Take a camera and film yourself shooting. You'll notice movements, blinking, any little tic you might do anticipating the shot. I shoot a lot without optics and if I'm focusing well on the front sight and not when the trigger is going to break, then those tics stop.
Do You Close Your Eye(s) at the Shot?
- Thread starter Demonical
- Start date
Chuckbuster
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
It is easy enough to see if it is a flinch in anticipation of a shot. Just load the mag with a dummy round (snap cap) in a place where the shooter will not know its location. If s/he reacts with a jerk etc on the dud then it is a flinch. If not then it is a normal reaction - same as some people can look at the sun with no effect and others will sneeze when they try it.
I would guess that maybe half of the shooters here will close their eyes when shooting but they just don't know it because, like you, they see right through it.
If it does not affect your accuracy or followup shots then don't worry about it.
Point of interest - watch the macho men in the TV shows. Most of them closed their eyes when shooting but most of the females do not. I am sure to get some "macho" men here to take offence and get outraged but hey - I can take it because I know better.
I would guess that maybe half of the shooters here will close their eyes when shooting but they just don't know it because, like you, they see right through it.
If it does not affect your accuracy or followup shots then don't worry about it.
Point of interest - watch the macho men in the TV shows. Most of them closed their eyes when shooting but most of the females do not. I am sure to get some "macho" men here to take offence and get outraged but hey - I can take it because I know better.
thepolinator
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Sudbury, ON
It happens yo be with my 375 h&h off the bench, but thats about it.
- Location
- Southern Vancouver Island
I don't blink when shooting & shoot with both eyes open. Trap shooting and IPSC along with moving target competition got me tuned in many moons ago & still does. For the heavy kickers, a PAST recoil shield really works well.
Mumbles Marble Mouth
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Lower Mainland
I don't have a problem with closing my eyes but I have a problem with jizzing in my pants when I fire my gun. Sounds like a mustard bottle that's almost out.
cdn1canhunt
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- southwestern ontario
+1 the best way to tell if you have a flinch is to let some one else load the gun with both live and empty rounds. When you squeeze off on an empty chamber.....any flinch will become blantely obvious. As possible way to cure your blink when shooting is to tell your self to try to watch the bullet impact the target, And after you fire a round keep your cheek weld until a count of 5 after the shot.
This is a good way to show someone a flinch. If you reload you can do it to yourself be disassemling a couple primers and load as usual. Put them 5 in a batch of 15. You'll know right away.
Here's a little trick that works for me, given to me by some experienced fellas on a firearms course down in N Carolina.
I was horrible at anticipating my shot when shooting pistol (applies to rifle as well) this would translate to a flinch when I fired. May not be as noticeable with a rifle but with a pistol...we're talking inches on the target.
My instructor told me to pick a small phrase, in my case "sight picture" and repeat it over and over again as I take aim and squeeze the trigger. At first I had to say it aloud (I say it in my head now). It worked like a charm and brought my grouping in from 10 inches to 3 in short while. He explained that what this does is change the area of your brain that you are using from the excitable area needed for "flinching" to a calmer area required for speech. This completely removes anticipation of the shot and you are almost guaranteed to be "surprised" by the shot going off without closing your eyes or having a flinch that affects trigger pull or follow through.
I still use this technique to this day and find that if I'm having a crap day of shooting accuracy wise, its usually because I've stopped using my phrase without noticing.
Anyways, worked for me.
Good luck!
I was horrible at anticipating my shot when shooting pistol (applies to rifle as well) this would translate to a flinch when I fired. May not be as noticeable with a rifle but with a pistol...we're talking inches on the target.
My instructor told me to pick a small phrase, in my case "sight picture" and repeat it over and over again as I take aim and squeeze the trigger. At first I had to say it aloud (I say it in my head now). It worked like a charm and brought my grouping in from 10 inches to 3 in short while. He explained that what this does is change the area of your brain that you are using from the excitable area needed for "flinching" to a calmer area required for speech. This completely removes anticipation of the shot and you are almost guaranteed to be "surprised" by the shot going off without closing your eyes or having a flinch that affects trigger pull or follow through.
I still use this technique to this day and find that if I'm having a crap day of shooting accuracy wise, its usually because I've stopped using my phrase without noticing.
Anyways, worked for me.
Good luck!
I found I started closing an eye one day the range. I packed it in for the day. Went back the next day and focused on not doing it. I keep both eyes open, with rifles and pistols.
A friend had the closing the eye issue, he also didnt wear eye protection when shooting. Even if it was a mental thing, he was focusing on keeping eyes open.
Maybe eye protection (if you arent already doing so) will be enough of a mental barrier to break it?
I the flinch is something to be worked on for sure. And that is a flinch. Maybe start practicing with a .22 and see if you still flinch?
Good luck.
A friend had the closing the eye issue, he also didnt wear eye protection when shooting. Even if it was a mental thing, he was focusing on keeping eyes open.
Maybe eye protection (if you arent already doing so) will be enough of a mental barrier to break it?
I the flinch is something to be worked on for sure. And that is a flinch. Maybe start practicing with a .22 and see if you still flinch?
Good luck.
Never close my eyes at the shot [or just before] because I like to see the bullet strike the berm.
With a rimfire, and good scope power, I can see the bullet through it's full path to the target. [at 50 or 100M]
It is mostly a matter of discipline. Regards, Dave.
With a rimfire, and good scope power, I can see the bullet through it's full path to the target. [at 50 or 100M]
It is mostly a matter of discipline. Regards, Dave.
Fwiw, I have one semi-auto, that I have a Meprolight M-21 sight on. That sight is meant for firing with both eyes open, which I do.
When firing that rifle, with both eyes open, I never blink either eye.
Shooting with a conventional telescopic sight, I close my left eye, as I aim. It's my right eye that 'twitches'.
Hmmm...
When firing that rifle, with both eyes open, I never blink either eye.
Shooting with a conventional telescopic sight, I close my left eye, as I aim. It's my right eye that 'twitches'.
Hmmm...
This may be worthy of a thread of it's own? 458...A Whole LOTT of Flinch!!
yep, Jr bought a Ruger No.1 for our collection and got 6 cartridges with the purchase, there were 5 of us on hand that day, 5 shots were fired, one by each of us, one remained unfired for many yrs later. No one needed a reminder as to what it was like to fire a 458 Lott at a non live target!
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
That's sympathetic muscle movement. You've got the opposite eye under tension and you're fighting that with your open eye. When the shot goes off it's enough to trip the open eye to make it close. Think of it as firing a revolver. It takes a lot of effort to pull the DA trigger pull but the SA pull goes much easier.
Time to teach yourself to shoot everything with both eyes open. It's a lot of work but it's worth it in the end.
