Flinching

[Mike in FL]

I though maybe I might help someone suffering from the occasional flinch. For me it was consistent. So, 40 years ago I got rid of it forevermore, following advice I saw in a magazine. I'm still no Rogers Rangers marksman, I but don't flinch.
I used an unloaded rifle with a wooden flint until my sight picture was no linger disturbed by the falling cock. Then I graduated to an unloaded rifle with the pan primed. When the pan flash no longer disturbed my aim, I was cured. I still do that sometimes just to test myself. Perhaps an even probably you've heard that flinch cure before. Just throwing it out there for anyone who has not.

 

[tgfrench]

I cured my flinch by going to a modern shooting range and sitting between other shooters and their AR platform whatevers. Every now and then I run across on that does have a god awful muzzle brake, but after the initial shock I've been able to settle back in.

 

[Coinneach]

Wait until you only have around 20% of your ability to hear and only one Ear to do, a hearing plug in that remaining ear and flinching caused by Noise becomes nothing.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I though maybe I might help someone suffering from the occasional flinch. For me it was consistent. So, 40 years ago I got rid of it forevermore, following advice I saw in a magazine. I'm still no Rogers Rangers marksman, I but don't flinch.
I used an unloaded rifle with a wooden flint until my sight picture was no linger disturbed by the falling cock. Then I graduated to an unloaded rifle with the pan primed. When the pan flash no longer disturbed my aim, I was cured. I still do that sometimes just to test myself. Perhaps an even probably you've heard that flinch cure before. Just throwing it out there for anyone who has not.

For me it was pretty much the practice that Mike followed. I really was able to get past the flinch when II started shooting blanks in my King's Musket. That large ball of flame from the pan coupled with that huge ball of fire from the blank going off as I shot those blanks many times cured the flinch. I had to concentrate on the loading and firing in volleys. There was no time to allow for a flinch. After that there was no anticipation when I fired a rifle.

 

[hanshi]

In my case I never noticed the flash. As a long time shooter I was very familiar with long guns and didn't have any aversions to the flash.

 

[rich pierce]

A flinch is often caused by what is known among archers as “target panic”.

Of course shooting a gun with heavy recoil and a normal reaction to extremely loud noises can cause flinching as well. But in my case, whenever I’m flinching it’s because I’m not relaxed as I squeeze the trigger.

 

[Absoroka]

Flinching can also be caused by holding the rifle too long while chasing a perfect sight picture on the bullseye. There is a tendency to try and "snatch" the shot as you drift through the target. You can produce some pretty consistent "7's" at around 4 o'clock (for right handers) by perfecting this technique.

 

[Mike in FL]

Flinching can also be caused by holding the rifle too long while chasing a perfect sight picture on the bullseye. There is a tendency to try and "snatch" the shot as you drift through the target. You can produce some pretty consistent "7's" at around 4 o'clock (for right handers) by perfecting this technique.

That is correct sir. I have seen shooters do that. Hold and hold and bold until you k ow they are in trouble.

 

[French Colonial]

Yep, take the rifle down, take a couple of deep breaths, get your mind right and try again.

 

[Pete G]

In my case I never noticed the flash. As a long time shooter I was very familiar with long guns and didn't have any aversions to the flash.

I never notice the flash because my eyes are closed…

 

[olskool]

i am 65, i have been shooting since i was a child, and handloading since 1967, i did not flinch, ever! when i started out with flintlocks about 20 years ago, i flinched! it is a mental thing of course. i put it in my brain that i would not flinch! and i would not move, i aimed and started pressing the trigger and counting in my head till 3, of course i could not get past 1 before the gun was gone off, and after a while it stopped my flinch. now i just naturally shoot and have to count no more. it helped me. now i can shoot a squirrel from the top of a tree off hand,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Tumbledown]

Ignore the click of the trigger, wait for the BOOM.

 

[Y2GREY]

What I thought was flinching was actually the result of heavy trigger pull. Once I started using the set no issue. Of my 30 or so rifles only my smoothbore is a single trigge.

 

[Campbell]

The basics will eliminate flinch.
Concentration on front sight and extensive dry firing (remembering to include and practice grip, cheek weld, trigger squeeze and follow through). Eye/ear protection give you a psychological advantage aside from the obvious physical protection.
There are other practices you can add that will also help.

 

[Steve Wagner]

Nowhere near the experience w ML's as the rest of you, but lots w high power cf cartridges. In that arena, most flinching I have seen, including my own, has been caused by way too much macho in exposing the shoulder area to bruising when sighting in and practicing. At that point the 'flinch' is an involuntary reflex and the best way I have found to eliminate it is to pad up sufficiently when practicing until your brain trusts you again. It doesn't disappear for a bit and takes work. In CF, this is a true flinch. I learned this early but have watched a lot of 'tough guys' shoot w terrible, visible flinches from doing exactly this. Especially when they shoot big magnums. Whenever I try to work up loads for these people [when they ask for help in accurizing], I have to watch them shoot w a known, accurate rifle before I let them test loads, because if they have the flinch, and I let them do the load testing, I am wasting my time. I watched one friend, testing loads I made up for him, forget to chamber a round and when he pulled the trigger, the rest moved backwards about 6 inches. He is 6'4" and about 230 lbs. This is frequent in the magnumitis crowd. That was the end of Mr. Nice Guy for my reloading. Too much time and $. I taught my kids to shoot w a .270 um w enough padding to prevent this problem and after they shot their 1st deer, they couldn't remember the recoil. No one really does when hunting. For hunting deer w ml's I would bet on the guy who is really good w a squirrel rifle over the macho man w a 120 grain load of black under a massive conical just about every time. Especially when that crescent butt is misaligned ! There are much better ways to be manly. Manly is field dressing your deer. Really helps to hit what you aim at where you want to hit it. SW