Recoil starting to hurt more...older

We start with .22s when we are youngsters.
And end up with .22s when we are old.
Talk about a second childhood.

Hey, sjones,
Don't leave your shootin' irons to anyone.
Sell them and have fun with the dough.
But a motorcycle, maybe?
At least a convertible.
 
I'm in my mid 50s and my wrists and fingers are definitely starting to let me know they are not happy with some of my earlier life decisions. I take an Aleve just about every morning--if not, I regret it by noon. (I also ride a motorcycle every day of the year, which compounds the problem somewhat.)

If I'm going to be planting a tree or digging up faulty sprinkler components (seemingly a year-round endeavor here) I take two Aleve 1/2 hour before I start...if not, I am regretting it within 10 minutes.

I still shoot handguns once a week, usually .45acp, occasionally .357 Mag, .41 Mag or .45 LC. Today was 10mm. No major discomfort, just a persistent hollow ache.

I'll tell you one thing...the Scandium .357 j-frames are long gone.

I sold one to a friend about five years ago, and he still owns it. He is at least five years younger than I, taller, and stockier as well. But this weekend we were talking and he admitted he has not fired it since "the one time" just after he bought it.

I said, "Yeah, it's been what? Five/six years?" He said "yeah"..and I said "And my wrist still hurts". He smiled a bit.

I figure I can shoot whatever I want (within reason) for the next five years, but some discretion will delay the inevitable.
 
Yep, me too! I'll take 3-4 Alleve after a couple of rounds of skeet.

Get home, take 1/2 of a Viagra and take a pee pee.

Go to the refrigerator and drink a quart of prune juice, wait an hour and finally go #2.

Take a couple of Geritol's and take my afternoon nap.

Get up and take the other 1/2 Viagra and finish what I started the first time.

Sit in my recliner the next couple of days and recover from the skeet and prune juice :(

And please don't think I'm kidding...
 
My wrists are OK so far, but I have broken the left one twice and it will be an issue soon I fear.

As for the Viagra, I don't actually need it yet, but I take it anyway to keep me from rolling out of bed in the middle of the night.
 
yes, age does wear out the machine. i am 66 and still comfortable shooting a .38 special from my S&W model 649. but down the road, i know the time will come to change to a .22lr revolver. ammo will be cheaper and i still will enjoy shooting.
 
Anyone else feeling the pain? I fear I am heading toward my Dad's situation. He can barely shoot a 22 revolver anymore...but amazingly still shoots a Glock 9 OK. Less trigger pull?
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Yes, I well into my 6th decades and shotguns are the worst.

I used to shoot all the 12 ga. full power hunting loads I wanted. Now, a box of LE low recoil loads is enough for me. Recoil jars the 'ol head a bit, so I don't want to over do it--this for SD practice with combat shotgun.

Hunting isn't a problem. You aren't shooting constantly.

Small frame revolvers? Still hanging in there, but the Airweights aren't real pleasant. Gave up on the AirLite Ti. Standard loads were unpleasant, and +P were painful. And some folks have actually shoot full house .357's thru these lightweights. Hats off to any one who makes it thru a full cylinder.

Some days are better than others, though. So far, arthritis has been a minor problem, and my trigger pull is still strong---but I keep using it.

No problem with 9mm thru .45 in standard or compact pistols.

Never did shoot .44 Mag's. but just a few times. Usually on a "hey try this" basis.

Those heavy hand cannons are ominous. About ten rounds is about all I can handle---and that's watching some one else shoot them. Crap, you'd never see me shoot one of them things.:D
 
Gust got back from WALLY WORLD .Standing in the sporting goods depatrment . I bumped in to one of my old shooting friends .I asked what are you shooting these days. He said 22lr it doesn't hurt on both ends .My hands or my pocket book . He said getting old sucks nothing works liked it did before .
 
I still like shooting my 1911 .45s, but starting to enjoy my .38 Supers more as I age. Now 72 and arthritis showing up more in hands and wrists. But whart the hey, these are the Golden Years.
 
55 and not a problem with the hands as of yet. Knees have been shot to hell since the 80s, though. I refuse to have surgery til they can give me some better guarantees. My left wrist was broken in six places when I was 14, but I guess the doc did a fine job on it-and luckily, I'm right-handed. But I do expect Art to go fishin there first, when he decides he needs some of my real estate. I decided long ago that I wasn't a macho man and hung up my Contender in .45-70 for good, and pretty much my Redhawk as well. 10mm is just about it for me now, and I like it that way. I find 10s pleasant enough, .45 ACPs wonderful, and 9mms downright fun, much like .22LRs which just happen to be my favorite round. I hope it continues this way.
 
Damn! You guys make me feel like a 20 year old. I’ll be 74 in a couple of days and am still blowing holes in various things with my max loaded Model 29. Had to get glasses a bunch of years back and not as strong as I once was, too old to fight, got to be able to shoot. Not ready for a dirt nap yet.
 
I am in my mid 50s and am starting to realize something...I don't like shooting full tilt 44 magnums much anymore for "plinking" much less a 45 Casull. Dang knuckles hurt afterwards...Rifle recoil still not an issue but the hands are starting to let me know they are not as young as they once were. John Taffin has spoken about this too in some writings. Anyone else feeling the pain? I fear I am heading toward my Dad's situation. He can barely shoot a 22 revolver anymore...but amazingly still shoots a Glock 9 OK. Less trigger pull?
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Jolly,
Is there a specific need to shoot the big bore calibers?

I find great joy in shooting .22 rifles, revolvers and autos.
Take me to the range and I'm happy :D
 
I'm 66 and have decided I don't need to shoot magnum rds to be happy -- or 158gr +p SWCs from my j-frame ... I have zero hand or wrist issues; no arthritis, carpal tunnel or busted knuckles. As others have mentioned, I've seen a huge difference in my accuracy and control by strengthening my grip ... I use two gadgets, a Prohands in heavy tension or a Grippro, which looks like a black rubber donut with an extra big hole ... I'm guessing arthritis might make either of these difficult to use, but both companies make lighter tension models .. I highly recommend them ...
 
The last year or two I've noticed certain pistols have a bit more recoil that I remember; especially the shorter barrel .45s. But, I admit I'm shooting more .22 than I used to. It's certainly cheaper.

Whats beginning to really bug me is my hand is definately not as steady as it used to be; even with a two handed grip. Some days are just plain harder than others and I've learned to forget the range if I got a bad nights sleep. That's kinda difficult to accept when you've been shooting most of your life. When I hit 65 I learned to enjoy shooting just for the fun. And, I quit betting on the results!;)

Good bumper sticker I saw yesterday: Getting old is not for the squemish. Who knew?
 
I'm in my later 20's and even I find lighter recoiling loads more enjoyable to shoot. Sure its fun to blast off a full house .357 or a .44 every now and then but I mostly shoot .22's and cheap target .38 loads.
 
I guess everyone is different, I'm 75 and still enjoy max loads in my .44 magnums.

I still ride a Harley too, my friends think I'm nuts but let's be realistic, I can still do it all and I'll never be any younger so why not?
 
YUP I think I know,Shooting my 454 hot and heavy is just about like having SEX I love it just as good as I use to But it dont take as much to make me happy.:D:D
 
I still ride a Harley too, my friends think I'm nuts but let's be realistic, I can still do it all and I'll never be any younger so why not?
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I hear you Ron. :) Wish I could still ride but 4 years ago, at age 70, a head-on with a truck (didn't see me...right?) put me in the hosp for 3 months with a bunch of broken stuff. Lost the use of my left hand and can't ride any more so got involved with another old love; guns.

I'm limited to one handed paper punching with revolvers and have most calibers. But my first love is .44 special and load my own medium rounds to shoot out of my big N frame Smiths and Ruger Redhawk....like shooting a .22. I just bought a Ruger .327 Fed magnum and loaded some .32 longs, H&R mags and .327 mags for it. Only shot a box of each so far but it looks like it's going to be a fun gun to shoot.

Got lots of aches and pains from my crash but light loads in big guns make for range fun. For CCW, however, I carry either a light weight Smith 396 NG .44 spl or Smith 642 .38 spl.

Keep on truckin' :)
 
I'm 81 and the oldest active member at my gun club. Had a stroke last year but was lucky and made a full recovery. I get out to the range about once a week and mostly shoot handguns. I shoot .32 acp, .38 special, 9mm, and .45. The major difference in technique is that I now use a chair instead of shooting standing up. It is less tiring for me and just at much fun. The arthritis in my hands used to give me problems but this stopped after I began using glucosamine on a regular basis. This made both the swelling and pain go away.
 
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