What's wrong with me?

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

jim314

Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2007
Messages
22
Location
North Texas
Hi folks. I've shot pistols, rifles and shotguns all my life. I'm AARP eligible to give you an idea of how long I've been shooting. However, it's been 6 years since I last shot a pistol, and that was hunting deer with a redhawk. My wife and I applied for CCW's awhile back and we've been going to the range every other week since. I'M SHAKING LIKE A LEAF when shooting at the range. I've NEVER done this before. My wife even committed on my hands shaking when pointing the pistol to fire. I anticipate every shot. My wife is new to shooting and she is doing as well, sometimes better than I, on target. We are both shooting Bersa 380's, so it's not the recoil that's bad. Has anyone else experienced this? Will it go away with more practice? Should I even be confessing this? :confused:
 
Ya need to do some toning excercises for your arms, this will help. We tend to atrophy as we age unless we compensate in some fashion (not calling you a weakling). Also, don't drink caffiene prior to shooting activities. I even take Kava Kava (herbal traquelizer) on shooting days. I did all this in response to the condition you describe. I had a serious injury and laid around for the better part of a year. After building myself back up, my shooting skills have improved.
 
Maybe you're just expecting too much of yourself, and the pressure's getting to you. Slow down, take a few deep breaths, and buy a case of ammo - then use it up :)

I'll be eligible for AARP this June, been shooting since I was ~10 yrs. old. JROTC rifle team in high school, qual'd Expert in the Corps with the M16. Trying to sight in my new lever gun yesterday took 40 rounds to start hitting the 12" target, and another 20 to get them near the center!

Relax & have fun! Remember, you're not supposed to know when the trigger's going to break & the round's going to fire.

I'm assuming that your hands don't shake when you're not shooting.
 
Jim314 wrote:
I'M SHAKING LIKE A LEAF when shooting at the range. I've NEVER done this before.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that old man. I'd be happy to take those pistols off your hands for a fair price. ;)

Seriously... start with the smallest caliber and shoot that until you feel more comfortable.
 
Does the Bersa have a heavy trigger pull? I thought the trigger was comparable to a P3AT, and that's quite heavy. I'm also fairly certain Bersa's DAO, am I correct? Some DAOs could get you to shake as you take aim and squeeze through the shot if your forearm muscles are not conditioned.

Will it go away with more practice?
Click to expand...

If you train any muscle group long enough the twitches, shakes, etc will disappear, so "Yes", it will either diminish to some degree or go away completely with enough practice.

If you're currently shooting from a standing position, you might also want to sit down at a bench and try clasping the gun with both hands (or one hand) while resting them on the bench. This will help in stabilizing your shots while training your fingers to squeeze the trigger more smoothly.
 
Thanks for the replys. The Bersa is DO first round, then SO after. The pull on the SO is light, to me anyway. I don't thing it's physical, it's mental. I appreciate all the replys. I think I just need more time at the range, plus these auto's are new to me.
 
CliffH - Thanks, I was Expert with the M16 also. Maybe I'm just scared my wife is going to show me up.:)
 
Chances are it's a little bit of all of the above. I came into to gun world through archery where this type of problem is very common. It's called Target panic. It can come out of nowhere to people that have been shooting for years, and some people never fully recover.

But the good news is that it is controllable. Even curable depending on the person. The first thing you want to do IMO is move down to the lowest caliber in a reasonably sized handgun you can find. .22 in a Ruger Single Six, or 1911 sized pistol is about perfect. The idea being to completely remove recoil and most of the noise from the equasion.

The second thing is to work on your breathing. I had a serious problem with my breathing when I first made the jump from archery to guns. I found that I simply wasn't breathing near enough while on the firing line. And it was causing me to shake - badly. Work on it, "in and out" (what I tell myself) and it will help some.

One of the solutions for Target panic in the archery world has been to simply close your eyes while shooting. More or less to re-aquaint yourself with the action of shooting the bow in a stress free environ. If you can find a way to do that safely, (perhaps someone behind you more or less keeping you aimed in a safe direction) I would recomend trying it. I've seen it help before.

You can also try building up your arms a bit like gbran said. Get a heavy bb pistol and shoot at the tv at home. alot. Also make sure your not squeezing the pistol half to death. I learned to shoot a pistol on a CZ-52 (I know) and I found I'd aquired more or less a death grip on the thing. That made me shake pretty bad too. Relax your hand a bit. Just enough so the gun doesn't fly out.

Good luck with it. I've seen alot of people beat this thing. I've no doubt you can too.
 
+1 for dropping down to a .22 for a bit.

I am embarassed to say (since I carry when I can) that I probably hadn't shot handguns in a few months, and hadn't been making it as frequently as I'd liked to before that. Just too busy with grad school and work. I went out with a buddy of mine who was in the same boat, hasn't shot in like a year since he got out of dipsec. In any case, I let him shoot the first mag with the .22, and he clicked the safety on afterwards. I never use the safety. Go to fire my first shot - nothing, and I flinched. Not dramatically, but I definitely did. Oops. I was pretty embarassed. But it happens when you've been out for a bit. Focused on form for a few mags and my groups were looking good as ever by the end of the night.
 
Not having shot in a few years, I have noticed this happening when I pick up a heavier caliber also. I do think it is all about the muscles in my arms. I am smoker, heavy coffee drinker and don't tend to exercise my forearms (in the sense of shooting). Get yourself an exercise tool for your forearms and just use it while doing normal things (watching TV, on the phone, whenever your hands are empty). Got to build up the arms again. It has helped me, so far.
 
Thanks guys for all the good suggestions. I think "target panic" may be the closest thing to what I'm experiencing. I've never heard this term before now. I didn't realize it until reading the post but it is close to buck fever I'm feeling. I've experienced that hunting with a bow. The anticipation of the release, or shot, is just too much and you start shaking. I'm taking a .22 hi standard to the range next time to work through this. Thanks again for all your help, I really appreciate it and I'm glad to know I'm not the only one to go through this.
 
Hi-Standards tend to have decent triggers, perticularly the supermatics/hd's, hdm's, etc... even my Double-Nine revolver is darned good...

that is a GREAT idea... little recoil, good trigger, and cheap ammo... if it IS target fever, then trigger time with a smooth gun is the ONLY known cure... take it easy and slow, and make it FUN!
 
Dry fire. A lot.

I'll be 60 this year. Been shooting for years. Not too bad a shot. Maybe a little better than average.
I was shooting my 1911 about 3 months ago when the range officer (friend of mine) brought to my attention that I had developed a noticeable flinch. I was completely unaware of it. I've been taking my own advice and dry firing every time I get the chance. I believe the flinch is gone now, and not surprisingly I'm shooting much better.
Dry firing can really do wonders.
 
That sounds like a good idea, except I thought dry firing a weapon was not good for it. If that's not the case I'll be very willing to try that also.
 
There are those who would say that dry firing may harm your weapon.

I don't believe that it does in most cases. Read your manual to be sure dry firing on an empty chamber is OK. If you're still uneasy about it, get some snap caps. With one of those in the chamber you can dry fire all day with a clear conscience. Best of luck to you.
 
jim, start exercising your arms, and get one of those grip-master thingies. If that's even what they're called. You need to get your arms and your wrist back into shape.
 
What shooting stance are you using? If your not already using a Weaver stance you may find that the "push/pull" aspects of this stance may help steady you up a bit.
 
I stand with the left foot forward and more weight on it than the right. My shoulders are not quit squared with the target (left shoulder a little more forward than the right) and a two handed hold, gun in right hand.

When I shot target pistol in the army, it was just the opposite. Left foot back, right foot forward, left hand in my pocket, left shoulder back and right shoulder forward. One handed hold. I doubt I could do that anymore.

I'll dust off the dumbells too :)
 
Lay off the caffeine (if any), perhaps your coffee habits have changed in the past six years?

Taking any medications you weren't before for medical conditions as you age?
 
OK, my name is Jim and I'm a caffeine abuser. Your not the first to suggest that and I will cut down before I shoot next.
 
Jim,
I drink coffee like a wino drinks booze and have found that I shoot smoother if I don't change my habits before shooting. When I shoot matches (and I do better than most of the crowd) I take a thermos of coffee with me and drink a cup between courses of fire. If I forget the coffee I don't shoot as well. Of course that could just be in my mind....
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

B
  • Locked
Is it nerves ?
Replies
17
Views
880
danprkr
D
I
  • Locked
Another help me decide thread...Pistol or Rifle???
Replies
16
Views
736
buttrap
B
A
  • Locked
What to do about the shakes?
Replies
12
Views
854
Antjo
A
G
  • Locked
My wife and HER 2 girlfriends passed their Utah CWL course today
Replies
18
Views
873
Wildyams
W
D
  • Locked
Interesting Day At The Range
Replies
5
Views
820
dracphelan
D
Back
Top