Has anyone broken their collarbone and ended up with a lump of calcification around the break? If so, do you have any tips for comfortably securing the rifle in the shoulder pocket with the nuisance?
- Thread starter Lucky Se7en
- Start date
My left collarbone is Z shaped and my right has a lump from the first break and now floats free on the arm side from the last boo boo.
I can’t say I’ve ever noticed any issues shooting thankfully.
i suspect some folks have issues because their anatomy doesn't provide a "typical" pocket for shooting.
folks also have more or less "meat" on their body which takes up the recoil.
luckily i only broke my left one dirtbike riding when i was a kid
some kind of pad, either worn or on the butt might help, but some shooters are also using their chest more.
you might have to experiment a little to find what works.
folks also have more or less "meat" on their body which takes up the recoil.
luckily i only broke my left one dirtbike riding when i was a kid
some kind of pad, either worn or on the butt might help, but some shooters are also using their chest more.
you might have to experiment a little to find what works.
I broke mine playing football when I was in grade school, green stick fracture; still remember the crunch and it ached like hades for weeks. The lump is still there. But I've always had a natural pocket into which rifles and shotguns have naturally fit - never had any issue with the clavicle per se, and I was a skinny guy (6'1", 165) through my 30s. I do remember seeing some bruising a few times after opening days of dove season (humpback Browning with 1 1/4 ounce loads) but it was minor and well away from bone.
i bought a PAST recoil pad for my wife and eventually my daughter when i was teaching them to shoot shotguns.
of course i tried it out as well shooting my dad's .308 levergun and it is amazing how much it does reduce the felt recoil.
because foam might compress more uniformly than your shoulder pocket (again depending on each person) i suspect a padded stock or recoil pad might help with consistency for people that struggle (not to suggest people use crutches to replace proper set up).
That's a good point bringing up the other factors like someone's weight and body composition impacting the ergonomics of the shoulder pocket...I have some serious muscle atrophy going on in the area at the moment. Hopefully once I build the muscle back up things will feel more normal otherwise I'll have some more experimenting to do. In the meantime I'm just not feeling like my shoulder pocket is forming around the butt pad.
i broke both bones in my ankle playing football in high school, and this meant a cast all the way up past my knee for months.
my leg looked like i was from ethiopia when that cast was finally cut off. swam for rehab, and ended up playing water polo (although i was too small to be any good).
Fuzed neck really sucked in the prone. Broke the same collarbone twice. It sucks but I hold the stock lower in the pocket. It takes years to recover.
I broke my collar bone falling down a double black dimond at mach chicken when i was a kid. It took a while for the lump to go away but it eventually did.
If you break the clavicle it today the trend is to fix it with a plate and screws and people are so much happier. Less downtime and no deformity
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I've broken my left collar bone once and my right twice. The second break on my right collar bone resulted in a nasty surgery to repair poorly healed damage from the first break as part of the repair of the second break. Following the surgery and recovery I had some challenges finding a comfortable shoulder pocket for my two magnum rifles (300wm ad 338L). Smaller calibers did not bother me.
Eventually, I rotated my butt pad 180° to an upside down position and canted it to the outside a bit more than normal. I then added a small foam pad that contacted my shoulder pocket just below my clavicle. That help spread the recoil pressure to just below the clavicle and to the shoulder muscle. This did cause some rifle cant issues that I had to be constantly aware of, but it was worth it.
It took about a year from surgery for everything to heal to the point I could go back to a more conventional setup.
Eventually, I rotated my butt pad 180° to an upside down position and canted it to the outside a bit more than normal. I then added a small foam pad that contacted my shoulder pocket just below my clavicle. That help spread the recoil pressure to just below the clavicle and to the shoulder muscle. This did cause some rifle cant issues that I had to be constantly aware of, but it was worth it.
It took about a year from surgery for everything to heal to the point I could go back to a more conventional setup.
I’m in orthopedics and just happened to have broken my collar bone mtn biking about 4 months ago now (not the 1st time).
First things first, physical therapy. Very very important, especially if you’re not in your 20’s
or 30’s anymore. The calcification should subside some over time. Expect the area to be tender/uncomfortable for at least 4months.
Regarding surgery. The basic decision to have surgery is based on bone displacement and relative shortening. Surgery will speed recovery. However surgery carries its inherent risks not the least of which is the possibility of numbness. Also consider that one surgery actually means 2 surgeries. The second to remove plate and screws.
My break had a fair amount of displacement but no shortening and I chose not to have surgery. Again physical therapy is key.
Lol. There is that optionWho removes small plates and screws anymore lol
Broke mine in my mid-twenties, no surgery, natural heal. Rifle shooting from a bench, seated position doesn't make any difference, prone- in the shoulder pocket or on the other side of the break closer to my neck. Butt plate is never really on the collarbone for me, never has been.
You'll simply have to figure out what works for you. You'll know when it doesn't work cuz it'll hurt. Don't mount a rifle in such a fashion that will hurt when you shoot. Number one it'll cause you to flinch a number to of course it'll hurt.
For me calcification never really went away and gets a bit sore when weather changes, a bit of arthritis and that area.
You'll simply have to figure out what works for you. You'll know when it doesn't work cuz it'll hurt. Don't mount a rifle in such a fashion that will hurt when you shoot. Number one it'll cause you to flinch a number to of course it'll hurt.
For me calcification never really went away and gets a bit sore when weather changes, a bit of arthritis and that area.
I have similar issue, but due to thoracic surgery, The sternum has been opened and repaired twice.
I made my decision based on what I had to deal with after both surgeries. It simply made no sense to risk going through that again, so I no longer own or shoot magnum rifles. It took me well over a year in each instance before I could again shoot from prone, and since N/M and F Class were my chosen competitions, that was the only valid choice for me. These days my maximum chambering is a 30-06 with the M2 ball load, and only from a heavy rifle. Shooting my Garand is a mixed blessing that I refuse to forego.
Since then I've explored lighter recoiling chamberings with relatively good terminal performance from the firearms I use them in. The 6.5's, the 6.5 Grendel and the 260 Rem, are my performance calibers now. They do what I want from them.
6.5 Grendel delivers performance superior to the 5.56 out of the AR, and the 260 has the same flatter trajectory as the 300WM without the added recoil and with respectable terminal performance.
Greg
I made my decision based on what I had to deal with after both surgeries. It simply made no sense to risk going through that again, so I no longer own or shoot magnum rifles. It took me well over a year in each instance before I could again shoot from prone, and since N/M and F Class were my chosen competitions, that was the only valid choice for me. These days my maximum chambering is a 30-06 with the M2 ball load, and only from a heavy rifle. Shooting my Garand is a mixed blessing that I refuse to forego.
Since then I've explored lighter recoiling chamberings with relatively good terminal performance from the firearms I use them in. The 6.5's, the 6.5 Grendel and the 260 Rem, are my performance calibers now. They do what I want from them.
6.5 Grendel delivers performance superior to the 5.56 out of the AR, and the 260 has the same flatter trajectory as the 300WM without the added recoil and with respectable terminal performance.
Greg
