Very Shaky hands after shooting

R

ravenhawk82

Inactive
Hello all! I'm a long time lurker and first time poster of these forums with a question that has recently perplexed me.

Some background, I have been shooting for years, but almost exclusively with rifles. I have rifles ranging from .17hmr to .30-06 that I regularly get range time with, so I'm far from an inexperienced shooter. However, I've never gotten a whole lot of time with handguns, at least not at once. I have shot them plenty, but almost always with someone else's (Until a week ago, my only handgun was an old .22 revolver I got from my granddad that needs some work), so I never got any volume practice in.

Recently, I purchased a 1911 for target shooting and home defense. Finally able to get extended range sessions, I loaded up with a couple hundred rounds and hit the range over the course of a couple days. I'm finding though that after several magazines, my dominant hand begins to shake uncontrollably. Not like the natural shakes that are inherent in everyone, but more like a junkie that hasn't gotten a hit.

Is this normal when you first start getting lots of practice with a handgun to get shaky after a while? I fully make room for the possibility that I am just not used to it and need practice to strengthen these muscles in my arms/hands, but I'm also curious if there are practices to minimize this.

Anyway, thanks in advance! If you need more information, just let me know.
 
Assuming you don't have any neurological disorders, I believe it's simply building up your muscles that don't get used in this way very often. Another thing, are you holding your breath to long trying to concentrate on the sight picture? Shooting a handgun, or even a rifle, requires some muscle development. When I was shooting a lot of competition I always had to spend a few weeks of daily shooting to get everything back in shape. Actually, shooting a rifle offhand requires more muscle development than the handgun does. I had to learn to shoot a rifle well in order to compete in matches where you had to shoot a handgun, rifle, and shotgun. I was surprised how difficult the rifle is to shoot off hand (at very small targets at distance). Practice dry firing at home and build those muscles up. You don't need ammo to do it and it's just as effective. Just make sure the guns empty before you do it in the house. I also know a couple of people who've shot holes in their stove, couch, and bedroom floor (I also teach handgun safety and shooting so I've seen it all).
 
NoSecondBest gave some good advice. The other possible reason for shakes is simply the adrenaline dump that comes with shooting, especially for inexperienced handgunners. Learning to press the trigger smoothly despite the shakes is an art form, and is the heart of good defensive handgun technique. (Target handgun is a different beast. Still requires you to press the trigger smoothly, but includes adapting around the shakes rather than simply ignoring them while you press the trigger.)

pax
 
This is a subject I posted several years ago, and quickly found out that many shooters just didn't understand what I was talking about, because it doesn't happen to them.

I personally have been shooting handguns for almost 60 years. I will turn 70 in March of this year, and am still shooting regularly. In all those years I never had a problem with shaking hands until a few years ago when my hand would shake so badly I could barely hold on target by the end of a shooting session. By the way, most of the guns I shoot are 45s, 38/357, and 44/44 Magnum. I carry a full size 1911, S&W M&P 45C, or S&W 340PD (11.4 oz) 357 on a daily basis. The reason I mention my current carry guns is to let you know I shoot some fairly heavy calibers on a regular basis.

Now to the good news. After my shaking situation lasted for about a year, all of a sudden it went away. I can't tell you what made my hands shake, nor do I know what made them stop, but I can assure you at my age nothing usually gets better with your body, but in my case it did. My advice is to keep shooting as often as possible, and remember my story, and hopefully your shaking situation will go away just like mind did. Good Luck
 
Barring any physiological conditions, chances are that you need to build some muscle. Assuming your loaded 1911 is one of the newer lighter ones and fully loaded with 230 gain ammo, you have at nearly three pounds out there at the end of your arm. You are using muscles that either you have never used in that position before, or its been a lot of years since they have had that kind of use. I recommend that people take their unloaded firearm each night while watching TV or whatever it is you do to relax, and practice holding your firearm in the shooting position and do some dry practice. In this manner, you are training your muscles, strengthening those that need it, and also working on breathing control, trigger control, and follow thru. Do it each night and you will soon see a marked improvement at the range…and you didn't have to zing a lot of dollars down range to do it.
 
Sounds like muscle fatigue this is common when new shooter holds on the target too long. One way to solve that is to slice the target, start at a 12 O'Clock hold and bring your sights down slowly while squeezing the trigger. You want the gun to go off when you reach the center of the bullseye.

Do not over think it, and do not hold on the target more that you need to else your hand will start shaking unless you spend one or two hours a night holding up a 3 lb barbell to develop your biceps. Do multiple reps of 60 seconds, it is more effective than a single hold of say 5 or 10 min.

Jim

I do that for bow shooting as well to get back into shape (same problem)
 
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i shoot handguns alot, probably over 200-300 rounds every week, my first mag is always my best, its a slow decline from there, but after 10 mags or so my hand also gets too shaky to keep on smaller targets, i usually quit shooting about that point or at least take a long break

i just chalk it up to fatigue, its suprising how much shooting a gun can wear you out
 
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Very common, and worse when you start with a heavy recoiling pistol. Things will improved with practice, but you might try a good .22 pistol or revolver or use a .38 with wadcutters, and work up to a .45 caliber. The .45 ACP is not in the class of the .44 Magnum or even heavier recoiling guns, but it is not gentle, either. Now some will sneer at this advice and call me a pansy and tell you to get a real he-man's gun that will blow both ears off everyone in the county. Ignore them; just because they want to damage themselves in order to brag about how much power their gun has doesn't mean you have to join the party.

Jim
 
Get one of those grip strengthening devices and use it daily. Start slow and work up until the problem is solved(or until you can't button your shirt cuffs).
 
Skizzums and James K are right on the money.

I have been shooting handguns for 30 years. Even today I can get muscle fatigue or recoil fatige. After 200 centerfire rounds down range, my accuracy is significantly degraded. With a 22, I can shoot more, but eventually is still happens... and this tells me that recoil is a factor, but not the only factor. I know that if I keep shooting, I will eventually get significant shakes.

I usually start my session with slow fire bullseye shooting. I am usually good for the first 50 rounds. After that, the groups open up, and I transition to faster drills, such as coming up from low-ready to fire 2 or 3 rounds.
 
Does it feel like fatigue? Since you're new to handgunning, and shooting your new .45acp 1911, it could simply be from the mental rush you're getting.

I recall after smoking a stage in a match, my hands were shaking as you described. It was simply an adrenaline rush.
 
I'm 32 years old, quite active and athletic and every now and then when I shoot a handgun, mostly something with bigger recoil, my hand will shake a little afterwards, not for long, but for a few short bursts. I think it's just one of those things, I wouldn't worry about unless your hand shakes all the time, I know a guy like that.
 
Yep, common enough. Even after many years of shooting large calibers, after a layoff my hands will get 'recoil palsy' after enough magnum or very heavy rounds in a light enough gun.

The simplest, most fun answer is 'shoot more.' It'll sort itself out-



Larry
 
Well Ravenhawk, there you have it. As I mentioned in my first response, nobody really knows why it happens, but you are not the only guy to experience this condition. The good news is it seems to go away in time so keep shooting, and hopefully it will just disappear as it did with me. The last time I shot my S&W 44 Magnum Mountain Gun, which I load with 250gr hard cast Keith bullets over an almost max load of W296, I had no shaking afterwards. That was the real test for me. Hang in there and it will get better in time. If it doesn't, find a good Neurologists for evaluation. Preferably one who shoots handguns.
 
I cured my shakes by buying a 22 pistol and taking it EVERY time I go shooting. I end up shooting a lot more 22 (which used to be cheaper) and it gave me breaks from shooting larger stuff. Another benefit was that after switching back to the 22 after shooting a mag or two of something larger it helped me to see when I was pulling or pushing the pistol, so my overall technique improved a lot as well.
 
I can assure you at my age nothing usually gets better with your body
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When I was much younger an old friend told me that when I was his age, if it didn't hurt, it probably no longer worked.

My vote would be that you are getting a nerve pinched in your hand, Maybe try different grips, or pistol grip covers.
 
A friend of mine had this problem for a long time. It turned out to be a pretty simple thing. He was gripping the guns he shot with a "death grip" after learning to shoot "limp wristing" sensitive guns, mostly 1911s. I figured it out while watching him shoot and seeing his white knuckles, and then having him grab my wrist with as close to his gun grip as possible. It was insanely hard. It took a while, but he shot my Astra A-80 a lot and finally stopped the death gripping, and shoots a lot better. I wish I could shoot as good as he does now.
 
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