Help for the recoil problems us older folks have.

[tazman]

I have arthritis in my hands and wrists making it difficult and painful to shoot handguns that have higher recoil. Grips can help but not always. I can tolerate up to 357 mag and 45ACP without much issue.
I recently found something that has helped me a lot. It may help others so I am posting here.
A few months ago, I started taking Glucosamine tablets for my knees. It took a couple of months before I saw any improvement but it did help.
I just realized that it also has helped my other joints that have been affected by arthritis. I have gained some flexibility back in my shoulders and wrists and my hands are less painful.
During a recent session with my 357 mag, I found that instead of tolerating the handgun, I was enjoying shooting it because my hands were not hurting like they used to.
I am not going to go out and buy a 44mag in order to see how far I can push this, but if this can help anyone else to tolerate or enjoy a handgun or rifle that has become a bit too painful to shoot I am all for it.

[6bg6ga]

If nothing helps 8 or 10 shots of Jack Daniels seems to work in that you will forget about shooting. I take Nabumetone 750mg twice a day by prescription. It helps with the arthritis.

[tazman]

8 or 10 shots of Jack Daniels would put me under the table! I have little tolerance for alcohol in any form. I was always a cheap drunk.
Up to now I have always been able to get by with a healthy dose of Ibuprofen. My arthritis hasn't impaired me enough to stop me from doing things I like. It just makes them less enjoyable. I have a mild allergy to naproxin sodium that gives me flu like symptoms after a couple of days so I can't take that.
I prefer to try doing without drugs that require a prescription if I can.

[6bg6ga]

I stated 8 or ten shots because I know there are members here that could drink that with ease. Myself, I will have two or three drinks a year around Christmas time. Not supposed to drink with the heart medications. Just opening the bottle and smelling the contents is enough to make me drunk. I do however rely on the Nabumetone it really helps my hands.

[tazman]

I stated 8 or ten shots because I know there are members here that could drink that with ease. Myself, I will have two or three drinks a year around Christmas time. Not supposed to drink with the heart medications. Just opening the bottle and smelling the contents is enough to make me drunk. I do however rely on the Nabumetone it really helps my hands.

This is one of those areas where each person's body reacts differently to things. What works for one may not work for another. Kind of like grips on a handgun.
If it works for you, go for it.

[trapper9260]

What I have found to work with shooting handguns , I use weight lifting gloves. It take care of the grip and the recoil. Beside other things you have a hard time to do with your hands. It works for me. I have carpel tunnel in both hands. beside what ever else.

[phonejack]

In the past I have used glucosamine for the same problems. Usually took at least a week for me to start getting relief.

[JimB..]

Thanks guys, gonna give it a try!

[bedbugbilly]

taxman - I take it everyday and does my wife - and it helps. I worked with my hands most of my life but so far, maybe good genetics, what arthritis I have in my hands hasn't become an issue. Just a thought off the top of my head - and I really don't know anything about it - but are there any shooting gloves out there that aren't bulky but which would help those with the issue you speak of? I guess I'm thinking of something like a spandex glove that would support joints, etc. like a knee brace does to a knee joint?

[sandog]

I don't have arthritis, I just don't enjoy shooting heavy loads like I used to.
I've been taking a couple Glucosamine tablets a week for decades now, but it was for aching knees. Seems to help.
If you reload, even the big bores can still be enjoyable. I don't think my mild .45 Colt loads are any less pleasant than .357. You can download anything.

[Nueces]

My knee replacement three years ago eliminated the problems with that joint, but there were other hinges that complained regularly until I began taking 400 mg of Hyaluronic Acid daily, which helped a bunch. I will also look into Glucosamine.

[Petander]

Glucosamine!

I have no firearm recoil problems,not yet. But I got overly enthusiastic with bows, shooting all too much , using all too strong bows. Like a hundred arrows per day with a 70# Mathews, combined with a 50# recurve. Did that for a year,forgetting I'm 56 and when I stopped for winter,hell broke loose in my shoulders. Burning pain.

I started taking glucosamine and within three months the pain was gone. That was two years ago, now I'm shooting bows again (less # , less arrows) and can shoot heavy 45-70 etc...

I will keep on taking glucosamine forever,I also used to have light tendonitis problems,playing guitar/bass professionally for nearly 50 years.

I personally know other people who have got help from glucosamine,one competition rifle shooter for example.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

I take glucosamine too but also take fish oil with it have / had a bad back I would go to a Chiropractor 2 times a week for years after I started tacking fish oil and glucosamin I could tell the difference in about a month it does help a lot

[Battis]

One warning about taking Glucosamine - if you have a shellfish allergy, as I do, you should not take Glucosamine. I found this out the hard way.

https://www.drugs.com/answers/chondroitin-glucosamine-i-have-a-servere-allergy-72216.html

[Froogal]

I took glucosamine for several years but the arthritis in my knees just got continually worse. I stopped taking it a few years ago. I'm no worse off now than if I had been still taking it.

[MrWolf]

I have taken glucosamine for years and was having problems with my arthritis. My Uncle mentioned have I tried taking collagen also as I had to have an MRI of my knee it was so bad. Took the type I,II, and III ones and what a difference. I couldn't believe the results. Like tazman said, everybody is different. I found collagen at Costco for about a third the price. Good luck.

[Conditor22]

Find light accurate loads :) your just punching paper.

[JBinMN]

Find light accurate loads :) your just punching paper.

I agree. It certainly helps.
I downloaded rounds with lessened charges for my missus to use to practice shooting as she has wrist & hand issues in both hands. It makes the experience much more enjoyable for her anyway. Did the same for my grandboys, DIL, friends & new shooters as well.

You can always load them a little hotter for other uses you might want, but for just plinking & such, lighter loads will certainly help just as much as taking supplements & other recoil lessening measures like the weighted gloves, etc.
:)

Just "one more tool in the toolbox" to keep in mind for a solution to this recoil issue.

So, I am seconding that option mentioned about lowering the loads to try to help with such issues, if it matters to anyone. I just know that it works for my missus & others to do so
:)

[dverna]

Find light accurate loads :) your just punching paper.

It is what we shoot the most in our .357's. Light .38 Spl loads. Why get hammered with 50 hot loads when you can shoot 200 mild ones? I know some guys love the recoil but I enjoy shooting more.

A guy I know got mauled a bit by a bear last year. His two .357 hits did not put the bear down quickly enough so he got a .500 Mag this year. Wait until he touches that thing off!!!! This guy limps a bit with arthritis so I doubt he will do well with the new gun.

[buckwheatpaul]

I have arthritis in my hands and wrists making it difficult and painful to shoot handguns that have higher recoil. Grips can help but not always. I can tolerate up to 357 mag and 45ACP without much issue.
I recently found something that has helped me a lot. It may help others so I am posting here.
A few months ago, I started taking Glucosamine tablets for my knees. It took a couple of months before I saw any improvement but it did help.
I just realized that it also has helped my other joints that have been affected by arthritis. I have gained some flexibility back in my shoulders and wrists and my hands are less painful.
During a recent session with my 357 mag, I found that instead of tolerating the handgun, I was enjoying shooting it because my hands were not hurting like they used to.
I am not going to go out and buy a 44mag in order to see how far I can push this, but if this can help anyone else to tolerate or enjoy a handgun or rifle that has become a bit too painful to shoot I am all for it.

Loved the post and the info.....one ol'd guy to another!

[Shuz]

I took glucosamine for years for pain in my knees and it "seemed to help". I decided to stop taking it to see if the pain returned, and it did! So now I'm back on the glucosamine and am pain free again in my knees. Perhaps it's psychosomatic, but who cares, for me it seems to work. I have acquired peripheral neuropathy in both my feet and hands, and if it wasn't for the gabapentin and tramadol I take, I wouldn't be able to shoot anymore with any degree of comfort. Most of my .44 mag loads these days are loaded with Trail Boss or Green Dot to mitigate the discomfort.

[RED BEAR]

Tazman thanks for the tip. I tried it a while back but didn't take it very long maybe few weeks and didn't think it helped maybe i just didn't take it long enough. Will have to give it another try.

[rintinglen]

I have to say I am a believer in glucosamine chondroitin. I learned it from my little dog. When she got to be 14 she began to have stiffness in her hind legs. A trip to the vets brought a diagnosis of arthritis and a recommendation to try glucosamine for relief. That dog, Lord love her, didn't read any threads on line, or health magazines. She didn't gossip with friends or neighbors, she didn't even know we were adding a 4th of a capsule to her food. But in 2 weeks she began to walk more normally and in 6 weeks her symptoms were gone. Glucosamine added 4 years to her life. I take it and and have found relief for my nagging hip and shoulder pains.

[winelover]

Took Glucosamine for several years.................seen no improvement. Not until I had both knees replaced. The middle finger on my right hand won't straighten out. At almost a ninety degree angle............good thing I'm a lefty. Getting old ain't for sissies.

Winelover

[6bg6ga]

I like it when my fingers make that snapping sound when I try to straighten them out. Golden years my ***.

[sniper]

I have arthritis in my hands and wrists making it difficult and painful to shoot handguns that have higher recoil. Grips can help but not always. I can tolerate up to 357 mag and 45ACP without much issue.
I recently found something that has helped me a lot. It may help others so I am posting here.
A few months ago, I started taking Glucosamine tablets for my knees. It took a couple of months before I saw any improvement but it did help.
I just realized that it also has helped my other joints that have been affected by arthritis. I have gained some flexibility back in my shoulders and wrists and my hands are less painful.

I tried Glucosamine for a while several years ago. It was expen$ive, and didn't seem to help much. Perhaps I didn't give it enough chance. Now, I have "feeble knees", and perhaps will try a month or three to see if it does help. Thanx for the tip. At 80, I'll try most anything once.

Took my Match Champion to the range a couple of weeks ago...I had ordered some of the Speer 135 gr. .357 Magnum Short Barrel ammo just to see.:D I found the recoil not much different than my old IPSC and everything load...5.5 gr. Unique /357 brass/860 fps. Comfortable and enjoyable to shoot. Of course, I switched the handsome Hogue grips the MC comes with to the old style GP 100 grips, and that may have made some difference.
Who Knew? I am cogitating going wild and raising my charge weight to 6.0 gr. Unique to make it "more equal". ;-)

I guess I have an advanced case of "The True Spirit of Never Leaving Well-Enough Alone" syndrome. :bigsmyl2: SO?

[Tom W.]

When I was doing Q.C. work at the sawmill I developed tendonitis. I sometimes couldn't pick up a pen until the doctor told me to get a band that they had at the drugstore. It worked, I could shoot my handguns, although not as much as I used to. Now, after the chemo, I can barely feel anything in my hands, but my elbows don't hurt.

I had a buddy in Branford Florida that had to take glucosamine, and it worked wonders for him. He liked to tinker in his wood shop and go fishing, and before he started taking it he was on the verge of selling his stuff.

My late wife took it for her knees. It helped a lot, but as she had Degenerative disc and degenerative joint disease it could only do so much.....

[Winger Ed.]

My old Rottweiler's joints got all stiff, and the horse doctor prescribed glucosamine. It gave him a new lease on life.

I've taken one a day for several years, and I complain less about joint pains & stiffness that folks 20 years younger.

[M-Tecs]

I have not tried these but a friend with arthritis swears by them https://www.gripswell.com/gs33.php

One more option

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1125191321/past-professional-shooting-gloves-fingerless-leather

[glaciers]

I would take Ibuprofen and Aleve daily to relive my joint pain. My hands are good, but, knees, hips, back, well you get the picture. I can't seem to knock down 2 of those big pills a day, plus just remembering the second pill. First thing in the AM I remember but latter in the day, doesn't happen. Well I was in Sam's or Costco one day and there was this stuff called Joint Juice, which is Glucosamine and Chondroitin. I just take one glug every morning which makes a bottle last about 30 days. After 2 to 3 weeks I just stop taking Ibuprofen and Aleve. But after feeling so much better I forget to buy a follow up bottle, but life is good for a while. About two months later I find myself falling into the habit of taking Ibuprofen and Aleve again. Now I buy 2 bottles of Joint Juice at a time, and when I finish one bottle it goes on the list.
My Brother in Law started take Hemp oil, CBD and he reported the problems with his feet were improved greatly. I've added CBD to my daily routine, but not sure it's helping yet, to soon to tell. Quite a few people have said it helps with joints.

[gnostic]

I've taken a different approach to hand, back and knee pain. I load light bullets in my 44 magnum after having lost the feeling in two fingers in my right hand. I gave up riding Honda CBR sport bikes, as I couldn't open my left hand. That's called a 'trigger finger injury' and it really hurts. And, I stay away from the Muay Thai gyms because throwing and receiving low leg kicks, is out of the question for me anymore. I feel much better now.

[WRideout]

The US military issues nomex aviator gloves that are rather thin, for dexterity, but also fit rather snug. A quick search turned them up surplus on evil bay.

Wayne

[Gray Fox]

I have been taking the Osteo Biflex brand of G&C for over ten years and it has been helping some areas I abused during my 25 years in the Army and some very mountainous hunts. I had been taking what I considered reasonable amounts of over the counter ibuprophen in 400 mg two tablet doses, not the military issue 800 mg horse pills. I had avoided Tylenol because of the reported liver problems it caused. Then 18 months ago I got rushed to the hospital after passing about six units of blood in the toilet in 24 hours. Over a three day period they did upper and lower endoscopes and found nothing but a lower tract that looked like it had been sand papered with a big grit paper. They said it was the ibuprophen that did it. While in the hospital I met a young male nurse who told me he was treating severe congenital arthritis with capsules of the spice Turmeric. I now take a capsule with 500 mg of the spice and 50 mg of ginger three times a day. I researched it thoroughly and settled on the Spring Valley brand that Walmart sells at a much better price than what is found at the specialty shops like GNC. It really works for me and I haven't taken one Advil or Aleve since I left the hospital. Just my experience. GF

[tazman]

Lots of people have digestive tract issues with long term usage of ibuprofen. My wife recently developed ulcers due to that drug.
Fortunately it doesn't seem to have any effect on my digestive tract yet but I take far less than I used to. Sometimes I go weeks without using it.
I may need to try out the Turmeric and Ginger.

[JM7.7x58]

My father and uncle both have different levels of renal failure. My dad is down to about 50% of his normal kidney function. Both of them have been taking ibuprofen in large doses for many years. The doctors are telling them that the ibuprofen has contributes to their renal failure.
Renal failure is what killed my grandfather. I try not to take Ibuprofen at all anymore. If I sprain an ankle, or throw my back out, I’ll use it. Just not daily use anymore.
Stay safe out there.
JM

[georgerkahn]

Happy to read the Glucosamine helps you! It brings an event of a decade back to mine, where a student (work-study) assigned to me's boyfriend ended up in hospital. Hoping to alleviate pain and reclaim mobility in a joint injury, he reckoned Osteobiflex -- Glucosamine & Chondroiten -- would surely help in his athletic prowess. Guess what? It turns out that Devon has an extreme allergy to shellfish -- with this being a major ingredient to make Glucosamine. On their web-site, they printed: "The glucosamine in Osteo Bi-Flex® products is derived from shellfish".
Just a headsup to readers of this thread who do in fact have shellfish allergies to perhaps be, at the least, cognizant of possibilities not intended in trying this OTC product. (I do take it :) for my right shoulder; re no allergy -- lucky, I guess :) )
geo

[Hickory]

Tazman, the 32's are meant for people like us.

[Earlwb]

Well, the Glucosamine stuff didn't do anything for me. Maybe its the placebo effect. But fortunately for me, I don't have arthritis yet.
But I don't shoot the big ones as often as I probably should though. But maybe the .32's are the way to go if you have trouble. The .32 magnums are still quite potent.

[Bill*B]

Heavy loads are a PITA. As I've aged, I've moved towards "comfort loads". I shoot targets, and I shoot for pleasure, so why beat up my wrist?

[tazman]

I shoot paper but I still think(dream) about going hunting, even with my physical limitations. 357 Mag is a minimum handgun caliber for hunting in many jurisdictions.
I can handle the 357 mag but the 44 mag is too uncomfortable to use. Getting proficient requires that I shoot it enough to get good with it. Big problem there.
Just walking the hills can be a problem these days. I just hate the idea of giving up something I have enjoyed doing my entire life since age 10.
Relief for the joint pain issue was a good part of the cure for the problem.

[Old School Big Bore]

When I got into law enforcement and determined that I'd eventually become a competitive shooter and instructor, over forty years ago, I built up my recoil tolerance by working up from mild to 'pretty **** stout' with a Super Blackhawk and then a 4" M29. I was burning over a K of handloads a month and got to a pretty fair level of ability shooting quals, matches, 'real' IHMSA silhouette and home-grown cowboyish shooting before they invented SASS, which never has done anything in my area anyway. Long story short I never expected to have recoil bother me. Farther along, due to a PPC addict Sheriff who became the president of the group and changed our local law enf matches from 'hosting agency designs each match' to a fixed, unchanging match format which is largely derived from PPC and FBI's RQC, thus focusing on X-ring accuracy on a B27 and generous time frames, all 'action' aspects fell by the wayside. Therefore, the rule-beater setup is wadcutters at squeaker-load levels. If it'll get from the 25 to the targets and shove its way through the paper and backer, good. Despite our rules saying 'no match guns', if you want to be in Master or High Master with the other sharks and barracudas, your revolver and auto (and for a short time, side-match big bore revo) had better be sent out for matchification and your ammo had better be quality, and poofter-level, as well. So I retired my M66 to the safe and got a 686, sent that and my beloved 29 to Frank Glenn and my beloved 1911 to a bullseye-oriented smith, and stocked up on 231. I worked up cat-sneeze HBWC loads in .357 and .44 mag cases so the front band of the M-P bullets would sit in the throat, played with charge weights and recoil springs til the 1911 was likewise emasculated and would probably break if I shot duty loads in it, and wound up unintentionally letting my recoil tolerance atrophy. I also sustained multiple tears in both rotator cuffs and took a medical retirement from my agency and took a hiatus (two seasons now) from match shooting. THEN - I realized at age 66 that I was about to lose part of my unclaimed military pittance, er, retirement if I didn't file for it, I did so and when the lump came in I suddenly had a new addiction - watching gun auctions. I acquired a couple of much-longed-for Smiths - a 624, an 18, a 1905-4 in .32-20, and a 625-6 skinny barrel .45 Colt. As soon as I get a Smith, I do an action job on it, replace the rear sight leaf with a Weigand match version and slap either Gripper Pros or Hogue Monogrips on it. Side note - one of my sons had briefly owned a .45 Vaquero, and while he was overseas I loaded quite a bit of cowboy ammo for it and started working on re-acquiring my lost point-shooting skills, but the little .45 got stolen and a quantity of that ammo got stuck in my bunker to await the arrival of another .45 LC. When the 625 arrived, I dug out the SAW can full of (I thought) cowboy loads and took off to the range to warm up the Mountain Gun/get some use out of the cowboy ammo. Unbeknownst to me, my son, who had earned his Master's in nursing and is in Asia working for some global medical supply firm that made him Eastern Hemisphere Poo-Bah, had loaded several boxes of near Casull-level RNs, RNFPs and SWCs in the .45 LC brass and stuck them into empty PMC cowboy boxes WITH NO LABELING. The first cylinder gave me a stabbing, burning pain in the ball and palm of my hand. It also needed a mallet for extraction and put so much garbage under the extractor that the gun wouldn't completely close again til I got it home and blew it out with Shooter Lube solvent and compressed air. My hand was still stinging the next day, and I thought that between the 'blue pill' loads and diabetic nerve pain (which has not yet actually shown up in my hands), carpal tunnel, arthritis and loafing along shooting wadcutters, my hard-earned recoil tolerance had bitten the dust. As I scrolled through reviews of the various makes of shooting gloves I called the errant scion and asked what the hell he'd been thinking when he made those bombs, he sez quote: "Yeah, Pops, those are Casull-in-a-Colt loads for another Ruger I had for a while; if your Mountain Gun is still in one piece you can consider it **** well PROOFED."
I told him to get hold of whoever has that Ruger now and get the chambers checked for bulges JIC. Now, I have had arthritis/bursitis problems all my life and between the active Army, SWAT and hairy patrol work, and operating in the Guard, I haven't babied the musculoskeletal structures involved. I've run the gauntlet of available OTC and prescription remedies, and I think that some combination of CBD, glucosamine/condroitin and krill/fish oil may be as close to relief as I'm gonna get. I still crank out ammo, although I haven't done any casting since we moved two years ago, and I took up container gardening which keeps me busy humping five-gallon buckets of water from the creek to the 'garden', so I figure all that counts as therapy and I should be able to shoot matches again by the 2020 season, although I'll probably do it with some 98 grain WCs at about 650 out of the little 1905. BTW nothing written about .32-20s not liking WCs has applied to this jewel so far - it likes everything from 72 gr RNs to the Reed 130 gr SWC and its absolute favorite so far has been the Meister and Reed DEWCs. As soon as I can get Miha to answer his email, I'll have one of his HBWC moulds for the .32-20 and another for the .45 LC & Auto Rim.

[WRideout]

"...my son, who had earned his Master's in nursing and is in Asia working for some global medical supply firm that made him Eastern Hemisphere Poo-Bah, had loaded several boxes of near Casull-level RNs, RNFPs and SWCs in the .45 LC brass and stuck them into empty PMC cowboy boxes WITH NO LABELING."

This is such a man thing to do. And also why I have frequently found that it is easier to teach women to shoot, than men. Women don't make any assumptions about it, and will follow instruction.
Wayne

[35remington]

Old School, paragraphs would have greatly helped the readability of what was an otherwise interesting but torturous on the eyes post.

[tazman]

"...my son, who had earned his Master's in nursing and is in Asia working for some global medical supply firm that made him Eastern Hemisphere Poo-Bah, had loaded several boxes of near Casull-level RNs, RNFPs and SWCs in the .45 LC brass and stuck them into empty PMC cowboy boxes WITH NO LABELING."

This is such a man thing to do. And also why I have frequently found that it is easier to teach women to shoot, than men. Women don't make any assumptions about it, and will follow instruction.
Wayne

I have seen that as well. Women usually are much easier to teach because they don't have any preconceived notions about shooting. Unlike the males of the species who seem to feel they should know by instinct how it should be done.
When I was young, I was taught a little by my father who was a decent shot but didn't really know how to teach it.
I made most of the mistakes learning to shoot that are available to make. I developed many bad habits that I am just now beginning to conquer.
I will never be a really good shot. I am a decent to slightly better than average shot and am working on getting better.

[FergusonTO35]

I'll never be very good, and I am at peace with it. My goals are to avoid bad habits and ingrain good ones into my muscle memory. If I can place a boolit in the correct spot of a bad guy or game animal then it's mission accomplished.

[6bg6ga]

I have seen that as well. Women usually are much easier to teach because they don't have any preconceived notions about shooting. Unlike the males of the species who seem to feel they should know by instinct how it should be done.
When I was young, I was taught a little by my father who was a decent shot but didn't really know how to teach it.
I made most of the mistakes learning to shoot that are available to make. I developed many bad habits that I am just now beginning to conquer.
I will never be a really good shot. I am a decent to slightly better than average shot and am working on getting better.

Shooting is like drag racing. No matter how fast you are there is always someone just a little faster and in shooting its the same in that there is someone with a little better gun and a little more expertise.

[Gray Fox]

Unfortunately, the mouse fart loading group has taken over SASS, too, with "winners" getting their guns set up to handle loads cased in .38 short Colt running in already anemic .38 special guns. I guess winning is everything as long as you can write the rules to allow whatever you want into the game. GF