I shoot a pretty good number of 3" 12 gauge and 20 gauge turkey loads
each year testing various choke/barrel/shotshell combinations for my
clients and my readers. That has added up to many hundreds of shells
each and every year for the past 10 years or so.
I shoot all of
them off my right shoulder and have paid a price for that. As far as
can be determined, my retinas are okay but I have seriously torqued my
spine and there is a definite twist in my back. It happens that the
left-side back muscles are very much overdeveloped and put a lot of
stress on the right-side back muscles. It's quite evident if you see my
back.
(As an aside, my hearing is a bit better than normal for a man my age. I've used ear protection for the past 20 years.)
At
this point the only "remedy" is to strengthen the right side of my back
through specific exercises that target that area. That can help reduce
the stress and hopefully, eventually the pain that's currently 24/7.
I
am either fortunate or unfortunate in that I do not bruise, so there's
never been any evidence of bruising on my right shoulder, just the
constant torque of having round after round shoving my shoulder
backward.
I started using various recoil absorbing products
about 9 years ago when I first contracted with some shotshell companies
to test their products. I met the man who invented the Shooter's Friend
Recoil Pad and began using that product, even doubling it at times with
some light guns. It certainly spread out the recoil and disbursed it
over a larger area but did not keep me from getting "punchy" after a day of shooting 100+ shells.
A
couple of years ago I was asked to do some pre-market testing for the
Evo Shield recoil reduction shirt. I've used one ever since to help me "remain aware of where I am" after a day at the range. I still use the Shooter's Friend & the Evo Shield and that combination helps a lot.
Recoil
effects all of us even if we don't bruise or if we don't realize what
it's doing to us. I'd urge anyone who's shooting heavy loads to take
precautions, not only for your eyes but for your back and spine. Take
it from someone who's learned but a bit too late to prevent the real
damage that recoil can produce.
This is a wonderful sport but just like any other "contact" sport we need to wear appropriate protection.