The best training aid against flinching

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Smaug

Smaug

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I'm starting my wife shooting and I'm finding the best training aid for flinching is snap caps.

I load the gun for her and put a snap cap or two in every magazine/cylinder. When she gets to it, we can both clearly see whether she flinched.

I'm going it for myself now too and and catching myself flinching sometimes.

Good snap caps are expensive; the going rate at my LGS is around $20 for five or six of a given caliber.

Laser works all right when dry firing at home, but somehow, when I know I'm dry firing, I never flinch. I get to the range and it is a different story.

Snap caps for the win!
 
P Flados said:
The snap cap idea is great. I have a friend that has struggled with flinching. The other thing that helped him is when I convinced him to try to hold the sights "on target" for 1 second after pulling the trigger.
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Gonna try that!
 
Smaug said:
Good snap caps are expensive; the going rate at my LGS is around $20 for five or six of a given caliber.
Click to expand...

If you reload, you can just seat a bullet over an empty case with a spent primer or no primer. It won't cushion the firing pin, but that's rarely necessary with centerfire guns.
 
For decades it has been my habit to bring a .22 revolver with me to all handgun sessions - especially when I am shooting the big boomers. I "settle down" with the .22 every time the cannon starts getting to me, and interchange some empties with the live rounds to prove to myself that I have - or haven't! - got all the flinch out.

I still maintain that a good .22 revolver is the best teacher a handgun man can have.
 
With new shooters I use a laser bore sight and a 4" circle target at 7-yards to train them to work the trigger without moving the pistol. I accomplish this before I introduce them to sight alignment and sight picture.
 
I use snap caps/duds as well. Snap caps (along with everything else) have gotten rather expensive lately. But if you have reloading equipment, it is easy enough to make duds. Take out the primer, powder, and fill the pocket. I like to use either a cut off pencil eraser or super glue to give the firing pin something soft to hit.
 
westernrover said:
If you reload, you can just seat a bullet over an empty case with a spent primer or no primer. It won't cushion the firing pin, but that's rarely necessary with centerfire guns.
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I dunno man. For the odd case where it DOES matter, I will kick myself for not pouring down the $20 for a pack of snap caps. (Ex. Charter Arms revolvers)
 
Smaug said:
The best training aid against flinching
Click to expand...
There was a thread discussion on "flinching drills" - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/flinching-drills.864546/page-2#post-11419944

Over the decades, I shared/taught hundreds of people (Including members of military and LEO) on defensive point shooting - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/flinching-drills.864546/page-2#post-11416785

When I notice students/shooters flinching, I have found this to be very effective ... Natural point of aim - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...or-her-first-time-today.908729/#post-12369077
  • I have them focus on a dot at 5-7 yards and close their eyes
  • Then I have them draw/raise the pistol to POA and open their eyes to see if sight alignment is on POA
  • If sights are not aligned to POA, without changing grip, I have them make vertical/horizontal adjustments at the shoulders/waist only until when they open their eyes, sight alignment is at POA
  • After several more draws to POA, I have them verify sight alignment to POA until they can repeatedly do it with eyes close
  • Only then do I have them fire with eyes closed.
  • And if POI deviates from POA, I have them make necessary vertical/horizontal adjustments at the shoulders/waist only
  • Once POI repeats at POA, I place 4 dots on target and have them shoot at different dots still with eyes closed
  • Once they can produce POI at POA at will at any of the 4 dots called out (Top left, bottom right, etc.), I deem their natural point of aim synchronized and tell them they can now produce holes anywhere on target at will as fast as they can with or without the aid of eyes. (Essentially "Zen" of shooting taught to me by regional USPSA shooters, just much faster like around 10-20 minutes)
Thing that I have noticed during establishing natural point of aim is that shooters don't flinch when shooting with their eyes closed and now I start everyone out with establishing natural point of aim first.

I recently did eyes closed point shooting with my sister in law who never shot before and when I asked about it, she said she was so focused on concentrating on POA with her eyes closed that she never even thought about flinching - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...hose-with-vision-issues.891558/#post-11989239
 
OFFGRID said:
some one behind the you loads or doesn't the rifle amd hands it to you before each shot. you dont know if its gonna fire or not.
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Yep, I loaded the mags for her. (wanted her to get practice swapping mags)

For the revolver, we would load the cylinder (one snap cap) then look up, spin the cylinder and close it by touch, so we didn't know where the snap cap ended up.
 
Smaug said:
For the revolver, we would load the cylinder (one snap cap) then look up, spin the cylinder and close it by touch, so we didn't know where the snap cap ended up.
Click to expand...
Have her and maybe you too, try natural point of aim with eyes closed.

What our bodies "actually" do in comparison to what we "think" our bodies will do may surprise you. (And we have been pointing all of our lives and already mastered that muscle movement :))

And flinching? May not even be an issue as you focus on POA with eyes closed to produce POI at POA. ;)

Once you synchronize natural point of aim with eyes closed, producing bullet holes anywhere on target at will, fast becomes much easier, with or without eyes closed.

And flinching? After a while, it becomes non-issue for most shooters as they focus on target to see "holes appear" at will ... the "Zen" of shooting. ;)
 
Each accurate shot has many facets of mental focus when the trigger is pulled through, and if your thought is more on the target picture, or background awareness, or hesitating between take-up and the wall (of the mechanics), it is perhaps focused away from possible flinch/ shake aspect.

Controlling flinch/ shake has to be part of the process- when pulling the trigger, whether rote memory or as a specifically focused element. How and how much one practices should enter into this discussion.

Physical limitations or arthritis in one's hand, wrist, or shoulder, caffeine, or other medications add to possible complication(s). YMMV.
 
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I flinch less if I shoot with both eyes open. I also flinch less, the more .22 LR I shoot between shooting other cartrdiges.
 
Have the shooter aim and you stand next to them and pull the trigger.

This worked wonders in a semi-auto context back when I still taught.

-Stan
 
Browning 1911-380 has a very mellow recoil since it implements the 1911 lock breach. My petite 12yo daughter started on it and so did my girlfriend. They eventually worked their ways up to 9mm which they are comfirtable with.
 
MikeInOr said:
Browning 1911-380 has a very mellow recoil since it implements the 1911 lock breach. My petite 12yo daughter started on it and so did my girlfriend. They eventually worked their ways up to 9mm which they are comfirtable with.
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I didn't even know there WAS a 380 1911!

Well, she has no problem shooting a full size 9 mm pistol (my Hi Power) it's just that she can't rack the slide. Doesn't have the hand strength to hold onto it.

Next gun for her is going to probably be a S&W M&P EZ in 9 mm. It's the only centerfire she can rack, so far. She has a S&W M&P 22 Compact now.
 
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