Correcting a Flinch

[Superman]

Other than dry fire practice, how would one correct a flinch?

I am bored and watching some youtube videos and one guy said he thinks dry fire practice to correct a flinch just makes it worse.

[Guest SUNTZU]

Have someone load your magazine/cylinder for you and put a snap cap in there somewhere.

[Guest jackdm3]

Learn to love the bang!

[Guest SureShot308]

What suntzu said.

Dry firing is good for trigger control and sight alignment. but you know that it's not going to go bang so you don't flinch.

If you have someone load snap caps or dummy rounds in your magazine you don't know when it's coming and you will see the flinch.

[Photoguy67]

This is what worked for me, when you have a good sight picture and getting ready to fire, look at your front sight (like normal) but as you fire make sure you see the muzzle flash in your peripheral vision. Sounds too simple but it worked for me!

[Superman]

I currently don't flinch, but I did when I first started. The first time at the range I was no where near POA. Went home looked around on here, and dry fired some for a few days. Went back to the range and POI was relatively POA.

My main question though, is how can dry fire practice make it worse? I know that using dummy rounds will let you see the flinch, but I don't see how that will correct it.

[Guest mikedwood]

Crimson Trace (or the like), don't ask me how I know it works , but it does.

[Guest jackdm3]

Have someone load your magazine/cylinder for you and put a snap cap in there somewhere.

I did that to my cousin yesterday. Somewhere on our range, he found a spent bullet in great condition, so I loaded it back into a shell. I put it at number 3 from the top. I told him what I did, but didn't tell him where it was. We had 3 targets side by side and I said, "Do the Dozier drill." The middle target, the right target and then the left.

He thought he was a good shot at all times, but this drill kicked his ass everytime! His shot placement was all over the place, because he feared the unknown at all times and it shook him up.

After three of these drills, he got a real nasty jam. He kept working on the jam. I said, "You're DEAD!!!"

He had a loaded shotgun slung over his shoulder. He said the thing to do is go to his BUG, which he didn't have. I asked him why he didn't use his shotgun? He said he forgot he had it.

F A I L !

All dressed up in his ROTC uniform and his Kevlar helmet, thinking he looks big and bad. The drill instructors are going to destroy him!

The best thing for us is to buy a lot of snap caps and have others load us up. I don't think we'll be able to simulate a stovepipe, but this discipline will help us all. So very many gunowners think that with good carry ammo, the gun will always go bang. Failure-To-Fire drills are the ultimate in humbling experiences.

[Guest H0TSH0T]

sit on your hand till it goes to sleep, when its tingles, your ready to practice at the range, you will not flinch as you will not know exactly when the trigger releases due to feel so you will not flinch until you hear the bang, by that time the round is down range and hopefully hits what you were aiming at.

[Kano]

Fundamentals of Pistol Marksmanship

William Joyner

"The remedy is to never know the exact instant the hammer will fall. Even then your subconscious mind will make brace, but the reaction time between the explosion and your bracing will allow the bullet to leave the barrel without being misdirected by your flinch".

Body Position or Stance

Breath Control

Physical Conditioning

Trigger Control

Psychology of Shooting

Conclusion

"The theory of shooting is simple: You create a machine rest with your stance, grip and breath control. Then with the gun in the machine rest, you apply pressure directly to the rear until the hammer falls. In practice we sometimes find our machine rest wobbly because it has a brain and can count scores and anticipate wins. Through experience and practice you must make the brain machine-like also. "

I was not a good shooter a few years ago and reading this stuff and other articles and talking to other shooters and going to the range alot.. I made myself a decent shooter.

Last week at Guns & Leather at 25 meters

5 Rounds off hand 1 3/16"

Ed Brown ET

7 Rounds 1 7/16"10 Rounds 2 4/16"

My best 4 Rounds Hand Held 25 Meters Ed Brown ET

ces Other Disciplines Zen in the Art of Shooting About this Site

Edited November 9, 2009 by Kano

[Kano]

Fundamentals of Pistol Marksmanship

William Joyner

Encyclopedia of Bullseye Pistol

[Guest CK1]

In the same vein as what Kano said, you always want the trigger break to be a surprise, always!

For me, I sometimes have to say "front sight, front sight, front sight..." in my head to get myself to NOT pay attention to the trigger, usually results in very nice shooting and no flinching.

[Guest dart67eb]

Ball and dummy drills.

[timcalhoun]

In the same vein as what Kano said, you always want the trigger break to be a surprise, always!

For me, I sometimes have to say "front sight, front sight, front sight..." in my head to get myself to NOT pay attention to the trigger, usually results in very nice shooting and no flinching.

I have to take issue with the always statement. But you do in the beginning (a great way to cure flinch and develop muscle memory) or always when shooting groups/ultimate accuracy.

Rob Leatham for example is one of the few who slaps the trigger. But what he can do that most can't, is practice follow through when slapping. Even though he slaps the trigger he makes sure he sees the front sight rise on the target when the gun goes bang. Not easy to do when slapping. Most have way more luck insuring follow through by prepping the trigger, aligning the sights, breaking with intention, and then following through. People who use this method is a very long list of champion shooters. Sig's Max Michel, Para's Todd Jarrett, Glock's David Sevigny, AMU captain Travis Tomasie and on and on. Unless of course they are shooting for groups seeing what the gun/load can do and then surprise break comes back.

[MemphisMechanic]

Other than dry fire practice, how would one correct a flinch?

I am bored and watching some youtube videos and one guy said he thinks dry fire practice to correct a flinch just makes it worse.

You're first mistake was giving some random guy on YouTube any sort of credibility.

Rob Leatham for example is one of the few who slaps the trigger. But what he can do that most can't, is practice follow through when slapping.

Remember that this is a guy who can ride your finger with his while you shoot, and tell you what you're doing wrong.

Dryfire absolutely helps cure a flinch. But make it hard. For this type of practice, I'll take a light switch 20+ feet away, and slowly squeeze off a couple of dozen well-aimed shots (centered on the switch lever as the shot breaks).

[mdmoseley]

One thing they had us do at the academy was have a buddy either load a live round or hand you an empty gun. Obviously takes a second person but effective.

[Superman]

You're first mistake was giving some random guy on YouTube any sort of credibility.

I wasn't giving some random guy on youtube credibility, it was James Yeager.

[Guest CK1]

I have to take issue with the always statement. But you do in the beginning (a great way to cure flinch and develop muscle memory) or always when shooting groups/ultimate accuracy.

Rob Leatham for example is one of the few who slaps the trigger. But what he can do that most can't, is practice follow through when slapping. Even though he slaps the trigger he makes sure he sees the front sight rise on the target when the gun goes bang. Not easy to do when slapping. Most have way more luck insuring follow through by prepping the trigger, aligning the sights, breaking with intention, and then following through. People who use this method is a very long list of champion shooters. Sig's Max Michel, Para's Todd Jarrett, Glock's David Sevigny, AMU captain Travis Tomasie and on and on. Unless of course they are shooting for groups seeing what the gun/load can do and then surprise break comes back.

I say "always" a surprise break, and mean "always" in it's figurative form, meaning not worrying about the break and instead worrying about grip and sight alignment and letting the break take care of itself, even when shooting with a slapping technique.

Slapping the trigger on purpose and following through, is more advanced than curing a flinch that's for sure... but while doing it, it happens so fast there is no way really to not have the break be a surprise... because if you're doing it right, you're watching that front sight drop back on target and going too fast to notice when the exact trigger break is occurring.

IMO, the trigger slapping technique has lots to do with weak-hand strength/control, good grip technique, and more than a little to do with having a light enough trigger so that the "slap" won't upset the gun too much or overcome your weak-hand... very little to do with flinching. If you flinch during slow fire, you'll probably flinch while slapping at speed too, 'cause it means you're worrying about when the gun is going to go off instead of aiming it...

Edited November 10, 2009 by CK1