Tips & tricks for older & medically challanged

[bullseye308]

Yikes man. Sorry for your troubles. I hope you have folks that can help you out getting some trigger time now and then....

I have 2 older kids that live close by but don’t have much time for the old man anymore. Still have 2 at home and one of them loves to shoot and is a great help so it’s usually the two of us if his homework is done. I’m finding out ways to make it work and sometimes that means I have to get creative and build stuff. I used to do that a lot and missed it, so that’s a good thing.

 

[RON in PA]

For those with hand strength problems revolvers are an excellent alternative.

 

[243winxb]

The shooting benches are 50+ yards from the parking lot. This helps me.

Taking targets to 100 yards is a slow process. Forget 300 yards.

 

[Oldschool shooter]

I have an issue with my left hand that makes the slides on some of my pistols difficult to rack. I can grip the slide, but not always able to pull it back. What works for me is to grab the slide with the weak left hand and pushing forward on the grip frame to rack the gun, always with the muzzle in a safe direction.

 

[JDeere]

I'm getting older and have some medical issues but I have found a little exercise has gone a long way to help out. Working with my hands on certain projects keeps my hand strength up. I am at the range at least once a week. I'm not giving up my beloved .357s and 44s. I make it a point to walk as much as possible and if I get winded take a break. I park way out in a parking lot so I have to walk farther to get where I'm going. My distances are getting longer. I refuse to sit around and get old and wither away. Yes I know there are some things that forbid folks from doing certain things. But there are other things to take there place.

 

[eyeshot]

I've been in therapy since August of 2020 due to a motorcycle accident. I felt great at 65 but not so much at 66. It doesn't take much to take the wind out of your sails.

I was able to rack the slide on my Beretta PX4 today. Yea! My hands are finally responding to therapy (3rd PT company) after a year+.

Good advise above on exercise. Do what you can do and mechanize the rest. Keeping after it is where you'll find the results. Both physical and mental.

 

[22250Rem]

This thread reminded me of the older guy I once worked with who transitioned over to revolvers when auto pistol slides became an issue due to hand problems. He wound up as a real wheelgun fan who wished he'd started on revolvers sooner.

 

[hso]

My left hand is weak most of the time and it makes it hard to work a pistol slide.

Have you tried changing the way you rack the slide to pushing the grip instead of pulling the slide? Once I started training people to shoot I found that the old "yank the slide back" method just didn't work for everyone. Being a safety professional I looked at it as an ergonomics problem and found almost everyone could lock their hand over the slide for more purchase and push the grip forward under the slide effectively.

Start at 2:30 and note the off hand over the top of the slide grip giving more contact with the slide and that the gun is close to the chest using more than just arm muscles to move the grip forward and slide back.


Those folks with a weak "weak hand" could swap hands and push the pistol with the weak and after getting a grip on the slide with the strong hand.
For those folks that couldn't do that they added the grip enhancements.
One switched to the EZ 9mm.

Hope that helps.

​

 

[Craig_AR]

Have you tried changing the way you rack the slide to pushing the grip instead of pulling the slide? Once I started training people to shoot I found that the old "yank the slide back" method just didn't work for everyone.

I have noted several articles on teaching women to shoot that advised this method.

 

[Tirod]

I've found at 68 that trekking all day "still hunting" and humping a lot of gear isn't going to work any more. And hauling in that much gear in a noisy "beach" cart won't work either on opening morning. I'm going to have to really get minimalist with gear, lunch etc or do what I should have all along, hike in the day before and set up the blind, etc. for a specific spot - and don't spend all day wandering.

Its not like I haven't hunted there over 40 years.

MDC states no more than 10 round ammo in the rifle, ok, I really don't need the spare mag. Or the pistol and spare mag. Or the floor canvas, camo net, umbrella shelter, drag sheet, rope, etc in a day pack other than lunch and 1st Aid. I observe a lot of hunters and even remember "in the day" it was a fragment of topo map, compass, and the sun - when you can see it. Not a GPS. Phone, ya. We tend to accumulate a lot of stuff, yet most of it really is a single use item - that one time 8 years ago when it would have been nice but we didn't have it. Still got by, tho, and still haven't used "it" yet.

TP, yes, game bag? No. It's getting processed at a meat cutter, it will be fine. Ad infinitum. A walking stick I would take hiking, my firearm is in both hands no sling so nope.

A lot of the fancy gear and sightseeing have to stop. As I too had Covid and pnuemonia two months back I'm thinking it's going to be a matter of take it as it comes and don't force things to meet some unrealistic expectation from yesteryear.

 

[lightman]

I seem to still have my upper body strength, although I can't bench 300+ pounds anymore! But my hands and arms still work ok. I can still rack a slide and can still do case prep by hand.

My problem is walking and balance. Stooping, bending over, walking on uneven terrain are all a challenge. When bending over for an object I will nudge it over near to a wall or door so I have something to hang on to. I have converted most of the ladders on my Deer Stands to stairs with hand rails. And I have converted several of them from 10ft to the floor to 4ft to the floor. I also ride my Polaris right up to the stand and park it there. It may spook a few Deer but most don't seem bothered by it. I would much prefer to park a few hundred yards away and walk but..........

At home I have installed hand rails in the shower and put a few heavy duty drawer pulls around the doors that I use the most. I've even installed some handholds in my Deer stands.

 

[nofendertom]

When you park that Polaris do you throw some camo net over it ?