Shoulder pads/protection for shooting?

JkT1984

Hi there,

I went rifle and shotgun shooting last month and had a great time. 50 shots total with the rifle, 20 on paper targets. Great craic despite the fact that I hit my own paper target 3 times and the bloke's next to me 17 times. Did very well with the shotgun though.

Anyway, despite doing much much better with the shotgun, I made a bollocks of my shoulder. I've been having a health issue for the last year and a half. Won't dive too deep into that but, the relevant part here is that I've lost a very significant amount of muscle tone in that time, and I bruised the hell out of my shoulder which lasted for two weeks.

I intend to go again in a few weeks, and I'd like to look after my shoulder while I'm doing it.

Would anyone here have any suggestions?

Thank you.

Cass

Don't use a 12g, if that is what you were using. Ask for a smaller calibre such as a 20 bore or even. .410

Much less recoil.

Also see if you can get a heavier gun as the increased weight can help reduce some of the recoil.

As for protection, a knee pad stuffed inside your shirt/jumper or jacket will help but will change your shouldering of the gun, hence hold and aim so be wary.

Another tip is technique. The gun should be firmly "pulled" into your shoulder and you should go with the recoil as opposed to trying to fight against it. In other words your shoulder and the gun should move as one. Lean into the gun and allow your whole body to move back as opposed to standing straight up and being off balanced and getting the shoulder kicked off ya.

LambshankRedemption

As Cass said, You shoulder only get a sore shoulder from holding the gun wrong.

An Army instructor showed me years ago, if you put your fist against a persons shoulder, and then push in like a punch, they feel nothing, just their shoulder moves back, if you put your fist next to their shoulder, a couple of milimetres away and do the same, the person gets a "Dead shoulder".

Hold the butt into your shoulder, pull it in towards you.

Rescueme0007

Just after the famine when I started shooting, it was with the venerable SMLE No.4 MkII .303 British, with a brass butt plate. The instructors on the range were very clear in the instructions to seat the butt plate firmly into the shoulder and lean into it. As Lambshankredemption identified leaving any space for the recoil to gather momentum makes it a very different and unpleasant experience. One trooper on the firing point was scared of the recoil and held the weapon too far away on the first round.

Result he sustained a belt into the mouth.

It was a salutary lesson for himself and those of us who observed the incident. Have a proper grip on the weapon, squeeze the round away and endeavour to observe the round strike the target. These will all assist in avoiding damage. Where necessary put some suitable padding under your jacket to ease any bruising. Also don't fire to many rounds in any session until you're content you know your limits!

JP22

As Cass/Rescueme0007 said, any space between the firearm stock and your shoulder will mean the rifle/shotgun recoil will smack you in the shoulder, how hard depends on calibre/how you hold/held the firearm and you experience with shooting same.

Lots of modern CF firearms have a hard stock (no recoil pad), others have a medium/soft recoil pad which helps in reducing/absorb some of the recoil and are easier on the shoulder.

A small hand towel folded several times and placed under your clothing on the shoulder you shoot will help.

I shot clays for years with 12g U/O with both soft/medium recoil pad and still ended up with slight bruising after a long day’s clay shooting,

Everyone is different, if you have a shoulder injury/impediment, best keep away from full bore/12g and use smaller calibres.

Keep up the interest in shooting, it’s a super sport/pastime even if your only plinking for fun plus there are numerous classes/competition’s for everyone.

JkT1984

Thanks for the help/advice folks. Much appreciated!

Grizzly 45

Also, a great help is if you have a stock that fits you more or less. Too short and you will get a good slap too, too long and you won't be able to mount or control the gun either.

A quick rule of thumb to see what fits you. Take an unloaded gun and put the butt in the crook of your elbow, and hold the gun vertically, try reaching the furthest trigger with your index finger. You should be able to get half of your fingertip on the trigger[, around where the whorl is in the middle of your fingerprint]. If you can curl your entire fingertip around the trigger the stock is too short. If you can't get half of your fingertip around the trigger it's too long. Err if you have a choice in guns for being longer than shorter in the stock.

jb88

Get a Beretta shooting jacket with the gel pads you stick in the shoulder, Problem solved.

Croohur1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122501426#Comment_122501426

Was just about to suggest this! I had a bad shoulder for a year and this helped. Just took a small bit of kick back away on a nerve issue.

Croohur1

Maybe this Guard was trying on shooting jackets…

https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/2024/08/14/investigation-begins-after-garda-allegedly-left-gun-in-dublin-shop-changing-room/