Recoil and Arthritis

H

Hardcase

New member
My wife has a form of arthritis called ankylosing spondylitis. It causes tendons and ligaments to ossify - turn into bone.

She loves skeet shooting, but lately it's become too painful for her to shoot. The problem is that the tendons in her shoulder have begun to fuse, along with her ribs along her sternum. That makes a pretty rigid bone structure, so that there aren't any stretchy tendons and ligaments to absorbe the recoil of the shotgun. Additionally, most of the vertebrae in her upper back are fused together.

The part of the recoil that causes the problem is the actual movement of her shoulder, not so much the impact of the stock against her shoulder. All of the energy goes into the bone and the quick motion of her shoulder tries to move bony structures that just don't move like they're supposed to, so by the end of 25 rounds, she's in agony.

She's shooting a Berretta AL390 Silver Mallard 12 gauge with pretty light target loads. Right now, it just has the stock recoil pad. She also uses a little shoulder pad thing that slips inside her shirt.

I'm wondering if something like a Limbsaver pad and something more substantial on her shoulder would work. If we could sort of slow the recoil down so that the movement of her shoulder was less violent, I think that might help. What do you guys think?
 
A lighter gun might help ...less stress on her ligaments and muscles to mount the gun / so I like the idea of a 28ga as well...

but if you stay with the 12ga...then go down to 3/4 oz loads...and if you can't find them / learn how to reload them. ( MEC Grabber would be a good intro level press ).

Gas guns are about the lightest recoiling out there...but finding the optimum weight for the gun is a pretty big deal / when I fractured my shoulder blade I could not shoot an 8 1/2 lb gun ....and now with a complete shoulder rebuild ( not nearly as serious as your wife's condition )...but with a torn bicep and rotator cuff and bone spurs...the heaviest gun I could handle was 7.5 lbs ...
 
Thinking outside of the box, what's the condition of her left shoulder? Al Clark, past world skeet champion, is right-handed but shoots left-handed by choice.
 
Thanks for the advice. I've got a friend with 20 and 28 gauges, so we'll try that. I'll also load up some 3/4 oz loads. I can get to a Mec Jr.

Unfortunately, her left shoulder is a lot like her right shoulder.
 
Remember "Fit" is the key....so the length of pull ...and drop at comb and hell need to be right ....vs just trying another gun...

maybe a better shooting vest...with a built in shoulder recoil pad...Beretta and Browning both make some good vests.....and have some with built in or changeable pads.
 
Take a look at some of the custom stock solutions like the bumpbuster.

I like the type that allow the comb to move with the recoil pad.
 
Someone will probably correct me but don't semi auto shot guns produce less recoil, here in aus hard to get permit for semi shot gun unless primary producer etc. however one older fellow I new, life time member of the range we shoot at and proven and prize won clay shooter, now got an exemption and was allowed to buy and use a semi and it produced less recoil. With his age and reconstructive surgery his old under and over proved to painful, but his browning auto was apparently much gentler combined with a limb saver! Might be worth a look if someone has better more proven advice or knowledge to prove this.
 
IF the semi (gas, not inertia) and the O/U weigh the same, the actual recoil will be the same. What the gas gun does is spread out the impulse over a few more milliseconds sot the perceived recoil appears to be less - more of a push than a jolt. Using the heaviest gas gun a person can handle, combined with the lightest and slowest payload that will work the gun, in conjunction with a good recoil pad on a gun that fits properly, recoil will be reduced to its least amount
 
lighter guns....yes, 1 lb in terms of gun weight...for a given shell that is the same amount of shot at the same velocity ....the extra pound or gun weight will reduce the recoil about 15-20%.../ or dropping 1 lb in the gun will increase the recoil 15-20%...

but with injured shoulders like hers...too much weight is hard on her too ....its about finding the compromise.
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Talk to some guys at your local club...and try some other gas guns ...in 12ga and maybe a 20ga ...or if someone is shooting a Benelli Super Sport model ( they're a really light gun 7.2 lbs in the 12ga with a 30" barrel / and about 6.2 lbs in the 20ga with a 28" barrel...)...ask if she might be able to try one of those guns as well.
 
I have problems too and used a 20 gauge with low recoil rounds. I put a limbsaver on mine and it did help. They also sell a shotgun grip with a cam system built in. It used to be call a Knox stock and came in a tactical form or regular stock. It is a great way to reduce recoil and really works well. I have installed them on three shotguns in the past.
 
GraCoil recoil reducer may help significantly, but it is not cheap and requires a gunsmith to install. Have had one on my BT99 for years and am very satisfied with it.
 
Gracoil, G Squarded, Air Shock, Bump Buster, ISIS, and others are ALL very good, but as you noted, expensive and require a smith to install
 
Thanks, all for the additional suggestions.

Dreaming100Straight, the doctor gave her the go-ahead to shoot. His advice was to let her body be her guide - if it hurts, don't do it.

We were able to borrow a friend's Winchester 101 with 28 gauge barrel inserts. She handled that really well, aside from the LOP being way too long. She was a little disappointed that she didn't hit as many targets as with the 12 gauge, but since it's a heavier gun and there isn't as much shot in that little shell, it's understandable (getting her to understand it is a different matter).

She was only a little tender afterwards and didn't develop the terrible aching the next day, so I think that with a better recoil pad and proper fit, something like that will do the job. I think that I'll start looking for a 28 gauge semi auto.
 
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