Shoulder Hematoma

[Prose]

Got a shoulder pointer and large hematoma from the steel butt plate of an old rifle this weekend. Half a softball where my collarbone used to be. The interwebs say I should be fine. Ice/sling for 72 hours and no shooting for up to three weeks. I don't shoot magnums anymore due to arthritis/loose AC joint, but this is a full on injury. Anyone else deal with these before? Will it occur more frequently after the first occurrence? I have enough trouble with my right shoulder and routinely shoot left handed as it is, but am not looking to make a permanent move to the wrong side.

 

[GT Accuracy]

I have dealt with this on my F-class 284 with a hardwood butt plate. You will not grow immune to it due to the location of the shoulder and all the blood vessels in that area. It gets sore and bruises easily but you’ll be just fine.

Get a recoil pad

 

[gary0529]

Got a shoulder pointer and large hematoma from the steel butt plate of an old rifle this weekend. Half a softball where my collarbone used to be. The interwebs say I should be fine. Ice/sling for 72 hours and no shooting for up to three weeks. I don't shoot magnums anymore due to arthritis/loose AC joint, but this is a full on injury. Anyone else deal with these before? Will it occur more frequently after the first occurrence? I have enough trouble with my right shoulder and routinely shoot left handed as it is, but am not looking to make a permanent move to the wrong side.

Are you on a daily low dose aspirin?

That may contribute to the bleed- not saying to stop the aspirin as it has far more to do in helping you not throw a clot but just wondering .

Also, after 72 hours of ice, try alternating heat and ice to facilitate resorption

Advice from a retired veterinarian so unless you bark, meow or whinny take it for what it was sold for LOL

 

[C.E.Smith043]

Got a shoulder pointer and large hematoma from the steel butt plate of an old rifle this weekend. Half a softball where my collarbone used to be. The interwebs say I should be fine. Ice/sling for 72 hours and no shooting for up to three weeks. I don't shoot magnums anymore due to arthritis/loose AC joint, but this is a full on injury. Anyone else deal with these before? Will it occur more frequently after the first occurrence? I have enough trouble with my right shoulder and routinely shoot left handed as it is, but am not looking to make a permanent move to the wrong side.

My mother fell in August of 2015 and passed in October of 2015 due to a hematoma. She was on the blood thinner Xarelto. Unbeknownst to all of us, this medication was bad news when it comes to bleeding.
Take serious care and ice and elevate like you mentioned and really watch it. Those things can turn ugly if they rupture, especially if one is diabetic.
Looking back I would have never guessed my mom would be dead at the young age of 67 due to just a little fall and a golf ball size hematoma on her leg.
Best of luck for u. And im not trying to scare you, just wanted to mention the seriousness associated with these problems.

 

[DirtySteve]

I would say you need to start using a shooting jacket or pad. I mean an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

 

[Prose]

Gosh I do sound old don't I. Although I act like an old fart and my wife calls me an old fart, I am in fact 34 years old. Not quite on the daily aspirin regimen yet...

Rifle is my wife's and she got it from her grandpa when he passed. When I restored the rifle she wouldn't let me put on a contemporary pad due to nostalgia factor. Of course I forgot the slip on butt pad in the house and shot anyway.

Never used a shooting jacket before. Maybe I'll look into that.

 

[T-shooter]

Gosh I do sound old don't I. Although I act like an old fart and my wife calls me an old fart, I am in fact 34 years old. Not quite on the daily aspirin regiment yet...

Rifle is my wife's and she got it from her grandpa when he passed. When I restored the rifle she wouldn't let me put on a contemporary pad due to nostalgia factor. Of course I forgot the slip on butt pad in the house and shot anyway.

Never used a shooting jacket before. Maybe I'll look into that.

Only 34. I was 34 so long ago I can't remember it (ancient history!). Anyway, a shooting jacket or a pad like a Limbsaver on the stock will help. No need to punish yourself. That takes all the fun out of shooting. Also, a good muzzle brake can reduce the recoil by about 50%. If your barrel isn't threaded, there are clamp on brakes and they work fine.

 

[jepp2]

One day when shooting magnum handguns, I decided to use the hearing protectors I bought for my wife. 33 dBa reduction, haven't gone back to mine since. Just makes everything much quieter.

When shooting any rifles above 22 caliber, I wear the Past Super Mag Recoil Pad. I'm not recoil sensitive, but the pad just takes the recoil to where I don't even notice it. May look silly shooting a 6mm wearing a pad, but I like it.

 

[XTR]

What chambering? People who are in the market for their first 45-70 often go for the classic look of the crescent buttplates. People who own one won't ever get another without a proper padded one.

 

[joshb]

I put a pad on everything I shoot, now. At 53, I bought a Winchester 45/70 with a steel butt plate and loaded some stout loads. Black and blue shoulder with pain the next morning. 34? Wish I was 34 again! I'd be easier on my body!

 

[Prose]

It's a .308 Win. Most of my large bores/cases have been retired. For deer hunting I have transitioned to a 260 rem.

I was checking the effectiveness of the small base die with regards to extraction. The round that caused the pointer was a max load (150 @ 2850 22"). Wanted to prove to the Mrs. that extracting hand loads was no longer an issue. Proved my point and bruised my ego. Gosh to hear her laugh though... makes it all worth it.

 

[onelastshot]

One day when shooting magnum handguns, I decided to use the hearing protectors I bought for my wife. 33 dBa reduction, haven't gone back to mine since. Just makes everything much quieter.

When shooting any rifles above 22 caliber, I wear the Past Super Mag Recoil Pad. I'm not recoil sensitive, but the pad just takes the recoil to where I don't even notice it. May look silly shooting a 6mm wearing a pad, but I like it.

View attachment 1023130

Spot on. I don't go to the range without my past recoil pad. I hope to go tomorrow to do a few ladder tests on three rifles. I'm not about to take 60-80 shots from centerfire rifles without my pad. Makes all the difference in the world.

 

[370bc]

Every cannon I own has a muzzle break, after market recoil pad, (The new Limbsaver is very good), and I always double up on hearing protection.

 

[fivering1]

Got a shoulder pointer and large hematoma from the steel butt plate of an old rifle this weekend. Half a softball where my collarbone used to be. The interwebs say I should be fine. Ice/sling for 72 hours and no shooting for up to three weeks. I don't shoot magnums anymore due to arthritis/loose AC joint, but this is a full on injury. Anyone else deal with these before? Will it occur more frequently after the first occurrence? I have enough trouble with my right shoulder and routinely shoot left handed as it is, but am not looking to make a permanent move to the wrong side.

If you bruised your collar bone, you are not holding the rifle in your shoulder properly.
Also agree that you should have a pad on the rifle butt. QED.

 

[Shynloco]

Gosh I do sound old don't I. Although I act like an old fart and my wife calls me an old fart, I am in fact 34 years old. Not quite on the daily aspirin regimen yet...

Rifle is my wife's and she got it from her grandpa when he passed. When I restored the rifle she wouldn't let me put on a contemporary pad due to nostalgia factor. Of course I forgot the slip on butt pad in the house and shot anyway.

Never used a shooting jacket before. Maybe I'll look into that.

Age is irrelevant when it comes to injury, except for the time it takes to heal. As to prevention, a jacket will help, but do not shoot again until the shoulder fully heals. All you will do is to aggravate the injury and you may not feel much now (in term of reinjuring it), once you get old like us OLD FARTS, you'll wish you hadn't pushed the envelope from not allowing the injury to heal. So also consider the use of a BRAKE/SUPPRESSOR on your rifles. I no longer shoot some rifles I did when I was your age simply because it isn't worth injury that all folks can sustain from butt kicking rifles. Good luck on healing and recovery from what can ruin your fin ion the future.

Alex

 

[K22]

Install a Packmeyer Declerator recoil pad.

I also use a Past Recoil protector on the shoulder for anything above a 243.

Develop a reduced recoil load. My Tikka T3 308 kicks like a mule with full power lows. I recently developed a reduce recoil load with 125 grain Hornady SST's and 40 grain of H4895. With the Past Pad this load is very comfortable to shoot and the ballistics are good enough for white tail out to 200 yards. At 2" high at 100yards I'm 2" low at 200 yards. Off my shooting sticks I can keep 10 shots within a 6" circle from 50 to 200 yards.

 

[Prose]

Lots of good advice shared here. Ordered a PAST pad today to help distribute recoil. Normal loads for the rifle are reduced H4895 (150 @ 2600) but I was trying to prove a point hence the max load. Not shouldering properly is acknowledged. I promise not to shoot till it's healed but will start a new thread for all recurring injuries. As for the rifle, no brakes or mufflers on a '56 Savage 99, and the steel butt plate stays until it's my wife that gets hurt.

 

[joshb]

Sounds like a nice old gun. I wouldn't change it, either. I bought a slip on for my 45/70. No change or damage to the gun. Easy on and off. No need for the wife to see it.

 

[300_whisper]

I would go see a doctor if it doesn’t get better. Also, don’t feel bad. I have a Rem 700 ADL, laminate stock, and plastic butt plate. It’s in .30-06. It’s unbearable to shoot. I thought I was a wuss, but everyone who’s ever shot it agrees. It leaves a bruise on your shoulder in the pattern of the plastic plate. Lol

You and I both need recoil pads!

 

[brokeasajoke]

Just lined up a friend's savage 112 30-06 that done that to my shoulder in 2 spots. Wow jus wow. It was worse than my savage 338lm.