Ugly habit raises it's head

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steven8166

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I am usually a pretty good shot, but recently my shooting has been going to hell on an express train. I took my russian out yesterday (12/12/11) and shot up 27 rounds and I had trouble finding the target. I tried to correct this by watching my breathing, it was a bit erratic, still I could not shoot well. Some where around the middle to end of my range time I noticed something that scared me, just before the trigger broke, I was closing my eye. this is something new to me, how do you stop from closing your eye. I kinow it is a dumb questian but it is really bugging me.
 
I would start shooting with the .22 and see how you do. With the low noise/recoil I bet you don't close your eyes and or flinch. Once you get comfortable with that, start gradually shooting larger calibers.
 
It happens. It is a conditioned response. Your body does not like the blast, and the eye closes as a result. These things tend to get worse over time. (My bad experience was with a 30-06). When I was young (45 years ago or so), I literally went directly from a 22 to an '06 with nothing in between and my shooting went south.

I literally had to do a complete reset in my response to recoil by building up to it. I started shooting my 22 a lot, then went to a 6mm Remington for target shooting and hunting, then to a 30-40 Krag, then a 270, then a 30-06. After building up to it over a thousand rounds or so, and learning how to handle the recoil, I got the flinch under control. But it never went completely away. A long range session with a 35 Whelen with 250 grain bullets can get it to rear its ugly head.

And, 27 rounds from a 7.62 x 54 with a steel butt plate is a lot of pounding.
 
Your blink reflex is connected to your eardrum.

Double cover to eliminate as much noise as possible...use in-the-ear plugs then put mickey mouses over them. Cutting the noise down will allow you to focus on trigger and sights more completely, and trouble-shoot your technique from there.
 
I second the .22 approach. My shooting season generally ends at the start of hunting season because I don't target shoot when it gets under 55 degrees and doesn't start again until late April or when it gets above 55.

That's a long time away from loud noise and recoil. I used to try starting where I left off the prior year ... but went the .22 route and found it did help ease me back in. I go from .22 to Hornet, to Bee, to 25/20, to 32/20. By that time (about 2 weeks) I've shot most of my old single shots and bolt guns in those calibers and can transition nicely to my testier ones.

Just a thought ... and it gets you back into shooting some rifles that just might otherwise get overlooked. For me, it's my Marlin 81DL that my Dad got me for my 10th Christmas.
 
It is called "flinch". It becomes a possibility with any high power rifle/pistols. If you don't see the muzzle flash, you are flinching, if you know it or not. It is an automatic response. You mght want to get some better ear protection too. That helps.

Retrain yourself not to flinch starting with sub sonic .22, then high vel .22 and work your way back up...specifically look for that flash. A super nice trigger on your 22 will help too.
 
When I shot comp. I doubled my hearing protection and even added a bit of foam inside my earphones. Would wear heavy sweat shirt under the uniform and shooting jacket. In hot weather I would cut most of the sweat away except for the arms/right shoulder. That way neather the sling nor the recoil was much of a bother. Isolate yourself as much as possible and your flinch will be less of a problem.
 
in 1998 i had a heart valve job (also a lube and filter)...this resulted in my recieving a pacemaker as well...i ask if it would be an issue in my hunting and shooting and they said no...so after the specified healing period i began to slowly resume shooting..but i had a great fear despite what they said..i confered with the doc and he said i need not worry. Still it was a source of anxiety for me...what finally helped me was starting with the rimfire and some really good hearing protection as has been stated. Now i have retrained myself and though it ocassionally still crosses my mind...im over it. Thank God.
 
First off this is perfectly normal & natural. I find that if I spend too much time away from live fire, even others shooting around me will cause me to flinch. I just have to go somewhere else in my head and really concentrate on the fundamentals. A slow, steady trigger squeeze that eventually scares the heck out of you when she BOOMS. I often find myself fighting for a good sight picture and need to force myself to focus on that front sight tip, as well. This isn't an easy sport.

I have a trick I used to do with my buddies, when they weren't concentrating. Safely give them an empty weapon, but tell them it's hot. Have 'em place a well aimed "shot" downrange applying all the fundamentals. Watch the muzzle of the weapon (from next to them, of course) when they just send the hammer home to a "click", they'll be a little confused. But watch as the muzzle trembles or takes a drastic dip in the air. That's the dreaded anticipation.
 
When your first post said "russian", is this some sort of insider code word, or do people assume that your are Not discussing a Russian rifle such as a SKS, Saiga etc?
 
w hen my shooting went to hell I eventially noticed that I was focusing on the rear sight with my right eye and on the front site with my left. I could shoot this way but not very well. Started closing my left eye and the problem went away. One thing that seems to help with flinching is slow fire target shooting with a 22 double action revolver in DOUBLE ACTION, you really have to concentrate on your sight alignment.
 
Stress level in life, changes in hearing, general health, etc, can all play a part in affecting our responses to loud sounds and other stressors. Or maybe you've been shooting a lot of louden-boomers or heavy recoiling guns lately and this is just your bodys' way of telling you to take a short break.

I would definately get on the .22 with dedicated practice and correct it NOW before it becomes so ingrained that you struggle with it for a long time.
 
7.62x54R does not equal .308, I'd flinch and close my eyes if I fired a .308 round in that rifle too! Hehehee...
 
I mean that my M91/30 Mosin Nagant has a .308 caliber barrel, where as my T-53 Mosin Nangant has a .311 caliber barrel. Sorry if I was unclear. Thank you all for your responses, I have decided to pick up a .22 for a while.
 
+1 on doubling up your hearing protection

+1 on putting a recoil pad on the rifle

Have you considered that they don't make them like that any more for a reason?

Firearms have improved quite a bit in the last 100 years.
 
Your supposed to shoot the target, not the gun. If you distinctly remember the recoil your focus isn't in the right place. Line up on your target, focus on it, start squeezing the trigger without loosing your focus on keeping the sights lined up on the target and don't worry about when the gun goes off. Your focuss stays on keeping the sights lined up on your target. You shoot this gun all the time apparently, you know the recoil won't hurt. If the recoil hurts that bad after doing this, then you better look at your ammunition. If you are jamming the bullet into the riflings when closing the bolt you will get a punishing recoil. You will know it when this happens, believe me. If this isn't the case, you practice what I've described, I have helped alot of people at the shooting ranges get over this very thing. It is more a mind set than anything else. Your giving yourself to much time to think before shooting.
 
I just want to take a minute and thank all you guys for your input, I have fround treasures of wisdom in your responses. I don't think that I would have thought of all the information that you have passed on to me. I now have a plan to correct my problem, which I would never have without you. Again thank you all.

Steve
 
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