How do I train myself to not flinch?

[MarkAd]

This is all true, but seems to miss one factor. Use your mind to ignore the gun. I find if I concenrate only on sight picture and trigger pull I never notice recoil on most guns.

 

[mjz52]

My son is currently in phase 2 of Marine Corps boot camp in Camp Pendleton. Yesterday I got a letter with the following in it:
*In between breaths
*In between heart beats (if you can)
*Close eyes, relax, open eyes, pull halfway
*Inhale, exhale, wait for heart pulse in hand to bump rifle up, let it settle
*Squeeze, BANG!!

 

[spitball]

A 10LB sledge hammer is a good analogy for big guns and magnum fever. I bought a 3 1/2" 12 ga. several years ago and fired about 3 of those rounds out of it and decided the turkey was just as dead with the old 2 3/4". My father in law said "that thing kills on one end and maims on the other!" That being said I only shoot one turkey a year and I can shoot 2 3/4" the rest of the time. With a handgun or rifle, having someone else load the gun for you with alternating rounds of live and empty is the best if not only way to learn follow through. When you aren't sure if the gun is going to kick or not you focus on the trigger pull and front sight because you treat each round as if you were dry firing. If I can hand you an empty weapon 7 out of 20 times and the muzzle never moves when we hear the "click", you don't flinch anymore. Now a 2" bbl, Lew Horton, .44mag w/ 300grn Hornady soft points is not a marksmanship weapon and I don't care if I flinch because the purpose of the weapon is to stop trucks not slow fire, bullseye competition.

 

[RifleEnthusiast]

The noise is a really big factor some people don't even think about. first, Suppress that noise as much as you can, and see how much that helps.

+1 Totally agree, expecting the 'bang' contributes a lot more to flinching than expecting the kick in the shoulder.
I would also add as others have mentioned, the trigger weight, a light trigger helps you squeeze the trigger steadily without anticipating when it would go off.

 

[10 Spot Terminator]

+1 Totally agree, expecting the 'bang' contributes a lot more to flinching than expecting the kick in the shoulder.


I would whole heartedly agree you should wear good hearing protection as it not only protects your hearing but takes the sting out of the sharpest of weapon barks such as expierienced when shooting magnum calibres and in particular "ported" magnums. This will help take the "anxiety" out of pulling the trigger and possibly contributing to the flinching syndrome. As for the sharp report of any given weapon actually contributing to poor bullet grouping due to flinch reaction to the sound just doesnt happen with most firearms. The bullet has exited the barrel prior to the report reaching your ears with all but the slowest of rounds such as found in some handguns. Speed of sound is 1,100 feet per second and pretty much is slower than anyting shot from a rifle with the exception of the good old .22 rimfire.

 

[hermannr]

+1 Totally agree, expecting the 'bang' contributes a lot more to flinching than expecting the kick in the shoulder.


I would whole heartedly agree you should wear good hearing protection as it not only protects your hearing but takes the sting out of the sharpest of weapon barks such as expierienced when shooting magnum calibres and in particular "ported" magnums. This will help take the "anxiety" out of pulling the trigger and possibly contributing to the flinching syndrome. As for the sharp report of any given weapon actually contributing to poor bullet grouping due to flinch reaction to the sound just doesnt happen with most firearms. The bullet has exited the barrel prior to the report reaching your ears with all but the slowest of rounds such as found in some handguns. Speed of sound is 1,100 feet per second and pretty much is slower than anyting shot from a rifle with the exception of the good old .22 rimfire.

The sound contributes to your problems in Shot 2, 3 and 4, not shot #1...That is why some people can put shot one in the black, and may be off paper on the next shot.

That trigger pull is important is easily demonstarted by just looking at compitition target pistols...I have a couple that can have their pull weight adjusted down into the 4 oz. range. (not 4 lb, oz.) and my Rem 700 trigger does not even move perceptibily when you squeeze it.

 

[hermannr]

I bought a 3 1/2" 12 ga. several years ago and fired about 3 of those rounds out of it and decided the turkey was just as dead with the old 2 3/4". My father in law said "that thing kills on one end and maims on the other!" .

Spitball: Many years ago (1959, 1960 somewhere in there) I took my hunter ed class. Part of that class included shooting a round of trap. I had a rifle, and a pistol available, but no shotgun.

I was a tall skinny kid (6'1" and 135 lbs) and one of the instructors for this class was gracious enough to let me use his custom Superpoised as I needed about the same pull length as he had. I shot 25 out of 25, and I had never shot a shotgun before. I give it all to the perfect fit of that Superpoised, And...the fact that shotgun had a hydrolic damper in the stock. Pull trigger and feel absolutely nothing on you shoulder. You might want to look for something like that for your Turkey gun. You will go from hating that shotgun to loving it.

Personally, I wish they would let us shoot Turkey with a .22 (or at least a rifle/or pistol round.) I can see not shooting Geese with a .22, but Turkey? why not it's not like you shoot turkey on the fly.