Feeling sick after range time?

[springmom]

me too

I usually feel pretty darn good after a shooting session.

Actually, I find a session at the range to be about as relaxing and therapeutic as anything I can of to do. Unless there are folks around who are being unsafe and I feel like half my energy is directed at making sure they don't shoot me! But I can only think of a couple of times that has happened. Today, for example, we were out and put several hundred rounds each through my .38, my XD-40, and the hubster's new 1911. I come home absolutely rid of any anxiety and stress (and yesterday STANK, it was a HORRIBLE day!) Nothing like "making lace" out of a paper target to just get rid of it all.....!

Springmom

 

[Majic]

Feeling sick after range time?

Classic example of not having fun while shooting. Lighten up folks. Range shooting should be fun not a job. Learn to enjoy yourself and not worry about each and every shot. You can give yourself ulcers knitting a sock if you try hard enough.
Remember at the range it's Recreational Shooting.

 

[nolefan]

Classic example of not having fun while shooting. Lighten up folks. Range shooting should be fun not a job. Learn to enjoy yourself and not worry about each and every shot. You can give yourself ulcers knitting a sock if you try hard enough.
Remember at the range it's Recreational Shooting.

I AM having fun while shooting! Despite the sick feeling, I keep going back, because I really like it. I would very much disagree with this assessment.

 

[gezzer]

I'm finding I need a nap after anything! Happens when you have teenagers living in the same house.

 

[telomerase]

it IS an indoor range,

IIRC, even very small amounts of nitroglycerin from smokeless powder can give you a headache (it is a strong vasodilator, thus its use in angina). Try shooting outdoors if you can (it's quieter, too).

 

[S&W10mm]

Am I SICK?

I really look forward to my range time (2-3 times a month) and its relieves allot of my stress. I feel Relaxed for days after. Its a indoor range and I feel GREAT in all conditions. If its Crowded or Empty, it dosen't matter. I like going on Cloudy Nasty days and that just cheers me up. No. 1 I feel I did something that day that would have been wasted, No. 2 I feel I didn't waste a PRETTY day that I could have done something to the House or Car or Yard ETC.

Maybe I'm CRAZY but I LOVE My Range Time!

S&W10mm

 

[Sir Aardvark]

It could be something as simple as the earpieces on your shooting glasses being too tight on your head.

That could explain the headache.

 

[rangerruck]

springmom is totally down, man! also , ther is a certain typ eof fatigue,found when concentrating thoroughly and finely on one certain thing, thomas jefferson recognized this long ago. so you could also say , if not one of the things that Springmom has said, that what you are experiencing is perfectly normal.

 

[Model520Fan]

FWIW, I have NEVER felt bad after shooting except one time, just a week or so ago, indoors with excessive shock (muzzle blast) from my 325. I was wearing ears, and it didn't bother my ears, but I somehow didn't like the shock. 12 rounds, as I recall. I decided not to shoot that gun indoors any more. The feeling went away quickly.

The NRA range is great! Get an annual membership. There's nothing like it - 75 yards, programmable target turning, any power handgun and most (or all?) rifles, and the cleanest range you'll ever see.

 

[c_yeager]

Standing perfectly still for long periods of time, focusing on objects that are out of focus, breathing in god knows what kind of garbage, add it all together with the adreneline/excitement of firing a weapon and I would be very suprised if a new shooter didnt go home feeling kinda crappy.

 

[Farnham]

The only time I felt sick after a range session is the time I drove away and left a brand new factory Glock mag on the bench.

Other than that time, I usually feel superhuman after a long day of shooting. Wash my hands and face, have a smoke, and streeeetch the shoulders and neck muscles. Ahh...therapy.

S/F

Farnham

 

[benEzra]

I sometimes feel that way when coming back from the beach, too...or after Christmas shopping. I think it has to do with making something too much of a big production, and the fatigue catching up with you.

Whenever I've felt crummy after a range trip, it's always been after range trips where I carried three rifles, two handguns, lots of ammunition and magazines, targets and target stands, a benchrest, etc. etc. etc.

The last time I went to the range, I carried ONE gun, my SAR-1. Spent two very relaxing hours shooting it, and came back home refreshed.

Try going to the range with a lighter load...makes your range trip less like a "mission" and more like "fun."

 

[texasguy]

sometimes i feel crappy after a range session when someone is shooting a huge magnum rifle right next to me. I think it is the muzzle blast sound waves hitting my inner ear, which makes me feel bad. Btw, when you spin around and feel dizzy and like youre going to upchuck thats your inner ear gettin throwin off, which also regulates your natural balance.

 

[lucky_fool]

The only time I feel sick at the range is when I pay. Range fees and buying their ammo can really add up.

 

[GoBrush]

Pax did a great job on her post as usual. One thing you might want to do is leave the larger caliber guns at home and just relax with a nice 22. Get used to the environment and keep shooting. Pax was right the range can become a place of great stress relief. I can walk out a new man. Kind of like getting out of a hot shower after a hard days work.

The other thought I have is try a different range or head to an out door range. If the range you have these problems is indoors then that might be contributing to the problem as well.

 

[Slateman]

Sometimes I'm a little fatiuged in the shoulders. That may be because my regular shooting day is also my regular lifting day.

Once in a while my eyes will hurt like after staring at a computer screen for a long time (like writing my term papers all at once )

Eh, I shoot a well ventilated range so I don't have any issues with that.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

A good air-handling system is a must in an indoor range. I have felt much worse in a range I used to go to, but the new range I frequent now is light-years better. Noise is a problem constantly, though. As was already stated, PLEASE use both plugs AND muffs. I do, and the combination of this and a decent air-scrubber gives me a pretty good range session.

I have to wear ear plugs at work all day; that's how loud it is there. Doesn't matter if I'm busy all day, or sit and do nothing because the line is running perfectly, I always go home exhausted. That's what noise does to you. Firearms are the worst.

 

[jeremywills]

honestly, i feel crappy afterwards when i have to come home and clean up the guns

like stated, take one maybe 2 at a time and you have a much lighter after range chore.

Gun cleaning products are not good to breathe in either so make sure you have a well ventilated area at home. I always hate that lingering smell that stays behind a day or so of all the gun chemicals

 

[Oldtimer]

Just about everything was covered EXCEPT for one possibility. You may be somewhat claustrophobic!

Indoor ranges always make me feel boxed in, especially if the shooting stall is small. I didn't THINK that I was claustrophobic, but from what I have found out over the years, it can be a major problem OR something that may not be noticed.

I've been an outdoor shooter for many, many years, and have NEVER had the symptoms you described. Of course, that may be because of the fresh air and the almost immediate dissipation of airborne lead particles....or perhaps because of the lessened decibels....or a combination of everything.

Try the outdoor shooting, then indoor shooting within a short time. Comparing the two, you will probably feel a LOT better after shooting outdoors!

 

[Sleeping Dog]

There are plenty of times that I get home from the range, then fall asleep in front of the TV. Is there a downside to this?

Sometimes I feel a little beat-up. If I've been shooting the Mosin M44, or shooting 12ga slugs, or if I was shooting next to someone with a muzzle brake, those can get to me after a while.

Regards.

 

[Mizzle187]

I would call myself a new range shooter(about a year or more with pistols) and I feel fatigued afterwords everytime. Im at a nice free outdoor range and its usually not crowded(5-10 people usually but its a big range). I think for me its mainly the adrenaline(sp),but the sound,my nerves, and the eye focus play a majr part in it. I also find myself starving when I leave. Im not in the best shape(but that is changing) but I think alot of this will change with time! Great thread and great posts!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Manedwolf]

Does anyone else (especially new shooters) feel kinda crappy when they come back from the range? Like, headache, fatigued, just general malaise?

Am I doing something wrong? I've got great ear protection, but is the sound too much for me? Or am I just concentrating too hard?

Thanks in advance!!!

If it's an indoor range, how's the ventilation? If it's not good, gases from propellants if there's a lot of shooters can certainly give you a headache.

Especially if they're shooting Wolf or Chinese surplus.

Wolf might be cheap, but when someone's had that, (the older stuff, I guess), I swear that stuff is the devil's flatulence.

 

[springmom]

I have seen the light

Springmom,

Since you know drinking or eating anywhere near the range is tatamount to self poisoning are you still doing it or are you telling us that you wait until you've cleaned up and gotten a Coke from a clean source?

Actually, I'm trying very hard to wean myself off my diet coke addiction anyway. So I wait 'til I'm through shooting. Come summertime, I'll take bottles of water, capped and covered...that will be safe, too.

Springmom

 

[racenutz]

Can lead exposure cause headaches? The reason I ask is I don't usually feel any ill affects no matter how long I'm shooting but if anyone is shooting lead bullets I'll get the mother of all headaches.

 

[middy]

Only if I'm hungover to begin with...