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How to overcome flinch with rifles/handguns?

thedutchtouch

thedutchtouch

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2020
Messages
3,549
Location
Maryland
Alright gents (and ladies, there seems to be only a few on here, but those that are seem like better hunters than me!) It's time for some honesty. I'm trying to teach myself to shoot in my late 30s, and I'm pretty sure my main problem is that i flinch. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it to be honest, feel like this forum is a bit of a friendly/safe space, so I'm willing to admit it here and think I could benefit from your opinions/perhaps there's another newbie out there that will find this thread one day. Perhaps (hopefully) I'll return to it in the future for some retrospective laughs. I'm not sure exactly where it comes from, Ive never scoped myself or anything, but I think I'm just not used to the bang a gun makes to be honest (go ahead and chuckle, it is what it is), and jumped up to bigger calibers too soon (pretty sure this is true on the handgun side for sure). I can shoot my 22 rifle ok, not great, but good enough to keep practicing and no flinching perceived just need to slow down and develop a consistent pattern/squeeze I think. When it comes to center-fire however, my limited experience thus far with my 350 legend and handguns (mostly my brother's 10mm Glock 20) tells me that I definitely have a flinch and it's pretty embarrassing. I also am figuring out why I give a crap about being embarrassed, so that's half the reason I'm deciding to post about it. First shot is on target, after that I anticipate the bang and can't shoot for crap. How do I get over this?

I've decided to put a lot of practice in with my 22 to get the routine/feeling down, but early on, it's not translating to comfort (for lack of a better word) with my 350. I realize that likely more practice will be the best solution (I remember my early days starting to bowhunt and not liking hearing "boots on the ground, get out and walk around" as the solution to many deer finding woes, and now 3 years later find myself saying that same thing to the greener newbies), but also hoping some of you seasoned/grew up with guns people might have some tips.

Planning to focus on my breathing, and using a rest, trying to get comfortable with a good cheek weld etc, basically just drilling the basics that I've gleaned from watching waaaaay too many YouTube videos. (But if you've got good resources to watch or read please send them my way). Have also seen that dry firing with a center-fire gun is a good "rehearsal" to get over the nerves. Wondering if (assuming the range is empty or I would still be able to hear/communicate with other groups) doing something like using earbuds to play some louder music inside my hearing protection while firing so the bang isn't so jarring could also help me get over the newbie nerves?

As with most things, I expect to be good at things right away, so that's definitely part of it, but need to confront the reality that proficiency takes practice, so definitely not looking for an easy button, but would really appreciate some advice ( and, to be honest, some ribbing/accountability to "get over myself" and relax, which I think would also help me). I'm a pretty tightly wound spring usually, feel strange admitting that to the "world", but here we go, it's a year of getting happier with me all around and this is a big part of progressing my hunting journey forward. I feel like that expectations vs reality issue shows up to an extent here for sure. I fully acknowledge that jumping from nothing to a 10mm was stupid- it was more necessity than anything, being in bear country requires some rudimentary defensive handgun knowledge, but I've come to realize that I need to be much more practiced and proficient, so I plan to purchase a 22 and a 9 mm handgun to practice in that arena as well.

Am I overthinking things? Will this come with time? I just don't want to develop bad habits, and shooting like crap is expensive and annoying, though money saving isn't the issue. I really want to be able to rifle hunt for deer next season here in Maryland, and my brother and I are planning a blacktail/brown bear hunt in Alaska in September, he will be the primary shooter but I need to be at least decent at shooting under pressure to be his backup from a safety perspective.

Flame suit on and zipped up halfway, but hoping you seasoned shooters will see the honest need here and might have some suggestions to help me get over my flinch. Thanks!
 
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Way overthinking it, it’s target panic. Just see if you can work with your 22 ( it’s way cheaper to shoot anyway) good hearing protection makes a difference. I got rid of a 450BM with a muzzle break bc it was so stinking loud that I was anticipating the shot & pulling after a bit on the range. Plus when it’s time to shoot critters I never think about all that….. it’s just go time
 
Overthinking it IS my go-to, likely obvious from my first post lol. I've never experienced target panic with the bow, but that makes a bunch of sense.
 
I’m no authority, just dangerous enough to fill the freezer. My son struggled the same way transitioning from pellets & 22 to muzzloader
 
Yeah it sounds to me like you're overthinking it. As mentioned above it sounds like you have a textbook case of target panic. I am by no means a SME, however there are a couple of avenues for addressing it.

When I was more interested in handguns than archery equipment, I used to do drills where I would blindly load my magazine with a mix of snap caps and live rounds and then practice shooting and clearing malfunctions. It made it waaay apparent if I was flinching when I got to a snap cap. Once I learned to have a steady/consistent grip and just let the gun go off and do its thing I stopped anticipating the shot and stopped flinching.

Fast forward a few years when I started getting serious about archery and I went through target panic again. John Dudley's the school of nock helped tremendously. Additionally Joe Turner has a lot of great information out there as well. For me, beating target panic and learning a surprise release has not only helped my archery game but has also greatly improved my fundamentals of marksmanship.

Once you build a mental shot process and stick to it it doesn't matter how big of a bore you're shooting or even what equipment you're using. Learn to trust your float and process and you'll be much better off.
 
Whatcha flinching from? Recoil or sound or both? Ear plugs and ear muff over top. Strap it on a lead sled and shoot with ur ears on...no recoil or loud crack so nothing to worry about then ....build some confidence and worry about freehand shooting later
 
Go and purchase snap caps or dummy rounds. If your rifle/pistol is magazine fed, insert the snap caps randomly in the magazine so you do not know where they are in the mix. Then proceed to slow fire round by round. Eventually you will have a click and not a bang. When you have the click or the bang you are wanting to ensure you do not anticipate the platform going off and dropping the muzzle resulting in a round being lower than it should be.

Additjonally, just dry fire. Hundreds of times. Over and over. Click. Reset. Click. Reset. Click reset. There is no better and cheaper training than dry firing. Multiple companies even sell devices to help reset your trigger so you do not have to rack the slide of a pistol or run the bolt or a rifle over and over.

Here is a starter video for you. He is a retired green beret sergeant major and ran a CIF team in Okinawa Japan for several years also. He knows what he is talking about. He currently lives near Ft Campbell KY.
 
Honestly man, TRIGGER TIME with the weapon you plan on hunting /shooting with. Go buy cheap surplus ammo. Go to the range ALL DAY multiple times. After you have put thousands of rounds down range the flinch is gone. It is second nature, your weapon will become an extension of you. Don't even worry about a target, you are teaching your body to embrace the suck. Once the flinch is gone, start worrying about a target. Before the ammo shortage I was putting 400-500 9mm and 400-500 45 rounds downrange every week. All at 7 yards, I went shooting with a buddy one time and we were sighting in his 06 at 100 yards. When he was done I pulled out my VP9 14 out of 15 rounds went into the 12" target at 100 yards. ALL TRIGGER TIME and knowing my weapon.
 
Once you get over the flinch, place 2 dots 18" apart horizontally. Run your target out to 7 yards. Send 2 rounds to the left target and 1 to the right. Stop. Send 2 to the right and then 1 to the left, stop. All three rounds should be within 3-5 seconds. Your target acquisition and accuracy will go through the roof in a couple weeks of doing that. The worst practice is a single X you are sending every round too. This will also helps with target panic.
 
Zero One Actual said:
Go and purchase snap caps or dummy rounds. If your rifle/pistol is magazine fed, insert the snap caps randomly in the magazine so you do not know where they are in the mix. Then proceed to slow fire round by round. Eventually you will have a click and not a bang. When you have the click or the bang you are wanting to ensure you do not anticipate the platform going off and dropping the muzzle resulting in a round being lower than it should be.

Additjonally, just dry fire. Hundreds of times. Over and over. Click. Reset. Click. Reset. Click reset. There is no better and cheaper training than dry firing. Multiple companies even sell devices to help reset your trigger so you do not have to rack the slide of a pistol or run the bolt or a rifle over and over.

Here is a starter video for you. He is a retired green beret sergeant major and ran a CIF team in Okinawa Japan for several years also. He knows what he is talking about. He currently lives near Ft Campbell KY.
Click to expand...
Yes, dry fire every target on the TV. You do not need snap caps for the den or couch. Quick, head shot before the camera angle changes.
 
Are you grouping with your shots? What is your position when you are shooting? Laying prone on the group? Sitting on a table and bench?

If you want, post a video of a shooting session and maybe we can Monday morning quarterback a little for you.

I semi agree with what everyone is saying, you just need to shoot more to get familiar with the firearm and stop over thinking it.

BUT it does help to have someone with some experience advising you on the basic principles so you don't develop bad habits. It built up a lot of good confident with beginner when they can see result initially after some tips from a 2nd viewpoint.

I was a range NCO and I also ran the EST for the unit so here are a few basic tips if you want to think about it.

If you are shooting straight but the shots are hitting up and down, its your breathing. You are not pulling the trigger at the same time as your breathing cycle, usually best is squeeze as you exhale.

If shots are hitting left/right, its your posture and form. Use as many solid support base as you can. Get yourself some type of rest.

You might not be placing your cheek at the same shot on the buttstock every time, find the spot that is comfortable for you, find where your cheek is resting on it, add some type of indicator so you're resting your cheek at the same place every time, Velcro is great for this as it add some texture.

Don't know what you are using, but are you fully releasing the trigger? Try to release slowly and pay attention to the click, one issue a lot of people have is they don't realizes the force that it take to pull the trigger, this built up anticipation and can create target panic. That's why a good crisp light trigger is important to the dedicated shooters and the trigger assembly is one of the first thing they change out.

Check your scopes to make sure everything is tight and solid. Sometime its not you. A bad scope can give bad result.

But other then that, yeah just grab some .22 and spend more time on the range help overall. Don't feel embarrass, shooting is support to be fun and we all have to start somewhere. Its worse if you try to tough it out by yourself. Heck even at the range, if someone is there, if you ask them for some advices, most are more than willing to give you some suggestions.
 
Dry fire practice is very good for form and trigger squeeze. Make sure you are re setting the trigger on your Glock. While watching TV just try to squeeze the trigger as slowly as possible. You should be surprised when it breaks. You can "sneak" around the house & fire at light switches etc, just getting used to the trigger break. When you pull the trigger, Hold it back and let it creep forward until it clicks, that's your reset and it will now fire in double action instead of letting off and going back to single action. Much easier to be accurate.
 
I disagree with shooting a 22 to help with flinch. Flinch is usually the fear of the large caliber going off. Practice how you hunt! If you want to go have range time AFTER you get your technique down, that is when the 22 comes into play. Also, bulk 22 is some of the dirties most inaccurate ammo out there. If you are shooting good 22 ammo, you might as well be shooting your hunting rifle.
 
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Glad you can be honest. I get where you’re coming from. I also struggle with trigger flinch, and often jump at ANY loud noise. I’m about the same age as you, and I’ve had this reaction as long as I can remember. I find it really only occurs when I’m target practicing, or nervous (i.e. when I know I’m anticipating a lot of loud bangs, heavy recoil, or if it's a new firearm/social group/environment for me.) My guess is for most shooters with a flinch, it's associated with the noise.

I've often wondered about the origin of this flinch because I grew up around hunting, and had opportunity to shoot guns from a young age. Actually, this is most likely the cause, or at least it made it worse. I'm confident it developed as a young kid. My dad and uncles often sighted in rifles and flintlocks together at my grandparents' house. I'm sure I shot a round or two from the bench, and the combination of shooting too large a caliber (recoil), and/or with a pan flash in my face, without ear protection, while also being among company I felt nervous to impress resulted in an association causing loud bangs to be a significant stressor for me. It's lessened the older I get, however.

I think @Weldabeast has some very good advice. A few years ago, I took my FIL for his birthday to an indoor shooting range with multiple lanes. He loved it. For me, even though I enjoy shooting guns, it was AWFUL. Constant, loud booming in an enclosed chamber; I couldn’t help but jump, and badly, with every single shot, even when I was just watching. It was honestly embarrassing and I told my wife later that even though I was intellectually telling myself "Everything is fine! Stop it!” I could tell physiologically that my heart rate was flying and my body was panicking. I just wanted to get outta there. (Not calling these experiences equal, but that feeling gave me compassion for PTSD vets who struggle with July 4 fireworks.) But it was a good experience for me. I started out with some standard foam earplugs. In about 3 minutes I walked back out to the range rental desk and got some over the head muffs. In addition to the foam plugs, that was enough noise suppression to help me calm down. From that point, I was able not only able to chill out and enjoy the time, but also shoot accurately.

I do practice just a little with live ammunition, and dry fire a little more, but really that's only to develop muscle memory of shouldering the rifle and setting the safety to fire so it's all almost subconscious when a deer's in the scope. In that moment, I'm so much more concerned about seizing the right shot window, shot placement, etc. on a walking target. The possible flinch—as much as it's prevalent every other time I hold a firearm—doesn't happen when I'm actually hunting. I shoot a .260 Rem and .50 in-line muzzleloader. I've got that rhythm down on my rifle, less so on my muzzleloader. Just this past October, I forgot to set the hammer and I did flinch when I pulled the trigger because I mistook the step of loading a primer with flipping the safety (it was rapidly developing situation going from unloaded to shooting). That mistake didn't repeat come November when when I had my rifle, up in a tree.

For every deer I've shot, I have no recollection of feeling recoil. I can remember the noise, but it's usually just a curious background observation noting how silent the woods were a second ago. But by the time it registers, mentally I'm onto following the wounded animal or feeling exhilarated that it fell. So, I'd say definitely practice and do what you can to reduce your flinch because it's not desirable for consistent, accurate shooting. But don't worry about it for hunting; it'll probably be a non-issue at the moment of truth.
 
I agree with Terp, having good ear protection is critical. When I was young I had it super bad, and it was just that nerve of it going off. I've shot hundreds of thousands of shotgun rounds during my competitive career, but still am iffy with a rifle at times. What's helped me is having a light trigger. It may sound stupid, but even buying blanks of a higher caliber gun if it is affordable and just firing it down range will help. No reason to embarrassed, shooting isn't easy!
 
I do think it's auditory-related, mainly because the recoil isn't really that bad at all, and yes I do plan on getting a suppressor at some point in the near future but with the 6-9+ month waits for ATF approval that I hear about, I want to also work on this before it will arrive. I have been using walkers game ears over foam earplugs, not sure if turning the mic down would make much of a difference to the perceived sound but I'll give that a try. That and just not trusting the gun/myself yet. I think I was a bit intimidated by the crowd the few times I've been out so far, I can definitely identify with the "everything is fine! Stop it!" Thoughts, but it does generally make sense that people would be helpful/I need to get out of my own head. The dummy round idea sounds like a good one and I appreciate all of your advice/feedback. Too early to say if the 22 will translate over or not, but I plan on continuing to shoot it a bunch because it's cheaper and I know I can improve my accuracy with it even if it doesn't help cure the target panic/flinch. I've been shooting from a bench for the most part, though do plan to work on other shooting positions as well. Thanks all, I'll keep reporting back as I continue to practice and smooth things out.


Edit: as an aside, any opinions on CLP vs a separate cleaner/oil? I know cleaning guns or lack thereof is a somewhat polarizing debate lol
 
ear plugs with muffs over the top should stop any noise associated flinch, having someone else load your weapon and hand it to you with a live round or empty/dummy will help with identifying flinching as well as blind loading your own gun. Dry firing at home is a great exercise as well, I don't think you'll see any negative affects of dry firing modern firearms. get familiar with your triggers while dry firing too, especially your rifle ones, how much pressure can you maintain without it going off? Does your sight picture change as you increase pressure? If the trigger isn't buttery smooth from the factory there are ways of smoothing them yourself, depending on model, which is a whole 'nother rabbit hole and for the safety police, something best left to a professional.

Hoppe's #9 for the bore, bolt face, etc. sot cloth sprayed with silicone lubricant for the exterior
 
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