doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Bob Allen Absorb-A-Coil Harness

Anybody have experience with the Bob Allen Absorb-A-Coil Harness in a hunting situation? I have a rotator cuff injury and even with light loads in a gas 20, my shoulder joint gets sore, and that can't be helping things any. I'm thinking I could wear it over a T-shirt and under my bird vest so that it's not in the way. The Browning Reactar pad seems less than ideal because I'd need a shirt or a vest with a pocket for the pad. I'll have surgery eventually, but it will be a while.

http://www.gamaliel.com/boballenrecoilpads/bob_allen_absorb_a_coil_harness_shotgun.asp

Replacement,
I've had shoulder surgery myself, so I can understand your problem. I use the Browning pads and they work good for me, as my shooting shirts and vest have the pockets in them. I've seen the Bob Allen ones at my local range and the guys that use them seem to like them. Take my word for it and get the repair on your shoulder soon, as it will only get worse with a possibly poor surgery outcome. I waited until mine was nearly totally gone, and now even after the surgical repair I find it to be much weaker in spite of constant physical therapy. I just picked up a Churchill 2 1/2 in. chambered featherwieght to make my life easier, so I told my wife......
Karl

I have a Past. It looks the same.
It's handy for shooting pre-mounted, or rifle stuff.
But, they are snaggy when shooting low gun, because the pad changes the shape of your shoulder pocket.
They take up about 1/2" of LOP when worn.
Handy for short, vintage guns.

I hear you. Mine is 80% torn and doc says if I tear the rest of it he may not be able to fix it. I have stuff to do, so I'm putting off the surgery because it's a 6-8 month recovery. I just got a pair of Win SX3 gas autos in 12 and 20 so that I could still hunt a little. Told my wife they were medical expenses. She's not buying it.

Yea, it's a hard sell sometimes but we plead our case nonetheless. Take it easy on the shoulder to retain as much of it's integrity as you can, and best of luck with your surgery.
Still, I see a nice lightweight double in your future.
I find the Browning pad's thinner profile when fit into the shirt's pocket to not impede my gun mount in any way. It really does soothe the recoil as I typically shoot 1 oz. loads @ 1180 fps.
Karl

My concern about the Browning pad is that I'd have to wear a Reactar shirt or vest, but with the Bob Allen thingy, I could wear it for everything from doves to pheasants to ducks, over a T-shirt or under a heavy jacket. Bob Allen seems more versatile?

I've seen the Bob Allen ones worn with the included strap, and they did work well. As CZ said, they are a bit thicker though. I believe that the Reactor pads come with a mesh pocket that can be sewn into a garment. I think if you were to put the thicker Bob Allen one underneath something with a thicker or more firm fabric, you gun mount wouldn't suffer at all. You would only have to contend with a longer lenght of pull for you mount.
I hope this helps,
Karl

Thanks.

There is a company that sells a short sleeved "t-shirt" that you can wear under your outer clothes that has a pocket sewed into it for their proprietary recoil pad. The unique thing about this pad is that when you receive it you go through a procedure that softens it, then you slip it into the shirt and mount your gun to the exact spot that you place it on your shoulder when shooting, then hold it there for a minute or two. It molds itself to the curvatures of your shoulder and supposedly becomes much more comfortable.

I bought one before I went to Argentina the first time, thinking it would be nice to have there. Within the first five minutes of shooting I pulled it out of the shirt and put it in my pocket, never to return. I just don't like the feel of the gun mounted against a pad like that, or the Reactar. Sorry, I cannot remember the name of it to save my life.

Your condition may demand something of the sort, and I hope it works out for you. I also hope you get the shoulder repaired and have a full recovery. I'd hate to know you had to shoot with one of those pads all the time. It would take a lot of getting used to, for me.

SRH

http://www.evoshield.com/en-us/protectiv...mp;gclsrc=aw.ds

Stan, Evoshield. I like it and use it. Gil

I have the PAST model which I feel certain is the same thing. I am sure you are aware that the recoil reduction, for the most part, is the result of spreading the impact over a larger area of your shoulder rather than just behind the butt pad. The shoulder is still going to move and actually perhaps more with the "asorb a coil". I tell you this as a caution.

I have rotator cuff problems again but at 77 I don't want more surgery. I can still shoot skeet because of an excersize that a friend showed me. I simply take a 10 pound weight , bend over and make 20 6 inch circles to the left and the same to the right. Then I do it again making 30 inch circles in both directions. I shot roughly 8000 targets last year pain free because of this 5 minute excersize. I shoot a K-80 , not a gas gun.

bill

I have had both shoulder worked on several times but no full reconstruction due to rotator cuff being completely gone. It is coming I'm afraid. Hoping to put it off another few years. Anyways I have delayed both surgeries for several years by doing a series of physical therapy exercises to build up strength and range of motion in both shoulders. When I had the last shoulder worked on to reattach a ligament, clean up a minor cartilage issue and remove three bone spurs the first day of physical therapy I had more range of motion and strength than the P-therapist targets for completion of treatment after several weeks. My Physical therapy was nothing and I was done in just a few visits. They of course wanted more sessions for the insurance money but admitted I did not need them.

Do your homework in advance and the physical therapy is nothing, let those muscles grow weak and let that joint loose your range of motion and it is merry hell trying to get it back. You don't need to lift big weights either, it is smaller weights, stretching, range of motion and repetitions to make the joint stronger. And yes it hurts like hell sometimes but man candy, ibuprofen, takes care of that and the improvement will amaze you. Not saying you can rebuild your own shoulder this way but a lot of the problems seem to be reduced and if you get to a livable situation you can delay surgery for a time.

You can see a physical therapist to get exercise program put together to make your shoulder better. Most insurance companies want you to try that before surgery anyways as one of their classic delaying tactics, so make it work for you.

Thanks for the tips. I don't think the insurance is going to be a problem because we have the MRI to confirm the tear. And I'm on MediCare with a supp plan, so they expect old farts to have shoulder problems. I am pretty active and still using the arm, but have learned to isolate the shoulder joint and only lift things close to my body, mostly forearm lifts on that side. Last week I carried 1100 pounds of limestone up the stairs in 50 pound chunks (remodeling project) and I was a little stiff the next day. So, still functional but limited duty. I have started shooting featherlite target loads from NobelSport and Clever in my 20s, and they work well on doves but don't cycle the gas gun reliably. I'm looking for some sort of pad so that I can go back to O/Us and SxSs for doves and quail, and save the gas guns for pheasants and ducks.

I like Eveo shield for volume shooting and test firing heavy recoil guns.

I have a PAST that you can have for the mailing. I can prolly cram it in a $7 priority box. The thing is pretty much new. PM or email if ya want it.
Charlie

Wonko, thanks for the offer. I need to do a little research on the PAST, so I'll get back to you. Leaving tomorrow for Yuma doves. Woohoo!!!

Past pads are great. I use one in the pocket of my shooting vest. I can't remember who made the vest with the "pad pocket" but that is the way to go in my opinion. In Argentina, the Past harness is what I would use.

I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on TV, but...

As I understand it a 'rotator cuff' is a system of muscles that move the upper arm up and away from the body.

Since a 'shoulder fired gun' actually sits on the pectoral muscle, I'm curious how a recoil pad could help.

It won't lift the gun for you, and even if it helps with fatigue it might encourage you to do something that you really shouldn't be doing and the result could be, as you fear, more damage.

Were it me, I'd lay off shooting and get the thing fixed while it still can be.

I concur based on my past experience with shoulder issues and surgery.
Karl

My shoulder doc is a southern boy, and he told me I can do anything I want with the arm, as long as it doesn't hurt. If it hurts, don't do it. I did discuss hunting with him and he advised against using a 12, but thinks I should be OK with small bores (unless it hurts). For the September dove season I started with a Rem 1100 .410 with 2-1/2" skeet loads, all good. Moved up to the SX3 20 with Clever Mirage Featherlite target loads, still OK and killed lots of birds. For the second season that started day after Thanksgiving, tried my 686 20 with the featherlite loads and it was OK, but I started to feel it on the third day. That's why I'm looking for some sort of pad, because I much prefer the 686, especially in heavy brush. The semis throw hulls all over the place and I just spend too much time looking for them. The torn tendon in my shoulder is the one that comes up the outside of the upper arm and over the top of the rotator cuff, so it's not directly impacted by the recoil of the butt, but the shoulder structure absorbs and dissipates that recoil, so some is transferred to the area of the tear. I figure that surgery won't be convenient until sometime in 2019, and the recovery is 6-8 months, so I'm trying to concoct a way to keep hunting until the surgery. I did ask the doc if I'm risking anything by delaying the surgery and he thinks I'm OK because i'm in pretty good shape for my age. But I have to be real careful to avoid further damage in the interim.

I have one of the Bob Allen pads and it does work. I used it two weeks after having a collar bone rebuilt with titanium and it worked well. As a non-medical person, I recommend it for the purpose you describe.

Thanks for all the input.

No shoulder problems at the time, or now but back in the 90's I made a lot of trips to South America and usually used a 12ga Citori. I had a P.A.S.T. recoil pad with harness to spread out the recoil from thousands of pretty strong shells every day. It was satisfactory in every way. Except it looks a little like a brazier when you put it on.

I've seen guys shoot doves down there with no shooting preparation, and the results are grizzly. One dentist got a blue/black bruise over his entire shoulder. BY the end of the week he was using his not insubstantial wallet duct taped to his shoulder...Geo