What happens to old shooters???

[mag_01]

:coffee: As I woke this morning not able to sleep any longer because of pain in back ---Hands sore from arthritis----lead burns-------injury from an overloaded 44 magnum that happened 10 years or so A hand that was smashed by a full blow from a sledge hammer and a trigger finger once crushed by oak logs I asked myself what happens when I can no longer enjoy this wonderful world of casting and shooting----I'm a young man I'm only 71----I'm still very active in many things including shooting but just wondered what happens to old shooters. :castmine:

[AZ-Stew]

Old shooters never die.... They just become deprimed.

Regards,

Stew

[jhalcott]

Mag , I feel your pain! You COULD TAKE UP KNITTING . You will find some young minds and able hands to teach the pleasures of shooting and reloading to. I'm 10 yrs junior to you and look forward to taking my grand kids out hunting like grandpa did with me!

[Pepe Ray]

Mag-01,
If , at 71, you havn't figgured it out, I at 68, won't be able to help. It's not the breaks, crushes, sprains and surgeries that trouble my mind. It's the ever looming bleakness of a jellied brain. Maybe I'll get lucky and a SWAT team will try to take my guns. I keep wondering how many will make that final stand.
Pepe Ray

[Swagerman]

Its not the jellied brain that has me worried, and I'll be 71 come February, its the lower extremities getting jellied that worry me. :mrgreen:

Eat, drink, and make merry. If merry isn't available...buy yourself a new holster.

Jim :drinks:

[GLL]

I am only 63 and it is the eyesight that bothers me !

Guys talk about shooting 3" groups with their .44Magnum revolvers at 100 yards and I cannot even see the target at 100 yards ! At least everything else still works !! :) :)

Jerry

[Cherokee]

I'm 65, have glasses, not as strong as I was, etc. But I can still put the shots in the vitals at 100 yd and you don't want to hold the targets for me at any distance. Until I can not motivate on my own, I will be casting, loading, shooting and enjoying firearms. Then I'll be in the arms of Jesus.

[NVcurmudgeon]

:coffee: As I woke this morning not able to sleep any longer because of pain in back ---Hands sore from arthritis----lead burns-------injury from an overloaded 44 magnum that happened 10 years or so A hand that was smashed by a full blow from a sledge hammer and a trigger finger once crushed by oak logs I asked myself what happens when I can no longer enjoy this wonderful world of casting and shooting----I'm a young man I'm only 71----I'm still very active in many things including shooting but just wondered what happens to old shooters. :castmine:

mag, at just over seventy, I feel pretty good. Yes, I have back pain and arthritis, too, but can still walk and shoot. Remember the old saying, "if you are past fifty and wake up with no pain, consider the possibilty that you may have died in the night." One of the best things about this age is that I am having as much fun as I ever did at any age, wth the added benefit of being hard of hearing. Everybody thinks I am deaf as a stump, so I can get away with ignoring a lot of guff that I used to get angry over. My automatic response to almost anything is "huh?" Hearing aid? As the bandit with the gold hat said in "Treasure of Sierra Madre," "I don' got to cho you no steenking hearing aid."

[arkypete]

"wondered what happens to old shooters"
They go get their flash hole reamed and tapered.
Jim

[VTDW]

mag_01,

As you can see there are many of us that have the same types of afflictions. I worked as a welder and pipefitter in my younger years and for waaaaay too many years and have all the ailments that come along later in life from hard living along with hard and sometimes dangerous work.

We just keeps on keeping on bro. It sometimes wears on you but you just have to keep the faith and realize that life is good and any time you wake up on this side of dirt there is something you can enjoy doing today.

Yup, this old welder's rod ain't so hot nowadays.:-D

Now I gotta go reload something. :castmine:

Dave

[Char-Gar]

I am 64 creeping up on 65 and I too wake up hurting, have arthritis is most joints, a steel knee and my eyes are not what they once were.

I still enjoy casting, loading and shooting. My handguns skills are not what they once were, but I can still cut it with a rifle. The front sight is still sharp and a receiver sight is all I use.

If and when I can no longer tolerate recoil, a 22 LR at 100 and 200 yards is as challenging for the rifleman as the centerfires are at much longer ranges.

My only fear would be losing my sight. I can cope with anything else.

[nighthunter]

If we are really considerate of our love of shooting, hunting and casting we pass our skills on to the following generations. I know and appreciate the folks that got me hooked into this insane hobby and I thank each and everyone of them. We will never find perfection in our choice of passtimes but we can generate the belief that it is possible with new and younger shooters. It is our gift to give. Just keep in mind that someone somewhere and somehow gave it to you. Give it freely. It's what keeps us all young.
Nighthunter

[trk]

At 59 I'm planning on retiring the .458WM in another 15 years, until then use it to the max!

I know of a fellow who (at 75 or 80) was shooting 45-70 in a match. A friend asked about the pain, to which he replied, "Sonny, at my age EVERYTHING hurts, so it just doesn't matter!"

I taught a friend (who was 64 at the time to shoot big bore rifle - we STARTED with the .458WM. Ok, we backed off after a few sessions to smaller bores, after his wife told me he was in a bit of pain. Ray NEVER complained.

In a word - attitude!

[mag_01]

Good post fellow casters---planed on range today but Rain------have a good one-------Mag

[PatMarlin]

Everybody thinks I am deaf as a stump...

Huh? whatcha say?...:mrgreen:

[highwallbo]

I just turned the big 50, 28 yrs. in the Fire Service (nobody gets out healthy) retired now on disability(bum knee).I have bought more guns and shoot more boolits now than I ever did, even on a Firefighter schedule.
I shoot alot at the Sacramento Shooting Center and our oldest member is near 90 and shoots sub MOA at 300 yds. ! I shoot mostly during the week when the incompetent general public are at work. There is a crowd of older retired guys that have spent a lifetime of shooting everything. What I have learned from these guys is priceless. Some of the best shooters in the country shoot out there. I see guys dragging themselves around in wheelchairs,crutches and other assorted medical paraphanalia.Most of them have more lead in the blood from years of casting that they could be declared toxic waste sites.
My point is that they do it and if they did'nt guys like me would lose out on their vast and varied knowledge base.
I have found over the years that the black powder folks are the fly fisherman of the shooting world.What I mean by that is that they will share everything they know about their chosen weapon, fly fiherman will do the same no matter where you fish or shoot in this country it is the same.
I raise my glass the seasoned citizens who still do it and have time to share with us youngsters,that includes this forum and the others like it.
Someday I will be one of the old crippled up shooters and might have something to share.
Thanks to all you old leadheads.

[kywoodwrkr]

At age 62 I could just barely roll myself to the edge of the bed and work myself upright and get out of bed.
We had a crippled horse which had bad legs and in the winter it was very difficult for him to get up.(Only 4 years old).
Bought a supply of Equine Glucosamine for him and after about two weeks he was able to get up much better and later was actually galloping about in the pasture.
His bad organs caught up with him and we put him down.
However, he did teach me something.
Glucosamine!
I looked into the human kind and found some at Rite-Aid under their label. Actually Glusosamine, chondroitin & MSM combo.
They have it on sale, buy one get one free every so often.
I started taking it two tablets in the morning and two in the evening.
After about three weeks my back pains and other pains in my joints started to dissipate.
Thought maybe I wasn't dead after all.
Looked into massage therapy and that helped me as well. Real therapy, not the Asian Spa varieties, but tha's good also!
Therapist actually ended up getting a nerve in my right hip unkinked and I am now in better condition than I was ten years ago. Hip nerve kink was from high school!
The Europeans have used glucosamine for years.
Drs and etc are not pushing it here becasue it's fairly cheap and not a real profit center for drug companies.
It does not help the eyes however! :-|
They are declining at an expected pace.
However at least I have no problem getting out of bed and no problem driving like I did.
Have an appointment with my massage therapist this afternoon as a matter of fact.
She was working as a sport therapist before training in massage therapy.
I'm 65 going on 66 and fell fitter every day.
FWIW
DaveP

[PatMarlin]

Is that that range out there by Ione Jackson Hwy?

Big place... Got the long ranges too?

[PatMarlin]

My mom swears by that Glucosamine and MSM.

[montana_charlie]

Bought a supply of Equine Glucosamine for him and...
A LOT of the stuff used by vets is identical to the stuff packaged for human use...and it usually costs less. A little logic is required when deciding 'how much' you might want to swallow.
CM

[mag_01]

:coffee: ---Firewood warms you twice once when you chop it and again when you burn it------Feeling better today went to the vets and got some medication and actually got a full nights rest . I still shoot and load a lot. when I was younger I would shoot 2000 rounds of pistol ammo a week. at that time I could drop a round from a 45 auto on a piece of white paper and put 2nd round in same hole (raged hole) at 25 yards off hand -- many pleasant memories of shooting well. Today I shoot about 200 rounds a week both rifle and pistol (two hundred total) not as well as I once did but still very enjoyable. Still get very excited when its time to go to the range , or the poker table (texas holdem), and________ well you know what that is. As a Leadhead its would be very hard to give up casting and shooting. Life is good
------ Mag

[MT Gianni]

I found that the liquid glocosamine works quicker for me and it is easier to adjust a maintaince dose. The bottle I use says 2 tbsp dailly and I used that the first month then cut back to 1 1/2. I like the tablets when I am on the road but teh liquid works better for me. I get about 6 weeks out of a bottle from costco. Gianni.

[carpetman]

An old rancher had a bull that lost all interest in cows. Vet was called in and medication given. Bull perked up and went through the herd. Jumped fence and went through the next herd. When captured and returned one of the guys that helped catch him asked the rancher what was the deal? Rancher explained it to him. The guy asked what kind of medicine was it? Rancher said he didn't know what it was--tasted like chocolate.

[kirb]

well I've got several years behind me. Also still learn something every day. What scares me is when I go to the range it a bunch of old guys there no kids. I have two sons and a daughter that love to hunt and shoot and a couple of grand kids. but our sport needs more kids. I started shooting and casting at a young age. Trapped to support my shooting habit started casting because it was cheaper. It seems to me in my neck of the woods very few young people are interested any more. Use your wisdom and years of experince to get some young people shooting and casting.

[Four Fingers of Death]

What I think is a shame is that we spend a lot of money spread over a lot of years and our gear adds up to a lot of value. I intend keeping good records and nominating a shooting executor to ensure my estate is not ripped off by some shonky gun dealer and hundreds (and possibly thousands of dollars of moulds, etc, end up going rusty and getting sold off in a bucket for $5!

I have put a lot of thought into the gear I've acquired and am proud of it, I'd like to see my estate get the value it deserves and the stuff getting used by and being useful to a keen shooter.

Organise catalogue and delegate!

Mick.

[VTDW]

Mick,

Just add us all to your will and we will make sure the tradition lives on bro.:drinks:

Dave

[PatMarlin]

Eventhough I don't have any kids, I have produced some certifiable gun nuts.. :mrgreen:

[Shepherd2]

I started taking glucosamine/chondroitin several years ago when I was having pain in my knees that I think came from bouncing around on tractors. After a month or so the pain was about 99% gone. I take a couple capsules every day and have no plans to stop.

One of my Great Pyrenees guard dogs was going downhill fast. She was having trouble walking and once she laid down she had a hard time getting up. I figured she'd have to be put down. The vet came to do some tests one day so I had him look at her. He agreed that she had bad hips. He said that his partner was a big believer in glucosamine/chondroitin and maybe I should try some on her. In about 3 weeks I had a new dog. I still marvel when I see her running and acting like a 120 pound puppy.

[w30wcf]

What happens to old shooters? Well, if you take good care of yourself, (diet high in plant foods and very low in animal products), you would be surprised in how much better you will feel. I'm 63 and don't feel much over 30 (Thankfully!).

In the July August issue of the FOULING SHOT, a gentleman by the name of Rene Cooper, of Calcium, NY is shown at the shooting bench. A birthday party for him was being held that day and on his cake it said "90" (!) The article goes on to say that he shoots almost every day at his range behind his house.:-D


4fingermick,
Good advice. Hopefully we will get to enjoy them a lot longer before the inevitable happens.

w30wcf

[highwallbo]

Yes, It is the range out by Ione,CA . It has Rimfire silouhette,Pistol,100,300,Silouhette out to 500 meters(Rams) and 1000 yd.
Local Law Enforcement has there own range and very under utilized shotgun range. As for a place to shoot I do not believe I have shot at a better place.
If your having trouble with any of your firearms or loads a local shooting range will have somebody who knows how to resolve your problem or at least give you another place to start.