blackpowder
New member
- Location
- Southwestern Ontario
What would causes a jerking the gun or puling the gun down just before you pull the trigger to shoot a clay target.
jerking the gun before a shot
- Thread starter blackpowder
- Start date
Beretta687EELL
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
What Brad said ...
Could be a visual flinch or a recoil flinch.
Could be a visual flinch or a recoil flinch.
- Location
- Niagara Region, Ontario. For now
You need a .22, or to stop pulling the trigger and just slowly squeeze the trigger not paying attention to when the shot goes off.
The OP asked about clay target shooting. Shooting them with a .22 is not advisable unless you have lots of room nor is slowly squeezing the trigger a solution.
It definitely sounds like a flinch. It would be helpful to know more including the type of gun, load, experience of the shooter, which clay target game he is shooting, whether it happens all the time or occasionally and under what conditions. Flinches can happen to anyone.
It could be stance, gun fit, a heavy trigger pull, insufficient hearing protection, gun hold or a variety of other contributing factors. What your body is saying is that "shotgunning hurts" and reacting instinctively. To overcome a flinch you need to train your mind that it's not going to hurt. Reducing recoil with lighter loads and some dry firing would be where I'd start.
- Location
- Niagara Region, Ontario. For now
Sorry missed that.
Pudelpointer
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Lethbridge, Alberta
If you want to know if you are flinching or not, have a friend load the gun and hand it to you. About half the time he/she should leave it empty so you see what you are doing when you pull the trigger.
Tried and tested.
Tried and tested.
Most probable is a flinch, however not all flinches are caused by anticipation of recoil. Loosing track of the target, or loosing focus on the target or moving on the target before focus is established can cause this symtom. Recognizing a flinch is easy, but diagnosing the cause would require someone with instructor ability. Think about a lesson with a good instructor before you try self treatment.
I think this pretty well says it,
And the result when you don't address the above issues. "Darn it, I am behind it again"!!!
Flinching is quite common, as already mentioned, and it sounds likely. One can drive the shoulder forward in anticipation of the recoil, which pushes the gun down. If this isn't what is going on, another thing to think about is nervousness or trying too hard. In both cases, taking a deep breath and letting it partly out before calling for the bird might help; or using various methods to relax a bit; or developing a consistent mental sequence prior to calling for the bird. Trying too hard happens to be something that gets me once in awhile. Fred
- Location
- land of f-cktards
yes the old "ball and dummy" trick
its an awesome way to go
I have found a better way to do it (not just for shotguns, works on rifles and handguns too) is to get a dummy round, and slip it into the magazine somtimes, and sometimes leave it right out.
That way they can cycle the action as per normal and will have the equivilant of a misfire. Action does not lock open, etc, so shooter will not know if the dummy is in the chamber or not.
Good way to do it, because it lets them have several rounds, and never know if it will be a dummy or not.
That way they can cycle the action as per normal and will have the equivilant of a misfire. Action does not lock open, etc, so shooter will not know if the dummy is in the chamber or not.
Good way to do it, because it lets them have several rounds, and never know if it will be a dummy or not.
If your not already, try a semi-auto and let the gas piston take the recoil. I also like the idea about hearing protection, are you wearing enough, when I want to zone out the world I double up with plugs and muffs and does it ever make a difference in my scores. Sometimes even for the better, LOL
- Location
- Spencerville, Ontario
Another variation of this is to load a revolver with 2-4 live rounds and the rest snap caps or spent rounds. Spin the cylinder and gently close it. If you flinch, it'll be very obvious.
A flinch may be obvious, but what causes a flinch is not alway obvious.
One thing that I know for sure would cause me to flinch is spending to much time shooting a firearm that may or may not be loaded. I am sure that if I knew I was being tested, I would not flinch. I do not think much time if any should be spent on such tests.
As the nature of a flinch is most often subconscious it interferes with one of the best tools of a wingshooter and that is the subconscious itself.
There is a root cause for flinching and it is not always pure fear of recoil or the big boom.
One thing that I know for sure would cause me to flinch is spending to much time shooting a firearm that may or may not be loaded. I am sure that if I knew I was being tested, I would not flinch. I do not think much time if any should be spent on such tests.
As the nature of a flinch is most often subconscious it interferes with one of the best tools of a wingshooter and that is the subconscious itself.
There is a root cause for flinching and it is not always pure fear of recoil or the big boom.
Exactly right. The "advice" about using a gun that may or may not be loaded is better suited for rifle or handgun where lack of movement is important.
Shotgunning is different. You will sometimes see a shotgunner react when his gun doesn't fire but just because he reacted to anticipated recoil does not mean he is flinching in the sense being discussed here.
A flinch is a fleeting inability or hesitation to pull the trigger. It is a subconcious act and overcoming the subconscious is not always easy. There are also various degrees of flinch frequency and severity.
To determine how to solve a flinch you first need to know what type of flinch it is, how bad it is, how often it happens and under what circumstances.
