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Old November 23, 2011, 09:18 AM   #3
kraigwy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 16, 2008
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 11,061
I'm of the "over the hill gang", 64 as we speak.

But I don't believe us old guys have to stop shooting. As other's mentioned, we don't move as fast, we can't keep up with the youngin's when it comes to reloads, but we don't have to quit.

There was a TV commercial talking about old guys and Newtons theory, "things at rest tend to stay at rest, things in motion, tend to stay in motion"

I find that true when it comes to the shooting sports also.

Captain Edward Crossman addresses this, age as well as other disabilities, in his book "Military and Sporting Rifle Shooting". His contention is age is only a liability if we let it become a liability.

My opinion is, "get out and do it". Sure we are going to be slower the others, but we can still do it.

I have COPD, it just recently cost me a pretty good job with the State Department teaching Firearms and Bomb Disposal in Never Never Land.

I've found, the more I get out and do something, shooting, and walking back and forth to change targets, the easier it gets. If I let the weather keep me setting on the couch, then my wind gets worse.

I tend to slow down quite a bit in the winter, but as spring gets here, and I get out more, shoot more, I loosen up and my endurance increases. I can go longer before I get winded.

Because I don't shoot as much in the winter, I get sloppy, not so much with accuracy because setting on my butt I still dry fire a lot. But in getting out, engaging targets, throwing in reloads, I slow down.

I shoot pistol with a club that has an action type match every other week starting in March (weather permitting) through out the summer. I start out slow, but as the season progresses I speed up, not as fast as the kids, but a heck of a lot faster then when I started.

Same with rifle shooting. My position shooting starts going south until spring when I start working on it.

Its not age that causes me to slow down, its me because I let age get to me.

If I was to work at it through the winter, dry firing, getting into positions, drawing, dry firing, dumping empties and re-loading with dummy rounds and dry firing again, working on my speed from the holster, then I can still enjoy shooting sports and be respectable about it.

We don't have to let age slow us down, if we keep up with it, work at it every day, then Age, COPD, arthritis, or what ever, doesn't have to slow us down. We can keep going. Maybe not as fast as when we were 18 going through jump school, but more then respectable for our age.

Remember what Mr. Newton says, "A body at rest tends to stay at rest, a body in motion, tends to stay in motion.
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Kraig Stuart
CPT USAR Ret
USAMU Sniper School
Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071
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