Help: I have a flinch!!

thebaron

thebaron

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Ok, I need some help, I have a really bad flinch.

When I shoot, I push forward on the pistol to anticipate the recoil and I dont know how to fix it... No matter what I try, I always do it!

What have you guys done to get rid of flinches?
 
Also stay away from large guns for awhile and shoot small calibres, I find if I shoot slugs to much from shotgun, my flinch starts to return.
 
+2 on the dry firing.

It's also a good idea to stick a random snap cap hidden (by someone else) in your mag.

When you hear click and watch how much the muzzle jumped the sheer embarrassment will help to correct your flinch!:D
 
As mentioned above about the dry firing. (don't dry fire and pretend it is recoiling ;) - Yes, I've seen people do that).

When at the range go slow and easy. Tell yourself "I can't flinch" for each shot.

Usually flinch's happen when someone does a mag dump at a target... you'll see that 11th shot-click and the muzzle takes a sharp nose dive to the dirt.
 
Ceska said:
+2 on the dry firing.

It's also a good idea to stick a random snap cap hidden (by someone else) in your mag.
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What if it's a hang fire though, and you think it's just that snap cap? :D
 
take your time

Why your flinching is because your anticipating the bang and recoil. Your expecting the gun to go bang just before it does, so you flinch. Keep a firm grip with your trigger hand and pull slightly with your nonmaster hand to help lock your trigger arm, and pull the trigger back slowly. Take you time. Don't anticipate. As people always say, it should scare you a little. It should come unexpected. Dry firing as the others have said is a great idea. When your on the range and they say "No time limit" Take your time. If your given a time limit, use all the time. Not part of it. This is very hard and something that I'm practicing and getting used to myself.
 
mr00jimbo said:
What if it's a hang fire though, and you think it's just that snap cap? :D
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Damn safety nazis! :D

Yes, kids remember to treat all misfires as a hang fire.

step 1: Freeze up and don't move, keeping your muzzle pointed down range.
keep this position for a minimum of 20 minutes (60 minutes is recommended)

step 2: Call for help, remind the person your requesting assistance from to stay away from you.

step 3: Direct the person to call a hazmat team.

step 4: melt down the pistol, just to be safe :)
 
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I occassionally suffer from something similiar but I don't think it's the same thing. Call it target fright, excitement? It's usually when I'm shooting off-hand and I know the sights are only going to be on the target for an instance. As I'm tracking towards the center of the target I catch myself trying to anticipate the trigger release and then my supporting arm does a little hick. (kind of hard to explain) Has nothing to do with recoil.

I have found pulling the rifle butt more firmly into the shoulder, reducing magnification (or increasing target size) and concentrating on watching the bullet hit (as opposed to what my body is doing) seems to actually reduce group sizes.
 
Dry fire until your trigger finger looks like Arnies arm!;)
Also ensure you are focusing on the front site and not watching the hammer trying to anticipate when the round is going to go off.
Once you start to squeeze the trigger, keep doing so until the shot is fired.
I can't count the number of people I see watching the hammer. It's easy to tell. It moves, it stops, it moves some more, it stops..
Also..where is the trigger on your trigger finger. If you have "to much" finger (trigger in joint of first knuckle) on the trigger you will have a tendancy to pull the trigger because you can't squeeze it back far enough.
this will pull the muzzle down.
 
As Carly Simon sang, it's "anticipation." Your conscious mind says to your subconscious mind (which does everything physical for you) to hold the sights still when the gun fires. Your subconscious mind soon learns that the sights jump up when the gun fires, messing up these instructions. It tries to overcome this by pulling the sights down at the same time that it mashes the trigger back to force the shot, thinking that it can exactly overcome the recoil (your subconscious is very quick physically, but not very intellectual). A flinch.

Dryfiring can help to overcome this because it helps to show your subconscious that the sights don't always jump when it pulls the trigger. It works for a while for me, but is not permanent. It certainly does help, though.

Ultimately, you have to learn to stop anticipating the shot. Just let it happen, stay emotionally neutral through the shot, and don't force it. Don't listen for the shot. Don't mash the trigger. Concentrate on the front sight.

A good shot will come as a surprise to your conscious mind, and you will see the front sight lift and be able to call the shot. A great shot will still be a surprise to your conscious mind, but will be controlled by your subconscious mind so that the shot breaks exactly at the right spot and the right moment. That takes a lot of practice.
 
Try a rapid fire exercise.

The very same thing was happening to me not that long ago. I was putting bullets in the dirt below the target because I was anticipating the kickback and pushing it down. I asked a more experienced friend of mine, and he told me to load up a mag with 10 rounds, pick a spot somewhere inside the target frame - accuracy isn't what you're going for in this exercise - and unload the magazine as fast as I could. I did what he said, and after when I was back to controlled target shooting, the flinch was almost gone. It's all about getting used to the feel of a gun going off in your hand (which should be a thoroughly enjoyable experience). If it starts to creep up on you again, try the exercise again.
 
load a mix of live ammo and snap caps; but don't look at the magazine when you load so you don't know when the snapcap is comming or ask a buddy to load the magazine for you.
 
Thanks for the advice guys, I will try out every tactic listed as it is quite embarassing for me to not be able to hit a friggin pie plate at 15 yards!!

If anyone has any more advice, ideas, stories, legends etc. keep them coming, I can use anything!
 
Xtreme dry fire. It's like normal dry firing, except you have a buddy stand behind you and kick you squarely in the nuts everytime the hammer falls. Three or four Xtreme dry fire sessions later and you'll be looking forward to that soothing recoil. :D
 
thebaron said:
it is quite embarassing for me to not be able to hit a friggin pie plate at 15 yards!!
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That would make anyone a bit :redface:

Dont worry about it too much, or atleast try not to. Dont worry about what others think, doing so will make it even worse.

I get a bad flinch sometimes when shooting my larger handguns. I really have to concentrate at times. With some of the larger calibres, it can feel like having your hand hit with a sledge hammer if you dont hold the gun just right.

Allthough it hasnt happened to me, I have seen both of my 44's draw blood at times from not holding the gun just right. Some people dont like that :confused: ;) :rolleyes:

Shoot small calibres and dry fire lots, with practice you can fix the problem.

Good luck! :D
 
the "good ole ball and Dummy works good"
are you shooting pistol or Rifle? heres two more ideas for both
MAKE SURE YOUR FIREARMS ARE UNLOADED IN BOTH CASES!!!!(I HAVE TO SAY IT)
for pistol ..... take a good ole fashioned pencil,with an erasor on the end make sure to wrap some tape around it,your going to want it to fit snug in the barrel but be mobile so when cocked it will shoot the pencil out,
then hang up a paper with a red dot on it on the wall and "shoot the dot with your pencil, the trick here is you maintain your sight picture and you keep hitting the same place , you have to be only inches away for this to work.

For rifle
the good ole penny trick..... theis work great for the AR family ...make sure you unlaoded...and dryfire your rifle with a penny place on your rifle ( like the sight ) and go through you fireing sequence the penny shoul not fall off . hope this helps.
 
CanFire said:
Xtreme dry fire. It's like normal dry firing, except you have a buddy stand behind you and kick you squarely in the nuts everytime the hammer falls. Three or four Xtreme dry fire sessions later and you'll be looking forward to that soothing recoil. :D
Click to expand...
BWA HA HA HA!!!!!
 
thebaron said:
Thanks for the advice guys, I will try out every tactic listed as it is quite embarassing for me to not be able to hit a friggin pie plate at 15 yards!!
Don't worry about that. By the looks of guys "sighting in" their hunting rifles, pie plate accuracy is apparently good enough to go moose hunting,:rolleyes:

Good on you for being willing to address the problem.
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