Other Newbie first post -with a lame shoulder, is there hope for me to hunt deer?

[Ohlookasquirrel]

Thinking about the joint angles and such I wonder if having one of your rifles fitted with a custom butt plate could redirect the recoil to your torso instead of yanking on the ball of your shoulder joint. Or just reducing length of pull so that you can wrap around more completely and get the butt of the gun more on your front.

I’m recovering from a bicycle crash with fractured collarbone right now and I just had a custom stock done on one of my rifles and the length of pull is too much. Combined with the stiffness and nerve damage I couldn’t shoulder it well even though it ‘fits’. So yeah this all seems kind of familiar.

Sorry to hear of your wreck. I’ve broken many a collar bones doing mini racing.
They are awful! Check on AC separation too, that likes to rear its ugly head if you aren’t careful and gets worse over time without recognition and rehab.

DO THE REHAB. Use the correct muscle groups annd correct motions. It’s going to suck. But don’t try cheat by using stronger muscle as a crutch. Building the smaller muscles makes all the difference in the world. Ask me how I know

I’ve had my shoulder rebuilt with both cadaver and bovine tissue. I used to wake up to a posterior dislocation pretty often. I haven’t had one of those in 3 years. It’s a MISERABLE experience. If/when it fails again, the next procedure is a full replacement. I’m not ready for that yet and I don’t want to antagonize it without some due diligence.

I don’t want to buy try and cry anymore. I am really thinking of taking a trip like other posters suggested to try, buy and cry (but cry only because my wallet hurts but my shoulder and freezer are happy).

 

[LDP]

Reading thru some of the replies I think your best choice is still centerfire but different than what you have tried. You could use a 6 arc bolt gun or AR style rifle or a 6.5 Grendel or the 223 if you feel its adequate for the size of deer and shooting you do for cleanly killing the deer. I would change from a straight muzzle brake to using a suppressor that has a blast chamber designed for using a muzzle brake as well. If you just really want to get into the world of pcp airrifles then go for it but if you are just looking for a way to continue to hunt and still have enough energy for clean kills with manageable recoil I think centerfire will be the best option using a muzzle brake/ suppressor combo. It will mitigate the 6 arc, 6.5 grendel or 223 recoil completely and allow you to shoot without the huge muzzle blast or concussive pressure. The suppressor will reduce the recoil by itself but using the muzzle brake and suppressor together will reduce recoil even further and noise. Turn around time for suppressors is pretty fast these days.

 

[dgeesaman]

Just a general thought - as hunting weapons go, airguns have the advantage of being low recoil for the projectile energy. PCP airguns generate a more consistent pressure pulse behind the projectile - more of a 'thwack' than 'bang' to make it go.

In centerfire terms, a very high power airgun is not much different than a centerfire 300BLK burning a slow powder. You might do some research into that option - there is advantage to not need a complete new type of ammunition, air tank, compressor, etc, etc just to shoot a few rounds per year.

I don't think a ton of options exist to 'zero' the recoil on an air- or centerfire- rifle, since most shooters can tolerate 'some' recoil and have at least one shoulder than can take a gentle smack now and then. The engineer in me has all kinds of ideas but I'm not sure they'd be useful.

Of course, weight is a great solution to recoil - if you can set up your hunting tactics to allow a heavier rifle, then that's less kinetic energy transferred your shoulder. Muzzle brakes are also highly effective, and on low-power platforms (for hunting, at least) would be terrifically effective.

My shoulder is doing ok in PT - I'm 11 weeks out since surgery which means I can actually resume some strength building. I can almost reach straight up after some warmup stretches and exercises. My surgeon has been clear that we won't assess soft tissue injury until my skeletal injuries are more fully healed. I really don't know how much injury is there yet. What I do know is that a 220lb man shoulder-checking the asphalt at 27mph (and barely skidding) involves a *LOT* of felt recoil.

 

[Ohlookasquirrel]

Just a general thought - as hunting weapons go, airguns have the advantage of being low recoil for the projectile energy. PCP airguns generate a more consistent pressure pulse behind the projectile - more of a 'thwack' than 'bang' to make it go.

In centerfire terms, a very high power airgun is not much different than a centerfire 300BLK burning a slow powder. You might do some research into that option - there is advantage to not need a complete new type of ammunition, air tank, compressor, etc, etc just to shoot a few rounds per year.

I don't think a ton of options exist to 'zero' the recoil on an air- or centerfire- rifle, since most shooters can tolerate 'some' recoil and have at least one shoulder than can take a gentle smack now and then. The engineer in me has all kinds of ideas but I'm not sure they'd be useful.

Of course, weight is a great solution to recoil - if you can set up your hunting tactics to allow a heavier rifle, then that's less kinetic energy transferred your shoulder. Muzzle brakes are also highly effective, and on low-power platforms (for hunting, at least) would be terrifically effective.

My shoulder is doing ok in PT - I'm 11 weeks out since surgery which means I can actually resume some strength building. I can almost reach straight up after some warmup stretches and exercises. My surgeon has been clear that we won't assess soft tissue injury until my skeletal injuries are more fully healed. I really don't know how much injury is there yet. What I do know is that a 220lb man shoulder-checking the asphalt at 27mph (and barely skidding) involves a *LOT* of felt recoil.

I have already purchased a compressor for the .22 I have coming.
I have all but given up on PB rifles and hunting PCPs came to my attention.
The difference in recoil feel is really interesting and it’s clear, I need to feel it on my own.

Apparently 912 Airguns is close by. Just have to try and get in touch with them and see if they would let me try something. Maybe start small and work up so I don’t put myself in a bad situation.

My AR is really nice to shoot in recoil terms but when I tell you the air from the muzzle break SMACKS you in the face, I mean most people can only tolerate a couple rounds before it makes them mad. And it is waaaay too loud. My 16 year old son, who loves to shoot, hates it and sees it as a chore when I tell him he needs to put some rounds through it.

It was definitely over engineered and an expensive lesson in buy try cry.

I’ll probably have it rebuilt and changed out from left handed to right handed for my son to use since it feels like a lost cause for me.
That should tell you how far I was/am willing to go to hunt again.

Thats a good doctor! Really glad he is mindful of it. Just 10 years ago, it was an after thought. I bet you’ll be back to almost 100% in no time.
I know zero about cycling gear but I know quite a bit about motorcycle gear if you ever find yourself in a position to mitigate risk that way, please reach out.

 

[orangeokie]

American Air Arms EVOL Paradigm .30

American Air Arms Evol Paradigm .30 18" with Thumbhole Walnut stock: Airguns of Arizona

 

[RossK]

As a hunter, I also believe you'd best served with a bolt gun 223 or 22-250 using deer bullets with glass around 2-7x32. Recoil on a 7lb rig will be next to nothing. Move the butt of your rifle over and inch or two getting some gun on the side of your pec muscle, your shoulder should feel nothing.
A 223 gives about 1000 ft/pds @100yds. Velocity makes 223 whitetail medicine.

 

[IndyDurtdigger]

Air bows are allowed, in primitive season IIRC. That said, I’ve read there’s quite a few failures in the arrows which is what deterred me. Heard a few horror stories, any truth to that?
Again, I don’t know what I don’t know.

I just recently acquired one myself as part of a Senaca Wing shot kit. It was more of a bonus thing, so I haven't messed with it yet. Have shot a friends and liked it. As far as failures, the folks that hang out in the Big Bores and Arrow shooters section may have more insight, but I take anything like that with a grain of salt. People tend to do dumb things then bad mouth the results while leaving out the incriminating details.

These other folks are right, the recoil off these big bore air rifles isn't sharp at all and is more of a gentle push if that. I have a Texan in 45 and it's a good one to have my wife's friends shoot. They get a nice crack from the report without it being too loud or any recoil to speak of. Always gets big smiles and requests for more slugs.

 

[Headshots]

You might want to ask the same question on the Big Bore and Arrow shooters section. It's for 150+ fpe shooters.

Welcome

 

[jland48]

View attachment 480197TLDR massively bum shoulder - how much recoil does a big bore air rifle REALLY have?

I’ve had 2 major shoulder procedures that have helped but it isn’t a perfect fix.
My shoulder still subluxes.

For context - If I carry a gallon of milk with my arm slack at my side, my shoulder will sublux. I’ve developed some muscle tone to combat it but the last time I fired something that had the ability to take a deer down, it ended with a complete dislocation.

I even had an AR built with a muzzle break to try and combat the issue, which it did, however, it felt like you were being slapped in the face and I need 2 sets of ear protection to tolerate it on the range.


Very recently, I learned about big bore air rifle options. I’m consuming research (and y’all have provided so much) but I am concerned. I don’t want to invest in a “let’s just try it” deer set up just to be out the investment and up another shoulder surgery.

Here are my concerns:

1 recoil (obviously)
2 force needed to cock a deer set up (I’ve read some things that say they take 20lbs to load a round?)
3 maintenance and mods.
4 anything else? I don’t know what I don’t know.

The good - I'm a decent shot. My last DRT was Saturday. I got a squirrel with a daisy 880 at 50 feet with iron sights. Would’ve eaten it too but it was a nasty boar. Pic attached, don’t judge the glove.

The bad - yes, in addition to my lame shoulder -
I am lightweight and pretty weak.
I am not mechanically inclined
I want something reliable. I know, that’s subjective so let me clarify
I want to fill, point, shoot, clean, repeat.
I’m a lefty

I’ve just ordered my very first PCP - an Air Venturi Avenge-X .22 (it’s marketed as ambi and I am a true lefty) and a JTS portable compressor. Now all I can think about is deer season is coming and how nice a .50 Airforce Texan sounds.

But, can I handle it?

Also, it takes some effort to clean a deer, should you get one on the ground. I killed a doe about 2 days before one of my shoulder surgeries and had quite a time skinning it with one bad wing.

 

[Ohlookasquirrel]

Also, it takes some effort to clean a deer, should you get one on the ground. I killed a doe about 2 days before one of my shoulder surgeries and had quite a time skinning it with one bad wing.

I have 2 things going for me on that front. My 6’4 o line playing 16 year old son
And i worked at a deer processor on and off over the years. Theres pics of me processing 2 deer in this thread.

 

[Vana2]

I used to hunt deer with homemade bows. One year I injured my shoulder and had to use an Excalibur Exocet crossbow, something like that may be an option for you.

Some of the modern crossbows are extremely effective and may be worth looking at.

Cheers!