No where left to go, not much left to do except to just do it

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DavidAGO

New member
In August 2011 I hurt my right hand. Being a dentist and right handed, gripping with my right hand is pretty much a job requirement. Over the intervening three years I have had MRIs, nerve conduction tests, CT scans, appointments with chiropractors. The most relief I have gotten was with a dentist who incorporates osteopathic treatments in his practice. But I still am to where I only have limited use of my right hand, and certain actions aggravate my hand. I have very little grip left.

Unfortunately, my handgun shooting is one of the things that bothers my hand the most. My shooting time at the range has been curtailed by the discomfort. I go very infrequently now, and either shoot much less when I am there, or only take .22s to shoot. Saturday I went to the range with my wife, daughter, and son in law. I could only get through 4 magazines of my .45 with the mid range loads before I had to stop. Shooting any of my snub nose .38s is just about out of the question, even with the light .38 loads now. This morning, my hand still stings and I have little grip.

I have tried shooting left handed, but it just does not work for me. I have finally come to the conclusion that I just need to stop shooting pistols and go to rifles. It has taken me many months to finally come to that conclusion. I have wanted to fight it, to find some other way. But I have to face facts, I cannot do something I really like doing without it causing me some pain. I have finally faced up to the fact that using my hand for dentistry is much more important than a hobby.

All the years I have been trying to find the last of the pistols I sold before dental school were a fun “treasure hunt”. Time spent at the reloading bench was stress-reducing. Working up loads I liked, the search for powders the past several months, buying the new Lee classic turret press and getting it set up to work, all this has been fun, but it is pretty much a dead end for me. I will go to rifles and reloading for them, but it will not be the same. Rifles have for me always been hunting firearms, pistols were a hobby.

I have other hobbies; I will work some on my MG and Triumph sports cars, I can turn a wrench by pushing, not pulling. I will find plenty of things to occupy the time I had spent at the range and the reloading bench. But at 57 I am having a tough time facing that I cannot do something I like doing because of physical limitations. But I will get over that.

I will be selling some of my pistols and revolvers; no reason to keep some of them around if they are just safe queens. That is another thing I have never done, sell a firearm. I was always of the acquire but not let go camp. My son in law will probably get some of the reloading stuff I cannot use much, pistol caliber dies and powders, so it will not go to waste. Casting stuff will go to son in law, casting for bullets was fun and a hobby in and of itself. I cannot see casting for rifle bullets.

No real reason in posting this, I know I am not the first person to have to give up shooting as a hobby. I have gotten past the frustration and grief of not being able to use my hand as I would like. After all, it has been more than three years. It has become time to just go ahead and call an end to it and curtail it instead of keeping on and trying to ignore reality and practicality. I will check in on the forums about as much as I have the past few years; just because I can't do something does not mean I can't at least sit on the sidelines and observe. I may become one of those who offers criticism with no credentials. Hope not.

Thank you all for listening. And thank you all for the knowledge and wisdom I have gained, both about reloading and shooting pistols and about life.

David
 
Very sorry to hear this.

Makes me wonder about the 'why' of the many cruddy things that happen in life.

Can't and won't offer any advice I just hope you have some good luck soon.
 
I would get a little .22 pistol and practice left handed until it became comfortable, dont sell your babies yet.
 
Grizz12 is right!

I tried shooing pistol left handed and "it just didn't work" but I persevered because the thought of having my pistol, an injured right hand, and a family member to protect made me realize that I was responsible to make it work.

Try one of your .22 pistols left handed again and see.

Further - you say rifles mean hunting to you - but there are a number of rifle sports that are not hunting. I shoot NRA Highpower and, while I'm not very good, I love it and enjoy each little improvement and savor each string of fire better than the last by a few points.

You hurt your right hand in 2011 - you did not say how, or what the injury was - but some things take a while to heal. Maybe giving it some rest will speed healing.

Hang in there!
 
I have both arthritis and nerve damage to both hands and I often feel pain while shooting. Had to sell off my big caliber guns due to this. However, something like the new Glock 42 in 380, is a pleasure to shoot. No pain, at least with a box of 50. I also have padded shooting gloves. I have seen a brace for Glocks that connect to the opening in the bottom of the Glock and secures to your wrist.

I also have tried a .327 gun because it allows me to shoot very mild .32 shorts. Have you tried heavy guns in small calibers? I shoot .22LR that kick as much as a pellet gun. My hands are hurting just typing this so I am going to end it now. :)
 
David,
I'm very sorry for you. But I must say... do not give up! I've had injuries that took over 5 years before I could start using that body part like normal. Then after some physical therapy and proper nutrition and supplements, it's as if nothing ever happened (8 or more years latter).
it sounds like you've tried a lot, but unless you've tried physical therapy and ingesting things like protein shakes and stuff that is good for your ligaments and tendons like a product called 'cologne + C' I would not give up. Your body may be able to heal from this given enough time, proper exercise, and the ingredients it needs to rebuild and heal.

If you would like to be more specific about your injury we might have some suggestions for you that you haven't tried.

The fact that you have let go of the idea of shooting hand guns is good, because you will spend your time doing things that will make you happy rather than being upset about your situation. But do not let go of the idea of healing!!!
 
I am also to hear of your situation, it seems clear that there is genuine emotion wrapped up in there and most of us won't really understand it exactly, though some may. Obviously, I'm a fullbore gundood, so I agree with the others -- one handed, left handed handgun shooting would absolutely be where I went next, and I would probably attempt quite a bit of it over a year or two before I made any decision about not shooting handguns anymore.

But we all find our own way and you certainly do have your life's work as a dentist to consider well before a hobby of shooting handguns. And I, for sure, don't see even the slightest issue with you continuing to contribute to these discussions no matter WHAT your active level of shooting may be. We discuss many dozens of things that thrive with regular input from everyone and it doesn't need to be a technical hands-on to be of big value to the discussion.

I hope this finds you well and it pains me to even consider myself in a similar position. (although I was at one time...)
 
One of the shooters I know is/was the state Bullseye champion a few years ago. Bullseye requires one handed shooting at arms length, and is extremely demanding. He had shoulder surgery and apparently lost the ability to hold his arm still. He started shooting left handed (in his 60s) and is now almost as good left-handed as he was right-handed, and is still working to improve.

It can be done, we all need to practice more with the off hand. My advice would be to get a Grip Master and start working to improve both your strength and dexterity.
 
Make the switch! Shooting rifles are every bit of a challenge as shooting pistols, you know the same only different. I noticed that you reload, that will help you get the most out of any rifle caliber you chose. Again don't stop shooting just transition to what allows you to continue.
 
I am with the others that you are giving up too soon. Have you tried a shooting coach to learn how to use your left hand for shooting and everthing else? The more of lifes chores you do with your left hand the easier it will become but you should not discount your right either.

You did not state what you did to injure yourself If you did I am sure thate we as a group could come up with copeing strategies.

One chiropractor or one MRI is not enough. I am a walking paraplegic. I have broken my back four times the first time when I was 15 in a motorcycle accident. I have been in and out of a wheelchair since I was 15......I plan on staying out of the chair but only because of the chiropractor that I have been seeing for twenty years now,

Your pain could simply be from something that you or your doctors have not considered. For me it is Celiac disease. I was in so much pain all I could to was open up the IB bottle. The pain is now gone since I eliminated wheat products.
 
Giving up what you like to do, just because you can't adapt?
You must not like it as much as you say.
Learning to use the left hand takes dedication, but it can be done.
I had to do it when my right hand, wrist and elbow were damaged.
It eventually healed, but most everything had to be done lefty.
I learned to shoot, throw a ball and even write lefty.
The last two were much harder than shooting.
Don't wimp out and lose something you really don't want to lose.
You can do it.
 
Don't give up the handguns!

As others have said, you need to dedicate yourself to learning to use your left hand. After all, did you become a dentist by walking in to a dentist office, pick up the instruments, ask the patient to "open wide" and start drilling on their teeth? No, I'll bet it took years of study and hundreds of hours of practice.

I shoot both left handed and right handed. I prefer right handed since most guns are designed for right hand only operation. However, I injured my right shoulder 36 years ago and it is quite painful to mount at 12 gauge shotgun and fire a slug downrange. I can use .223 and 9 mm carbines with no issues. So, I switched to shooting left handed. Now I can shoot better left handed than I can right handed.

The problem is we (humans) seem to think anything we can do with our right hands we should be able to do equally well with our left hands. This is simply not true. I recommend you try the following: Next time you brush your teeth do it with your left hand. Or try shaving with your left hand only. You will find it quite awkward but with enough practice you will be able to do it.

Start shooting slowly with your .22s and think like a beginner working on all the basics. Before long you will be able to shoot your handguns as well left handed as you could right handed.

Try doing everything (except your profession as that involves others) with your left hand instead of your right hand and you will be in for a shock at how difficult it seems. Persevere and before long you will be good at using your left hand.

When I was very young I severely burned my right hand, forearm, and my face. I was unable to use my right arm for nearly a year. What seemed to be a curse ended up a blessing as I am now ambidextrous. With practice you can be too!
 
There are handguns which are easy to operate that you may find yourself able to use. Most .22 caliber pistols out there have a very light slide on them and obviously no recoil. As far as centerfire rounds, the Glock 42 is pretty much ambidextrous and is easy to manipulate, and the Sig P238 has low recoil and a slide that is very easy to manipulate. It may be hard to retrain yourself, but I find myself thinking there's a way for you to be able to continue doing what you love.
 
I couldn't agree more with everybody who says "Don't give up yet"! You've obviously given this a lot of thought and have tried the left handed thing but I would just keep trying

10 years ago I lost the sight in my right eye to an IED. At first I gave up on rifles and switched to pistols, just because I could still shoot those right handed. But then some friends got my involved in CMP rifle matches. I spent a lot of time in the backyard with the kids' BB guns trying to figure out left handed shooting. It was hard and it just felt completely "wrong". But I eventually figured it out.

It's taken a long time to get comfortable doing it. But I'm now shooting better than I did right handed. I even shoot bolt guns in the matches. 10 rounds in 80 seconds (with a reload) from a 1903 that you're shooting backwards is a pretty neat trick.:D

You can do it. It's not easy and takes a lot of work and time but it's absolutely possible.:)

I'd say it was probably about 3 years of regular shooting before I got really comfortable left handed. And it was another 3 or 4 before I got back to the level I shot right handed.
 
Ok, you have all convinced me, I will not be selling off any firearms yet, I will mothball the large calibers and shoot the .22s until I can handle them left handed and then move up to the .38s with real light loads until I can handle them. I guess if some of you all can learn to shoot left handed I can. I still think I will look into rifle shooting more.

When shooting left handed, do you still use your right eye to aim or do you retrain to use your left eye? that has been my biggest problem, aiming.

Not being able to do what you want to do just sucks. I have gotten used to it in a lot of things, but adapting is hard. And at times frustrating. I have had my ups and downs with this hand; a year and a half ago, until I found the dentist who had osteopathic training I was starting the paperwork to activate my disability insurance, I could not even hold a pencil to write. it is much better than that now, but not going the right way. Maybe it will turn around or I can adapt more, but I have gotten to the point that I can see just not fighting it any more.

Thank you all, now my biggest problem in shooting is not running out of .22s before I get to the point I can shoot the .38 left handed.

David
 
When shooting left handed, do you still use your right eye to aim or do you retrain to use your left eye?
Click to expand...

Don't think about your eyes. Think about the front sight, as before. Your eyes will do what they always did. If that means that the sights line up with your right eye, that's okay.
 
Search

Do a search on "cross eye dominance" for shooting left handed with the right eye being dominate (or vice versa as it is usually stated).
 
I have often thought than the reason my left hand doesn't work is because I have never taken the time to develop fine motor skills with it. My thoughts are not just try to learn to shoot left handed but learn other task as well. Open doors, unlock doors, turn lights on and off etc.... all simple ask but they might help. I will freely admit that this is a theory with no data to reference but there it is.
 
For pistols I still shoot right handed but use my left eye, since it's the only one I have ;). I just turn my head a bit to line up the sights.
 
I am righted with a dominant right eye, but my left eye has far better distance vision. I still prefer to shoot right habded, but years ago, forced myself to learn to shoot left handed as well. When shooting right handed, I keep both eyes open. When I shoot left handed I just close my right eye. Ilearned to shoto with both for tactical reasons, and for hunting so that I could have a shooting field of about 190 degrees. Left handed I am an average shooter. Right handed, I'm quite a bit better.
 
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