This will be the my 3rd cmp match. I am a lefty, and they have a loaner jacket that doesnt fit right at all, but it works.  My question is, I have a heavy leather motorcycle jacket and fits very well, so I could wear this as a substitute?  Do you guys think this could help, or am I wasting my time.

Thanks for your guys opinion!

I think the only thing the leather coat will help to do is provide traction for the rifle, I don't think your gonna get alot of recoil reduction and/or back support with the leather coat. It may be better than nothing at all. Let us know how it worked out for you. If you check on champion shooters supply website, they have gently used coats for a decent price

If you can wear a sweatshirt under the coat, it should help with padding.  The question I have is how well it will hold the rifle butt stock.  The shooting coats have rubber on the shoulder and elbows that helps grip the stock.  In my opinion, the biggest benefit of the coat is the torso support in the off-hand portion of the shooting.  Since regular coats don't provide this support, I would recommend that you pick your coat based on comfort and grip while actually holding the rifle in all positions.  You may find that a cheap rain jacket will work better than leather, and you can spray some grip adhesive on the shoulder and elbow before you shoot.  If you try the leather and it works well, post back here.  I would like to know how it worked for you.

Well...... I did do the match today, and I did wear it.  It was better than wear nothing, and it did help.  The two things it did provide was padding for the sling, and no shoulder slippage. The jacket is 16 years old, so it is broken in, so the leather is definitely not slick anymore.  If it could have given me support by being tighter thru the torso, than it wouldn't have been half bad. My scores were pretty much the same as the borrowed, ill-fitting, basic shooting coat. It also provided no torso support as well.  

So in my opinion it helped, better than nothing, but better choices out there. When I can afford it, I will definitely be getting a proper coat. The good thing is I am new to the sport, still learning, and having fun.


Forget to  mention that it was 85 degrees today, and crazy humid.  It was hot wearing it, but like I said, no slippage issues.

That sentence alone is a great example of why consistent, quality practice will do more for your score than gear.  I have seen Marines that shoot very well with no coat, because that's how they train.  Coats help you tweak the most out of your ability, they don't give you ability.  Thanks for posting your experience.  Good luck at your next match!