Shooting guns without all your fingers?

[HisDivineShadow]

I'm wondering if anyone here has less than the complete set of fingers and is a shooter? All your experiences are welcome though the most relevant are if you lack a thumb.

It's not for me I am asking but my newborn twin sons (identical) who have Holt Oram syndrome, which affects the development of the thumbs and heart.

Their right hands have socalled hypoplastic thumbs (smaller, less useful than a normal thumb), we don't yet know to which degree the surgeon can make them useful. But their left hands are worse and will probably require what is called pollicization surgery, where they turn the index finger into a thumb, so they will essentially have a four fingered left hand.

Aside from their hands the boys are normal and doing just fine. But I am wondering if you can learn to shoot rifles or pistols without a thumb, or with a hand that doesn't have all the fingers?

I'm asking here because it's a pretty big forum and it would be nice to know if there are others who have coped with and overcome such issues, either if you where born without digits or limbs or lost them some other way and still manage to shoot. I would like to know what I can do, if anything, for my boys so they can at least shoot a rifle now and then. Though it's not relevant for many years yet.

 

[TRX]

A lot would depend on the shape of the grip, but I don't think a short or missing thumb would prevent them from safely shooting a pistol, particularly if they use a modern two-handed grip.

Next time you go to the range, try changing your hold so as not to use your thumbs, and see what you think.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

The president of our deer lease was in an accident at a saw mill and lost all 4 fingers of his left hand. He does still have the thumb on it though. He can grip some things, but he is right handed so shooting wasn't effected too much.

He did have to buy an automatic shotgun, as he cannot grip the forearm well enough to pump a pump action gun. His bolt rifles are fine.

Handloading, he stays away from flat based bullets. We were sitting around the camp fire this past season talking about boat tailed bullets and I mentioned that I didn't really notice an accuracy difference but they were easier to load because they stayed put. He smiled and said, "You ought to try and load a flat based bullet with no fingers." I can imagine that would be difficult.

The thing is, he was in his 50s when the accident happened, so he had to change everything. He had to learn how to do things all over again.
At least with your sons it won't be something they have to re-learn. They will be starting from the ground up with their thumbs a certain way. I'm not a physical therapist or anything and I'm not trying to trivialize their situation at all. However, it would seem that since they're learning to function from the get go with the limitations, it will not be as noticeable for them. They didn't learn one way for years and years and have to re-learn it.
Heck you see stories of people who drive, paint and eat with their feet. We humans are good at adapting.

I bet they will surprise you at how adept they become in many different areas, not just shooting.

 

[uzimon]

Im there right now.
This happened Halloween
(beware of gore)
http://imgur.com/CoB5Xwb
I will prolly never regain full use of my trigger finger
Tried using my middle finger but havent healed enough to not experience pain. from the recoil. I dont have enough use to pull the trigger on my glocks but can on my 1911.
could be worse but atm life sux

 

[dogtown tom]

First, congratulations New Dad!

<----Adapted Physical Education Specialist (PE for students with gross motor delays or disabilities)

I have 150+ kids (K-12) on my caseload. While the majority are kids with autism or an intellectual disability, I do have quite a few with orthopedic impairments, including quadruple amputees.

As they get older I would hope you foster an environment that encourages "do it yourself". I have a number of parents who are still dressing middle schoolers "because its faster" rather than letting the kid do it themselves. Teaching independence is as important as any motor skill.

Motor skills don't develop without practice.
I continue to be amazed by one of my students with Spina Bifida who uses a wheelchair, yet can dribble a basketball "on the roll" faster than her able bodied peers can while running. I didn't teach her that....she learned that on her own.

For my kiddos who cannot properly grip a bat or racquet, I wrap the grip with Velcro (Special Ed uses a lot of Velcro!) and make a hand loop to keep their hand in proper alignment with the bat or racquet handle.

I have a student who has had both arms amputated just below the elbow, both legs just above the knee. Using both arms he can throw a football with a spiral, hold a tennis racquet (tucks the butt of the grip into his armpit and uses the other arm to swing), he plays soccer, can play the keyboards and plays drums with the sticks velcroed to his arms.

Emphasize what they can do, not what they can't.

There is a Youtube video out there of a guy shooting handguns with his feet.

 

[Walkalong]

There is a Youtube video out there of a guy shooting handguns with his feet.

He is amazing, and it demonstrates what can be accomplished with enough desire and practice.

I have a friend here who damaged his trigger finger badly with electricity (Blew out of the knuckle). He still has it, but it will not bend. He uses his hands for a living and has adapted to the point you would not notice it if you weren't paying close attention. He uses his bird finger for manipulating the trigger when shooting.

I knew a carpenter when I was young who had cut off his right thumb (He's right handed), and it was hardly noticeable when he was working.

People adapt, and as posted, they will learn it that way from scratch. I would think it would be somewhat easier that way.

 

[uzimon]

^^ thats my situation.
My doc is telling me if my pain continues I will need to have a rod inserted replacing my ruined knuckle (actually the damage is to my tendons) and I wont be able to bend my finger at all.
I guess my alternative is a lifetime of pain meds (which actually dosent sound like a bad deal)

 

[Sam Cade]

<----Adapted Physical Education Specialist (PE for students with gross motor delays or disabilities)

That is a long row to hoe my friend.

 

[Trent]

That is a long row to hoe my friend.

And quite a worthy cause to devote ones life to.

Definite respect.

 

[David E]

Merle Edington won the USPSA Nationals one year. He lacks 1/2 of his forefinger on his primary hand, so he pulls the trigger with his middle finger.

 

[dogtown tom]

Sam Cade ...That is a long row to hoe my friend.

I appreciate the compliment but don't deserve it. The classroom special education teachers are without a doubt deserving of such compliments.

For all the fun I have there are occasional days where you get bad news. I have quite a few students whose health or quality of life long term is not good. Today I found out one of my third graders is on life support after being put into a medically induced coma last week.

****UPDATE 1/17/14***
Thanks for the emails regarding my 3rd grade student. Yesterday her mother reported that she has awakened and seems rather angry that she has a tube up her nose. Although she may never be "out of the woods", she is definitely a fighter!

 

[Arkansas Paul]

^ I wouldn't have a liver left if I had to deal with that every day.

That's a calling, not a job.

 

[SHOOT1SAM]

To the OP:

Taking your Screen Name to heart, trust in His Divine Shadow.

What's already been stated here, cannot be stated any better.

Your boys are already a step ahead of the game, just having you for their father; let them do what they can & don't dwell on what they "can't".

Sam

 

[Ky Larry]

I have diabetic neuropathy in my right and and foot. I also had a stroke last March that affected my right side. I have fought back thru diet, exercise,and medication. Docs say I'll never have 100% use of my right thumb and pinkie finger. We'll see. Last Nov. I was still too weak in my right hand to work the slide on my Kimber. Now I can. Next range trip I'm taking the Model-29 and some warm loads. If I can hang on to that, I won't worry about gripping any of my other guns.

 

[zorro45]

your question

Congratulations new dad!
For what it is worth, there was a study done at Yale by a hand surgeon looking at surgeons who lost fingers from trauma or tumor. The short story is those who did not have very good disability insurance were back at work, operating, in an average time of about 2.5 weeks! Some of these were multiple digits lost. Those who were well-insured, guess what? They were a lot harder to rehabilitate.

 

[27hand]

HDS,
I believe with time, they will adapt.

I had a hand crush injury at age 60.
It lead to the eventual amputation of the pinky.
I can do a lot of things but many are difficult even after almost 4 years and 300+ PT sessions.



This was 10 days after surgery and the pins go to my wrist.


uzimon, They may pin the finger but for me, it was to make my useless ring finger into a grip shape. Doc thought it would be better than straight. just after amputation.


These pins are bent and go out to the first knuckle.


Shooting essentually is done by holding the grip with my middle finger and pulling the trigger with my pointer finger which is developing arthritis due to the hand trauma.

Before.


after although the ring finger has almost no strength and the bend of the last knuckle was forced for this pic.




The injury forced me into retirement ( retrain at 62?) and luckily ? i wasn't young enough to have to continue working.


HDS I hope everything goes as well as possible for your twins.

 

[jdooner]

I would bet that your boys will be very resourceful and will be able to do a lot more than you might be thinking at this time. Good luck to them. It sounds like they've got a good dad.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

I wish your twins good health! I concur with the others- it's amazing what kids can do, especially when the have the disadvantage from birth. Kids are sponges, learning at an amazing rate. Things that would be a real disability to a codger like me are often taken in stride by kids.

 

[HisDivineShadow]

Thanks for all the replies and well wishes!

I do believe that they should not be considered "handicapped", once their surgeries are done I hope they will be quite self-sufficient and not really require any aid or help for daily chores. From what I've read of the pollicization surgery it will be like living without a finger or similar and that is quite doable for a lot of people, the thumb could have as much as 70% of the range of movement as a normal one and that's pretty good.

It's good to know there are people who are coping and even doing well.

They are also still young and medical technology is making strides all the time, who is to say what will be possible when they are grown. I was looking at something called x-fingers which also looks promising I think, if they want a pinky later on.

 

[scythefwd]

There will be several issues that I could see coming into play.

Rifles, the more verticle the "pistol grip" is on the rifle, the more comfy it should be for shooting. I had a thumbhole stock that I didnt have to use the thumbhole and could fire it very comfortably using the vertical front of the buttstock and four fingers cupped around it.

Handguns.. I think it would depend on the grip. I use the fat pad over the bones that lead to my thumb for recoil management,etc... I dont think I could fire any of my centerfire handguns with thumbs running parallel to the bore (one on each side) as if the thumb is missing. I'm sure there are folks out there that have adapted.. but I'm not seeing how at this juncture.

Best of luck man..