Return of the flinch.

[Willie Lowman]

I used to shoot a lot. A few thousand rounds every year between my pistols and rifles. This year I have had no time to do any shooting aside from warming up the barrel of my carry gun and getting to shoot the sand sculpture at SOMGS.

Yesterday I got to take out my Uzi and Garand and get a little trigger time in. This was the first time I have shot my Garand aside from test firing it the day I bought it. I shot the Garand first, sixteen rounds. I was happy that I was hitting my 100 yard plate without trouble. After that I shot a few mags through my Uzi. Then I went back to the Garand and. something. happened. I was lucky to hit the 100 yard plate twice in eight shots. I realized that I was actually blinking every time I pulled the trigger. Even when shooting the Uzi that has virtually no recoil I caught myself "dropping" the shot just before the trigger broke. My follow through has turned into a terrible flinch. This is horrible. While I am new to the Garand, I (used to) shoot 8mm Mauser quite a bit.

I know I just need to focus on the fundamentals and get some more trigger time in. Shooting is a perishable skill.

[solocam72]

Sit down with a .22 rifle, squeeeeeeeeeeze the trigger and enjoy yourself!

[603Country]

I have suggestions. First suggestion is to switch fingers. Sounds crazy, but you can't anticipate when the gun will fire if you use a different finger. Try the 'traffic signal' finger. Second suggestion is to just put a zillion rounds downrange with a 223. Ammo is cheap and no recoil at all. That'll get your game back.

[warbirdlover]

Best to fix it at the range. Close your eyes. Have someone load (or NOT load) a round and squeeze the trigger. Do this over and over and over again. It works. When you shoot with your eyes open really concentrate on holding on the center of the bull while squeezing. "Burn" the crosshairs into the center of the bull. If the shot surprises you you've squeezed and not jerked. Being surprised is GOOD.

[Erno86]

Go back to the 22lr, so you can work out the flinch.

You'll have to relax...so as to relieve the tension in your upper body. Take three deep breaths, inhaling thru you nose and exhaling thru your mouth. Keep both eyes open. Try to treat your trigger finger as its own entity. If the trigger pull is hard ---you'll may have to pull the trigger in your "power crease" {first distal joint}, in order to achieve any accuracy in your shooting. Wear plenty of recoil protection...including a padded cheek pad; that you can buy from Brownells. For a right handed rifle shooter {unless your shooting a SMLE}, do not cross your right hand thumb across the butt stock...rather, keep you thumb on the right side and in line with the stock; which helps prevent a flinch. Your right hand {right handed rifle shooter} --- should have a slight rearward pull.

Every shooter dips once in awhile....it's just a matter of how much and how often. Accept the wobble, and don't try to snatch the shot. Follow through... buy allowing the rifle to recoil --- and allow it to come back to your previous sight picture --- so you can know that you've made a good shot.

Good luck...and keep dry-firing.

Cheers,

Erno86

[sc928porsche]

Spend some more time on the Garand. Concentrate. You're not really going to get over your flinch by going back to the 22. Practice with what makes you flinch until you become used to the recoil. Once you are comfortable with it and have your flinch gone, it will tend to stay that way.

[Brian Pfleuger]

I've never heard the advice to keep doing what makes you flinch until it goes away. Generally, it doesn't go away, it gets worse.
Archers often develop target panic, which just gets worse the harder they try.
Rifle shooters develop a flinch, sometimes from recoil, sometimes from the same target panic as archers.
If you've developed flinch, whether recoil related or target panic, the WORST thing you could do is "keep doing it until it goes away."

[Jimro]

Air Rifle. Zero recoil, the slow barrel time forces you to focus on fundamentals including follow through.

I used to recommend 22's as well, but I found that being able to shoot more often with an Air Rifle is better than random range trips with a 22 for me.

Jimro

[solocam72]

Brian, its funny you mention archery and target panic, I have it bad and have to fight it year after year! I shoot sights and release, when I draw my bow I always keep my finger behind the trigger up against it through the draw cycle for safety, my problem is when I am ready to shoot I do what's called punching, I hurry around the trigger and pull it, its a huge mental game with me that so far I've beaten year after year with practice. I developed a bad flinching problem with rifles also, I bought a really nice used but brand new looking ruger77 .338 win mag, it kicked like a mule with the 250 grain bullets I chose to shoot in it, the rifle shot really good if I did my part, but after getting hammered by that thing over and over it took its toll and I started flinching with every gun I shouldered no matter the caliber, my mind was trained by that .338 magnum! I finally worked through it but it took some time, AND NO I DIDN'T WORK THROUGH IT WITH WHAT STARTED THE PROBLEM! LOL, I sold that rifle and started shooting the heck out of a custom target model ruger 10/22

[Brian Pfleuger]

The answer to target panic in archery is learning to shoot with back tension. A good thumb release, like a Stanislowski Shootoff or similar and learn to pull with your back.

It's harder with guns, they're tough to shoot with back tension.

[sc928porsche]

Bows and target panic...............did you quit shooting your bow?
After you use a smaller recoiling rifle and eliminated your flinch, did it return when you went back to the larger rifle??????
Flinch is this...........anticipation of noise or recoil causing you to either tighten up or to jerk the trigger. I have seen this many times. I have found that there is really no cure for this other than to concentrate on correct shooting skills with whatever you are going to fire. If it catches you by surprise, its usually dead on. If you anticipate, usually you are not.
Scope crease can cause a tremendous flinch. So, do you go to shooting open sights???????? No, it reminds you that you did something wrong and if you intend to use it again, you need to concentrate on you basic skills.
If the horse bucks you off, you get right back on, or perhaps quit riding that horse.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Actually, yes. Sometimes people have target panic bad enough that they can only correct it by not shooting. They will draw their bow, with no arrow, aim until they shake too much and let down, then do it over again. Even if it's not "that bad", the best way to learn is with a shot simulator, no shooting.

Flinching with a rifle is the same concept. Getting over it requires dry firing and lower recoil guns. I have NEVER seen a person overcome flinch by doing MORE of what MADE them flinch.

[Willie Lowman]

Well, Brian, that's how I learned to shoot handguns. My first revolver was a .44 mag Redhawk. I quickly developed a terrible flinch from that blast and recoil but I realized what I was doing wrong. I shot it nearly every day, just a few shots each time. Focusing on my breathing, my posture, my grip, my sight picture, and trigger squeeze. I did overcome the .44 flinch with small daily doses of .44 recoil. The trouble is, I don't live in a place where I can walk out the back door and shoot anymore.

I think some .22 therapy is in order. With a little bit of 8mm or 30-06 love mixed in.

[Brian Pfleuger]

You would be the rare exception to the rule. What worked for you does not work for most people and is not the standard first method for overcoming flinch. It makes most people worse, not better.