....they have a cuff/padding for the sling, and a recoil pad (pretty much worthless). The CUFF for the sling is of immense value however.

I wear a leather Creedmoor Sports Hardback coat. It is one of the best and is designed for high power rifle shooting, but works for 3/4 position shooting as well.

My daughter (10 yrs old), I recently purchased her a Canvas Creedmoor basic coat. Here is what prompted this post.

My daughter has the fundamentals down (of course we are working on mastering those). She is also a KD Appleseed Rifleman. This was all accomplished without a coat. Want to guess what her #1 complaint was?

The sling was too tight on her arm, and causing significant pain! That was her #1 complaint and at times it did bring her to tears.  She motored thru the pain however....but here is the main point....IF YOU ARE IN PAIN....YOU WILL NOT SHOOT WELL.  If you are in pain, it is nearly impossible to focus your conscious mind on the #1 thing....the bullseye (or whatever point in the 6 steps of fundamentally firing a shot you are working on).

So...conversely, if we loosen the sling too much, the position and ultimately the score will suffer.  This is a fact.

So...she had competed in her first NRA HP event, without a coat....only using a sweatshirt and her normal jacket.

About 7 months or so ago her Canvas Creedmoor coat arrived. The difference between say the USMC cloth and the Canvas is not much really....neither material provides any significant back support.  However...the Creedmoor Canvas coat does have 5 straps that can be cinched up tight for standing/offhand which does provide some level of back support.....significantly greater than that of the loose fitting cloth/button up USMC jacket/coat.

The real money in the canvas coat is the sling cuff which is made of stiff rubberized material, and the recoil pad made of the same stiff rubberized material.

This is where the shrinking of the hold comes from.  A nice non-slip sling cuff to allow for a torniquet tight sling, and a recoil pad to allow for a repeatable non slip stock position in the shoulder.  That shoulder placement thing again, the coat really helps with making that a repeatable act.

There are also rubberized elbow padding, more of gripping I would call that on the outside of the elbows.  This prevents the support elbow from slipping forward in prone, and the trigger elbow stays in place nicely.

What did this all do for my daughter?

Well...on my SCATT electronic training system she shot 30 rounds slow fire prone on our 600 yard target a week ago without the coat and scored a 235 out of 300, 78%. Or....4.2 MOA shooting

Then we had her shoot a session of 30 with the coat on, she scored a 288 out of a possible 300 with the canvas coat on, 96%! 1.4 MOA Shooting!

That is an 18% improvement in score, a 2.8 MOA hold improvement and a 96% is a very respectable MASTER score on the 600 yard slow prone target!

So....what did the coat cost? $130.....$130 for a canvas coat from Creedmoor Sports.

Is $130 worth an 18% improvement in score? Yes

Is $130 worth a 2.8 MOA improvement in hold? YES

Is $130 worth my daughter not being in pain? YES

Now....the coat will bring with it some pain...as the position will be significantly "tighter" than you are used to without a coat.....but it is more of an awkward position pain...that you will get used to in time.

My daughter hated wearing the coat, until after her first match with it.  Now she would refuse to take it off were I to ask her, and she is placing MASTER scores in High power across the course.

Coats are allowed for use in AS.

They are NOT allowed for use in CMP Rimfire Sporter matches (by design).

So...I have competed/participated in both....have shot my rimfire on an AQT and in small bore prone matches with the coat, and have shot Rimfire Sporter without the coat.  I know for a FACT that for me the coat for me is worth just about 1 MOA in a tighter hold.

So...maybe this is AS 102/201 or in the realm of "gear race" stuff.  But for those that are into squeezing every little bit of accuracy they can out of themselves..., whether you ever intend to compete or not....you may want to consider a canvas coat from Creedmoor Sports.  I mention Creedmoor, but there are other dealers as well, Champions Choice, 10.9, Monard, and likely a few others.

Let me head off any comments about rack grade/4MOA and what "one does not need", because I agree with those thoughts.

One definitely does not need a coat at all for AS shooting. 

But, if one is poised financially to make a $130 investment in a canvas basic shooting coat, one will definitely realize an improvement in their hold, and one will also be a bit more comfortable in time.  One will have also procured a piece of gear that they can bring over for use to High Power Rifle if they ever desire to do so.

Coats provide a significant amount of recoil protection as well.  My daughter and I competed in the CMP Vintage Sniper match at the New England Games, and were it not for her coat, there would be no way she could deal with the pounding that Springfield 1903A4 chambered as is in 30-06 would have dealt her shoulder.  So, there is a lot of recoil protection a coat will give, and that helps a LOT with bigger bore (larger than say .223) calibers.  What does that do for the marksmanship?  It helps to prevent that awful FLINCH/JERK/BUCK and allow one to concentrate more on the fundamentals than mentally complain about the recoil.

Coats do bring an issue, HEAT....they retain body heat, but I know of NO competitive shooters that own a coat that have ever said "Hmmm, it is hot and humid today, I think I will shoot without my coat", LOL...that will never happen, or at least it will never happen with someone that is concerned with scoring well.

Attached is a pic of Shannon and I with our coats on competing in Vintage Sniper, she just turned 11.

R/
Chris

[Bobasan]

One other thing about most coats is they have a sling hook to keep the shooter's sling at a consistant location on their upper arm.  It can also allow for the sling loop to be looser which decreases pulse seen on the rifle.  That looser fit can be a real boon in long slowfire prone stages.  As how much in MOA improvement for me it is all my pulse which is from the  bottom to the top of the 10 ring at 600yds.

Bob

[USNAVYCHIEF(Ret)]

Sling hooks, I've never used.  NRA and CMP HP Service rules specifically prohibit them.

But....one could absolutely use it for Appleseed!  I may try it.

I know they get used alot in small bore.

R/
Chris

One other thing about most coats is they have a sling hook to keep the shooter's sling at a consistant location on their upper arm.  It can also allow for the sling loop to be looser which decreases pulse seen on the rifle.  That looser fit can be a real boon in long slowfire prone stages.  As how much in MOA improvement for me it is all my pulse which is from the  bottom to the top of the 10 ring at 600yds.

Bob

[USNAVYCHIEF(Ret)]

Regarding pulse...

There is a specific sling config I use, that is no pulse.  I still get pulse from my abdomen,  very prevalent in seated.  But for prone my pulse is inside the X ring, under 1 MOA.  Jim Owen's sells (and Creedmoor) a no pulse 1907 leather sling. 

I've found an easier way, and will post that as a new topic, with a video link.

R/
Chris

One other thing about most coats is they have a sling hook to keep the shooter's sling at a consistant location on their upper arm.  It can also allow for the sling loop to be looser which decreases pulse seen on the rifle.  That looser fit can be a real boon in long slowfire prone stages.  As how much in MOA improvement for me it is all my pulse which is from the  bottom to the top of the 10 ring at 600yds.

Bob

[Super Trooper]

Can stress the importance of a properly fitting coat.  Last summer at Camp Perry I got a deluxe canvas coat, chest measured 47 and the sales guy said get a 48.  Within a few weeks I realized the coat was to big, and then I lost a few lbs and it hung loose being strapped as tight as it would go.

This summer right after nationals I hit the web looking for a used coat since I couldn't afford a new one.  I got a hardback with leather sleeves for $20 more than what I paid for the first coat a year earlier.  A hand washing with woolite in the bathtub, and two days with a box fan blowing on it, it was like new.  The new coat being a size smaller has made a world of difference (after I got used to it).

Don't be scared to buy used, you can save a fortune and be a better shooter for it.

[Bobasan]

Sling hooks, I've never used.  NRA and CMP HP Service rules specifically prohibit them.

But....one could absolutely use it for Appleseed!  I may try it.

I know they get used alot in small bore.

R/
Chris

One other thing about most coats is they have a sling hook to keep the shooter's sling at a consistant location on their upper arm.  It can also allow for the sling loop to be looser which decreases pulse seen on the rifle.  That looser fit can be a real boon in long slowfire prone stages.  As how much in MOA improvement for me it is all my pulse which is from the  bottom to the top of the 10 ring at 600yds.

Bob

I shot a lot of international smallbore and air rifle back in the day and was limited to the international style of coats.  The sling hooks on those were a must when you need to hit a 1mm dot at 50m consistantly.

Bob

[CarrollMS]

One other thing about most coats is they have a sling hook to keep the shooter's sling at a consistant location on their upper arm.

I picked up an ancient 10x canvas coat on the cheap from Ebay with no sling keeper. Solution, the same that is allowed for CMP, a big safety pin.

The biggest advantage I found with the jacket was in reducing the effect of heart-beat bounce. When I wear a sweater under the jacket it works even better.

[Tennessee Beast]

my experience is that a hardback coat is worth about 5-10 points on the AQT if you are already shooting in the 230's.