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Can a one armed girl fire a sniper rifle?

2K views 10 replies 10 participants last post by  optimista 
#1 ·
Hi nice people,

I want to know if a girl who lost an arm, can train herself to use a sniper rifle with a single arm.

OR

Is it better if she gets a bionic arm, and then uses it to pull the trigger.

:D
 
#2 · (Edited)
Frankly, I can not think of any good reason why she couldn't learn to do it either way. But I'd think it'd be best to have use of a bionic arm for trigger pull (particularly one that's specifically configured to do so) where she can manipulate the rear of the stock/bag with her good arm for getting the POA just right. She most likely can figure out just what works best for her.

PS: If this guy can shoot trap with one arm, a one armed person should be able to shoot a "sniper rifle"
 
#4 ·
I can think of no reason why you should not be able to excel.
Bionic for support or close to body with trigger actuating. Speak to others with missing limbs and get their view points. There are a lot of servicemen that are capable of helping you.
As I tell my wife, the only reason I fail is because I did not start.
Many blessings upon you,
 
#6 ·
That's Aaron Miesse. He's an amazing person. I've had the pleasure of instructing him in a class and he was a dedicated and attentive student and a really nice and down to earth guy. Not only is he an amazing person outside his shooting ability but his abilities with a rifle would put most serious riflemen to pitiful shame. Nothing stops him. You only need one thing to shoot a rifle, the determination to do so. After that, it's all gravy.
 
#8 ·
In the 90's there was a guy who shot NRA High Power who had only one arm, His left if I remember correctly. I don't remember how well he did, but he was a regular shooter who was at a lot of matches. A funny aside to the story is that I accidentally pulled his arm off. It was a really hot day, we were in the pits, and he took his shirt off and cooled off with water at a hose bib. Apparently he didn't strap the arm completely back on and I met him at the catwalk. We were told to never let our M14 leave our sight and as I met him on the catwalk, something on my rifle caught on something on his prosthesis. It pulled it off him and it was hanging on my rifle. I didn't know what to say and just handed it to him, he said thank you and each of us headed off in our original directions.
 
#9 ·
This is a question for a biomedical rehabilitation team: a skilled and sympathetic physiatrist (physical medicine and rehabilitation physician), who can work out a plan and refer to an equally skilled and experienced occupational therapist, most likely a prosthetist, and a physical therapist...plus a curious, innovative, patient rifle shooting coach. The first three referrals will be to the professionals whose jobs are to get people back to doing what they want to be doing after an injury that has disabled their doing that. The last (which you probably have to work out for yourself) will be to the professional whose job are to get people doing what they want to do as well as they can do that. Assembling that team may offer a challenge, because not everyone available will know much about riflecraft, but they should be interested and willing to learn what their patient's/client's activities entail, and then get them ready to be trained in the skills they want to acquire.

In the instance where I've needed rehab help, I've brought the guns (with permission) into the clinic so my therapists could see directly what I wanted to be enabled to do, or to do better. In my situation, it was managing with crappy arthritic shoulders, hence deconditioned upper body muscles, and a very frustrating essential tremor. But the physical diagnosis should make no difference to getting the help. And yes, they have gotten me back to my premorbid good-enough skill level.

All good luck. Your lady is going to need it, but it should work out if she's got the gumption. If she wants to shoot, it'll be lots better than it is now.

Salaams. And give us some follow-up.

dk
 
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