A Shooting Jacket For All Seasons

Finding the perfect shooting jacket can be somewhat of a challenge, though much has improved since the times when Guns were restricted to wax jackets for their day’s sport. Inevitably these seemed to get heavier as the day wore on, and stiffer, and colder, while whether they actually kept you dry was extremely questionable.

The perfect shooting jacket should, of course, allow good freedom of movement, keep you dry, keep you warm when it is cold while not making you sweat when the weather is mild…. We’ve chosen a few of our favourite picks for this season – with a couple of brand new releases and some older examples that are so good they will always come out on top.

Purdey Cotton Ventile Grouse Jacket

Part of the specially designed grouse range, the Purdey offering is a mid-weight coat that is highly rain resistant. The sleeves are generously cut offering great ease of gun mount, and with pockets both outside and in, you can safely pocket not only cartridges, but also essentials such as phones and keys. Light enough for early season shooting, and tough enough for later in the season as well, and ideal for the more active shooter, who might need to walk a bit further than from the gun bus to a peg.
Sizes: S-XXL
Price: £695
Click here for more information on Purdey shooting coats.

William Evans St James Tweed Coat

New this season, this William Evans coat uses the in-house tweed, a light blue check woven through brown tweed. There’s also a silk-lined jacket and breeks available, should you be searching for the full outfit. With deep pockets for cartridges, and slanted pockets for essentials, the front of the coat has a two-way zip with poppers secured over it and a sued collar which is comfortable against the neck. There’s also a ladies’ version, which is a green check woven through brown tweed. This is a heavier coat, perfect for mid to late-season shooting.
Sizes: Men’s S-XXXL / Ladies 8-16
Price: Men’s £650; Ladies £600
Click here for more information on William Evans shooting coats.

Schöffel Ptarmigan Ultralight Coat

A huge favourite for early-season shooting, the Schöffel Ptarmigan Ultralight Coat is a two-layer laminated non-insulated coat that offers great protection from the weather. A few extra layers underneath will ensure more than enough warmth for all-season shooting, and the Ultralight Polyamide fabric is ripstop, as well as waterproof and windproof. With large bellow cartridge pockets, two inside zip pockets and microfleece handwarming pockets, there’s space for all essentials. The Ptarmigan Ultralight has another advantage: it’s machine washable and quick drying, so if you’re shooting two days on the trot, this is ideal.
Sizes: 36-54in chest
Price: £299.95
Click here for more information on Schöffel shooting coats.

Härkila Storvik

Härkila has long been known for its tough, no-nonsense hunting clothing, so it stands to reason that a shooting jacket made by the company will be durable and weather proof. The Storvik is one of the more formal designs from Härkila, made from a smart Polyester herringbone weave with a water-repellent coating and a Gore-tex membrane. There are large cartridge pockets with drain holes, a detachable hood, handwarmer pockets and quick load straps, as well as adjustable waist and hem draw cords. Trousers are also available, as are over-trousers.
Sizes: 38-48in chest
Price: £459.99
Click here for more information on Härkila shooting coats.

William Powell Melrose Shooting Coat

The design of this coat allows for plenty of room at the shoulder for ease of movement during gun mount but the cut ensures it is not baggy. It’s insulated, fully waterproof, windproof and breathable, to keep you warm and dry as a proper shooting coat should do. Featuring a storm flap concealing the full-length YKK® zip and high Alcantara® lined storm collar which really does keep out the elements when needed. There are two fleece lined hand warmer pockets with retainer straps, deep cartridge pockets with drainage holes and an inner poacher’s pocket.

Sizes: S - 3XL
Price: £399

Click here for more information on William Powell Shooting Coats