Headache from rifle recoil?

C

cjwils

New member
Is it possible that recoil from a very powerful rifle could actually cause a mild concussion to the shooter? I was shooting full power loads in a Marlin 450 Guide Gun, which has recoil considerably greater than a 30-06. The recoil not only jerks your shoulder back, but the shoulder motion also jerks your neck and head rather abruptly. After only 8 shots, I had a moderate headache, which I had not had before. The headache continued, although less severe, for at least 3 days. This is not about noise, my earmuffs are very effective noise reducers. I have fired thousands of rounds through a 30-06 and milder rifles without ever experiencing this, so I have to wonder if heavy recoil has effects that I had not expected.
 
I wonder if a chiropractor would be able to help .

Stock fit may be an issue also. Normally problems occur with very high recoil cartridges like many of the big bore magnums .
 
I was in the shock wave zone of a barrett 50 cal w/a brake a while back for a few rounds and when all was said and done I walked away pretty sure I had a light concussion.

In your case I have to say it sounds like you weren't set up correctly. If you had a good cheek weld and the rifle was coming back you could DEF get a concussion.

Sore neck is a bit more serious than a light concussion IMO. Of course they are coming out with all kinds of new data on the effects of successive concussions.
 
The recoil not only jerks your shoulder back, but the shoulder motion also jerks your neck and head rather abruptly.
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You didn't note if you were shooting offhand or off a bench. I find that the felt recoil from many calibers (especially larger ones) to be much more significant than firing offhand. This is because added rigidity from being seated and braced by the bench, though the discomfort is mostly just in the shoulder pocket.

Is your gun ported?

While your shoulder/back is "jerked" abruptly and may pull on your neck and hence pull your head, the jerk to the head should not be significant. Your shoulder, back and neck should have absorbed most of the recoi before the head is affected.

Note that in the following vids, the heads of the shooters really aren't jerked very much at all.

Here is a little kid shooting the .450 offhand.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fjhfjon_G88

Shooting off the bench...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNNmk58aqJw

Now see this lady shooting. Her posture and mounting of the gun are wrong. Instead of leaning into the gun to help control recoil, she leans back and away from the gun. That position often causes folks to have to stand rigidly in order to hold the gun and maintain her backwards lean. As a result, the shoulder/back and neck fail to absorb very much recoil and so her head does get abruptly jerked.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR3hhOybQzI

This is not about noise, my earmuffs are very effective noise reducers.
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As noted by johnwilliamson062, the shockwave produced during fireing can be bothersome or even painful. He was off to the side of the Barrett and so was explosed to alot of the shockwave. The shooter of the Barrett receives the least amount of the shockwave as the shooter is sort of in a shockwave shadow behind the gun. This should go for shooting rifles in general.

He also noted cheek weld. If you haven't mounted your gun properly, the recoil pulse can be transmitted through the stock to your cheekbone or side of the head and cause discomfort.

Having good hearing protection really only protects your hearing via the ears, but the shockwave can be felt elsewhere, including your head, so the issue certainly can be related to noise in the form of the shockwave.

I have found a couple of times where I had blocked sinuses or a sinus infection that the shockwave produced impacted my sinuses and producing a headache. Just a thought.

If the little kid in the first video can handle the recoil without his head getting abruptly moved around, you should be able to handle the recoil as well.
 
Is it possible that recoil from a very powerful rifle could actually cause a mild concussion to the shooter?
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Yes. Ibuprofen is your friend at times.

Even with ears protected, as others point out, sound transfers thru bone as well.

When I was 18 or 19 I loved the felt recoil of larger bore guns (I also loved the crunch of heavy guitar music thru amps). Now that I'm older, a bit less fit and say "What"? a lot more often than I used to, I find less recoil is gooder and music... well, I still like it loud every now and then, but that's just because I can't hear it as well as I used to 40 years ago for some reason.

Age takes a toll (or brings wisdom to some... not me), aspirin (or other OTC analgesia) is your friend.
 
When I was working up hot loads for a Ruger .45-70 a while back I'd leave each range session with a mild headache that was gone later the same day, but the shoulder aches continued for a couple days. That involved over a hundred rounds per session.
One round killed my watch, but it was just a matter of taking Ibu for the head when I got home.

That gun, with hot loads, was a thumper.

I shoot Garrett's heaviest .45-70 loads through my Marlin Guide, it's never bothered my head.
I wouldn't think it'd be a concussion. More likely straining your neck, which then causes the headache.
Denis
 
Eyes can be be a problem while shooting,as I've aged using glasses/ scopes long term range sessions will fatigue my eyes causing headaches.
I recently sold a Nikon Monarch that had a tunnel like effect gave me eye strain after 15 rounds or so.
To your original question IMO recoil will give you a headache, in my youth shot a lot of 12 ga rounds in trap wasn't unusual to come off the range with a decent headache.;)
 
Is that learning from the "School of hard knocks?"
I would expect head aches, and yes I suspect it could cause a mild concussion. But I am not a DR.
For me it would be foolish to continue to shoot a gun that causes so much pain or a problem.
Jerry
 
Cheek weld is everything if you are shooting a hard kicking longarm. You must stay married to that stock and follow through or you will walk away with a headache. I put Blackhawks cheek pad / ammo carrier on my Guide Gun and on my 870. I bought it for the ammo carrier but love it for the cheek pads. The Blackhawk cheekpads are rubberized and I just stick to it. Wonderful product!

I don't like short barreled 30/30s and I dont like short barreled ARs. There is no is in shadow behind a short barreled beast...that concussion will get you, and no cheek pad will help that. I'm ok with my 18.5" GG but I shot one of the 16" GGs before and it was too short and the porting seemed to refocus the blast right at me. I did not like it.
 
I wonder if a chiropractor would be able to help .
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No.
Last time I checked, chiropractors were not effective recoil reducers. ;)

And... chiropractors can't do anything about muzzle blast or brain injuries.
Even spinal injuries (also under the neuro or "brain" injury banner) should never be touched by a chiropractor.
 
What position were you shooting from? My experience with my 338 Win Mag. If I shot from the classic prone position I get severe pain in my shoulder. (due to a shoulder injury I can no longer shoot my 338) If shooting from sitting or supported Off hand position I did not experience pain.

You could well have damaged your neck if you were in a tight shooting position and did not accept the recoil but tried to hold rigid.
 
Concussion is a matter of degree but the chemical changes that accompany
it are probably the dividing line....

That said.....

Recoil has never particularly bothered me, but my 458Win will give me
the start of a headache in about 8-9 rounds off the bench w/ 500gr solids.
(Well...idiot, quit shooting the thing off the bench!) :rolleyes:

But running offhand rapid-fire practice at moving/closing targets, I could
shoot it all day and it's actually fun.

Being able to absorb recoil with your whole upper body rather than just being anchored
by the bench to the upper shoulder/head unit makes all the difference.
 
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Franken , BUT, if things are not aligned properly recoil may cause pain , etc. Been there done that , though not recoil involved. TMJ for example can cause lots of weird symptoms.
Check everything and don't just treat the symptoms with aspirin !
 
I don't think recoil from a reasonable caliber in a rifle held correctly can cause a concussion.

The super magnums or 50bmg might, but I think the problem here is technique.

I bet you could put the stock of a 10/22 to your forehead, pull the trigger and get a concussion. Just an extreme example.

I HATE shooting anything with recoil off a bench.

With all the info about repetitive mild concussions coming out I wouldn't ignore it. If you are getting a slight concussion after each round and fire 20 rounds in an hour once a week for years, it seems that could have a disastrous cumulative effect.

Videotape yourself shooting. It's what the jocks do :)
 
If I am reading it correctly, Frankenmauser's concerns are similar to my own. It is best to have a real medical doctor assess your situation over that of a chiropractor. Chiropractors have their place, but assuming that it is an alignment issue or any typical chiropractic-treated issue would be limiting yourself to not getting a proper medical assessment.

For all we know and I certainly hope not, but cjwils could have any number of non-skeletal maladies that might cause headaches that going to a chiropractor would not be appropriate to assess, such as a brain tumor, but suggesting he see an oncologist would not be a good idea either. Brain tumors can cause pain that can be exacerbated by by the shock/pressure wave impacting the head.

Sinus cavities can be readily impacted by pressure changes, but seeing an otolaryngologist first would also be a bit silly.

So while a chiropractor might turn out to be what he needs, more than likely, it will be something else.
 
recoil

new ar-50s used to come with a package of tylenol. this old man thought it was a joke but after about 5 rounds it is apparent that some people mite benefit from it.:eek:
 
Cheek weld is everything if you are shooting a hard kicking longarm.
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True. And pressing your cheek bone against an unpadded stock is different from welding a softer (fleshy) part of your cheek to the stock or having a padded stock.

The first time I shot a .50BMG, my head rung like a tuning fork. :D That was cool and fun for a first shot, but I learned from it.
 
True. And pressing your cheek bone against an unpadded stock is different from welding a softer (fleshy) part of your cheek to the stock or having a padded stock.

The first time I shot a .50BMG, my head rung like a tuning fork. That was cool and fun for a first shot, but I learned from it.
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One of the first lessons in the all-too-often skipped course "Fundamentals of Cheek Welds" is:

"Cheek" means cheek, not bone. ;)
 
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