Hello all, new member here and first post. As the title says I am interested in hearing from anybody who has had a total shoulder replacement and also shoots a larger rifle. I received my new bionic shoulder a little over a year ago at the young age of 52 due to an old injury. It feels great now, but my concern is shooting a higher kicking rifle, namely a .308 bolt action. Is there anyone here who does shoot with a replaced shoulder and if so what steps did you take to lessen the recoil of your rifle? I have a 700 Remington in .308, I have not shot it since the surgury, but my doctor has been adamant about NOT shooting any rifle at all. Thanks in advance.
Shoulder replacement and big rifiles
- Thread starter charlied63
- Start date
Thanks for the replies. I am definitely not giving up shooting! Shooting from the other shoulder is something I have thought about, it seems it would not be so much different when from a prone position with a bipod. I use the .308 in Arizona when I stay out there in the winter, long distance stuff is what I really enjoy. I live right by Magna Port, they claim about a 20% reduction with porting and almost 50% with porting and a muzzle brake. My 20 GA pump doesn't seem to bother the shoulder much, but I know my .308 kicks much harder then it does. If I do decide the .308 is too much are there any good alternatives, realizing I will lose some knock down power. I have been checking out the .22-250, coyotes are what I mainly shoot out west, and here in Michigan I deer hunt with the 20 GA.
You didn't mention if you hunt or shoot targets. (or both)
Edit: ok, you did...but that was while I was typing this message
If you used the big guns for hunting big game, those days may be over. You may have to move down to small game (squirrels?) and varmints with a smaller cartridge.
How about a 22lr, 17hmr or 22 magnum? I've shot several groundhogs with a 17hmr out to just over 100 yards. (you have to be precise....head or heart/lung shots only. You can't just blast away like a center fire anywhere in the torso)
There are more powerful 17 caliber cartridges out there for more power/distance than the 17hmr...with greatly reduced recoil.
As for the biggest you might be able to get away with: Perhaps a Savage 223 with the big heavy varmint barrel. 12lb-15lb+ gun. But that's a 'sit in one place and shoot'. It's difficult to walk any distance with a gun that heavy. (and probably awkward too)
Edit: ok, you did...but that was while I was typing this message
If you used the big guns for hunting big game, those days may be over. You may have to move down to small game (squirrels?) and varmints with a smaller cartridge.
How about a 22lr, 17hmr or 22 magnum? I've shot several groundhogs with a 17hmr out to just over 100 yards. (you have to be precise....head or heart/lung shots only. You can't just blast away like a center fire anywhere in the torso)
There are more powerful 17 caliber cartridges out there for more power/distance than the 17hmr...with greatly reduced recoil.
As for the biggest you might be able to get away with: Perhaps a Savage 223 with the big heavy varmint barrel. 12lb-15lb+ gun. But that's a 'sit in one place and shoot'. It's difficult to walk any distance with a gun that heavy. (and probably awkward too)
Switching shoulders is not as hard as it sounds if you are on a bench or the ground, or even up a tree in a stand. I am left handed and shot from my right handed cousins stand every season. He has it set up on a trail that is perfect for right handers, so I shoot backwards every year. Always have venison in the freezer! I shoot a light 7mm08 load for hunting and the lightest target loads I can in my shotgun.
I have had neck surgery, and my doc frowned on my shooting, seems the metal plate and screws in my neck just don't flex like the discs they replaced. Same with the shoulder I would say. Don't send yourself back under the knife.
PS if you are set on target shooting, a 6br is a pop gun compared to your 308, and more accurate too.
I have had neck surgery, and my doc frowned on my shooting, seems the metal plate and screws in my neck just don't flex like the discs they replaced. Same with the shoulder I would say. Don't send yourself back under the knife.
PS if you are set on target shooting, a 6br is a pop gun compared to your 308, and more accurate too.
fx77
Gold $$ Contributor
My professor invented the first total shoulder !!! I was there at the time...
The risk is loosening of the glenoid component (socket as it were).
U can weight the stock, add a brake, and a recoil pad, but maybe not shoot anything heavier than 223.. or 6 BR...There is always benchrest
The risk is loosening of the glenoid component (socket as it were).
U can weight the stock, add a brake, and a recoil pad, but maybe not shoot anything heavier than 223.. or 6 BR...There is always benchrest
I am also recoil-sensitive, mainly due to a couple of sternum reconstructions. Not the same thing, but somewhere in the same neighborhood.
Like you, I find he 20ga OK, but my 120lb Granddaughter does not. Thinking upon that, I have concluded that for folks like me, it may pay well to chose my chamberings as if I was picking them for her. Since we often share rifles, I pretty much am.
Although I can handle the .30-'06, I find the .280 Rem, built on the same parent case, to be as or more accurate, lighter on the shoulder, and longer in the reach department. For hunting, a 270 Win makes sense. I have already aged out of the 1Kyd competition scene. I can still shoot the distance, but the travel exceeds my abilities.
I have expanded my selection of .223 rifles, and would go as far as using a 22-250 if they prove ineffective. For now, my range opportunities all tend to all into 250yd or shorter; if they exceed that, then I will need a 22-250.
Swap the 308's barrel for a 260, and the distances become more reachable with the bonus of lighter recoil. Shooting a 142gr from that case capacity is a lot easier on the shoulder than shooting a 175gr (or larger)
I have never been a big fan of magnums or AI's, seeing them as excessive and maybe too expensive relative to barrel wear. They may be popular for reasons I can evade, and what I need to get done can be done without them. My sole exception is a Win '94AE Trapper Carbine chambered in 44 Mag. Hell of a brush gun for deer.
My bigger bores had value, and I converted that value into smaller chamberings.
I still shoot service rifles, and do it with a Garand and a few 91/30's. Yes, they kick more. The 91/30's employ Limbsaver slip-ons and stock packs (cheekbones can get beat up too), and I have to limit the loads in the Garand anyway.
With some economical minor mods, the 91/30's can become a lot more fun to shoot.
The simplest recoil reduction mod is done with a sandbag/shot bag. Place it between the rifle butt and your shoulder. This increases the amount of mass the recoil must act on before it reaches your shoulder (but does not add to he overall rifle weight). This is a pretty good justification for an adjustable LOP Butt plate Modification.
For whatever reason your Doctor chooses to warn you off shooting, the warning makes good sense to a certain degree. My wife has had hip replacements, and a friend has had operations to reattach torn ligaments. My Wife follows directions and is healing well (this takes years to fully evolve), while my friend disregards his surgeon's warnings and is on his third (and last) attempt to restore his biceps function. I doubt he will ever take the warnings seriously enough, and that his injury will likely prove permanent.
Don't be that guy.
Greg
Like you, I find he 20ga OK, but my 120lb Granddaughter does not. Thinking upon that, I have concluded that for folks like me, it may pay well to chose my chamberings as if I was picking them for her. Since we often share rifles, I pretty much am.
Although I can handle the .30-'06, I find the .280 Rem, built on the same parent case, to be as or more accurate, lighter on the shoulder, and longer in the reach department. For hunting, a 270 Win makes sense. I have already aged out of the 1Kyd competition scene. I can still shoot the distance, but the travel exceeds my abilities.
I have expanded my selection of .223 rifles, and would go as far as using a 22-250 if they prove ineffective. For now, my range opportunities all tend to all into 250yd or shorter; if they exceed that, then I will need a 22-250.
Swap the 308's barrel for a 260, and the distances become more reachable with the bonus of lighter recoil. Shooting a 142gr from that case capacity is a lot easier on the shoulder than shooting a 175gr (or larger)
I have never been a big fan of magnums or AI's, seeing them as excessive and maybe too expensive relative to barrel wear. They may be popular for reasons I can evade, and what I need to get done can be done without them. My sole exception is a Win '94AE Trapper Carbine chambered in 44 Mag. Hell of a brush gun for deer.
My bigger bores had value, and I converted that value into smaller chamberings.
I still shoot service rifles, and do it with a Garand and a few 91/30's. Yes, they kick more. The 91/30's employ Limbsaver slip-ons and stock packs (cheekbones can get beat up too), and I have to limit the loads in the Garand anyway.
With some economical minor mods, the 91/30's can become a lot more fun to shoot.
The simplest recoil reduction mod is done with a sandbag/shot bag. Place it between the rifle butt and your shoulder. This increases the amount of mass the recoil must act on before it reaches your shoulder (but does not add to he overall rifle weight). This is a pretty good justification for an adjustable LOP Butt plate Modification.
For whatever reason your Doctor chooses to warn you off shooting, the warning makes good sense to a certain degree. My wife has had hip replacements, and a friend has had operations to reattach torn ligaments. My Wife follows directions and is healing well (this takes years to fully evolve), while my friend disregards his surgeon's warnings and is on his third (and last) attempt to restore his biceps function. I doubt he will ever take the warnings seriously enough, and that his injury will likely prove permanent.
Don't be that guy.
Greg
Thanks again for all the replies. It has been a year and 2 months since the replacement, works as good as new. At the yearning of a friend I plan on selling the .308 and picking up a .223 to replace it. I mainly want it for recreational long shooting in Arizona, I stay out there in the winter. I am relatively new to that kind of shooting, but have shot clays and handguns for awhile now.. And of course sitting in a deer blind in Michigan every year, except last year of course. The slower "punch" of the 20 ga seems not to bad, but the crack of that .308 just seems like it would knock things loose. Thanks again for all the replies.
Great choice would be a heavy barrel 223 with a brake. better yet with a silencer the work like a brake but reduces noise. A 20ga has more recoil then a 12ga weighing the same shooting the same amount of powder and shot charge. Larry
charlied63 said:
I just finished building a F/TR gun in .223 starting with a Savage Match Target action. At just shy of 18 pounds, (with bipod) it's just below the max allowed by the rules. You wouldn't want to tote this thing all over the Arizona desert, but when I shoot it free-recoil from a bench or near-free recoil when prone, the felt recoil is essentially zero. F class rules prohibit true free recoil, but it doesn't specify how hard it has to contact your shoulder, so I shoot it just touching my shirt.
If you're going to a .223 and you're interested in a target gun rather than a hunting firearm, consider getting something F-class legal. It's a great sport, especially for older folks 'cause there are no scope restrictions. Plus, it's mainly about reading the wind, so all you need to compete (at all but the highest level) is a 1/2 MOA rifle and the ability to read the wind. Plenty of folks shoot F-Class with rifles costing less than a grand plus glass. And if you don't compete, F/TR guns, especially in .223, make great fun-guns at the range or any kind of shooting where you don't have to march around.
I agree with your intention to go from 308 to 223. I would suggest the Savage 11VT 223, available only from Dick's Sporting goods. Mine is used for local club matches, any rifle/any sight at 250yd. Obviously the BR rifles lead, but the 11VT isn't all that far behind using developed handloads. My scope is a Mueller 8-32x44 Target Dot, and I have no need for a spotting scope at the above distance. I shoot off a bipod, and this configuration is F T/R compatible. The above approach will be more competitive, but the 11VT lets you get into the discipline with a more affordable expenditure. As your skills and needs grow, it will provide a more graceful transition into the more capable equipment.
Wind skills will become more crucial as your distances expand. Doing this at LR with a centerfire can be tiring and expensive, and reaching facilities with the distance can be tedious.
A very similar approach can be done at shorter distances using a 22LR. At 200yd plus, the wind can be challenging and that challenge also works well to teach wind skills that will also apply much further out with the centerfire.
I use a bare bones Savage MKIIF with a Tasco Varmint/Target 6-24x42 MilDot (VAR624x42M).
Greg
Wind skills will become more crucial as your distances expand. Doing this at LR with a centerfire can be tiring and expensive, and reaching facilities with the distance can be tedious.
A very similar approach can be done at shorter distances using a 22LR. At 200yd plus, the wind can be challenging and that challenge also works well to teach wind skills that will also apply much further out with the centerfire.
I use a bare bones Savage MKIIF with a Tasco Varmint/Target 6-24x42 MilDot (VAR624x42M).
Greg
BoydAllen
Gold $$ Contributor
Have your .308 rebarreled with an 8 twist 6BR. Shop around for a muzzle brake that gives the most recoil reduction, and does not blow up much dust when shot prone., Put a thick mushy pad on one of those hydraulic recoil reducers that are primarily made for the shotgun crowd. For long range skip the F TR and go with benchrest. You can still shoot prone for fun. You will be shooting bullets that are a little over a hundred grains (105-108) and you should be good to go.
I haven't had a total replacement, but I have had 2 surgeries within the last 3 years and a total of 6 screws and anchors installed in the front section of the shoulder. I can't imagine that it compares, but I still have trouble with my shoulder in general and don't exactly heal as I used to.
A big part of what affects my ability to manage things from a shooting perspective is continuous rehab and flexibility. If you don't stay on top of things, your chances of doing things you want diminishes. Sometimes i have to put in a little extra work to be able to shoot.
I would say don't push it too fast, too hard or exceed too many rounds. Stay as healthy as possible, use your common sense and find your tolerance. Good luck and don't give up!
A big part of what affects my ability to manage things from a shooting perspective is continuous rehab and flexibility. If you don't stay on top of things, your chances of doing things you want diminishes. Sometimes i have to put in a little extra work to be able to shoot.
I would say don't push it too fast, too hard or exceed too many rounds. Stay as healthy as possible, use your common sense and find your tolerance. Good luck and don't give up!
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