[dgray64]

I can sight in my rifles and do really well with pistols at 25 yards, but when I get ought to 100 yards, I waver back and forth. I try for the quickest shot i can get so I can cut the waver, but still it's there. Any cure that you have heard of? I can use a tree for support and still get the wave. No fun. I still want to kill those coyotes that come after my goats and then a deer this fall. Thanks for the help.

Dave

 

[trip286]

Don't know how old you are, that may help a bit. I suggest at least some mild strength training and a balanced diet. Yeah, it sounds like a physical fitness plan, I know. That's because it is. Now, if your honestly getting just downright elderly, maybe a multi vitamin could help? IDK, because luckily I'm still under 30. Haven't had to research such a thing myself.

 

[Werminator]

Agreed... a good multivitamin can help your body with basic functions like blood flow and oxygen use which can help you with steadiness... also have you tried shooting from shooting sticks or a bipod? I know it isn't the solution you are hoping for but it is perhaps something to look into...

 

[dgray64]

I'm 69 and feel like a pill factory sometimes for the stuff I have to take. I get the necessary vitamins as part of the pills, plus my wife makes everything from scratch (good food). I don't have time for a physical fitness training. I'm in the process of building a new pole barn here in Texas in the 100 degree heat. Dam, digging pole holes through that darn rock with an iron bar got old. Finally got them all set and level. Now I'm putting up the stringers and braces. I do love to shoot and am pretty steady with my pistols. I think I'll try a shooting stick. I hate going prone...too darn much cactus in the pastures where I shoot.

Dave

 

[billt]

Are you a smoker? I ask because when I was young and stupid I used to. I competed regularly in a lot of bullseye and 2,700 matches back in the 70's then, and I had similar issues. I found out it was smoking related. I quit, and within 6 months my shooting improved remarkably. Breath control is everything. Especially in rifle shooting. If you deplete the oxygen supply to your lungs by smoking, or even lack of exercise, this can cause the problems you're experiencing.

So if you do smoke, quit. If you don't try walking every day, or else do what I did and buy a treadmill. Here in Phoenix it gets too hot to exercise outdoors in the Summer months. So I put a treadmill in my master bedroom, and before I take my morning shower I spend time on it watching the morning new and business reports. How long depends on how I feel.

I usually alternate between a longer, slower paced workout, to a faster, shorter one from day to day. That way it doesn't get so monotonous. If you do this you'll be surprised at not only how good you feel, but also how well your shooting will improve.

 

[primer1]

I'm 69 and feel like a pill factory sometimes for the stuff I have to take. I get the necessary vitamins as part of the pills, plus my wife makes everything from scratch (good food). I don't have time for a physical fitness training. I'm in the process of building a new pole barn here in Texas in the 100 degree heat. Dam, digging pole holes through that darn rock with an iron bar got old. Finally got them all set and level. Now I'm putting up the stringers and braces. I do love to shoot and am pretty steady with my pistols. I think I'll try a shooting stick. I hate going prone...too darn much cactus in the pastures where I shoot.

Dave

It could easily be a side effect from your meds. Check the side effects listing for each med, its probably on half of them.

 

[JTJ]

I am up there too and I practice with a pellet rifle in the garage. It is amazing how much wobble you get at only 10 yards. I did some standing off hand shooting with my 22 bolt at 50 yards last winter. It took a lot of practice to keep it in the black. It was mostly breath control and trying to relax. Tension makes it worse. I used to be good with a target pistol. I also started using lower or no magnification. I put a red dot on the pellet rifle and am doing much better.

 

[trip286]

Billt, how long after quiting smoking did you notice a difference. That's one thing I'm still working on. I need all the motivation I can get.

 

[billt]

Billt, how long after quiting smoking did you notice a difference. That's one thing I'm still working on. I need all the motivation I can get.

In about 2 months I noticed a marked difference. Within 6 months it was considerable. I was a typical pack a day puffer. Another thing I forgot to mention was alcohol consumption. I don't drink anymore because I simply can't handle it like I could when I was younger. But there were many times I went to matches hung over, and shot like $h!t as a direct result. Especially high power rifle shooting. Smoking and drinking go together. So if you do both it is much easier to try to stop both then give up one and not the other.

 

[canebrake]

It could easily be a side effect from your meds. Check the side effects listing for each med, its probably on half of them.

primer.

I too have had drug-interaction, shooting issues. (NO, not police blotter issues!)

 

[billt]

I have a friend who takes Atenenol, (sp), for his heart. It relaxes the heart and stops palpitations. It also prevents the heart rate from going up. He stopped taking it before he shoots and found it did help some. However this might not be a wise choice from a medical standpoint.

 

[303tom]

Yes we are getting old, ever try a bipod ?

 

[dgray64]

Thanks for all the good advice. I never smoked, but have had double pneumonia three times (I'm allergic to the shot). The first bout with pneumonia nearly killed me and scarred my lungs bad. The next two bouts over the years didn't help. When they X-ray my chest, they do a double take and ask if I'm a heavy smoker since they are basically black with scar tissue. That's the main reason I moved from KY to TX, to be in a dryer climate and ease my breathing. It helps, though I run out of energy pretty quick. The meds are mostly for blood pressure, with one for cholesterol, and two for prostrate. I take B, C, and D as well. If I could control my breathing better it might help. I have a bi-pod on one rifle that works well, but when hunting, I don't have a table to rest it on and I hate getting down in the cactus to go prone with the bi-pod. Any other ideas? Thanks again.

Dave

 

[therewolf]

Would your doctor allow you to use Potassium and Magnesium?

Try them if you can. It would take a week or two to see

any improvement.

 

[winds-of-change]

Would it help to lean against a tree while standing to help steady yourself?

 

[billt]

Would it help to lean against a tree while standing to help steady yourself?

Any support you can give your upper body will help steady everything when holding a rifle. Another option are these mono and bi pods. The mono pods can double as a walking stick. I have a friend who hunts Elk up around Williams and it's pretty high elevation up there. He swears by a monopod. It helps to keep him from getting winded, and offers good support while shooting. He shoots a Remington 700 Sendero which is quite heavy.

 

[ellis36]

I can sight in my rifles and do really well with pistols at 25 yards, but when I get ought to 100 yards, I waver back and forth….. Thanks for the help.

Dave

You don't say how old you are, but it may just come with age. I have had the same problem for quite a while. I'm past 76. Never smoked. I had to quit riding bikes because my 'head would spin' leaned over in turns. It's not getting better with age. A tripod or just a rest of some kind may be the only answer. Make sure you aren't deficient on essential minerals.

 

[ellis36]

…. A tripod or just a rest of some kind may be the only answer…..

Sorry! I meant 'bipod.' Brains' getting a little sticky, too!

 

[Chainfire]

I'm 69 and feel like a pill factory sometimes for the stuff I have to take. I get the necessary vitamins as part of the pills, plus my wife makes everything from scratch (good food). I don't have time for a physical fitness training. I'm in the process of building a new pole barn here in Texas in the 100 degree heat. Dam, digging pole holes through that darn rock with an iron bar got old. Finally got them all set and level. Now I'm putting up the stringers and braces. I do love to shoot and am pretty steady with my pistols. I think I'll try a shooting stick. I hate going prone...too darn much cactus in the pastures where I shoot.

Dave

If you can still build pole barns in the summer heat at 69, all I can say is way to go dude. I am 60 and sometimes feel 90.

 

[billt]

Another thing my doctor told me that he tested me for was Testosterone. Mine was OK but he said when you get older it can drop way off. This can cause problems similar to like when your electrolyte levels get screwed up. Bad things can start happening. Another issue he told me with it is some men have a lot of issues when they take it. Some get very aggressive when it doesn't agree with them. Lets face it. Once you roll past 60 you're like a car with 125,000 miles. It only gets worse.