Clay shooting is a fast-action sport, and you need eye protection. Many shooters may try to use regular sunglasses, yet these can obscure your vision and may not be suitable with the tints of the lenses.
Our reviews look at the best glasses for shooting, which are better for your budget, than the best competition shooting glasses you may come across.
By the end of these reviews, you will have a good understanding of what to look for from our clay target shooters glasses buying guide. You can also find the best shooting glasses to meet your needs. (Find The Best Sun Glasses In the World)
Why You Need a Good Shooting Glasses For Sporting Clays
Specialized shooting glasses come with quite a few features you may not notice.
Most are to make you comfortable while shooting. Frames have a ‘sweat bar’ running the width of the frame that add rigidness and provide a secure fit to stop sweat
Frames come with a round shape to avoid sharp edges and have additional padding on the frames surrounding your eyes.
Besides, they often have spring hinges by the temples to flex during the recoil of your gun and an adjustable nose pad for a snug fit.
You will find standards of glasses, and hence why you shouldn’t wear sunglasses.
ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and military standards.
- ANSI demand the lenses can stop a quarter-inch steel ball traveling 150 feet per second (fps). This shows they can protect against any blowback debris.
- Military standards are more rigorous, and demand lenses stop a .15-inch-diameter steel ball traveling at 650 fps. You’ll find these are much stronger and more expensive.
Shooting glasses have polycarbonate lenses, and won’t shatter, thus avoiding eye injury. UV rays are also a danger, so integrated UV protection is a must as you stare toward the sky to see your next clay targets and reduce eye fatigue.
Top Shooting Glasses For Sporting Clays Reviews
1. XAegis Shooting Glasses with Case Anti Fog Hunting Safety Glasses for Men
The XAegis protective eyewear shooting glasses come with soft rubber nose pads that prevent slipping and offer a comfortable fit.
The frames are lightweight and semi-rimless to add more comfort further. The best part, they use anti-fog lenses, so you can use them in all low light conditions. They also come in anti-scratch polycarbonate without color.
You can use these for years without having your vision obstructed from scratches. While the lenses are clear, they offer UV400 lens protection against 99.9% of harmful UV rays and are anti-fog.
To make sure no sun leaks into the eyes, you have a wrap-around lens that delivers full side vision along with the maximum amounts of eye protection for any precision shooter.
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Pros
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- Very affordable
- Light to wear with brow bar
- Gives shooters a clear and unobstructed lens field of view
- Lifetime guarantee[/su_list][/su_column] [su_column size=”1/2″ center=”no” class=””]
Cons
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- Lens stems can dig in if wearing with ear mufflers
- Nose fitting suited to narrower noses[/su_list][/su_column][/su_row]
With a guide price of just under $12, these are very affordable and worth far more. If you need colored lenses, you will need to buy two pairs as they only come in clear and yellow lenses.
You also get a carry case and cleaning cloth with every pair. To keep your eyes on your targets, these are the clearest in any conditions.
2. Oakley Men’s Oo9213 Ballistic M Frame 2.0 Sunglasses
Though not government-issued, a lot of Marines wear Oakley M Glasses. Besides comfort, the ESS glasses provide great protection; they are light and provide a durable frame for lenses.
The M Frame is cut so it can be worn with Kevlar helmets, other tactical headgear. The Oakley M are very durable and offer awesome interchangeable lenses to keep a clear sight of your target.
There is an interchangeable nose piece to increase comfort and nose positioning. The Oakley offers a shooter with 100% UV protection. Oakley’s are trusted and made in the United States.
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Pros
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- Light and some of the most comfortable
- Non-polarized iridium lens
- Full UV lens and light protection[/su_list][/su_column] [su_column size=”1/2″ center=”no” class=””]
Cons
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- Very expensive
- No anti-fog for clear target sighting[/su_list][/su_column][/su_row]
One of the significant drawbacks with the Oakley is the rough asking price of a little under $100. However, you get premium grade glasses that suit most types of shooting as long as the conditions won’t make you fog up.
3. Revision Military 4-0152-0001 Stingerhawk Safety Glasses
Revision makes its name in the protective shooter eyewear industry, and the Revision glasses are reputed for being strong, durable, and comfortable.
Trusted by military and police shooter forces across the USA, they are very durable. These glasses are wrap around the eyes and meet all standards for military and civilian standards covering the impact and ballistic protection.
You can get inserts to make them prescription shooting glasses. The base lenses come coated in OcuMax high-performance, scratch-resistance, and an anti-fog coating for life-like clarity of your target.
The Revision StingerHawk will accept various lens color in clear, smoke, and yellow lenses.
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Pros
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- Exceed all product impact tests
- Lens covered in a scratch-resistant coating
- Lens deliver 100% UV light protection
- Can accept prescription frame inserts[/su_list][/su_column] [su_column size=”1/2″ center=”no” class=””]
Cons
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- Narrow nose piece
- Expensive[/su_list][/su_column][/su_row]
With a guide price of around $120, these glasses are expensive, yet you may find these suitable if you need prescription glasses. They do offer some of the best views you can get on any military certified shooting glasses.
4. Magpul Terrain Sunglasses Tactical Ballistic Sports Eyewear Shooting Glasses for Men
Magpul is no stranger to gun accessories, making sense to add glasses besides scopes and sights. The Magpul Terrain has designs to offer protection, style, and lots of comfort.
You can find them in various lens colors that are ballistic rated to exceed civilian and military specs.
The glasses are lightweight yet tough and can fit most sized heads. The lenses offer anti-glare coatings and deliver sharp, clear images.
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Pros
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- Available in polarized or non-polarized
- Anti-reflective coating for clear target image
- Offers hat clearance
- Good product warranty[/su_list][/su_column] [su_column size=”1/2″ center=”no” class=””]
Cons
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- Lenses are not changeable
- Expensive[/su_list][/su_column][/su_row]
With a guide price of just under $100, the glasses can be toward the top end of your budget, yet they do offer lots of features if you are serious about your shooting.
5. ESS Eyewear Cross Series Crossbow 3LS Kit 740-0387
The ESS Crossbow series are used across the United States. They may not have the style of some, yet they are comfortable and designed for shooting.
The Crossbow series offers a full set of shooting eye lens protection and comes with black, clear, and yellow color lenses so you can wear them at any time of day.
The Crossbow Glasses are protective eyewear designed to last, and should a lens scratch; you can quickly change it from the lens kits.
They offer a wrap-around design, offer lots of protection and comfort, and be resistant to fog.
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Pros
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- Very comfortable
- Fog-free design for clear targets
- Comes with retention straps
- 100% UV protection[/su_list][/su_column] [su_column size=”1/2″ center=”no” class=””]
Cons
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- Not very stylish
- Not the best anti-scratch performance[/su_list][/su_column][/su_row]
The ESS has a rough price of just over $80, so they are creeping up the budget, yet you do get all you need with straps, a carry case, and three lenses.
Shooting Glasses for Sporting Clays Buying guide
Standard sunglasses are not eye protection, so you do need to choose carefully. Here are some things to remember when searching for shooting glasses.
ANSI Z87 .1+ – common standard and the civilian safety rating. It covers all glasses and not merely shooting.
U.S. MIL-PRF-31013 – the military seal of approval for ballistic glasses.
You can find glasses for different types of shooting sports such as:
Target Practice – shooting ranges are often covered here and don’t come with many external factors
Clay Target Shooting – Here are where you need good safety eyewear as clays travel at high speeds. You need to see the orange clay. Clear lenses are the best option as they cover most conditions for trap shooting.
Fit and Comfort – You can be wearing your glasses for a while, and you don’t want them to pinch or move as you shoot clay pigeons. Flexible frames are more suitable than metal frames.
Environmental Protection – Shooters need protection from their guns, and in case any dust blows up as you are using your gun. You will also find the color can make a difference.
Prescription Lenses – If you wear prescription lenses, you may need glasses that can cover your spectacles, or they offer interchangeable lenses and inserts to match your frames to see the targets.
Top Brands – You can find many brands that come with recognizable names. Oakley, ESS, Wiley X; however, this doesn’t mean they cover the entire light spectrum and suit your shooting style. Radians Clay Pro Shooting is another top name but at the higher end of the market.
Never purchase a pair of glasses based on name alone. (Read our Crossbow Reviews)
Final Verdict
In testing, there was a lot to like with every pair of glasses, yet when in testing, there was a lot to say about the XAegis Shooting Glasses with Case Anti Fog Hunting Safety Glasses for Men.
They were tough, a light frame, never fogged up, and didn’t impede the view or cause any distractions through scratches and impact resistance.
While they don’t have lens color and are clear, there was no need for color enhancement and spotting any clay target was easy.
Add in the lifetime warranty and the amazing price, it was a clear winner and well deserved. You will find they are probably the best pair of shooting glasses for any shooting sports you can get, and they will last you years.
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