Amputated tip of strong hand index finger

[stick]

That one is going to leave a mark.

That's for sure! All I can say is Ouch, that must have hurt!

[eric nielsen]

Shot with Merle many times way back when. Yes he got stopped by RO's a lot & would then hold up his finger & go load up his mags again. He carried 2-3 times the minimum round count of ammo to each match. I'm sure all the re-shoots helped his mental toughness because he went from occasional Nationals stage winner in the late 80's to USPSA Open Champion in 1994. Had no problems shooting either a Para or an STI as long as the trigger was flat and very short, like barely popping out from the frame slot.

[kcobean]

I shot a few rounds through a beautiful Caspian .40S&W this weekend. I definitely couldn't do a whole match right now, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. In our world of instant gratification, it sure is hard to wait for my body to do what it needs to do. It's been great to hear from guys who have been through similar and know that it's going to "get better". Shooting is my passion and I was pretty bummed out for awhile after this happened. I know that I'll be back on the range soon enough.

[kcobean]

My first match after my injury is tomorrow. Wish me luck!!

[Tacticalk9]

My first match after my injury is tomorrow. Wish me luck!!

Good luck! Like said above. Bring extra ammo and enjoy the free reshoots! lol

[kevin c]

Good luck! Remember that, in a match, we tend to default to how we have trained up to that point. You may find yourself trying to pull the trigger the way you used to preinjury. Be patient, and just go and have fun. I am nursing a torn calf muscle, and while it isn't anything like your injury, it will still take time to heal. Go slow, patiently and have fun - that's my plan for tomorrow's match.

[kcobean]

Thanks Kevin. My match was a "double whammy". First match after my injury, and I was also borrowing a friends Caspian 1911 instead of shooting my XDm (shorter/lighter trigger on the 1911). My finger did just fine on the trigger, but it's still too sensitive/weak to run the mag release, so I'm having to do it with my middle finger. That's taking some getting used to. Also, the gun didn't like the ammo I brought at all, so after being plagued with malfunctions for 5 stages, I packed it in.

Looking forward to getting back out there this weekend.

[BitchinCamaro]

Former wrench monkey here. As soon as I saw the pic I thought to myself "Disc Rotor".

In a different life, I actually studied amputations (primarily in animal models). At the very least, what you have going for you is that it was a shearing cut which is going to give you the best chances for a functional heal- especially since it's above the cuticle, which may act as a defacto growth plate.

I'm assuming you're not ~9 years old, which is around the time where human distal digit regrowth potential is severely reduced, but as warpspeed demonstrates, a surprising degree of regeneration is still possible.

If you're a smoker, quit now!

I hope you have a fast track back to the bike and the shooting!

[kcobean]

Thanks BC. I haven't been 9 for a few years (or 32) . My finger is doing great. Still numb and/or very sensitive (depending on what type of stimulus) 10 months after my injury. From a shooting perspective I've been having a great time. I made A class in Limited division last month and the finger isn't slowing me down a bit. I've continued shooting my XDm because the ambi mag release allows me to drop mags with my thumb. Putting a lot of pressure on my finger tip is still pretty uncomfortable, so tight 1911 mag releases I still do with my middle finger. It's a bit clumsy, but with some more practice it should be fine.