Any advice on how aging has impacted what you can and can't do for shooting?

[Old Dog]

For those if you who are even older, what else have you found has changed? Do you have any advice that would help us we get even older?

Middle ... uh ... later 50s here. Diminished eyesight has taken its toll. I've gone to fiber-optic front sights on handguns and red-dots or scopes on all long guns. My semi-annual qual course with the patrol rifle, iron sights only allowed, has actually become a slight challenge (it used to be sooo easy). Can still shoot possible on the handgun qual course but more often these days I drop a couple out at 25 yards. Compensating for the geezer eyes seems to get more difficult every year now; I'm actually using eye-pro with a straight 2.0 magnification for handgun (moving and shooting with bifocals proved to be a non-starter) and the only iron sights on rifles I can use now without corrective lenses are aperture sights ... open sights on the Model 94, 336, 10-22 are about useless to me.

Several knee operations have slightly reduced mobility and increased the arthritis, but I can still compete (albeit with a lot of Motrin after sustained shooting sessions).

Exercise is key. Swimming and the elliptical, some work with free weights and a lot of hiking keep me in shape and have probably helped me from seeing a lot more deterioration in my shooting skills.

 

[dprice3844444]

next bloodwork,have a testosterone check to start a baseline in case it starts dropping.

 

[Art Eatman]

Cataract surgery helped my iron-sight shooting, but these last half-dozen years have been debilitating. I found out last week that Tommy guns have become much heavier than they used to be.

 

[Red Wind]

Exercise is key. Swimming and the elliptical, some work with free weights and a lot of hiking keep me in shape and have probably helped me from seeing a lot more deterioration in my shooting skills.

This IS the key. Exercise those aging joints! Especially the hiking. And those Puget Sound fogs are death on arthritis! I would switch to plain Bayer 325 MG. My best.

RW

 

[kimbernut]

Eyes

A lot of folks say they will never put a red dot on any gun but I have on several handguns for informal competition, fun, and training beginners. I still keep several with open sights too and plan to always have both. A friend even has a Carry 1911 .45ACP with a small Burris FastFire(I think it's called) that fits low in the rear dovetail. In his mid 60s he shoots open sights 25yards in 2-3 1/2" groups. With the red-dots he holds 1- 1 1/2" groups.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

Thanks all for the advice. For those of you who have had various ailments making recoil an issue, did going to a heavier 20 gauge or 410 help? Does going from center fire or rimfire also help?

The other hobby I've been starting is wood working. I'm hoping that might be less physically demanding as I age. At least my dad and grandpa seemed to be still doing it in their 70s plus it looks fun.

 

[lxd55]

i have always wanted to use a 20 or 16 gage. i have always thought the 12 gage was for reaching out for distance, turkey or deer, if you are hunting smaller game birds and squirrel these gages are fine.
it, to me, is unfortunate that a lot of people think a bigger caliber is better, it should fit the situation. use a 20 gage and a .380.
about the woodworking, whittle for hours, sand for days and enjoy forever.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Aah come on you gray haired [or bald] old codgers. Grab yer boot straps and pull.

After I watched and befriended a Viet Nam vet with his whole right arm missing (he WAS right handed) shooting a Ruger Super Blackhawk with full house loads with his left hand and dumping the fired cases using a wooden dowel and reloading to go at it again. I will NEVER have a disability that will keep me from shooting.

Let's quit whinning and go shoot!!

 

[Gun Master]

My, How Time Changes "Things" !

I'm in my mid 70's, and don't get to the shooting range often. I stopped hunting decades ago, but that is another story. My last trip to shoot targets was about 4 or 5 months ago, as best I can remember.
Since then I have developed severe arthritis in my hands. I already had it bad in my back and feet, and at least moderately in about every joint of my body. I plan to find out soon if I can still fire my : 1911, P-64, various 9mms, and SA wheelguns. Also don't know how I'll do DA with autoloaders and revolvers.
Physical limitations, mental limitations from aging and medications, and a busy schedule are all limiting factors.
I'll try to let you know of my progress, or the lack thereof.
Oh, by the way, I still have my Mossberg Model 500A (full stock or pistol grip choice) 12 gauge for home defense. This week I "got real" and bought a Remington Model 870 Home Defense (youth model) in 20 gauge.

 

[Jim Watson]

Age 64, 2009. I was shooting about as much and about as well as I ever had. Experience and equipment were making up for any age decline. IDPA Expert, F-T/R Sharpshooter, BPCR MS AA.

Jan. 2010, The Incident, with injury, surgery, rehab, physical therapy.

Late 2010, back into IDPA with grunts and groans as soon as the cane was not needed.

2011 - 2013, got a couple of IDPA "Distinguished Senior" (65+) trophies. Doing as well at BPCR MS as ever. Have not resumed F class.

2014 Slowing down. Standing in IDPA slipping a bit, less interested in long sanctioned matches, six stages at the club level is fun, 12-15 in one day at the State less so.
Not going to Regional BPCR; my spotter isn't going and it is just more than I care to solo. Doing fine at club shoots.

 

[lxd55]

Aah come on you gray haired [or bald] old codgers. Grab yer boot straps and pull.

After I watched and befriended a Viet Nam vet with his whole right arm missing (he WAS right handed) shooting a Ruger Super Blackhawk with full house loads with his left hand and dumping the fired cases using a wooden dowel and reloading to go at it again. I will NEVER have a disability that will keep me from shooting.

Let's quit whinning and go shoot!!

I am glad to know your friend can still shoot. kudos. being all gray and half bald, I try.
but as many know, if you hurt too bad, you will not reach for the boot straps.
getting old suc.......
but when I comeback I will do better than I did.

 

[george burns]

Same back and eye problems, disabled in 2000. Back is very bad on all 3 levels, had the disk surgeries, get's worse as time goes on. also eyes after 65 really started to bother me, even with glasses and contacts. I can still shoot anything that I can see clearly, under 100 ft. I just can't get as clear a sight picture to get those tight groups like I used to.
The back problems has affected my hand, "it shakes now on occasion", tremors from the damaged nerves, but if I watch my breathing, concentrate, and use 2 hands, I can still shoot better than all but the top shooters at the local range. It's like being an athlete, you can "learn" how to play a sport, or you can just be a "natural". Usually the natural athlete can just about do anything that requires those abilities that you are either born with or not. Like fast or slow twitch muscles., and eye hand coordination.
That's also why it bothers us to not be able to do things that came so easy to us in our youth, that we never even thought about them.
Even with boxers, the last thing to go is the power of the punch, a 60 or 70 yr old ex-professional fighter, can still knock out a young boxer with one shot, he just needs the opening.

 

[Blue Thunder]

Got my reading glasses at 40, got my C4-C5 Fusion at 50, blood pressure medicine at 50, still shooting fine at 66. The key is as others have said Exercise, something I have not done well in the last 3 years and since retiring March of 2013. I need to loose 40 pounds and the only way to do it is to exercise. I have kept up shooting and an occasional Gun Fighting class. When I get my retirement villa built, the reloading room will go in and that will be a refreshing change of exercise.

 

[Teachu2]

Hit 55 this year, moderate damage to right shoulder, severe to left. I can still shoot anything well - for a while. All day on the skeet range doesn't sound fun. Pistols are still fun, benched rifle is the best.

When it comes to eyes, I finally gave in and went to the optometrist. I went with single vision, one pair for reading and a second for shooting. They work great!

 

[JN01]

I'm in my 50s and the eyes don't focus as well as they used to.

I have red dots on a couple pistols and a rifle, they really do make things easier.

I can still use the iron sights on my remaining guns OK, but it is harder to see the front sight sharply. I have discovered that slightly squinting makes the focus clearer. I'm not sure why, maybe it is like a peep sight where looking through a smaller aperture gives you a sharper image.

 

[MR835]

Old and busted up still shooting

79 BEEN shot left arm is now steel and plastic. Had to have brain surgery, back surgery. But shooting and the consertration needed while healing kept me sane. I have a 40' range outside my house. I am blessed to be able to shoot one of 5 compact 45 or 9mms 2 or 3 days each week. Then load a few 100 rounds. Back and knees prevent a lot of combat moves. But I don't give up. I KEEP ON SHOOTING.

SAFE SHOOTING ALWAYS

MR835 IS GONE

 

[Steve CT]

The eyes are not so sharp for shooting these days, on my next ophthalmologist appointment I am getting a pistol shooting prescription and getting a set of shooting glasses made. He and I talked about this last time around, he is a shooter and he knows what I will need made for pistol shooting.

I very readily use low power optics on my AR, and red dots on my rimfire pistols.

 

[Zeke/PA]

I just turned 73 today and thanks to Our Good Lord I'm enjoying good enough health to continue shooting!
Today, I mounted a scope on M77 Ruger in .25 Bob an overcame some early on difficulties.

 

[Red Wind]

Congratulations on #73, Zeke! May you enjoy many more in wonderful gun friendly, Pennsylvania.

 

[Red Wind]

Surrounded but free!

 

[dprice3844444]

look at this for eye health
http://www.ocuvite.com/eye-health.html

 

[CWL]

Eyes are the first to go. I'm dealing with monovision combined with weak-hand/eye dominance issues.

Neck and back bothers me when I hold a shooting position for too long. Osteoarthritis is no fun.

 

[olafhardtB]

An Old Shooter's prayer: Oh Lord, please grant me the abilities to shoot what I want to and lack of abilities to excuse my misses.

 

[Cee Zee]

Surrounded but free!

Not quite surrounded. Ohio is still gun friendly.

 

[Scionti95]

Turned 73 years old this past Tuesday. Yes, ageing does impact how and what we do, but attitude and determination serve as a wonderful fuel. Stay busy, maintain your hobbies and keep a positive mind set. In college, a baseball coach told us one day when we were getting walloped that the other team was 6 inches better than us. Uh ?? Found out he was talking about the 6 inches from ear to ear. They wanted the win more. Have carried that message with me through life. Whether in my professional career, home projects, whatever, I was only ever 6 inches from solving my problem. Not a foot, or a yard, just 6 inches. Mental toughness is a big deal. Don't give in to the numbers as we age. Oh, about shooting and guns. Still actively collect my Colt revolvers and just purchased my first AR-15. Do not know much about the AR-15, but have signed up for a two day training class. Excited and looking forward to the next challenge. Stick with it Boys. If you want to get old, you better be tough. It ain't for the ...............