The op might check with his doctor or pharmacist to find out whether or not medicines might be causing shakiness. I suggest avoiding temptation to pray over sights, ignore shaking, and shoot. This strategy has worked for me. Good technique will trump unsteadiness.
Some really good advice here.
The only thing I'd add is that over time I notice that I can hold certain pistols more steadily than others -- whether heavier/lighter, longer/shorter, bigger/smaller grip, whatever -- and that range is getting narrower. So my recommendation is to find that one that hits the sweet spot.
There you have it, I've given you an excuse to try out and possibly buy a new gun.
A gentleman of more years than I was in my Arizona CCW class some years back. He had some serious hand tremors. His beautiful Colt Detective Special wobbled awfully, to the point that our instructor was concerned about safety on the line and on the street.
At 5 yards, though, all of his shots hit the silhouette. It was ugly, more like a shotgun pattern, but he did hit the target.
If you're better off than that guy, then keep on trucking.
Most people are surprised at how much tremor you can have in your hands and still get a good hit... as long as you get a perfect trigger press. However, the mental key to getting a perfect trigger press is to ignore the wobble. With a tremor, there's more wobble, so it's harder to ignore the wobble. One is tempted to snatch the trigger when the sights look perfect.
Ask your physician if propranolol would be appropriate for you. It is a generic cheap drug that was designed for hypertension years ago but is used more these days for essential tremors. It is also used for migraines, stage fright. It is a banned drug in the Olympics. North Korean Olympic shooter Kim Jong Su had his silver and bronze taken away in the 2008 games for testing positive for this drug.
Appreciate all the feedback!
Though my mom got Parkinson's in her 50s, I believe my issue has more to do with loss of strength and just general old age. I can still hit a 3 X 5 index card at 60 feet seven out of ten times, but I used to be able to do that 10 of 10 out to at least 75 feet. I concur, trigger control is key and one of the reasons I'm finding the PPQ a bit easier to shoot tight(er) groups.
No getting around it, growing old sucks.
Maybe you should just fist bump.old(er) age hand shake
I notice it a little sometimes...usually with my support hand when I'm going to set up my sonicare toothbrush.
Yet I don't notice it at all when I do my weak hand dry firing. Go figure.
Maybe it's just my ingrained fear of dentists. Honestly, I think there are so many variables involved. Pre or post workout, exertion, tiredness, etc. I rarely experience it but I think it's inevitable.
Last edited by blues; 03-25-2018 at 02:53 PM.
There's nothing civil about this war.