Carbine manipulation with injury

[Robinson]

Earlier this year I acquired a 16" 300 BLK carbine, and I just recently installed a suppressor. I've started shooting the carbine more at the range and also using dry fire at home to familiarize myself with its handling. Especially with the suppressor attached, I am having some trouble with an injury to my right arm I sustained several months ago. A tendon that attaches to my elbow was strained or torn and it is taking forever to heal.

When both hands are on the gun there is no problem. However, when performing a reload or otherwise performing an action that requires me to support the gun only with my shooting hand it stresses that part of my arm. I get shooting pains there and then I have a lot of residual pain the following day.

I want to get some feedback on some ways to deal with this. One technique I've tried to is to move the butt of the rifle down so that it is sort of tucked beneath my right arm a bit for support when I do a reload. This slows things down a bit but alleviates the painful stress on my arm. Has anyone tried anything similar or a better method than this?

I would just ignore it but I'm thinking it will just take even longer to heal if I keep stressing the injury over and over. I suppose I can dry fire practice without the suppressor until my arm heals -- any other suggestions?

[voodoo_man]

Have you tried to brace the gun under your arm pit?

[Robinson]

Have you tried to brace the gun under your arm pit?

See my third paragraph.

[voodoo_man]

See my third paragraph.

Reading fail on my part, sorry.

Maybe some of the carbine SMEs will chime in

[Surf]

Tuck the weapons stock in the crook of the armpit or in the armpit for one handed manipulations, loading, unloading, reloading, tac loading, malfunctions, movement, etc... We teach and perform this method anyway. It provides more control over the weapon for more positive manipulations, especially if those manipulations are happening when moving dynamically, ie to cover, etc..

In many situations you really don't want the weapon up in the shooting position against the shoulder when doing manipulations. Static shooting not too bad, but under stress, fatigue, dynamic movement or all three, the weapon is hard to keep up one handed and control it. Pure speed is not everything. Control and consistency is more critical in many situations and will be faster and more effective.

It is always important to learn the technique and now is a great time to start. It will be another great option and if you never learn it, you will never use it, or never use it effectively.

[Robinson]

Tuck the weapons stock in the crook of the armpit or in the armpit for one handed manipulations, loading, unloading, reloading, tac loading, malfunctions, movement, etc... We teach and perform this method anyway. It provides more control over the weapon for more positive manipulations, especially if those manipulations are happening when moving dynamically, ie to cover, etc..

In many situations you really don't want the weapon up in the shooting position against the shoulder when doing manipulations. Static shooting not too bad, but under stress, fatigue, dynamic movement or all three, the weapon is hard to keep up one handed and control it. Pure speed is not everything. Control and consistency is more critical in many situations and will be faster and more effective.

It is always important to learn the technique and now is a great time to start. It will be another great option and if you never learn it, you will never use it, or never use it effectively.

Great feedback (from both of you actually), thanks. That's what I resorted to doing simply because of the pain I had when trying to keep the butt pressed against the front of my shoulder. Now I guess I need to keep working that technique until it becomes natural and not as glacially slow as it seems. Fortunately I have this big concrete block wall in my basement for dry practice...

[Duelist]

Technique is one thing. Another is being smart! If you have a tendon injury, let it heal before you start training that physically stresses it. Otherwise, you risk turning it into a chronic condition or something that may require more direct intervention to correct.

If you were a pitcher or a weight lifter, would you be working out, or would you be doing physical therapy?

[LittleLebowski]

Any less stress on the injury if you switch sides for shooting?

[Robinson]

Technique is one thing. Another is being smart! If you have a tendon injury, let it heal before you start training that physically stresses it. Otherwise, you risk turning it into a chronic condition or something that may require more direct intervention to correct.

If you were a pitcher or a weight lifter, would you be working out, or would you be doing physical therapy?

Thanks for your feedback. That is actually the point of my question -- I realized that practicing the way I was would keep stressing my injury so I wanted to explore a method that would allow me to keep practicing and at the same time not prolong the healing process. Using the "under the arm" method eliminates the pain but I wanted some feedback on that and whether there was another better method.

[Robinson]

Any less stress on the injury if you switch sides for shooting?

Yes, there is less stress that way. However, at the risk of highlighting just how new I am to the AR, I only recently purchased a good two-point sling that allows switching back and forth. Therefore I am just now getting to the point where I am doing a little dry practice with my left as the shooting hand. I realize that is an essential skill for using a carbine but I have a long way to go toward proficiency.

My idea of an ergonomic rifle is still a lever gun.