Shooting and Getting Older
- Thread starter Phil DeGraves
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I'm surprised there has been no mention of recoil pads. I found that the older I got, the more recoil-averse I became. (Probably didn't help that I developed arthritis in my left shoulder, either.) I have some pads that I picked up at Cabela's that have a wrap-around velcro fastener. They are great additions to Garands and other .30-06 rifles. They are easy on, easy off, and quickly swap between rifles. (I also have some slip-ons, but "slip-on" is merely and advertising term - don't use them.)
M2 Carbine
member
I mentioned them in my post.
I have a (good) laser on several practice guns and all my defense guns, where available.
With practicing with the laser several evenings a week most of my laser shooting is as good or better than I do with iron sights.
For instance.
Daylight using iron sights.
Low light using Crimson Trace laser.
I'm 70 but still do fair with tri-focal eye glasses.
JohnBT
Member
"Yeah, at some point you're so old you can't do it anymore"
Bigger targets, shorter ranges and more realistic expectations.
My father quit shooting last January. He gave me all of his guns and moved with my mother to assisted living/nursing.
He was 85 last January, so I figure at 57 I've got a few years left before I'm forced to benefit from the wisdom of his experience.
Here it is anyway: Python with wadcutters. Good wadcutters; very accurate. Single action. A big Model 17 with a 2x scope. A Model 647 with an UltraDot. That's another long-barreled K-frame BTW, but it shoots .17 HMR. And shoot from a chair at the bench if you're having a bad day.
Oh yeah, and get a 28 ga. He already had .410.
Looks like I'm equipped for my golden years.
John
Bigger targets, shorter ranges and more realistic expectations.
My father quit shooting last January. He gave me all of his guns and moved with my mother to assisted living/nursing.
He was 85 last January, so I figure at 57 I've got a few years left before I'm forced to benefit from the wisdom of his experience.
Here it is anyway: Python with wadcutters. Good wadcutters; very accurate. Single action. A big Model 17 with a 2x scope. A Model 647 with an UltraDot. That's another long-barreled K-frame BTW, but it shoots .17 HMR. And shoot from a chair at the bench if you're having a bad day.
Oh yeah, and get a 28 ga.
He already had .410.Looks like I'm equipped for my golden years.
John
DWARREN123
Member
Exercise and a good diet help as much as anything unless the are other (medical) considerations.
nramember2
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- May 11, 2006
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- 127
All you need is a larger magazine. More shots improve your odds of hitting the paper.
sm
member
Remember:
Bribery, blackmail, lying, and cheating will outdo youth and skill any day of the week. -anon
This saying is available on hats, shirts, coffee mugs...etc.
Sage words , highly recommend by me.
"I did not miss, I hit the little pc of clay you did not see come off as it come out of the house"
I am younger, I did not see a chip...
"I do have that 28 ga your wife really really likes with me today"
You said you would not let my wife know you brought that gun out if I allowed that tiny chip you hit, and put down 24/25, and ...my wife is going to want one of them 28 ga guns....I am in so much trouble ...but you said!
"I'm over 50 and lied, deal with it!
"Oh, btw the your wife and I are going to pick up a 28 ga with your money tomorrow or the next, and...you are buying us lunch too.
I got more bad news, your wife handed me the keys to your truck when I handed her that 28 ga gun to shoot <dangle keys > so since you ain't going anywhere, make that 25/25 and go fetch me a Dr. Pepper and some of them cookies inside why don't you?"
Note, I accepted the 23/25, but the rest of the deal went down and his wife and I had a nice Mexican dinner and got her that 28 gauge...
the fact we had ordered it sometime earlier and it come in...didn't really need to come out at the range... *wink*
Dang husbands, never know what to get wives for anniversary and I am always bailing them out.
She wanted a 28 gauge and got one...hehehe...
He was stupid in thinking she had to wait until the anniversary.
Umm no.
Non gift day gifts are great.
Anniversary she received more shells and MEC 9000...to his surprise as well.
I come in handy sometimes....hehehe
Bribery, blackmail, lying, and cheating will outdo youth and skill any day of the week. -anon
This saying is available on hats, shirts, coffee mugs...etc.
Sage words , highly recommend by me.
"I did not miss, I hit the little pc of clay you did not see come off as it come out of the house"
I am younger, I did not see a chip...
"I do have that 28 ga your wife really really likes with me today"
You said you would not let my wife know you brought that gun out if I allowed that tiny chip you hit, and put down 24/25, and ...my wife is going to want one of them 28 ga guns....I am in so much trouble ...but you said!
"I'm over 50 and lied, deal with it!
"Oh, btw the your wife and I are going to pick up a 28 ga with your money tomorrow or the next, and...you are buying us lunch too.
I got more bad news, your wife handed me the keys to your truck when I handed her that 28 ga gun to shoot <dangle keys > so since you ain't going anywhere, make that 25/25 and go fetch me a Dr. Pepper and some of them cookies inside why don't you?"
Note, I accepted the 23/25, but the rest of the deal went down and his wife and I had a nice Mexican dinner and got her that 28 gauge...
the fact we had ordered it sometime earlier and it come in...didn't really need to come out at the range... *wink*
Dang husbands, never know what to get wives for anniversary and I am always bailing them out.
She wanted a 28 gauge and got one...hehehe...
He was stupid in thinking she had to wait until the anniversary.
Umm no.
Non gift day gifts are great.
Anniversary she received more shells and MEC 9000...to his surprise as well.
I come in handy sometimes....hehehe
bass806
Member
I noticed the change when I hit 40-only 2 years ago. What has helped me is shooting more .22 pistols and making the switch from .45 to 9mm and never looking back. I still love my .45's, but I shoot my 9's more often now. I also pre-medicate with Aleve before a range session. One device that I think has helped me with grip and conditioning is the Gripmaster. I started with the lowest spring set and worked up. It's easy to use when your watching TV or driving. I think bigger sights are in my future also.
http://dmmproducts.com/gripmaster/marksmanship.html
http://dmmproducts.com/gripmaster/marksmanship.html
gunfighter48
Member
My body's got way more mileage than it should for my age, 60. Some very hard miles in the last 60 years. Right now I still shoot 45's ok but a few years down the road I can see a switch to 9mm coming up. I put Novak Wide Notch Night Sights on my carry gun and it helped a lot. Wrists are getting worse by the year, knee's and back were shot a long time ago. I always knew I would get old but no one ever told me I'd get decrepit also!!!!!!
The Weasel Squeezer
member
I thought I would beat the failing eyesight with lasik surgery. It worked ok. Except that my dominant eye used to be the left, and I am a left handed shooter. Adapt. Innovate. Overcome.
So, I am training myself to shoot long guns right handed.
Easier than you might think.
So, I am training myself to shoot long guns right handed.
Easier than you might think.
At my age, I strap on my Depends, give a call to the metro-mobility service, and when they drop me off, I slip the range master an extra $20 to clear the lanes either side of me. When the tremors stop, I have my day care nurse disconnect me from the dialysis, turn off the hearing aids, and hand me my Pistole 660(a). As soon as I see her in the fetal position behind me, I grip with all of my fingers until I feel the recoil. She retrieves the weapon from somewhere behind me and I repeat until the magazine is empty. Then I go back to the home and talk to the t.v. until the next range trip.
Claude Clay
Member
when i was a lot younger my mom pampered me. now i depends on my wife to.
bi-focals mean i cant see near & i cant see far. thus red-dots were invented.
that or scopes on anything i needs to be accutate with. and practice a lot with carry pieces such that my physical memory system dont forget and i get out of the house & to the range a lot~2/3 times a week.
those light weight power packages, defender esp, get a lot less use....its for sale:low seriel #12XX & 3 mags & custom colt factory enhanced. other than the idiot mark it is close to 98% and functions flawlessly.
PACT makes strap-on recoil shields for use with mosins & 308's. i have 2: one i had a tailor cut the straps off of and sew inside a well used CCW vest. quite stylish.
bi-focals mean i cant see near & i cant see far. thus red-dots were invented.
that or scopes on anything i needs to be accutate with. and practice a lot with carry pieces such that my physical memory system dont forget and i get out of the house & to the range a lot~2/3 times a week.
those light weight power packages, defender esp, get a lot less use....its for sale:low seriel #12XX & 3 mags & custom colt factory enhanced. other than the idiot mark it is close to 98% and functions flawlessly.
PACT makes strap-on recoil shields for use with mosins & 308's. i have 2: one i had a tailor cut the straps off of and sew inside a well used CCW vest. quite stylish.
g.willikers
Member
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2007
- Messages
- 1,027
This is an excellent thread.
At the ranges I attend, the largest age group, on any given day, is near or over retirement age. There's plenty of us older folks still active.
For me, the eyes were the first to go. At the time my major interest was practical style pistol and shotgun and 3D archery. Switching from a compound bow, with hard to see sights, to a traditional recurve bow convinced me that sights were not important. They were merely serving as a reference to check form. Get the form right and the sights weren't actually all that necessary.
Works for the shotgun sports, yes?
It also works for pistols at surprisingly far distances. Get the form right and the sights really aren't all that necessary.
There's lots of instruction videos on the correct form for firearms, both pistol and rifle, info on what it is and how to get it (the form, that is).
Using the so called instinctive method took some practice to obtain, but greatly added to the fun, as learning new things can be. It has made a huge difference in allowing me to continue to enjoy the shooting sports.
And for self defense, it has to greatly help, especially in the dark.
For those using red dots or lasers, betcha' they've already helped you get the right form. It's kind of hard to get the little dot on target otherwise. Just for fun, try a few targets with the dot removed or the laser off. Might be quite an eye opener.
At the ranges I attend, the largest age group, on any given day, is near or over retirement age. There's plenty of us older folks still active.
For me, the eyes were the first to go. At the time my major interest was practical style pistol and shotgun and 3D archery. Switching from a compound bow, with hard to see sights, to a traditional recurve bow convinced me that sights were not important. They were merely serving as a reference to check form. Get the form right and the sights weren't actually all that necessary.
Works for the shotgun sports, yes?
It also works for pistols at surprisingly far distances. Get the form right and the sights really aren't all that necessary.
There's lots of instruction videos on the correct form for firearms, both pistol and rifle, info on what it is and how to get it (the form, that is).
Using the so called instinctive method took some practice to obtain, but greatly added to the fun, as learning new things can be. It has made a huge difference in allowing me to continue to enjoy the shooting sports.
And for self defense, it has to greatly help, especially in the dark.
For those using red dots or lasers, betcha' they've already helped you get the right form. It's kind of hard to get the little dot on target otherwise. Just for fun, try a few targets with the dot removed or the laser off. Might be quite an eye opener.
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
I wear aviator-shape tri-focals. What I found very helpful in pistol shooting, particularly for IPSC style, is an insert in the upper/inner corner of the lens of my master eye. It's the same correction as the middle portion of the tri-focal.
The sights are razor sharp, and there is only a slight blur of the target.
The sights are razor sharp, and there is only a slight blur of the target.
g.willikers
Member
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2007
- Messages
- 1,027
Cheaper and effective recoil pad to help keep those old thumpers out of the closet.
After nearly given up on rifles and shotguns, and experimenting with all kinds of ways to reduce recoil, here's what seems to work without spending a ton on fancy gear.
1. A really good and well fitted recoil pad made from one of the newer absorbing materials.
2. A thick shoulder pad either as part of a jacket or one of the strap ons, also made of good stuff.
3. Adding weight to the gun. In the right spot, the balance can be greatly improved, too. Holes in stocks, the front of mag wells or mag tubes are good places.
4. If there's still too much recoil to be comfortable, especially when sighting in off a bench rest, add some more absorbing material to the shoulder pad. A cheap source is computer keyboard wrist support pads. the ones made from a gel like substance, like bicycle seats. Cut it up, wrap it in cotton and add it to the shoulder pad. Or just use it to make your own pad from scratch.
None of this will cost much and it definitely works.
After nearly given up on rifles and shotguns, and experimenting with all kinds of ways to reduce recoil, here's what seems to work without spending a ton on fancy gear.
1. A really good and well fitted recoil pad made from one of the newer absorbing materials.
2. A thick shoulder pad either as part of a jacket or one of the strap ons, also made of good stuff.
3. Adding weight to the gun. In the right spot, the balance can be greatly improved, too. Holes in stocks, the front of mag wells or mag tubes are good places.
4. If there's still too much recoil to be comfortable, especially when sighting in off a bench rest, add some more absorbing material to the shoulder pad. A cheap source is computer keyboard wrist support pads. the ones made from a gel like substance, like bicycle seats. Cut it up, wrap it in cotton and add it to the shoulder pad. Or just use it to make your own pad from scratch.
None of this will cost much and it definitely works.
lee n. field
Member
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2002
- Messages
- 4,321
So far no trouble with the handguns. I've got a red dot sight that I'll be mounting on my GenericThreat rifle, real soon now, as soon as I get a mount for it.
It's all about adapting. I'm 61 and two years aago my vision was really getting bad I've worn bifocals for years and I managed but it was getting to the point very thing was blurry. Problem was cataract's. Well had the lens sucked out and plastic ones put in ubleivable. My sight today is 20/15 in each eye. Yes recoil is getting to hurt a little more (I shoot a lot of big bore handguns) so I shoot less at each outing. I do find myself shooting more 9 Para today than in the past. I laugh to myself at the range sometimes the young bucks strutting around and can't hit the bull in the but from 25 yards. One day I hand a young buck tell me I was really a good shot. He was a spray and pray type and I told him hitting where you aim comes with practice lots of it.
Here's something to think about you being old. My three favorite handguns are the 1911, Smith 1917 45 ACP and the Hi-Power old designs but I would bet my life using any of them. I'm not against new designs a lot of bells and whistles can help a person improve but it doesn't make a shooter. As I grow even older I'm quite sure the big bores will go but I guess I'll down size till I'm at where I started 22 LR. As a teenager I had a lot of fun with the 22 LR so I'll have fun in my elder years.
Getting old stinks but the option is? Dying young.
Have a good day.
Turk
Here's something to think about you being old. My three favorite handguns are the 1911, Smith 1917 45 ACP and the Hi-Power old designs but I would bet my life using any of them. I'm not against new designs a lot of bells and whistles can help a person improve but it doesn't make a shooter. As I grow even older I'm quite sure the big bores will go but I guess I'll down size till I'm at where I started 22 LR. As a teenager I had a lot of fun with the 22 LR so I'll have fun in my elder years.
Getting old stinks but the option is? Dying young.
Have a good day.
Turk
6inch
Member
At 59 I still shoot most everything. The difference is just not as much.
Ligher loads help with handguns but with the 44mags I have to use a wrist brace and find I still am limited to under 50 rounds.
The only rifles I can shoot comfortably for any length of time, and often do, are the .223/5.56's. Gota' love them M4's.
Oh yeah, I bought a 30-06 a couple months ago (deal too good to pass-up) that reminded me that my shoulder is no longer young. Ouch!
Ligher loads help with handguns but with the 44mags I have to use a wrist brace and find I still am limited to under 50 rounds.
The only rifles I can shoot comfortably for any length of time, and often do, are the .223/5.56's. Gota' love them M4's.
Oh yeah, I bought a 30-06 a couple months ago (deal too good to pass-up) that reminded me that my shoulder is no longer young. Ouch!
OH25shooter
Member
At 59 I find shooting in a booth boring. So, with crappy near vision (+250 tri-focal) I'm trying competition shooting. You'll find out real fast how you've slowed down and can't see the sights quick enough when you shoot with the twenty something group. Life has many pluses for the 50+ age group. Handgun shooting is not one of them.
jackstinson
Member
I primarily shoot .22 rimfire. Lots of Colibri's in the basement and .22LR bulk stuff outdoors.
I stick with 9mm, .380acp, and .32acp for centerfire semi-auto pistols.
But mostly, I just don't care any longer about who shot what score. I only shoot for my own enjoyment. The zen of plinking is more appealing than anything else to me now.
Jack
I stick with 9mm, .380acp, and .32acp for centerfire semi-auto pistols.
But mostly, I just don't care any longer about who shot what score. I only shoot for my own enjoyment. The zen of plinking is more appealing than anything else to me now.
Jack
Mike OTDP
Member
I know I'm just a kid at 44, but I'll put in a plug for a pair of dedicated shooting glasses, with the prescription set up for precisely the distance to the front sight. Most of the serious Olympic shooters use a setup like that...and all serious shooters would do well to do so.
FWIW, the U.S. International Muzzle-Loading Team has serious competitors who are over 70...so I figure that anyone under 60 is still getting warmed up.
FWIW, the U.S. International Muzzle-Loading Team has serious competitors who are over 70...so I figure that anyone under 60 is still getting warmed up.
jfh
Member.
At age 59, health issues rose up to bite me--two different cancers in ten months; the chemotherapy following the second one was as bad an experience as the lobectomy (the second cancer). Depression followed. I sat inside a lot, and lost even more (muscle) tone.
It's not a good way to live.
Then, I started shooting again last spring, three years later. got going with j-frames, lightweights and steel, and I needed to learn to shoot them well. That lead to conditioning, etc., etc.
The reloading has aggravated the sore shoulder, but the arthritis is largely minimal--so far.
But it's the eyes: as others have posted above, lasers and red dots are an incredible help for aging eyes.
Personally I also have used progressive lenses (bifocals) and had them tweaked for shooting ever since I started needing them twenty years ago. Now, with "pre-cataract" issues showing up, those don't fix things anymore.
Shoot anyway, as long as you are safe.
Jim H.
It's not a good way to live.
Then, I started shooting again last spring, three years later. got going with j-frames, lightweights and steel, and I needed to learn to shoot them well. That lead to conditioning, etc., etc.
The reloading has aggravated the sore shoulder, but the arthritis is largely minimal--so far.
But it's the eyes: as others have posted above, lasers and red dots are an incredible help for aging eyes.
Personally I also have used progressive lenses (bifocals) and had them tweaked for shooting ever since I started needing them twenty years ago. Now, with "pre-cataract" issues showing up, those don't fix things anymore.
Shoot anyway, as long as you are safe.
Jim H.
Sharps-shooter
Member
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- Nov 7, 2006
- Messages
- 488
I take bilberry extract to help with my eyesight. I also do some visual exercises which have helped immensely over the years. And just spending time looking through the sights, getting my eyes used to focusing on them, practicing sight picture. I think it's more important to me than it used to be.
Practicing with different ways of holding a gun can help too. What worked 10 years ago might not be the best thing now. For big game rounds, I've started using a shooting stick. It took some getting used to, but eventually did improve my shots.
Right now I'm a better shooter than I have ever been, even though my eyesight is not the best ever.
Practicing with different ways of holding a gun can help too. What worked 10 years ago might not be the best thing now. For big game rounds, I've started using a shooting stick. It took some getting used to, but eventually did improve my shots.
Right now I'm a better shooter than I have ever been, even though my eyesight is not the best ever.
Randy in Arizona
Member
Celebrex really helps with the arthritis pain.
Constant misery to no pain 90% of the time.
Sound suppressors really help with the recoil.
300 Winchester Magnum that now kicks like a 243.
Worried about old brittle bones? Know that if you fall you are gonna break something.
Take bone meal tablets daily, helps keep bones flexible.
Eyesight problems?
Have a long talk with your eye doctor, or if they won't listen get a new one.
Mine prescribed a special right eye lens for my shooting glasses with the center of the lens offset to the upper left of the frame for rifle shooting.
It took two tries to get the glasses made correctly, but they work fine.
If you live near Tucson, PM me and I will tell you who I go to for glasses.
Constant misery to no pain 90% of the time.
Sound suppressors really help with the recoil.
300 Winchester Magnum that now kicks like a 243.
Worried about old brittle bones? Know that if you fall you are gonna break something.
Take bone meal tablets daily, helps keep bones flexible.
Eyesight problems?
Have a long talk with your eye doctor, or if they won't listen get a new one.
Mine prescribed a special right eye lens for my shooting glasses with the center of the lens offset to the upper left of the frame for rifle shooting.
It took two tries to get the glasses made correctly, but they work fine.
If you live near Tucson, PM me and I will tell you who I go to for glasses.
doubleh
Member
All you kids in your 40's to 60's ain't seen nothin yet. I was blessed with excellent eyesight but had to get reading glasses in my early 50's. Progressed over the years to trifocal. Hated those thing, looked like a chicken bobbing my head up and down trying to get things in focus. If I had to go down stairs I just took them off so I could see where the steps were. Couldn't shoot a pistol, if the sights were in focus I couldn't see the target or vise-versa. Finally tried progressive bifocals. Now I can shoot iron sights, rifle or pistol, again.
Now that the vision thing is kinda fixed, add in artheritis in both shoulders and my right hand. If that isn't enough I've developed intension tremors in my hands. Doctor's pills didn't work, still shook some and felt like I might fall over all the time. I quit caffein, decaf coffee and cokes now, which seems to help. Also take a folic acid pill every day. I still have a slight, steady shake when holding a pistol or rifle offhand.
But I'm not going to quit shooting. As long as I can get to the range or caliche pit I'll keep on. Missed quail season this year due to a pulled muscle in my hip but I'll be out there next fall.
Now that the vision thing is kinda fixed, add in artheritis in both shoulders and my right hand. If that isn't enough I've developed intension tremors in my hands. Doctor's pills didn't work, still shook some and felt like I might fall over all the time. I quit caffein, decaf coffee and cokes now, which seems to help. Also take a folic acid pill every day. I still have a slight, steady shake when holding a pistol or rifle offhand.
But I'm not going to quit shooting. As long as I can get to the range or caliche pit I'll keep on. Missed quail season this year due to a pulled muscle in my hip but I'll be out there next fall.
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