I'm 56 yrs old.
When I was a teenager (prob ages 14-17) my dad and I shot a lot of Trap. We shot year round, going out on Sunday mornings to a local club probably 45+ wks of the year - meaning we were committed and we loved it, virtually in any weather. Our standard Sunday we'd each shoot 4 rounds, so, 100 shells. On occasion my dad would declare himself "done" early and I'd shoot his last box in addition to my 4. He bought me a BT-99 and I loved it. Of the guns I own (most inherited from him) it is the gun that has the most sentimental value.
Due to life in general I fell away from trap shooting. I've been shooting a lot of pistol and rifle, but finding shotgun sports locally is difficult.
But when I have had occasion to shoot one of them (Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays or 5 Stand) it hurts my shoulder......A LOT! Over the last couple of years on an annual trip with good friends we do some shotgun shooting. And every time I walk away completely frustrated. I flinch horribly - I'm sure due to the utter pounding I'm taking and the pain I know I'll develop. I recently was on this trip and one day we shot a round of Sporting Clays. The last 20% I was just looking forward to it being over. The next morning I started a round of 5 Stand and I stopped before it was over. I just couldn't take it.
On the one hand I'm figuring age is a big factor between why I could so easily shoot 4 boxes each Sunday with no remembered pain at all, and now it is so difficult. But I'm figuring there are reasons that go beyond just simply "I'm getting older.". Clearly there are people who enjoy the shotgun sports well into later life.
Any ideas on what I should look into to make this more enjoyable? If pursuing just trap I know I could put a release trigger in my BT-99. But I'm figuring that will help only the flinching. At the end of the day I still have to address the pain I'm experiencing. I also know I could put in a recoil reducer. Do most heavy-use shotgun shooters use a reducer?
I'm wondering if upper body muscle mass is a component. I exercise a lot, but I don't lift weights. Maybe I need a bit more muscle up there? Any other ideas?
Thx for reading.
OR
When I was a teenager (prob ages 14-17) my dad and I shot a lot of Trap. We shot year round, going out on Sunday mornings to a local club probably 45+ wks of the year - meaning we were committed and we loved it, virtually in any weather. Our standard Sunday we'd each shoot 4 rounds, so, 100 shells. On occasion my dad would declare himself "done" early and I'd shoot his last box in addition to my 4. He bought me a BT-99 and I loved it. Of the guns I own (most inherited from him) it is the gun that has the most sentimental value.
Due to life in general I fell away from trap shooting. I've been shooting a lot of pistol and rifle, but finding shotgun sports locally is difficult.
But when I have had occasion to shoot one of them (Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays or 5 Stand) it hurts my shoulder......A LOT! Over the last couple of years on an annual trip with good friends we do some shotgun shooting. And every time I walk away completely frustrated. I flinch horribly - I'm sure due to the utter pounding I'm taking and the pain I know I'll develop. I recently was on this trip and one day we shot a round of Sporting Clays. The last 20% I was just looking forward to it being over. The next morning I started a round of 5 Stand and I stopped before it was over. I just couldn't take it.
On the one hand I'm figuring age is a big factor between why I could so easily shoot 4 boxes each Sunday with no remembered pain at all, and now it is so difficult. But I'm figuring there are reasons that go beyond just simply "I'm getting older.". Clearly there are people who enjoy the shotgun sports well into later life.
Any ideas on what I should look into to make this more enjoyable? If pursuing just trap I know I could put a release trigger in my BT-99. But I'm figuring that will help only the flinching. At the end of the day I still have to address the pain I'm experiencing. I also know I could put in a recoil reducer. Do most heavy-use shotgun shooters use a reducer?
I'm wondering if upper body muscle mass is a component. I exercise a lot, but I don't lift weights. Maybe I need a bit more muscle up there? Any other ideas?
Thx for reading.
OR
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