Practicing after shoulder surgery

[Pizzapinochle]

I am about to have shoulder surgery on my right arm. Means a sling for at least a month, but i want to keep shooting. This means i get to improve my weak hand skills.

Problem is, i am not that experienced a shooter, so even strong hand i am just getting started, so i am looking for some advice on best ideas for practicing.

What do i need to do to improve my overall technique that i can practice weak handed and it will translate to strong hand?

Thoughts on revolver vs. semi auto?

Caliber: shooting weak hand, will it be a greater benefit to shoot .22 or one of my centerfire calibers? My thought was that i will probably be focusing more on sighting skills, so .22 will work as well as my .38 or 9mm.

Any other advice for shooting when temporarily one armed?

 

[9mmepiphany]

You may be pleasantly surprised. Many folks who don't shoot much weak hand will shoot better because that pay more attention to correct technique.

I'd start with a .22lr so that you will be less likely to develop an anticipation flinch or to over grip to compensate for the change in hands.

Work on slow fire by letting the gun sit in your hand (with the bore aligned with your wrist/forearm), see the aligned sights and slowly press the trigger straight to the rear until it goes off. When you get the trigger press managed, add a bit of pressure to the grip to manage recoil a bit more

 

[scaatylobo]

Shoulder replaced last march

I was surprised at how much I could use the new shoulder,and I was rifle shooting about 3 months later.

I firmly believe that a revolver is THE way to go for total weak hand shooting as there is NO chance to weak wrist a pistol and lose the use of it with a jammed round and no way to clear it FAST.

I lost use of my right hand due to an arraest that went sour,had to work light duty in uniform and did so with left hand draw and a snub that I practiced with for about 200 rounds.

Good luck,I am doing well and NO pain = YES !!!!.

 

[Pizzapinochle]

Sounds like good advice. I've got an old 9 shot 22 revolver i will be practicing with. Reloading one handed will be tough, but i'll figure it out.

Scaatylobo, i hope i have similar results. I have heard good things about this shoulder surgery, so hoping i will just be out of commission for a few months.

 

[scaatylobo]

Compared to

The shoulder REPLACEMENT was a cake walk compared to the 2 knee replacements that I had done.

First knee was 2007

Second was 2011.

Shoulder was march 2013 and I was in on wed. and home at kitchen drinking a coffee by 2 PM thur.

 

[GRIZ22]

I would ask my doctor even if you're going to shoot weak hand.

 

[Rexster]

I will echo 9mmepiphany's recommendations.

Be very careful to not develop any bad habits with your new-strong hand! This is your opportunity to get it right, with a fairly clean slate.

I may not be the best source for specifics, because I started fairly ambidextrous, with my left hand being naturally more skilled with fine motor skills, and my right hand/arm being better with larger tasks involving gross motor skills. It is, therefore, difficult for me to envision a "weak" hand, though my hands are not equally-skilled at anything; just about any skill is better performed with one or the other.

That being said, a DA revolver with a smooth trigger stroke may be my best, or at least preferred, ambi-weapon. If reloading one-handed under fire, however, I would strongly prefer an auto. There is NOTHING fast about reloading a revolver one-handed. Actually, if there is ever a situation that indicates a second gun is a good idea, it would be while one arm and/or hand is down, to hopefully eliminate the need to reload.

I have given this much thought, recently, because my right shoulder is in quite sad shape, and getting worse, and I have long struggled to keep carpal tunnel syndrome under control, using non-invasive measures. With arthritis now manifesting itself in my right wrist and thumb, I may be switching "primary" to the left side, preemptively.

 

[earplug]

Revolver?

I shoot a revo and the manual of arms for a left hand shooter is difficult. the cylinder release is hard the reach, then its takes two hands to reload. with some fumbling.
A pistol can do a holstered reload and many are set up for left or right hand shooting.
Practice with your current weapon and relax.

 

[340PD]

I am a RSO and two years ago had both rotator cuffs repaired during the same year. How fast you can return will depend on the type of surgery you need. Ask your doctor about any lifting with either hand after surgery. Don't be surprised if it takes six months to get your strength back to comfortable levels. DO all your PT. I still do mine two years later while watching TV.

The good news, I am near 70 and after 55 years away from archery, last summer I bought a bow to shoot with my grandsons. Nothing too heavy, but currently set at 52# and I can shoot it all day with no discomfort.

 

[mugsie]

Be careful, especially if you shoot rifle.

A number of years ago, I destroyed my shoulder to the point of removing some bone fragments and placing six anchors in it to hold things together. It took almost a year before I was comfortable placing a rifle against it and pulling the trigger. It takes time to heal. Let your body recover and don't push it too hard. It will be quicker in the long run than if you force it too soon.

Good luck with your surgery.

 

[Pizzapinochle]

I will echo 9mmepiphany's recommendations.

Be very careful to not develop any bad habits with your new-strong hand! This is your opportunity to get it right, with a fairly clean slate.
.

Hoping i can do this, i'll need to spend some of the immediate post surgery weeks reading and watching vids, since i don't necessarily know great habits vs. vs. habits. Any highly recommended youtube channels or other online material for pistol shooting?

My surgery is for multiple partial tears in the rotator cuff, nothing TOO serious as shoulders go (nothing like what it sounds like you went through, mugsie) and i am an athlete with strong range of motion in my shoulder. One of my teammates had the same surgery and is back to playing less than six months out, so hopefully i will not be out of action for too long. But, i definitely won't be shooting shotguns or rifles for awhile.

 

[mugsie]

Good luck to you Pizza, make sure you follow the rehab procedures, push yourself a little each day, and it the pain increases, back off some. You'll heal quicker.
Let us know how you do.

 

[Onward Allusion]

Pizza,

You posted this in ST&T, so I am guessing you are wanting to make sure that you are able to handle a firearm in a defensive situation?

Stick with a revolver if you have one hand/arm regardless of strong or weak hand. If you have a FTFire, you simply pull the trigger again. Yes, I know a semi can be racked one handed but odds are it ain't happening in a SD situation. Think about this . . . old school LEO's (at least the ones I knew) usually had a revolver as a backup.

In a one hand situation, you will need to focus on your trigger control first and your aim second because bad trigger control will kill your aim. Doubly true with heavy revolver triggers.