Ok so here I am... 6ft 4" 240lbs... and a flinch when shooting a .22 !! Arggh... i think problems originated when I started hunting with shotguns. As ya'll know you dont squeeze shotguns , ya pull them. Well now that habit of pulling combined with ears that seem sensitive to the noise ( and yes i wear hearing protection )has lead to me flinching ALL the time, when shooting .22 all the way up thru 7mm Mag. Strangely it doesnt affect me much in hunting situations where Im kneeling or standing, I can hit running targets with regularity( best shot was a coyote on a dead run at 275yds), but sit me on a bench with a rest and I cant shoot sub 5in groups from 100yds( even with a tag driving .17rem) LOL... Any pointers you can give me would be great.

 

Only shoot the .22 until you get the flinching under control. Concentrate on each shot. Make your finger move slowly. You can beat flinching but it takes dedication. Don't shoot the big bores until you can shoot the .22 every time without flinching. Have someone else load it for you and tell them to load an empty every so often, flinching really shows when there is no bang. Once you have to .22 mastered, move up to the next larger caliber. Don't shoot the big bores until you beat the flinch on the smaller rifles. Work your way up from the .22 to the big bores, one rifle at a time. Don't move up until you don't ever flinch with that rifle. Flinching is a hard habit to break, I've seen it wreck some very good shooters. Decide you are going to beat it and follow through, you have to re-teach muscle memory that's contrary to self-protection instincts and it will take some time. If you have a BB gun, it wouldn't hurt to start there. Good luck!

 

I would add a couple of thoughts to UBETRUN's excellent post.

Lots of folks flinch when shooting even small calibre rifles and pistols. Most don't know they do this and some will never admit it. You have half the battle won by addressing the problem.

When shooting target, rather off a bench or whatever, always practice the basics of good shooting. Be sure the rifle fits you. An ill fitting rifle will punish you when shot and make your flinch worse. Shoulder the rifle and be sure you are comfortable in your stance. Take a couple of deep breaths, let about half of the last one out, aquire the proper sight picture and squeeze the trigger gently each time the sights are just right. It should always be something of a surprise when the round discharges.

Be sure to keep both eyes open. Surprisingly this simple thing has cured the flinch of several shooters I have known. It's hard to flinch with your eyes open for some reason.

If you have an established range in your area visit it and seek the help of experianced bench rest shooters. Most of these guys have had to master a bad flinch at some time.

 

Maybe you could try a BB Gun [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

i have the same problem but opposite in some aspects. i can hit any target sitting down no matter the distance but when im in the field i cant hit ne thing. im 19 and 6' 160lbs and shoot a .308. last season im sitting in my tree stand on opening day of gun season here in georgia when about 9:00 a small buck walked out from my right, there was a good eight behind him. guys im not kiddin this thing was no more than 50 yards away and was the biggest buck i have seen. he stopped...i pulled the trigger and missed him. i was shakin like a leaf!! what can i do to stop this or can it be stopped???

 

The essence of marksmanship is focus. You know it's going to jump and go bang, can you focus beyond that and think of nothing but the target and trigger pressure? When you're shooting at a moving target, you achieve that focus, because you're thinking about tracking the target, not the gun going off. On a bench, there's nothing else to take your attention away from the coming bang, and it sounds like that's playing on your mind.

Best thing I can suggest is an empty cartridge case in a .22, and practice. Pop the shell out and put in another every couple of clicks, so you don't mash the brass and start hammering your firing pin. I had some martial arts training a few years ago, and they teach focus in that. As a result, I try to draw an imaginary line from my eye, through the sight, and onto the target. Think of nothing but keeping that line unbroken, and apply trigger pressure.

One thing I love to do is ride to the back of my farm with an Anschutz target .22 I have. Set up a pad on the back of my Arctic Cat, put a target at 50 yards, and start making ragged holes in the target. .25" patterns at 50 yards are no problem if you have good match ammo. I could do that all day - very satisfying.

 

That is KEY. If that's not happening, every shot, you are anticipating the shot and flinching. When I was 12, my Dad had me shooting a S&W Model 29 .44 Mag (Dirty Harry was big then). I wasn't a small kid but it was still a lot of gun for a 12 year old. He would load empties every so often to see if I was flinching. It took a lot of practice before I was shooting correctly, I'm glad he stuck with it. I got a nasty scope bite about 20 years ago and had to re-learn not to flinch. Shot the BB gun and .22 until I was surprised by the shot again.


Tex21 - Did you have a scope? Most rifle scopes aren't accurate at 50 yards, the parallax is set for 100 yards. Also, the bullet will shoot high at 50 yards if your zero is 100 or 200 yards. Probably though, it was buck fever. Everyone messes up their first few shots at live game, especially if it's a big one. Keep at it and the buck fever will become manageable. The adrenaline rush never really goes away, I've shot dozens and still get the shakes when it's over.

 

yep ive got a luepold on it.... it was hard for me to see the deer in it that close cause i had the zoom set for a longer shot and never changed it before i shot. ive only killed two deer my whole life so i know it was buck fever. but that keeps me going back for more!!!

 

I used to have this problem real bad also. I took care of this problem by playing paintball. I never really thought about it, but noticed after playing paint ball, that I hardly ever flinch when shooting real guns now.

 

You could also try the "dime drill".
Take your rifle and verify it is empty. I like to place one of those dry-fire caps in it as to not damage the firing pin. From the bench or prone position have friend place a dime across the top of the barrel near the muzzel. Slowly squeeze the trigger. If you flinch the dime will fall. Keep doing this untill you can consistantly keep it there.
I am only 5 ft 7 in and weigh 170 lbs and am not recoil sensitive at all, my buddy is 6'6" and weighs 270 and he can't stand anything bigger than a .243.