Shoulder Injury

[kilotanker22]

Well recently hurt my shoulder. Doc seems to think it's a Rotator Cuff injury. AndDoc also recommended against any rifle that recoils on the heavier side. She also told me that it could take months or even years to fully recover from it.

Well today, being the guy who doesn't listen. Decided the 300 win mag shouldn't be too bad. Boy was I wrong! Made the pain from the injury much worse lol.

So Now I am rethinking this. Should I trade the 300 Win Mag for something less peppy? Maybe another 6.5 Creedmoor, or a bolt gun in some other lighter recoiling cartridge.


Hmm.

[Scorch]

Sorry to hear about your shoulder. I can relate, I have tendinitis in both shoulders from years of martial arts and shooting big boomers. A big magnum makes me wince, and more than a few shots makes want to whimper. And I sight in other peoples' rifles all the time!

Got a 22? A really nice 22? Nothing like a 22 and hours of practice to get you back in shooting form.

[Siggy-06]

Check out the .204 Ruger cartridge. Super fast, flat, accurate, and almost no recoil. Punch paper and varmints.

[std7mag]

Sounds like the perfect excuse to trade the 300 Win Mag in on a 7mm-08.

If you should happen to buy a Savage, doing an AI is a piece of cake!
I might know someone with the tools, reamer, and headspace gages..

[kilotanker22]

More than one 22.

[kilotanker22]

Originally Posted by std7mag

Sounds like the perfect excuse to trade the 300 Win Mag in on a 7mm-08.

If you should happen to buy a Savage, doing an AI is a piece of cake!
I might know someone with the tools, reamer, and headspace gages..

I bet you do....

I am considering trading it for the 6.5 Creedmoor Savage tactical rifle That I traded off a couple weeks ago.

[jmr40]

I've had several rifles that qualified as "thumpers". Multiple 45-70's, 35 Whelen, 338/06 and various 300 and 7mm magnums. I came to the conclusion several years ago they did a better job of thumping my shoulder than game.

Over the years they all drifted away replaced by more moderately recoiling rifles. I bought the 6.5 CM 1st and after that I sold my last magnum. I think of it as an upgrade.

But if you already have a 6.5, then something else in a lower recoiling rifle might be a better option.

[sako2]

Kilo is the pain in the upper part of the shoulder? Tore my rotator 2 weeks ago. 75 to100% tear. Therapy seems to be helping. Are you in therapy?

[Rimfire5]

kilotanker,

Sorry to hear you have shoulder problems.
One good thing, if the Doc isn't all that sure, it might be a partial tear instead of a major tear. That might give you some options.

I have two range buddies who have messed up rotator cuffs.

One had a major tear and, after an MRI confirmed the extent of the damage, he had little choice but to have surgery to get back reasonable range of motion.
He took about 8 to 10 months to fully recover and endured some pretty fierce rehab.
But he now has no issues with shooting or range of motion.
He never was a regular big boomer shooter, shooting mostly .223s and maybe .308s.
But likes to try them when offered.
He is pretty small and light.
His last attempt with a 416 Rigby still has his range buddies smiling because the recoil moved him off the shooting stool.

The other buddy had a partial tear and opted not to get surgery.
He owns the .416 Rigby and regularly shot .375 H&H before his surgery.
He regularly claimed that he only shoots rifles that take cartridges that will cause damage if you drop them on your toes.
Before his injury, he practiced for months and then went on an African safari with a Ruger #1 in .375 H&H and that light rifle is a real shoulder pounder in that caliber. He brought back a couple of nice trophies.
After he chose not to get surgery, he laid off shooting for about 6 months, suffered through some rehab, and went back to shooting, proud of the fact that he didn't have surgery.
I don't hear him complaining, but he doesn't shoot as much as he used to.
He also is shooting more .22-250, .270s, & .308s and such. I haven't seen him shooting any of his old favorite big boomers recently.
Maybe that's a clue to how well his shoulder has recovered.

I think you have options but neither sounds very positive.

[ms6852]

Make sure you know if you have a full tear or partial. Depending on your age and activity levels, regardless it could take a year to heal. Even though its more complicated than how I make it sound the reason has to do with a lack of blood supply. Muscles, tendons, and ligaments need this but do not have it. As has been suggested get an MRI. If I were you being that newly diagnosed with a tear if you have to shoot go with a 22 caliber for now. Just remember that if it hurts to shoot it you are damaging the tear more.

[kilotanker22]

I see the Doc again Thursday.

The pain seems to be centered around the anterior portion high on the shoulder near the Clavicle. Pain is not severe as long as I don't move a certain way.

I also shot My 6.5 Creedmoor with a muzzle brake today. That really didn't seem to aggravate it. Of course that rifle hardly even moves when fired.

The 300win mag was a different story. I fired the 20 handloads I brought to test. I wanted to also fire a box of factory ammo for brass, but I had to stop shooting.

I went to pick up some Beer earlier. And found out that a 30 pack provides enough tension to make it pretty uncomfortable...

Too bad it happened to my good arm.

[osbornk]

I tore my rotator cuff years ago and it was very painful. I had surgery and completely healed and I have no problems with anything. Maybe surgery should be considered and keep all of your guns.

[JERRYS.]

there are plenty of good shooters that fire handguns right handed and rifles/shotguns left handed/shouldered. I'd learn how to shoot with the off side before I abandoned a favorite gun/caliber.

[gb_in_ga]

JERRYS -- regarding people who shoot handguns right handed and rifles/shotguns left handed: I'm one of them. That's because I am actually left handed and left eye dominant. Thus, it is just more natural for me to shoot long guns left handed. But handguns tend to be designed for right handed use. So it makes more sense to shoot them that way. Because they are held at a bent arms' length it isn't any big problem to use my dominant left eye. Actually, I find that it isn't all that difficult to shoot handguns single handed ambidextrously, for that matter. It's good practice, IMHO.

[bamaranger]

I note that the OP is in PA, and I'm guessing that he is a deer hunter (almost everybody there was, back in the day!) If whitetails are the only target, with maybe a black bear on occasion, .......I've become a real fan of the .243 as of late.

The 100 gr Partition will shoot through about any whitetail broadside through the ribs, and and many at a quartering angle with one shoulder as well. Though not ideal maybe, I cannot see the typical black bear, say 300 lbs, pounds surviving one either. The lighter 85-90 grain bullets will work on deer too if chosen wisely. And one must shoot well at all times, or choose not to shoot if appropriate. If you feel you must drive a bullet end to end through a big game animal, the .243 is not for you.

[kilotanker22]

.243 is great.

I don't only shoot deer. I also shoot ground hogs, coyotes.
90 percent of my shooting is from the bench. Or prone. Sometimes I target shoot in the field.

Most guns I have, generally serve those two purposes. They get hunted with (most of them) and I practice with all of my rifles regularly.

[TBM900]

A friend and neighbor of mine had the same issues, injury & stubbornness
He didn't listen and regrets it to this day

He would wait to shoot, get to maybe 70-80% and say "Eff it, I'll only take a few shots"
Which would set him back to maybe 50-60%

He did this for a few years, each time the set back would be greater and recovery longer
Finally his doc just said "Hey Dumbass.....STOP SHOOTING"

He ended up taking a break for over two years, no shooting at all, zero
He started back in slowly using a Lead Sled, muzzle brakes, and light recoilers
After a few years he is now to the point where he can at least hunt again, but his stubbornness pretty much screwed him for life with ongoing pain and reliance on the sled for all but a handful of shots per year.

[kilotanker22]

Originally Posted by TBM900

A friend and neighbor of mine had the same issues, injury & stubbornness
He didn't listen and regrets it to this day

He would wait to shoot, get to maybe 70-80% and say "Eff it, I'll only take a few shots"
Which would set him back to maybe 50-60%

He did this for a few years, each time the set back would be greater and recovery longer
Finally his doc just said "Hey Dumbass.....STOP SHOOTING"

He ended up taking a break for over two years, no shooting at all, zero
He started back in slowly using a Lead Sled, muzzle brakes, and light recoilers
After a few years he is now to the point where he can at least hunt again, but his stubbornness pretty much screwed him for life with ongoing pain and reliance on the sled for all but a handful of shots per year.

I am just old enough to value my health. Also My hobby. That's why I am gonna trade this off for something that recoils less.

I might try to make a private sale. I have the rifle that's basically new, Unopened 5 pound bottle of Reloder 25, 70 pieces of twice fired brass, 25 factory remington corelokts shells. Set of dies and a box of Sierra 180 grain SBT. 2 Plano ammo boxes.

I figure I will get a lot more from a private sale than a gun shop

[ilmonster]

All kinds of options. As others mentioned, the .243 Winchester. In a similar vein the new'ish 6mm Creedmoor. If you want to build a rifle (a Remage for instance), something like a 6mm BR Norma is super low recoil and still has good down range performance and is crazy accurate out to 600 yds. Another low recoil option might be one of the Mini Howa actions (or Ruger or CZ527) in 6.5 Grendel - kind of like a downloaded 6.5 Creedmoor. You can buy factory ammo for 6.5 Grendel, or load your own.

[kilotanker22]

Interesting. I have considered the 6.5 grendel before.

Honestly I may end up buying another Ruger go wild in either 7mm-08 or 308 or 243. The 6.5 creedmoor I have now hardly even moves when shooting it

[kilotanker22]

I am also a big fan of the 223, and the 22-250. Maybe its time for another .22 caliber centerfire.

Also thought that Maybe I will Thread the end of the Barrel on my 270 wsm and add a brake. Or maybe Just add a brake to the 300

[Doyle]

I also have a shoulder injury. I'm pretty sure that I'll eventually have to have rotator cuff surgery to repair it. When that happens, I'm not sure what I'll do about my shooting. One possibility I have is to switch to left-handed shooting. I'm already cross-eye dominant so switching to the left eye wouldn't be a problem for the eyes.

I think I could adapt to shooting rifles left handed pretty easily. Shotguns though, would be a significant problem.

[COSteve]

I've developed arthritis in my shooting shoulder of late and find that my curved buttplate leverguns, both the .357mag and 45 Colt, produce pain when shooting full power loads even though shooting my M1 Garand or M1A don't.

I dealt with the pain issue by purchasing a PAST Field Shield recoil reducing shoulder pad. I only needed the field thickness one as the arthritis hasn't gotten too bad yet, however, if it gets worse, I can go to the magnum or even the magnum plus versions with their thicker absorbing pad.

At about $30, you might want to see if one could help you after you get any surgery over with.

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

Knew of a fellow who resided in Colorado with torn Right side rotator cuff. 1-surgery later and a long recovery period he became self assured he was no longer able to shoot even one shot of the following without suffering a intolerable amount of soreness: 06_ 30 & 25 cals including 30 & 7mm-08. His favored 340 Weatherby had put him out of work on more than one occasion simply targeting paper w/ slip on recoil pad.
Soon believing his Elk hunting days had come to a end.

A expected relative whom came to visit one summer

That fellow brought along not only his wife and numerous kids. But also a cased rifle he thought his Hunting partner could tolerate w-o/a spongy recoil pad & yet be powerful enough to drop a Bull at close range. And that's exactly what happen that elk season. A respectable 3 yr old Bull called in ~so~so (causes close) succumbed to two shots from a borrowed 257 Roberts.

"It pays to have shooting experience & patience when afield its been said."

No specialty ammo or bullets just a well placed first shot tipped with a Nosler Partition and a follow-up got the job done.

Last time I Text the Colorado resident was about 10 years ago. At that time he had commented he bought a new 257 decked it out with better than just average glass> {Leupold Vari X 3} and been pleased for the most part year after year since that first 257s hunting. I think but not sure? His Weatherby ended up a career being a safe queen than sold.

During one of our discussion concerning a problem I was having with my Chevy. Our small talk got around to: I had mentioned earlier the 257 might be a bit on the marginal side for Elk duty. He thought the same but wanted to give it try. Good thing he did. ~~~Water under the bridge now.

[ms6852]

Kilotanker you seem to describe what we called a "supraspinatous" tear based on your symptoms. I performed thousands of MRI's on patients with those particular tears. Be patient for now ice it down, DO NOT use heat, prayers sent your way to make sure every turns out ok.