Shooting Skills & Aging

^^^
Yeah, for me, too.
Bifocals just don't work for me for anything.
For shooting, I use two lenses, the right side for the sights and the left one for the target.
The brain somehow works it out.
If I forget to take those, I just use regular drugstore readers for the front sight and slightly squint the left eye just enough to prevent double vision, but still allow seeing with both eyes.
That's not bad, either.
 
I'm 62 and I feel ya. I just had some glasses made for shooting, helped a lot. I've also started using shooting gloves and feel it has helped as well. I flinch as well, but have found if I concentrate on follow through even though I still flinch it doesn't affect my accuracy. But every time I lose my concentration on my follow through its a flyer.
 
I hear ya. I'm 60 and picked up an used a peep sight the other day for the first time in many many moons. Wow, what happened? I used to shoot high expert with an AR and mil sights. That long range peep looked like I was staring at a pea in the middle of a very fuzzy garbage can (55 gallon type):( with the bottom cut out. And just where did that tiny target go?:eek: That scope I didn't want is now back on the plate.:rolleyes: once I save up my milk money.
 
At 55, I use computer glasses when shooting. Ask the eye doc to get you some that put focus out to 36" or so.

Dry firing drill "blank wall" is what you should do. Just as it sounds, point at a totally blank wall, focus SHARPLY on perfect sight alignments, keep it PERFECT as you break the shot, maintaining it for a second after the shot.

Be sure to use crushing grip strength with your left (support) hand. I honestly mean, fingers turning white, hard as you can squeeze, crush a beer can grip with the support hand.

Do 50-60 of those everyday for a month. If you truely were holding perfect sight alignment and using the crushing grip, it's guaranteed to fix your issue.
 
everything you do will get stronger,reach a peakx, wobble around at your peak performance levels, then naturally degenerate at an unpredictable speed . Steps can be taken to regain performance. A lot of good advice here.

Shooting is as much a mental discipline, and as such, if steps are taken to retain your physical health, you may make it past your seventies without a serious loss in performance

Shooting requires strength. Strength in the entire body. If you can't provide a rock solid foundation for shooting, breathe naturally, and perform all of the other chores, what will happen? It's going to slide downhill.

Jack o Connor is a good example. He was at his range maybe every day. Several times a year he was out hunting in places that would kill most people.
 
Yeah, it stinks. I am about to turn 51, which isn't "old" (or so I tell myself), but when I am having health problems my hands will tremble and I can't shoot nearly as well as I would like to. Getting older isn't fun, but I love my wife and kids, so I will keep doing it. :)
 
I'm almost 70. I've had carpal tunnel and thumb joint reconstruction surgery on both hands/arms. Very painful and recovery seemed slow, but I can still shoot long guns, handguns, and compound bows as accurately as before. Maybe I'm just lucky (but I still don't bet on Powerball). ;)
 
After years of wear and tear, and even a brain tumor, I believe that in some ways I'm much better, but my precision shooting has suffered.
 
I'm 74 and had cataract surgery about 4 years ago. Before that I used bifocals. Now I just use reading glasses , distance vision is fine . I found that I needed my reading glasses to see the front sight but when using the standard +2.50 or +2.25 glasses , The target was way too blurry . The solution for me was to get some +1.50 reading glasses that I use only for shooting . With them I can see both front sight and target . To see target clearly after the shot , I just peer over the top of the glasses .
 
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