Shoulder Bruising

J

johnwilliamson062

Moderator
I shot about 100 rounds out of my marlin 22 LR today.
I have red lines on my shoulder/upper arm that more or less match the edge of the butt-pad. ten or so vertical lines. I guess they are bruises.
I notice this same pattern sometimes when I was shooting trap a lot. Usually only one or two and not every time I shot.

When I shot trap I assumed I took a shot or two without the gun pulled in tight and it bruised me. We went through several "Mad Minute" courses of fire, so definitely could have had bad stance there. I can't believe the 22 had enough recoil to cause bruises even if I was not holding it tight. The Marlin is light, but not that light. I noticed nothing while shooting.

Is this indicative of a certain technique problem?
Since the bruising is also on my upper arm I guess I did not have the rifle in the pocket either.
 
Are you taking aspirin or any medication for a blood thinner? Can't imagine getting bruised from a .22lr, but blood thinners can cause bruising from any type of bumps.
 
Are you taking aspirin or any medication for a blood thinner? Can't imagine getting bruised from a .22lr, but blood thinners can cause bruising from any type of bumps.
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I thought the exact same thing as I read the original post. I was on Coumadin for a while. I bruised if I was yelled at!
 
I second that- you're squeezing waaay too hard. When I first started shooting, I used a death grip on my 91/30. Did 40 rounds, and we'll just say my shoulder was a little more than red :o. Now since I've loosened way up, I can do about 200 rounds before I call it quits, and that's when I get the telltale red outline.
 
Soft butt pads = Good Things. :)

Dunno why more shooters don't have some pads sewn onto their regular shooting shirts or shooting jackets. Me, I'm no masochist. :)
 
You could be pressing the butt against your shoulder too hard, and the vertical red linse could be from your shirt rubbing or pinching your skin. When I did Brazilian Jiu Jitsu when I was younger, after a couple hours training I was covered in vertical and horizontal red lines.
 
I haven't notice any other bruising out of the ordinary. I am not taking any medication that is meant to thin blood or has it listed as a known side effect.

I may be pressing too hard.

The butt-stock is not extremely soft, but it is rubber. The slip on kick eez pad I have for my shotgun is much softer. I wonder how an easily compressed soft pad effect aiming.


The shirt does not have a pad sewn in. It is Beretta shirt that is more or less dedicate to shooting and hunting. I have considered adding a pad before, but I never followed through. May be a good place to start.
 
I think some shooters bodies react different to recoil. I have been to the range before and fired several rounds of stout 12 GA. Buckshot and Slugs and never hardly have a mark on my shoulder. Others show all kinds of bruises and marks.
 
johnwilliamson062 said:
I shot about 100 rounds out of my marlin 22 LR today.
I have red lines on my shoulder/upper arm that more or less match the edge of the butt-pad. ten or so vertical lines. I guess they are bruises.
I notice this same pattern sometimes when I was shooting trap a lot. Usually only one or two and not every time I shot.

When I shot trap I assumed I took a shot or two without the gun pulled in tight and it bruised me. We went through several "Mad Minute" courses of fire, so definitely could have had bad stance there. I can't believe the 22 had enough recoil to cause bruises even if I was not holding it tight. The Marlin is light, but not that light. I noticed nothing while shooting.

Is this indicative of a certain technique problem?
Since the bruising is also on my upper arm I guess I did not have the rifle in the pocket either.
Click to expand...

This does sound odd, if you're not on any blood thiners then holding it too tightly is the only thing I can think of, or maybe you just bruise easily?

I shot between 300 and 340 rounds with my FS (5.56) the other day and not the slightest hint of bruising...

Sent from my LGL75C using Tapatalk 2
 
Sounds like me after a day at the range with a 300WM. Some people do bruise more easily than others, but this is the first I have heard that was produced by a 22LR.
 
The Marlin is a very light rifle and could cause slight marks on the shoulder from sharp lines. When Ad Topperwine shot many thousands of wood blocks with Remington Nylon 66 rifles, he was bruised quite badly.
 
I would check the buttplate of the rifle for any projections that might cause discomfort. Last time I was bruised was from firing my Rossi Overland Coach Gun with 3" magnums-I invested in a slip on recoil pad after that. I recommend some weightlifting, building up your shoulders and upper body will give you a permanently attached recoil absorbing area.
 
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