$6 Shoulder Massage

[Chillywig]

This is a story from another forum posted by someone else many years ago. I have thought about this story several times over the years. 2 mins of googling I tracked it down. This is recalling shooting a 50BMG AR upper... 

 

OK, here is the truth about this rifle.

When I didn't get the chance to go with Mitch on the initial range session of this rifle, Mitch told me it was fine and manageable. And he had 7 rounds left that we could shoot this weekend. My shields must have been down, because I should have remembered he only had 10 rounds at the time, and there had to be a reason why he only shot it twice, and let his brother in law shoot it once.

Today, Mitch shot it first and I was spotting for him. At about 20 feet away, it didn't sound all that loud, and I was watching his target instead of watching him. This was my second mistake.

It was my turn and I positioned my self on the bench. I loaded one round, and let the scope settle onto the target. I was leaning into the gun a fair bit.

I breathed and squeezed, and then the 7th gateway to Hell opened up. The sound reminded me of being caught at the green light of a top fuel dragster race when you don't have your ear muffs on because you are trying to listen to the guy beside you speak, and you are in the 5th row.

The recoil was brutal. It wasn't a sharp kick at all. It was slow and forceful. The recoil impulse took long enough for me to think, Baby Jesus make it stop. It felt like it took forever to lose it's energy against my shoulder.

It gets better, the recoil and noise were minor in comparison to the over pressure in the shooter's envelope. It felt like someone punched me square in the nose, and the gun never came close to me. It was a pressure wave, that made my eyes tear, my sinuses drain, and later when I got home and blew my nose, I discovered it had been bleeding.

I should have learned my lesson, but mistake #3. I shot it again. This time, I leaned farther into it. Same noise and over pressurization, but this time instead of being pushed back with the recoil, it twisted my right shoulder on my hips like an old G I Joe figure could swivel.

Right now, I feel like I was a character in Fight Club.

[Modoc]

 

 BTDT!  A true WTF are you thinking wanting THAT moment!

 

Similar to the customer at a LGS who was doing a PPT transfer on a 45-70 DERRINGER. 

[synchronicity]

On a FCSA Match weekend shooting two classes and the practical match I would commonly fire 150 to 200 rounds of 50BMG.  Most was 800gn brass pushed by 235gn+ at 2900+ FPS.  I watched 70+ .YO women and 80+ YO men do this

on a regular basis and shoot sub MOA 5 shot groups on a regular basis.  At 1000 yards.  I disagree with your assessment.

[azirafaelsish]

Wow, what a wild experience with that rifle! Reminds me of the time I tried out a new sport without really knowing what I was getting into. It's like your senses get overloaded in a split second, right? But hey, sometimes we learn the hard way. Speaking of recovery, have you ever considered treating yourself to a massage after such intense experiences? I found some great insights on https://planetmassage.com/ that might help ease those tense muscles and clear your head. Take care!

Edited May 3 by azirafaelsish