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Ouchthathurts

AR -15 weight and shooting issues

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Hi all, this may be a bit long winded and juvenile so ill try to be brief. 

Im left handed and have nerve damage in my neck, this causes my right front delt to be measurably weaker than the left and even holding up a drink to my mouth causes that arm to shake. Regardless of weight, simple position causes this issue to present. 

I own a diamondback arms DB 15 ar15 chambered in .300 blackout. When I shoot from a standing position this is a challenge because of the shaking issue. This is also the only AR I've ever held or fired. 

Here's where this gets dumb...I also have a replica of a Smith and Wesson AR thats an arisoft gun that supposedly mimics the real deal in weight. This does not cause me to shake with the correct hand position. 

Is the diamondback unusually heavy for an ar? Could anyone recommend a different manufacturer besides diamondback for an ar in 6.5 Grendel that would be lighter to allow me to shoot accurately without needing a rest of some sort? 

To be clear, even my savage 64f will cause this tremor after a few seconds but there's other factors i believe may be at play including the size and comfort of that rifle. 

Or is there something else I can do to correct this? Strength is not an issue, I can assure you, this is nerve damage in my neck that causes this tremor. 

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I believe it's not the weight that matters so much as the weight balance.  Having played Airsoft a lot - the weight balance is definitely different on "real steel" guns vs Airsoft.  

Your Diamondback DB15 has a quad rail at the front, correct?  That pushes the weight balance forward.  You may be better with a lightweight upper on a gun - I have a couple with just Magpul handguards - much more lightweight than a quad rail.  That shifts the weight balance back more towards center or towards the stock.

Depending on which Airsoft S&W AR you have - the battery and other components may be in the stock... and the rails are also made with lighter weight material compared to real ones.  

If you can, maybe try handling some other ARs and see if you have issues?  

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I would normally never recommend a magwell hold as its is less stable, but for you, that may be the answer. It punts significantly less stress on muscles and let’s your skeletal system hold the weight and position - and bones don’t get tired or shake.

Get your support hand on the magwell, then you can rest your tricep against your chest/stomach for support.

I don’t know the specs on your particular rifle, but there are lightweight uppers out there. BCM makes a great enhanced lightweight upper if you can find one.

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13 minutes ago, 124gr9mm said:

Have you tried shooting left-handed?

Might be fun/interesting for you to learn to shoot that way...

I do shoot left handed. I'm extremely left eye dominant. The issue is the nerve damage in my neck causing issues with my right anterior deltoid which causes severe tremors when the shoulder is in certain positions because of the way the signaling is being interrupted. 

I may switch out the rail to something lighter to make the gun more back heavy so my left hand is supporting most of the weight and mess with some foregrip accessories. 

Im not sure about the idea of the mag well hold and will have to play with it because my right hand would be in a position that I'd probably be getting hit with hot brass. 

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49 minutes ago, Ouchthathurts said:

Im not sure about the idea of the mag well hold and will have to play with it because my right hand would be in a position that I'd probably be getting hit with hot brass. 

Your hand and arm will be below the ejection port so you should not be getting hit at all... unless maybe you're shooting indoors and the brass is reflecting off a divider.

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3 hours ago, Ouchthathurts said:

I do shoot left handed. I'm extremely left eye dominant. The issue is the nerve damage in my neck causing issues with my right anterior deltoid which causes severe tremors when the shoulder is in certain positions because of the way the signaling is being interrupted. 

I may switch out the rail to something lighter to make the gun more back heavy so my left hand is supporting most of the weight and mess with some foregrip accessories. 

Im not sure about the idea of the mag well hold and will have to play with it because my right hand would be in a position that I'd probably be getting hit with hot brass. 

Does level of effort make a difference. For shooting off hand. your weak side is stabilizing and steering the gun or at least should be. Most people default to using a pulling motion for the weak hand on the forergrip. However, a pushing motion can work just as well. Possibly using a slightly different set of muscles might help you out. If doing that, strong hand operates the trigger and pulls the butt of the gun into the shoulder pocket. 

Also if bringing your right arm to the centerline of your body while extended is the bad juju, but it's less bad if kept more in line with the right shoulder, than a ryker fist grip might be the thing for you. 

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23 hours ago, Ouchthathurts said:

I do shoot left handed. I'm extremely left eye dominant. The issue is the nerve damage in my neck causing issues with my right anterior deltoid which causes severe tremors when the shoulder is in certain positions because of the way the signaling is being interrupted. 

I may switch out the rail to something lighter to make the gun more back heavy so my left hand is supporting most of the weight and mess with some foregrip accessories. 

Im not sure about the idea of the mag well hold and will have to play with it because my right hand would be in a position that I'd probably be getting hit with hot brass. 

 

Sorry about that!

 

I MEANT to say have you tried shooting right handed (in my mid I was thinking "opposite" which to me is left, but for you left is primary).

You'd be training your entire body to do things differently, so it may help you to compensate for the issue in the shoulder.

 

 

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