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Middle of the night...weak hands

2K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  BrianJ 
#1 ·
Ill start by saying that I dont have the strongest hands due to previous jobs i've had that has taken its toll on my hands. Also I severely broke my middle finger on my right hand(im right handed) a few years ago. I broke the bone completely in half and the fracture was displaced. The finger isnt quite the same.

Ok on to my point. When I wake up in the morning my right hand is pretty darn stiff and my grip is really weak for atleast 5 minutes or so. My concern is if the situation arises that I need to go to the pistol after being woke up by an intruder will I even be able to hold on to the pistol strong enough to be effective? Based on this would I be better off using a shotgun as the "late night home defense weapon"? I would much prefer to use my pistol.

Anyone else with this issue?

Thanks,
Brian
 
#2 ·
If you have fair use of it after waking normally within 5 minutes I'd guess that with a full blown adrenalin dump and the way the mind goes on autopilot you would probably be able to function well enough without the warm up time. Not 100% sure since your actual physical handicap will have an affect but adrenalin is a great equalizer for body weaknesses. A shotgun may be a worse choice since the weakness would make a accurate shot difficult and a follow up even more so.

Stick with the hand gun and practice.
 
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#3 ·
Even if it is not your 'strong hand', can you shoot with the other? If not, upgrade to a 12 Gage and shoot volume over accuracy.

I feel for you. I get claw hands sometimes, where you have to physically use one hand to peel the other hand's fingers back into position......

Oh, I also have shattered elbows from a couple of Jumps (poor PLF.... LOL) and sometimes they lock. I live in fear of having the right weapon drawn but not able to move forearms up. I practice moving at the waist to compensate when I get a 'lock'.

Best to ya.
 
#4 ·
Just to be clear, I dont have a legit handicap. Just that my right hand gets crazy stiff over night. To the point where im not sure I could crush an egg immediately after waking up. Ive been looking into some fingers/hands/wrists/forearms exercises to hopefully help.
 
#7 ·
Arthritis really sucks, and can be very crippling. I also believe that if something ever comes to pass where you need your gun, the effect of an adrenaline dump will more than likely overcome your limitation.

Also, a shotgun would hardly be a bad alternative to the handgun.

One thing is for sure... It sucks getting old.
 
#9 ·
I had to learn to shoot everything left handed after a spinal cord injury partially paralyzed my right hand.Practice shooting Pistol left handed at Home defense range,I sleep with a 1911 under my pillow, and next to the head board I have a mossberg 930 Semi-Auto shotgun 18.5" bbl for HD due to the fact it has a tang safety that can be manipulated with either hand.You may also check into taking a medication that would help with the problem while sleeping
 
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