Got Up This Morning....

[Char-Gar]

and joined the Beloved Redhead for hot coffee as usual. My left hand (I am left handed) hurt so bad I had to transfer the coffee to my right hand to drink it. The pain was worse than usual, as this stuff, while always there does come and go. The pain really limits what I can and cannot do with that hand.

I thought about all the younger shooters heading out to shoot their big bore, big recoil handguns and wondered if they really knew a few decades later there would be consequences. I wonder..if they know.

[bbailey7821]

I hear ya, Bud! Right shoulder and elbow giving me fits after a workout on the 500 SW Encore over the weekend. Getting old sucks!

[LynC2]

All of the stupid things one does while we are young seem to come back to haunt us physically when old age sets in, at least for those of us that survived that period. [smilie=s:

[44man]

Me too, I wake up sometimes with my right hand swollen but it is not from shooting. It goes away after a while. It is how I sleep.
It starts at the shoulder with blood cut off so hands go dead. It wakes me up a lot so I move my arms.
Carol has the same problems and she does not shoot.

[Walter Laich]

the young ones, like us back then, think they will live forever. When they get to our age they will be asking the same things that we do.
Life is like that

[mart]

I just consider all those aches and pains as joyous reminders of all the fun I had in my younger days.

[lobowolf761]

I know how it feels also. Getting old is a bugger. New aches and pains everyday. You know it's bad when I have to go out and shoot a box of full bore rounds out of my 45-110 Quigley Sharps just to tenderize and loosen up a sore and stiff right shoulder. Dang old age and bursitis.

[bedbugbilly]

Char-Gar . . . I feel for you! On days like that . . . well . . . it's time to get that second cup of coffee and say . . "Tomorrow will be better". The "alternative" isn't too inviting so I guess we just have to be happy for the blessings we have. Every morning I sit and start my day with my "redhead" . . . have a coffee or maybe two . . . best part of the day.

I guess we all thought we were "invincible" when we were younger . . . but I have no regrets . . . . just wish "getting old" didn't have so many problems associated with it but hey . . it's all we have left! So enjoy each day to the fullest . . aches, pains and all and treasure those moments of having coffee with the one you love!

[dondiego]

What? I just bought a 45-70 barrel for my Contender. Will that hurt? Duh! My 27 year old son will love it!

I have all of the aches in my knees and shoulders from my football days and the separated shoulders.

[Scharfschuetze]

I can empathize with you Char and all you other guys posting.

Having carried a handgun for over 4 decades in two careers, my right wrist is pretty beat up, but it's a small price to pay for still being able to post!

Not only do we have to suffer some joint damage from shooting, don't forget the Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and in some rare cases detached retinas for some from shooting the really big rifles.

The repetitive motion of casting and the reloading press probably doesn't help us much either.

Oh well... As a hobby, it's a damn sight better than sitting around getting old watching stupid shows on TV; so I think I'll just keep on casting, loading and shooting.

[44man]

I can't blame anything on what I did for fun. Most was from work. I loved recoil but was never hurt. i still love big revolvers and I am near 78. Work made my knees bad and my shoulders. I have never been able to blame shooting. I would not admit that anyway.

[Big Boomer]

Yeah, my old body parts hurt all the time any more. At 75 + its to be expected I suppose. But while my right hand hurts nearly all the time, and I can't sleep on my left shoulder at all now, I can still remember having an audience I did not know I had shooting my Hamilton Bowen 5-shot .45 Colt. I would wear ear plugs AND muffs and could not hear anything except the revolver go off. Then I would find others guys had showed up and were observing with fingers in their ears. That was at the NEKF&G near Ashland, Ky. Everybody in hearing distance knew who it was that was lighting off those hefty rounds. Sometimes when they saw me arrive they would ask if I was going to shoot the big boomer. Used a LBT 340 gr. gas check WLN (Wide Long Nose) boolit I cast over 24 grains of H110 at 1400 fps. I still have targets with one-hole groups less than 1" at 25 yds. for five shots and 4" 100 yd. groups for five shots all with open sights. The 100 yd. bullseye was a 1' black square on large poster paper. But that was almost 20 years ago. Probably could not do it under any circumstances now because I can't hold still. Some shooters around here who aren't very good think I'm the best shot with a handgun they ever saw and not too shabby with a rifle. If those younger guys follow our steps, they will suffer the same pains but I hope they learn to cover their ears really well. I use very expensive hearing aids and still can't keep up with the drift of the conversation much of the time. My wife says she gets so tired of having to repeat and repeat herself. But it was good, clean fun and great discipline. Big Boomer

[waksupi]

I figure if I would have stayed away from horses, cattle, and logging, I'd be in darned good condition!

[white eagle]

funny you mention redheads my wife is also a redhead
yeah I believe if we knew when we were young what we know now things would be different

[gwpercle]

I figure if I would have stayed away from horses, cattle, and logging, I'd be in darned good condition!

If I would have stayed away from blue eyed red heads I'd be in good condition too ......but would have missed out on a whole lot of good times.
I'm just a big sucker for red heads....Love them all!
Gary

[nagantguy]

Green eyed red heads are my posion, married the prettiest one I ever saw, aches and pains, new and old get worse every year....The Corps, cutting wood farming working construction and in my real wild days a few cases of "hey guys watch this".

[smokeywolf]

I feel your pain Ghar-Gar; literally. Shattered a metacarpal and several carpal bones as a young adult. For 40 years I've had pain in that hand/wrist. At age 50 it got bad enough to see the orthopedic specialist. He'd never treated me for the hand before. After looking at the xrays he said you could hardly see any trace of the original damage, but he'd never seen this much arthritis in a man under 70.

I was an adrenalin junky until I was well into my 30s; motorcycles, scuba diving, water skiing, weight lifting, horse training, body guard, law enforcement. Once I reached my 50s I started paying the price for the wear & tear on my body in the earlier years.
Everything now breaks, pulls and tears so easily; heals much more slowly or never completely; muscle cramps & spasms; stiff joints (all of them).

Being old is much more physically challenging than anything I did as a younger man.

[Blackwater]

HAR! Good insights and OP. I've found if we don't have a sense of humor when we get older, we'll need to GET one pronto! I came very close to dying a couple of years ago now, so I'm just glad to still BE here to complain, and to feel the pains. In my own case, I found the S&W .44's hurt my wrists. Don't know if it was a tiny bone spur, or what, but the Ruger's plow grip never hurt, so I can't blame my hand problems on that. All I know for sure, is that the guy who said "It's better to burn out than rust out," obviously hadn't gotten to the point of being burnt out just yet when he said it. That's where the sense of humor, and a general thankfulness for just being here comes in. Sure does change a fella's attitude for the better!

[tazman]

Oh well... As a hobby, it's a damn sight better than sitting around getting old watching stupid shows on TV; so I think I'll just keep on casting, loading and shooting.

I agree with that 100%

[MrWolf]

I got a bad neck and back. I was supposed to be off from work today but pain in left arm was so bad all last week from my neck I could not do much this weekend. Figured might as well go into work and take a day off later so I can "work" around the house.

[Mytmousemalibu]

I think in general after about 25, you start to pay for the things you do to yourself, after that point, we are no longer made of rubber like when we were young! Gotta pay for it all from here on out!

I am living proof that you need not be old to feel old and beat up. I'll first say that I am happy I am not as unfortunate as some folks are in their health & pain. I am 32yrs old but I'd go to say my poor back is probably worse off than many folks twice my age. I have 3 herniated disks, 1 cervical, 1 thoracic, and 1 lumbar and its actually burst. Degenerative disk disease, moderate scoliosis, arthritis, stenosis, etc. Thats only my back problems. I started having trouble in my late teens when we figured out what kind of mess I was in. I blame most of my problems on my physiology and the other half was working on cars, bent over fenders and what not for most of my life from a young age. Some days are a real struggle and some aren't all that bad. Just gotta keep on truckin and put your best foot forward. My personal motto is, "Life is too short, do what makes you happy within reason".

[whisler]

My pastor, who is 10 years my junior, (I'm 73) always said he would rather rust out than burn out. I keep trying to tell him those are not the only options. I don't think he is listening. I'm trying to grow old gracefully...may not succeed.

[Budzilla 19]

+1 on the redheads! Married to the same Green-eyed redhead Cajun woman for 35+ Years plus! Gotta love em!

[guncheese]

the plate in my neck, the screws and rope and stuff in my back dont bother shooting too much
but i had to have the big bore kit installed in both of my wrists (couldnt feel my fingers any more)
1st was the left and i was out shooting the next day (im right handed)
then 2 months later the right wrist, i was out shooting mostly right handed the next day (dont tell my surgeon!!!)
i just cant get the weak hand thing down!

[osteodoc08]

and joined the Beloved Redhead for hot coffee as usual. My left hand (I am left handed) hurt so bad I had to transfer the coffee to my right hand to drink it. The pain was worse than usual, as this stuff, while always there does come and go. The pain really limits what I can and cannot do with that hand.

I thought about all the younger shooters heading out to shoot their big bore, big recoil handguns and wondered if they really knew a few decades later there would be consequences. I wonder..if they know.

Exactly one of the reasons I gave up my 454 Casull. Saw my dad suffer with CTS and a Ruger only load in a 45 Colt is all I really need in a handgun and if I need more, I need a rifle.

I hope tomorrow is a better day for ya buddy.

[gon2shoot]

The doc said I'd be too crippled to even get up, I've beat his estimate by better than 20 years. Everything hurts but I've never been inclined to let someone tell me what I could or couldn't do.

[Ole Joe Clarke]

"If I had known I was gonna live this long, I would have taken better care of myself." :-)

[44man]

I started as a mechanic out of school, worked on big trucks too. No fun laying under a tractor with a 50#, 1" impact gun to break loose spring shackles. Each bolt took a good half hour.
I found what torque wrenches were for, my big hands got so strong I was known to twist off 3/4" bolts. Might be why the big guns never bothered me.
My dad had arthritis but I have none. Have to keep blood alcohol level up to dissolve all the junk. :bigsmyl2:

[wyofool]

Getting old may suck but it beats the alternative.
As long as you're hurting your still alive. Make the best of it.

[Walla2]

But it is all still fun isn't it.

[Char-Gar]

Exactly one of the reasons I gave up my 454 Casull. Saw my dad suffer with CTS and a Ruger only load in a 45 Colt is all I really need in a handgun and if I need more, I need a rifle.

I hope tomorrow is a better day for ya buddy.

Today is a better day hand wise. I did have a senior moment and set the timer on my biscuits wrong and they came out raw in the middle, but that is an easy thing to fix. :-)

These days, the stoutest handgun loads I shoot is factory level 45 Colt. I have developed a whole new appreciation to the utility and fun of the 38 Special as well. I only wish I had done this in my 20s. Looking back on 60 years of shooting, I never really needed anything else. But the young bucks think they must prove their manhood with joint destroying recoil. Can't convince them otherwise.

[KCSO]

If I had thought I would ever GET this old... Been carving gun stock this week and last night had shooting pains all through the left hand. But on sober reflection I had it to do over I would do it all over again.

[Char-Gar]

If I had thought I would ever GET this old... Been carving gun stock this week and last night had shooting pains all through the left hand. But on sober reflection I had it to do over I would do it all over again.

If we don't get smarter as we get older, there is not much point in getting older. Or so I think. What I know helps compensate for what I can't do. I would not like being old and just as stupid as I was 50 years ago.

[mold maker]

Having been Ox strong and bulletproof for most of my life, sure didn't prepare me for later life.
When we started life together, she had my breakfast and coffee waiting when I got dressed. Now I'm lucky to be able to have hers ready by 9 oclock. Life sure takes adjustments to your routine. I've looked hard and can't find an expiration date, but I feel I'm past it.
I no longer carry a 45 auto for CCW, and the 380 isn't always on my side because it helps my stomach, push my pants South.
Sitting too long makes me stiff, but standing and walking, is too tiresome.
What the hey. I've lived a full life, have had that 19 yr old blond across the table for 51+ yr, and 4 Grandchildren I see every day. The aches and pains are a minor inconvenience, compared to those I see in rest homes that we visit. I can still push SWMBO in the wheel chair, and loading it in and out of the truck is a labor of love.
My 87 yr old Dad once told me, he thought God had forgotten him, but Mom (at 93) soon joined him in Heaven.
The more pain and strife we endure, the better Heaven looks.

[Ole Joe Clarke]

If we all stop and count our blessings, we will find we have so many. When I was a teenager I thought I knew everything, turns out I knew hardly anything and was as dumb as a fence post. I did a couple of things right though, I married the girl of my dreams, still married to her after almost 51 years, and never regretted it a moment. The second thing I did right was becoming a Christian and doing my best to live for the Master ever since.

When I reached 65 my joints started sticking, knees popping and etc. Now my hands shake when I shoot, and my eyes can't focus on the sights or target.

I had never spent one night in a hospital until this year, the night before Easter, since then one other night. So, yes, I am blessed beyond measure, married to my best friend, and serving a God who is alive and well.

[smokeywolf]

Seems like something new goes wrong with my body every month. When compared to the good stuff I still get to do I almost feel guilty complaining about it.

I don't sleep to well because of the aches and pains. That just ensures that I'll be up at 4 or 5:00 AM to make breakfast for the kids and the Mrs. smokeywolf; one of my favorite things to do (seriously). And, thanks to Char-Gar's post #31 I'm going to add biscuits to tomorrow's menu.

[popper]

I'm thankful to be able to get up each morning, even if I sound like Rice Crispys.

[Ole Joe Clarke]

I'm thankful to be able to get up each morning, even if I sound like Rice Crispys.

Yes, I have the cereal sound also.

[Mtnfolk75]

"If I had known I was gonna live this long, I would have taken better care of myself." :-)


Yep ....... [smilie=s:

[bruce381]

""Have to keep blood alcohol level up to dissolve all the junk""

Thats what i tell my wife all the time

[Mytmousemalibu]

""Have to keep blood alcohol level up to dissolve all the junk""

Thats what i tell my wife all the time

Ah, kinda like injector cleaner for the car huh! I'm gonna run with that! "My valves are feeling a little sticky, hand me a cold can of engine flush" :bigsmyl2:

[Scharfschuetze]

Perhaps that's why my affinity for good Scotch whiskey has grown with age? Makes sense to me.

[Char-Gar]

Perhaps that's why my affinity for good Scotch whiskey has grown with age? Makes sense to me.

Aye Laddie, a wee dram will ease all kinds of life's problems. Scotland the bonnie, Scotland the brave.

[10x]

I figure if I would have stayed away from horses, cattle, and logging, I'd be in darned good condition!

Hard work never killed any one but it did cripple a lot of my friends...

[smokeywolf]

I've always loved horses and the fact that I'm still alive and vertical is proof that they liked me pretty well too.

Sippin' on some Macallan 12 year old Single Malt while I type this.

[pls1911]

Whew!! I just finished reading this column of comments from a bunch of beat up but thankful old toots. You guys really need a perspective adjustment.

Oh sure, old dudes whine about latter day pain, consequences of the conquests of youth, and lament the joints which remain stiff... and perhaps the ones which may not. But usually I find you've earned the right to whine any way which best pleases you.

I like to think my own scratches and scars, dimples, wrinkles and whines reflect a life lived deliberately. Perhaps this old toot has spent too many years on mountain trails and desert drywashes.
I believe the marks and memories my body carries are like a fine old gun whose weather worn and battered stock tells a hundred stories, whose fading metal wears proudly the patina earned over time.

With good fortune, good friends, and plenty of luck, perhaps each of us will see a few more seasons, and collect a few more scars, and hold the slow progression of personal patina to progress as slowly as possible.
Perhaps before the dusk settles too deeply in the autumn of our years, we will be allowed to pass on the lessons of our youth to a next generation too young to understand.
I salute each of you for sharing your thoughts.
Thank You.
Cheers
Pablo