TargetTalk

i have recently started shooting prone and am getting some pain that believe to be unnatural because i know there will always be a little. first of all i have pain in my left hand(rifle holding hand).it starts to fall asleep. second i get pain in my left arm in the bicep area. it starts to hurt and when i take my jacket off the arm as all spots on it like blood splots. not sure what this is from.

just to not the blood spots on my left arm are exactly were the sling placement was.

Are you using a big handstop, little or none? Just curious, as same thing occurs for me (exluding the blood spots) because I dont use a handstop, meaning that my hand is extremeyl taut against both the sling and rifle.

So obviously the pain is simply the restriction of blood flow into your hand. But just curious as to what equipment you are using, because as soon as I put on a handstop the pain that was the loss of blood left and overall shooting became far more comfortable.

Can't help with the blood spots though.

The pain in the bicep might be a result of the positioning of your left arm.

Pain in the left hand was discussed at length a year or so ago, some very experienced shooters gavce their views.

The general agreement was that there will always be some pressure (and so discomfort) on the left when shooting prone. Think about it you have a 10-14lb weight on there, trapped by the sling. A good left hand position places the barrel just beside the thumb muscle, so it may be squashed by the stock, especially if you use a broad wooden one (some alu stocks are a bit slimmer and rounder).

However if you chose your glove and handstop carefully, and get your sling in the right place, the pain can be reduced to a manageable level. Try to get the weight of the rifle bearing on the base of the thumb/heel, this transfers the weight down onto the arm bones. If the weight is on the thumb web (so the hand doesn't tilt forwards), this squashes the soft flesh and phalanges. Also check that your handstop actually fits your hand; my Anschutz stop had a gap by the stock pinched the thumb until I taped a wedge of pencil rubber into the gap. A good quality glove that's well padded will cushion your hand more effectively than an old worn out 1960s mitt.

Tim S

As the other have stated, plus it sounds to me that your sling could be too tight. Bruising around the biceps isn't normal. I never really found out what caused mine but I bruised a nerve in my left upper arm during shooting, which meant I was unable to shoot for over a month. I did change sling position afterwards, plus I got a better jacket.

Rob.

I'd like to add two things to what Tim has said - I recently modified my position to get rid of the cant. I found that the downward pressure was spread more evenly across the heel of the hand with the rifle upright. Of course that assumes that your rifle is adjustable enough to do this - older rifles may not be...

Also, my next glove will probably have TopGrip on the palm - the smooth rubber/plastic of my current glove has a tendency to creep such that the majority of the forward pressure is against the handstop. A more grippy palmed glove might allow me to take the edge off that.

The usual issue that beginners have is placing the rifle in the palm of the hand rather than over the wrist - it's a small shift but it makes a big difference.

Pictures here:
http://www.targettalk.org/viewtopic.php?t=31407&start=5

This results in a pain on the outside of the wrist.

The other problem is taking the weight of the rifle on the front of the hand (in the web between the thumb and first finger) rather than on the heel of the hand. I've found that sling placement and having the right handstop makes the difference here.

Ken.

i have a pretty good shooting jacket and a new shooting glove so thats not the problem.

i believe my hand placement on the hand stop was more in the webbing and this could be the problem.

i also tighten my sling tight around biceps. i know it should be tight but how tight is to tight and too loose isnt good. should i try going to a lower sling position like some of the europeans do?

The sling should NOT be tight around the bicep. I can slide my right hand between my sling and my left bicep with some room to spare.

Eric U

thanks eric for the reply, my coaches told me it should be tight and high. i like a low sling position.

quess it was cutting off my circulation.

To echo Eric,

the sling should not be tight. The brachial artery runs down the inside of your arm. A very tight sling acts as a touniquet and cuts of blood to your hand, which equals big hurt!

Some shooters do tighten the sling a little (especially those that have a clamp, or hook rather than a buckle for the cuff) to stop it twisting. Personally I have my cuff as open as possible (the cuff has good grippy rubber and doesn't twist), but when I did tighten it I left enough room for at least three fingers between sling and arm.

To be even kinder to your arm, turn the sling so it pulls against the back/triceps; this should make the strap project from the front of the bicep. If the sling pulls from the back of the arm there is less tendency to compress the artery, which hurts and can transfer a pulse beat to the rifle.

Tim

High or low sling is OK. A tight position is OK (mine is). But a sling tight around your arm isn't. With a loose sling around the arm you will need something to keep the sling from sliding down your arm like a sling keeper or button.

Eric U

i have a sling keeper on my sling. i push it as far up as i possible can. quess thats not good. ill try the three finger rule.

jpd'

What Eric is referring to as a sling keeper is a strap that comes off the sling shoulder that keeps the sling from sliding down the arm. Most jackets intended for smallbore have them these days.

If your jacket does not have a strap to hold the sling up then the button referred to would often be the movable button from an international style shooting jacket attached to the sling arm of the jacket. Poke a small hole and screw that button on where it will hook under the sling to keep it from sliding down the arm.

Loose cuff: oh yes, many fingers between the arm and the sling.

Good Luck,
'Dude

ok just got the terminology wrong, the jacket does have a strap to keep the sling up. ill try the looser sling and see what happens. might have to move my handstop or lengthen my stock to make up for the added length of loosening the sling.

thanks all who replied.

One other thing to try.

I use a small diameter handstop. That small dia. helps keep from spreading my thumb and fore finger and causing discomfort.

Also, I place an extra handstop in front on the handrail and attach my sling to it. That takes a bunch of pressure off the back side of my hand. An additional advantage to doing that is I can adjust my handstop separate from my sling. It keeps you from making two adjustments to compensate for a sling or handstop adjustment.

Bob