Further adventures of Pedro the One Armed Bandit

[David LaPell]

After seeing my doctor on Monday and getting some more bad news and being referred to yet another doctor (seven and counting) I did some reading up on some long range shooting from the likes of Elmer Keith and Ed McGivern. I don't plan on going out and shooting a deer at 600 yards but I decided to see what I could do with one of my revolvers off the bench one handed. I parked my jeep and set up a target 40 yards out, I cut a piece of white paper a bit smaller than the vitals of a whitetail and then leaned up against the rear tire and braced my right forearm on my right knee and let fly. The results were a hit every time with my handloads. I plan on stretching the range out more every time to see how far I can get it with the one hand.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss57/Smith29-2/Outdoorsmanmaple.jpg
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss57/Smith29-2/Outdoorsmantgt3.jpg

[Hardcast416taylor]

Since I am unfamilar with the need for single handed shooting I can only comment on your results. For single handed shooting at 40 yds. I can only say, VERY NICE!Robert

[David LaPell]

I have had an ongoing injury since I got hurt wrestling an inmate at work in our county jail last December. I ended up doing some pretty good damage to my left arm, at first we thought it was a strain and then carpal tunnel, which I had the surgery for and did little good. It continues to get worse and my hand and left arm have swelled considerably and it seems to only get worse, I have lost alot of feeling in my left hand (and I am left handed for everything except shooting) and it continues to slip away. The doctors have diagnosed me with RSD (reflex sympathy dystrophy) or the more common term of Complex regional pain syndrome. As far as we can tell there is no cure, just pain management. I used to be able to curl and lift a great deal of weight with my left hand and arm, now I can only do that with a 1 pound weight and I have maybe 3-5 pounds of grip strength. The next treatment is a sympathetic nerve block and then after that planting an electrode into my neck sort of like a pacemaker. None bode well for my career in the long run.

[MT Gianni]

That is a beautiful Outdoorsman. I wish you well with your health issues.

[Matthew 25]

Very fine Smith, I too wish you well with your arm.
I'm sure you've seen this site:
http://www.rsdfoundation.org/en/en_clinical_practice_guidelines.html

I like the idea of long-range plinking, too. Our range has a life-size steel deer at 345 yards. It's a fine feeling to walk the 44 in and get a few tings.

[Wheeler]

I'm digging those grips as well as the 38/44.
I wish you the best with your arm.

[TCLouis]

One suggestion comes from someones tag line

Aim small, hit small

I bet you could still keep all boolits on target with a target half that size

[foxtrotter]

May I make an observation? Have you tried a good chiropractor? Most MDs will not admit that sometimes the problem is a pinched nerve. I had a problem with my right forearm that the MDs couldn't correct. It caused obvious atrophy of the forearm and numbness in my fingertips. I had never gone to a chiropractor but was desperate. One treatment and I was cured. The physical trauma from your struggle would certainly suggest that you may have injured your neck.
Dennis

[williamwaco]

I did some reading up on some long range shooting from the likes of Elmer Keith and Ed McGivern. I don't plan on going out and shooting a deer at 600 yards but I decided to see what



Find a position where you can rest the butt on a soft sandbag and keep your shoulders supported by the vehicle or perhaps the seat.
The sand bag must be soft enough to cradle the butt of the revolver. ( But do not allow the cylinder blast to shred your sandbag. )

With a little practice, and with an aperture on your glasses, I am assuming you are using them. With that revolver, you will be able to hit a five gallon bucket 4 of 6 shots at 200 yards. ( You might have to paint it red to see it. ) You only need one hand to hold it and pull the trigger.

I was shooting revolvers at those ranges for 15 years before I ever used the second hand. You can too.

[Bret4207]

Dave, go through the back issues of The Gun Digest, the books, not the newspaper for sale thing. Sometime back int he late 80's/early 90's there was an article on some groups that used to shoot targets at 300 yards, off hand, with revolvers- at turkeys IIRC!!!

Best of luck with your injury.

[tacklebury]

If you have to shoot one handed, make a Lanyard, at full arm extension, the tension on the leather thong will keep your muzzle more controlled as well as your sight picture. ;)

[Bret4207]

May I make an observation? Have you tried a good chiropractor? Most MDs will not admit that sometimes the problem is a pinched nerve. I had a problem with my right forearm that the MDs couldn't correct. It caused obvious atrophy of the forearm and numbness in my fingertips. I had never gone to a chiropractor but was desperate. One treatment and I was cured. The physical trauma from your struggle would certainly suggest that you may have injured your neck.
Dennis

Missed this earlier, but am in total agreement. Back crackers are very good guys to get to know.

[9.3X62AL]

David--very sorry to read about your advancing injury status. I am INSPIRED to read that you haven't given up on the shooting sports, and are adapting your shooting style to whatever new reality confronts you. YOU GO, SIR!

Tell ya what......that beautiful Outdoorsman would inspire me to keep shooting, too. What a jewel.

[kelbro]

And that's a pretty snappy one-armed load :)

[Jack Stanley]

Pedro , I was surprised what a GOOD back cracker can do , I thought I was gonna need a surgeon untill a little gal started twisting me the right way .

Don't give up hope on your career just yet , I've seen officers that got special considerations because of contacts with the inmates . One in particular was a housing officer ( at higher pay ) contracted TB on the job and could no longer be a housing officer . They put him in the control center doing a custody job and paid him the higher rate .

I do hope to hear you get better though , I'd really like to hear you be known as two pistol Pedro :) That is a very nice revolver , sorta remnds me of the four screw model twenty-eights except the front sight on yours looks different .

Jack

[williamwaco]

If you have to shoot one handed, make a Lanyard, at full arm extension, the tension on the leather thong will keep your muzzle more controlled as well as your sight picture.



This is great idea.

I used one occasionally back in my Canadian Mounty wannabe days.

They are effective.

[llwsgn]

Pedro , I was surprised what a GOOD back cracker can do , I thought I was gonna need a surgeon untill a little gal started twisting me the right way .

i had a similar experience about 12-13 years back. i was unable to walk without a cane, and thought that i was going to need knee surgery. i stumbled on to a little gal, (no pun intended), an occupational therapist trained in myofacial release. the chance meeting led to about 3 hour long treatments and i was as good as gold. been good ever since but i keep up on stretching exercises if symptoms develope.
hot 38 load that you use! the weapon's up to it i gather.

[David LaPell]

I went to another doctor this morning (7 all told now) and next up is something called a triple phase bone scan to check to see if there is osteoperosis and to confirm RSD (also known as complex regional pain syndrome). The next step after that is to do a surgery where they insert a needle into my neck and the nerve and try a solution that may or may not make a difference. After that is an implant like a pacemaker that looks like a stopwatch. It gets implanted into the small of the back and regulates the nerve traffic. On the plus side it will have platinum and is made from titanium and costs $30000 so my wife could sell me for scrap.

[P.K.]

I went to another doctor this morning (7 all told now) and next up is something called a triple phase bone scan to check to see if there is osteoperosis and to confirm RSD (also known as complex regional pain syndrome). The next step after that is to do a surgery where they insert a needle into my neck and the nerve and try a solution that may or may not make a difference. After that is an implant like a pacemaker that looks like a stopwatch. It gets implanted into the small of the back and regulates the nerve traffic. On the plus side it will have platinum and is made from titanium and costs $30000 so my wife could sell me for scrap.

Before I let ANYONE cut on me, I explore all avenoues available to me. Take the advice of the membership and see a chiro, can't hurt any worse than surgury and if it doesn't work it's confirmation that surgury is needed. :holysheep

[frank505]

try a chiropractor before letting them place that implant, right Lloyd???????????????????

[GrayFox]

I will add another vote for a "good" chiro. I had a piece of 122mm rocket the size of the first joint of your thumb go through my lower back in '70 curtesy of the Soviets via the NVA. It just missed the saecrum, but whenever my back goes out, and I mean waaay out, it is right under the scarred area. I went to Walter Reed years ago and they could do nothing. Found a series of good chiros and was able to finish out an army career, and an active post retirement second career.

Please visit one or a couple of them, let them do a series of X-rays and look at them as they are trained to do, and get their opinions/treatment prior to letting anyone cut on you. On top of your current problem you would also have post surgical conditions to endure and recover from.