Ow, Ow, Ow. (or, the boomstick broke my neck)

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Noxx

Noxx

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Went to the range yesterday. I've been a weekly range kinda guy for a long time, but I haven't been in over three months because I've been seduced by the evil temptress that is Golf, and that's been eating all my free time.

No more, I decided. I scheduled a good range day and took along a crony from work who is also an avid shooter and hasn't been able to make it in a long time because of a recent move. We loaded up my car thursday morning after work with all manner of firearms, enough ammo to cause the suspension in my Honda to complain, and headed up the canyon to my local (BCSP for you locals) for a long day of loud noises and guy stuff.

A good time was had by all. We shot my Sigs, the big wheelies, we tried out his new D.E. in .44 Mag (which won't cycle worth a damn and is getting returned). We sighted in my re-stocked SKS, which was a hoot, and in general cut a swath of destruction through the bowling pins. Then I introduced my friend to the magic that is the M44 carbine.

Now usually, the M44 is reserved for a few rounds of "Ha, I told you so" and everyone shoots it a few times and it gets put up again. Not so yesterday. For some reason, maybe because we hadn't been shooting in ages, or an alignment of the planets, or a secret plot by the marketers of surplus ammo, we found ourselves entirely too amused by the effect of the 54 Russian on bowling pins. So we shot it some more. One could say we shot it alot. In fact, we burned over a hundred rounds through the old beasty. A good time was had by all, and this morning I have a giant pile of guns to clean. Or so I thought.

See, I got up this morning, and I can't move my neck.

Well, I can, a little, but it's quite painful. I'm used to the M44 beating the hell out of shoulder. Maybe it's the time off letting the big muscles in the back of my neck go slack. Maybe I'm just getting older, I dunno, but when I turn my head every muscle in the back of my neck screams uncle. I know I didn't pop anything out, there's no shooting nerve pains or "snap crackle pop", but I have a definite urge to load up on Alleve and Robaxin and spend the day in bed.

I'm curious, anyone else ever over stress the heck out of their neck shooting a rifle? It's a new injury to me, and I'd like to not repeat it. I wonder if I'm just doing something wrong in anticipating the recoil on the M44.

Anyway, good times. I'm off to buy a lot of brake cleaner and some Eezox. :D
 
Did you just sleep wrong? I would be very surprised if the shooting caused such an injury.
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I think I did it correctly. I mean, I was unconscious about seven hours and I woke up in the same bed... I'm not really sure of the rules.

Joking aside, I don't think that's it. I had started having some pains before I crashed out, but they seemed like a minor annoyance at the time.
 
Never a neck problem.

I fired a very lightweight custom single-shot .375 H&H with a metal buttplate from a bench rest position once though. I took pain medication.
 
I'm sure that firing a powerful rifle to excess after not firing one at all for a while would do it to me.

Being afflicted with a perennial pinched nerve that does that to my neck from time to time may I suggest a rice bag for the pain? Put a cup or two of rice in a worn but not holey tube sock and secure the neck with a knot or a rubber band. Heat it in the microwave for 30-90 seconds depending on the amount of rice and the power of the microwave and apply to the sore muscles/joints until they feel better.
 
see the chiropractor. he'll help.
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Since this is a real medical problem, about the only thing a chiropractor would be able to help him with is if he wanted to pitch in cleaning the guns. :p

Seriously though, clean that M44 now! Just leaving it overnight, you might already notice the beginning of corrosion from that surplus ammo.
 
Noxx

While not quite the same, I once did an extended shooting session with my Mossberg Model 9200 shotgun. This is a gas operated semi-auto, so actual felt recoil is lessened somewhat by the action; still it probably wasn't too smart for me to run over 250 high brass shells through it at one range session. The next morning, my shoulder was sore, like it was mildly bruised, but there were no other lasting side effects. Learned my lesson; though with the price of ammo being what is these days, I doubt if I'll have anymore high round count shooting days anytime soon. And maybe you might want to consider getting some sort of recoil reducing shoulder pad, like the PAST system, to help with any future M44 outings.
 
I think I did it correctly. I mean, I was unconscious about seven hours and I woke up in the same bed... I'm not really sure of the rules.
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Lol , third keyboard this week .
 
I don't know about neck problems from an M44. A couple days ago I shot 85 rounds through my M44 pretty rapidly. Even though I cleaned the cosmoline out pretty well, there was boiling cosmoline coming out of the stock. The sound was pretty creepy, like my rifle was alive. I weigh 115 pounds and didn't notice any pain. All I had between the metal buttplate and my shoulder was a thin T-shirt. I think it's all about holding it correctly :)
 
I have pulled a muscle in my neck before, hurt like h*ll to do anything, couldn't even lie down, I had to sleep sitting up in a chair. Dont know how I pulled it, I just woke up one morning and it was there......maybe I broke the rules of sleeping aswell, or maybe it was just gremlins....

Hope you feel better, I know how bad it sucks.

good luck
 
Since this is a real medical problem, about the only thing a chiropractor would be able to help him with is if he wanted to pitch in cleaning the guns.

Seriously though, clean that M44 now! Just leaving it overnight, you might already notice the beginning of corrosion from that surplus ammo.
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Lol, I love going to my chiropractor because of the relaxation and stress relief.
 
Noxx, just a thought about your DE. I owned one in .44 caliber some years back. A good friend and much more competent shooter than I stovepiped every shot on the pistol. Every one. I never had a problem -- the only difference is that I grip a pistol like it's trying to get away, and he "limp wristed" to avoid the recoil. Depending on your thoughts on keeping the DE, you might want to see if concentrating on keeping the muzzle down corrects the problem. Or, you could just send it to me. I lost mine in a divorce -- sure miss it, but I can't afford the new prices! Good luck.
 
last trip to the range, i fired a .378 a couple of times and about 10 rounds off a really short barreled AR-10... next morning my shoulder hurts like a beast... since then ive got a clicking noise in my shoulder and it aches all the time...
 
Since this is a real medical problem, about the only thing a chiropractor would be able to help him with is if he wanted to pitch in cleaning the guns
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Don't kid yourself-physicians are some of the most body-ignorant people on the planet. For general aches and pains I'll take a knowledgeable chiropractor any day. While most of these maladies go away by themselves (unless you have chronic shooter's shoulder), a good chiropractor can help them go away far more quickly. I carried around an excruciating neck/shoulder pinched nerve for a month, then finally gave in and saw my chiro. 48 hrs. later I was pain free. Coincidence? Methinks not.
 
Follow up on the D.E.. It's not mine, it's my friends. As amusing as I think Eagles are, I'm not that far down on my list of guns to own "just because" to plunk $1400 on a giant automag.

We carefully followed all the advice on holding and firing the DE, and it ejected without problem, but on feeding it seemed as if one of the lugs on the face of the rotary was consistently failing to engage the new round, causing it to sit several degrees off center and slam itself into the side of the chamber.

I was however surprisingly pleased with his "baby eagle" .45, so much so that I might consider snapping one up if I find a good price. Nice little gun there.
 
I found out I can get a really good sight picture, essentially extending the sight radius to the entire length of the rifle, buttstock included, if I turn the rifle upside down and place my forehead in the curve of the buttplate and sort of "visualize the trajectory" directly from your brain to the target. This works especially well with the M44.
 
Do you work a lot at a computer screen? If you do, and sit incorrectly it will place a large strain on your neck vertebrae. Over a long period of time it will bulge the disks at those neck locations with strained muscles. The thing is you will not have any pain at all until ... one little or big shock comes along to displace them into a permanent situation requiring surgery to correct. I know two people with this issue. If the pain does not subside, see a doctor and get the MRI done to diagnose what's really wrong!
 
Might I recommend a recoil reduction pad be placed on the M44 for future fun. My neck is actually broken at the 2nd and 3rd vertebrae so I add one of these to all my rifles. PS this is the reason I had to sell my 44 and get a 91/30.
 
Blame the golf.
Golf is the willful and deliberate misuse of a perfectly good rifle range.
Stop with the silly golf, and shoot more.
 
The Cold War isn't over, and we have't won. Those bloody surplus M44s are testimony to this. I swear (literally) everytime I fire my buddy's carbine, and the Bolshevich boom stick nails me, I know it's all part of a giant Commie Plot.
:eek:
 
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