Mowgli Terry
Member
Leave a good thing be.
What did it for me is counting backward as I squeeze the trigger
Interesting. I could see that being a useful way to start piling up those instances of eyes-open-ignition. Thanks for contributing. I'll have to play around with that next time I'm helping someone with a flinch... I'd love to throw it in the "bag of tricks." I like the notion of distracting the brain just enough, at least for getting over that initial hump.I just start with a random number as I'm about to squeeze the trigger like ; one thousand six hundred and fifty four,one thousand six hundred and fifty three,one thousand six hundred and fifty two and somewhere during the countdown the gun goes "BOOM"
Yeah I haven't been on here long, but I'm quickly coming to the conclusion that you're all experts on here and your experience is something I should be taking as the gospel because what you all think or feel or the way you deal with flinching is better and more expert than mine. And actually it is as simple as "quit it". Shooting is like every other sport, if you over think it you're going to miss. And gun writers "unpack" things, so does car and driver etc, they all want to over write and over articulate everything more than a Quentin Tarantino movie because there's only so many subjects they are "experts" on and they want to display it like a peacock. Here's the thing, no one really cares and your life isn't going to change because people on the high road think you're an expert. Just quit whining and accept the hit your going to take when you fire a gun, for me at least, it's that simple, and that's my opinion and advise on the subject. Though I'm now starting to question why I'm even spending my time attempting to help readers and members of THR, doesn't really make any difference to me and I quite enjoy always being the best at the range. So do what you guys want, no one besides you cares anyway.So your advice is to just stop flinching basically. No offense, but it's not that simple. We are talking about an automatic nervous system response that occurs as result of a certain stimuli as ATLDave points out, and a good method of beginning to limit that issue is to expose yourself to a lot of gunfire, thus increasing your conditioning against that reaction, and specifically and intentionally doing so in a way to train your body to know there is no threat to it. Being scared is a thing for some new shooters that needs to be overcome, but it has nothing to do with people who are somewhat regular shooters and used to the way a gun in their hands reacts to pulling the trigger. I have seen many people, people who have been shooting for years, still flinching on every shot. I catch myself flinching too now and then, and have to mentally compensate to limit it. They can hit their target because their body has learned to react and hold where needed to compensate. But running a gun fast is very likely an impossibility for them, and transitioning targets isn't going to occur at any kind of decent speed.
Just stop being scared isn't going to solve anyone's shooting issue.
This is just my opinion but I don't feel being "surprised" in slow or rapid fire is a good idea or beneficial, and I wish people would stop repeating that tired old cliché. If you don't know exactly how your trigger feels at the point of trigger break it's going to train your BODY to be surprised, which I believe will only increase your flinch response.
Writing a few thousand words on a particular topic isn't exactly turning oneself into an author. ATLDave observes an issue with a lot of shooters who aren't hitting where they want to. It's a VERY common issue also from my observations, one that I've experienced a lot early on, and still experience from time to time. He's trying to share info in a constructive way, and techniques that worked for him. He also was very clear that he's no expert. I don't see why you feel the need to criticize something that someone else is trying to do to be helpful, especially when it spurs a conversation that may actually benefit others. Sharing info and tips is half of why THR exists to begin with. If reading long posts isn't your thing, that's fine, but the appropriate response is to just move on.
The original poster isn't a gun writer. He's a competitive shooter. As far as the contradicting articles...…… not everyone believes the same thing, and not all "gun writers" feel the same.
yup, and everyone's opinion is just as valuable as everyone else. there is no such thing as an "expert", but your opinion helps get to a solution, so I hope you stay here and contribute to the vast knowledge accumulated on this site.no one besides you cares anyway
And actually it is as simple as "quit it".
I'm going to try this for offhand service rifle shooting. Sometimes I stay too long on the hold as I stupidly try and make the sights freeze just long enough to take that perfect shot. I can usually control by lowering the rifle and re-shouldering. However other times its like I get a muscle shiver, like when one is really cold, just at the time I pull the trigger. It maybe happens once in 10-20 shots. I'm guessing that's a flinch right?I just start with a random number as I'm about to squeeze the trigger like ; one thousand six hundred and fifty four,one thousand six hundred and fifty three,one thousand six hundred and fifty two and somewhere during the countdown the gun goes "BOOM"
And actually it is as simple as "quit it"... And gun writers "unpack" things, so does car and driver etc, they all want to over write and over articulate everything more than a Quentin Tarantino movie because there's only so many subjects they are "experts" on and they want to display it like a peacock.
I quite enjoy always being the best at the range
When I was teaching my girlfriend to shoot she had all the handicaps and bad habits of a brand new shooter. I made the classic mistake of talking about too many things all at once. The result was she was all over the place, and was hitting so low left I was a little perplexed.What did it for me is counting backward as I squeeze the trigger.
Yeah that’d do it. Glad you weren’t hurt badly.Thanks for this post. I was not having a problem with flinching, overall, in shooting BFR's, 45, 9mm auto, until the faithful day, that a little LCP 380 auto, on the range, blew up in my hand. No damage, physically wise, but the flinch bug was now in the brain. Alot of dummy loads practice, dry fire reps, and repeated range visits, with alot of rounds downrange, and the constant reminder, to watch through the muzzle blast, has the brain allowing me to overcome. Thanks again, for post. It amazed me that, for someone, that shoots a Magnum Research BFR, a Super Redhawk full tilt load 44 mag, and such, but a little 380 auto, threw me into a flinch, which took alot of my time, and practice, to overcome, in the head.
I recently took a advanced shooting class to improve my accuracy.
This was the first time I ever used dummy rounds, it was surprising to find out about the flinch.
Now I practice like every next round is a dummy.
The second thing the instructor noticed was, every time I shot, my left arm would drop a little, causing me to shoot low left.
He suggested pushing on the slide with my left thumb when firing. It was amazing how well I shot with that little tip.
So, if you're shooting low left, try adding a little pressure with your left thumb, (right thumb if you're left handed), you'll be amazed!
Sorry, yes, I meant the frame.I hope you mean the frame & not the slide. I took my wife out to shoot & showed her a thumbs forward grip. A few minutes later she was fussing about her thumb being cut. It had never even occurred to me before then that someone might put their thumb against the slide & injure themselves. Another time she had her thumb up behind the slide. I managed to stop her before she pulled the trigger & got herself hurt again.
ATLDave,
Excellent and well written. It is one of the most informative posts I've read.
May I, with your permission, copy it to share with friends who are not site members?
Thank you for your effort.