Aging Hands And Handguns

[BobK]

This is a spinoff of another thread that someone suggested I start. Maybe it's been discussed before. Maybe not.

My statement was that I have observed many "older" guys who have been forced to or who have chosen to carry/shoot a caliber of lesser recoil due to aging hands, arthritis, lack of hand strength etc.

Many of them have gone from 40/45 back to 9MM/38. Is this you? Why?

I'm in my mid forties and can feel the arthritis in my hands coming on. Usually after a long day at work. However it doesn't bother me when I shoot so I'm not ready to go down in caliber. I really hope I don't have to. I own all 45 ACP and one 38.

Regards.

 

[ribbonstone]

Not yet....but haven't got out of my 50's yet...expect it to happen down the road a bit.

Father was still active and had all his senses when he was in his early 80's (that changed in his late 80's). He had to move downward in power...and gave up his semi-autos in favor of revolvers. K-frame still fit his grip, so the basic 38specail mod. 15 got the call.

For other reasons, he like the 32-20...picked up a nice old S&W and he seemed to prefer that to the .38special.

 

[cochise]

I'm 58, and yes Iam haivng trouble. I shoot mostly .45acp still hanging in. But I don't shoot as good as I used to.

My eyes and arithitris are taking their toll. But, stranglely, I do better than than the younger guys at the range. So maybe there is hope.

 

[BobK]

Good point about the eyes. Mine are getting worse also. I can see it now. When we get old we'll have hicap 9mm's with laser sights!

 

[PinnedAndRecessed]

Aging Hands And Hanguns

Well, I guess it might get difficult to put the noose over the criminal's neck if you've got severe arthritis, but pulling the lever wouldn't be that bad.

Wait. You don't mean.....you have to tie the noose, too? That could get painful.





Seriously, I suffer from tendonitis. I use hand/wrist supports.
For shooting, I use a wrist wrap that immobilizes the thumb. That, coupled with sport's tape, helps keep the inflammation down.

BTW, I'm 54 years old.

 

[18DAI]

I have more 45's than anything else ,but I have two 9mm's and a dozen or so 357/38's. I can't afford to shoot the 45's as much as I want to! Like you fella's ,I just turned 45 ,and I can feel it in my hand after a 200 round session. My eyes are not what they used to be either ,I'm looking at CTG grips as well as shooting lighter recoiling weapons. I like to shoot the 357's (loaded with 38's) when I'm on my own time. At work we have HK USPF's ,the recoil system on those really does work. 200 rounds of 40 or 45 through a USP really is easier on my old parts ,than a session with my Kimber or Combat Elite. Although I still grin bigger after shooting the Combat Elite! YMMV Regards 18DAI.

 

[Bill Johnson]

I'm only 44 and i was paralyzed back in 1993,i can walk and have more mobility than i used to,still i can't shoot the heavy stuff either unless i'm willing to take a lot of pain and i'm not as strong as many on here. Mostly 38's and 9mm,past that its pushing it.....but in 1993 i couldn't shoot anything,with even a 22 and 0% mobility in my neck and shoulders,i didn't even know if i could ever shoot again. 45's are neat,i never had one,by the time i thought about it,its a bit late for me. Still the fun thing about target shooting isn't what i shoot,its about hitting.....else it would be target Missing.....Even so,we're blessed in this country,in the others most would take even a 22 short such as in England and Canada and Australia,just to have something. You all have a lot more than a 22 short.

 

[res1b3uq]

Oh, Oh

I recently got rid of my 9mm pistols, only have .45's, and now you bring this up. I am 68. I do not, however, do the long shooting sessions others seem to.(Not even with my .22 rifles.) I do go to the range once or twice a week to try to keep what little accuracy I have up. I also have gotten into pellet guns, and I enjoy shooting them at (and in) the house.

 

[gb_in_ga]

Me? Nope, but then again I'm only 49. While I usually shoot 9mm, it isn't because I can't handle the bigger stuff -- it is because 9mm is cheaper to practice with. I also regularly shoot full strength .357 Mag, it doesn't bother me at all.

My wife, also 49, who has rheumatoid arthritis? Well, she isn't so much scaling back as starting easy and staying there. She shoots .22 from our S&W 422 and .38 Spl from her S&W K frame and that's it. She can't rack any autoloader slides (other than our S&W 422) because of lack of grip strength, and she isn't able to control much in the way of recoil -- again, because of lack of grip strength.

 

[mjrodney]

Aging Hands and Handguns

My bride is entering her 8th decade, and she too exhibits the aches and pains that come with age. Her favorite handgun is a Ruger SP101, .357, 3" barrel.

To accomodate her need for reduced recoil at the range, I have begun to reload my own.

She has been shooting .38 special reloads that are very mild.

They still put holes in paper, though.

For defense at home, +p's rule, but at the range, mild handloads are the cartridge of choice for her.

 

[MADISON]

Aging hands

I'm 67, with a little bit of a hand problem but, can/have shoot anything through a .44 Magnum. I don't think it makes any difference what caliber you practice with. When a "Shoot!" situation should arive, it will not make any difference what caliber or how much recoil. Your problem will be "GETTING THE PERSON OFF OF YOU.

 

[JR47]

I'm nearly 59, and still have no problems, even with .44 Magnum. That said, I know of several shooters, some younger than me, that are having problems. Some is due to injuries sustained to their hands and wrists in accidents, others are beginning carpal tunnel syndrome, and there is a 24 year old with arthritis that has crippled him in his dominant hand.

Going down in caliber for these conditions is no sign of weakness, only of intelligence.

The revolver is a good idea, as arthritis, or injury, can make racking a slide just as difficult as the shooting.

You just have to be a little more deliberate as to where you hit them. Besides, most people who get shot aren't really interested in whether they were shot in the heart with a .22 Short, or a .500 S&W. There are no degrees of dead.

 

[SOG/MACV]

Aging and handgun

For the most part, I agree with JR. I still use 45's but the wife shoots the 38+p. I had the springs in her snubby changed out to accommodate her arthiritis. I think that the major issue for many of us baby boomers is the change in our vision. I have a neighbor who is 65 that still hunts with his 338 Lapua.

 

[BlueTrain]

I will be 60 in a couple of months and I appreciate what the issue is. I have pretty much given up shooting (but not buying guns!) but really for other reasons. My hands are still as strong as they ever were, which isn't saying much.

I recall an article by John Taffin who said he had to cut back on his shooting because of medical problems caused by a lot of shooting of heavy caliber handguns. I have said before that shooting too much is counterproductive and this is yet another reason. If you want to shoot thousands of rounds a year, use a .22 rimfire--or a machine gun. Besides, it is expensive. Is everyone here richer than I am?

 

[Art Eatman]

I'm 72, come July. When the arthritis in my left shoulder acts up, it hurts to rack the slide on a 1911. Trying to retrain old reflexes of some 60 years ain't easy!

So far, though, no problems with recoil.

Helluva note, if I had to tell a Bad Guy to wait until the Aspirin kicks in.

Art

 

[capnrik]

My hands aren't what they used to be..

When I was fishing every day, hands and upper body hurt all the time from arguing with the boat offshore in the Gulf, but they were strong enough.

Now, 53 years old and spending too much time at a desk, the hands still hurt, but the strength ain't like it used to be. But it's my eyes that are pitiful.

My pistol shooting depends on me wearing my reading glasses so that I can focus on the front sight.

(Sigh.)

 

[AirForceShooter]

I'm 60.
The hands are doing ok. .45, .357,.44mag all are fine.
For me it's the eyes that are going.

AFS

 

[OJ]

My 80th birthday is August 12th and i would be lying if I didn't admit to feeling changes. However, I do put 50 to 100 rounds per week through this beauty - Colt's MKIV/Series 70 Government Model 45 ACP (1970 production).

My eyes are as good as ever but the gun manufacturers don't make those sharp edged sights they did 50 years ago. This is my answer to that.

 

[dairycreek]

I'm 69 and counting and, yes, the pangs of arthritis are sometimes aglow in my hands. My doctor, a shooter herself by the way, suggests that I use hand exercisers when I watch T.V. and I do. I use the hand squeezers that have rubber based resistance (they are not so doggone tough to squeeze) as opposed to the spring kind. They really do help a lot! I will do a couple of hundred reps and then rest. The warm glow comes into my hands and the arthritis is much less felt. Works for me. Give it a try. I used to think I was so uncoordinated that I would not walk and chew gum at the same time. But, you can do absolutely anything watching T.V.

 

[P-990]

Wow!! Reading you guys all makes me glad I try to limit my exposure to the bigguns while shooting already! I don't know if I can afford to have reduced strength in 40-60 years, as I'm weak enough already!

My grandfather had to get rid of a .40 S&W Hi-Power a couple of years ago because the arthritis hurt him too much to rack the slide. He also no longer hunts as far as he used to, when he gets out that is. Recently he put a bench up the mountain from our camp, a short ways up. Last time he and I shot handguns, I had to help him load and unload his Single-Six.