Tennis elbow from shooting?

[johnandersonoutdoors]

My girlfriend enjoys shooting and has so far used the Browning Buckmark a fair bit and also my M&P 9.

Yesterday we were at the range and she wanted to try the Smith and Wesson 642 (snub nose 38 spl). This was actually the second time she was going to try it. As we suspected (since it happened the first time too) she got some tennis elbow type pain after just a few shots.

I am guessing this is due to the weight of the trigger pull and not the recoil but cannot be sure. Either way she cannot shoot the snub nose very well. In order to pull the trigger she has to put a lot of finger on it. Has anyone experienced this issue?

 

[MtnCreek]

Could the pain possibly be caused from locking her elbow too hard?

 

[Schwing]

This can be caused by locking elbows or by resting your elbows on the bench while you shoot. I have seen comments in other places about people even getting it from reading too much while resting their elbows on a table.

 

[9mmepiphany]

You have different problems going on that aren't completely related.

The elbow pain is very likely from locking the elbow in an attempt to control recoil/muzzle flip. This is a bad idea in general and especially bad with a light gun like the 642. The weight of the trigger pull does not contribute to this.

The 642 isn't really a good choice for beginning shooters. The lack of leverage of the smaller action components makes developing correct trigger management skills very difficult. Using more finger on the trigger isn't the solution and usually causes lateral dispersion (not pulling trigger straight to the rear) and and vertical (squeezing other fingers of shooting hand) dispersion.

The best hardware cure is to get her a gun which offer more leverage in the action. If you want to stay with a snubbie, the Ruger LCR is a good choice. The best software cure is to get professional instruction from someone who understands how to control the small guns

 

[pintler]

FWIW: my wife shoots Bullseye Pistol. She had tennis elbow type pain severe enough she had to shoot left handed for a year.

She eventually changed her arm position. Imagine a line at right angles to your arm that bisects your tricep, goes through the bone, and bisects the bicep. When she was shooting, that line was close to horizontal. That means the muscle that raises your wrist is at extreme flexion near the elbow - try it and waggle your wrist up and down and watch the muscle on the top of your forearm next to the elbow.

She changed her position to the line through her triceps/biceps was vertical, i.e. her biceps was pointing straight up. That fixed it for her.

YMMV, of course. Her problems weren't from a single session, but were chronic from a heavy schedule of practice and matches, so this might be a very different thing, individuals vary, ...

 

[btg3]

Nix the 642 for now.
Verify proper grip for the Buckmark and M&P. (see youtube or get a coach).
NO LOCKED ELBOWS and NO BENCH REST !!!

Or just do whatever you want and deal with the consequences -- really, your choice.


BTW, I also have these 3 guns. Good shooting!

(pintler, I'm sure you know what you're talking about, but I am an engineer, have no idea, and think that I am in good company. Glad your wife was able to put the discomfort behind her.)

 

[2005 Vette]

I got tennis elbow from dry fire drills. I'm not sure what in my set up caused it. It's been over a year and it still flares up from time to time. I haven't shot due to the ammo shortage for almost that long. When I shoot again I'm going to try the bicep up tip. Nothing but rest seemed to help.