Help with shooting accuracy - I flinch

[Pro953]

I have developed a pretty bad shooting habit and it is killing my accuracy. When I start to pull the trigger i tend to tense up/twitch. generally this makes me yank instead of squeeze the trigger and pull the rifle to the right (I am a lefty). Any shooters out there ever have this problem if so how did you train yourself out of it? Any tips or techniques would be great. I am shooting a Tikka T3 in 270. 130 grain rounds.

[inchr48]

Shoot a rimfire to develop proper form without the flinch associated with recoil of the centerfire.

Also try having someone else load your rifle (270) for you so you don't know if it has a live or fired round loaded. Practice proper form, squeezing slowly. You should always be surprised when the trigger breaks.

[nickmetz]

Along with what inchr said, make sure you are relaxed and comfortable to begin with, you have shot the gun before, you know it won't dislodge your shoulder, focus on your breathing, not your shooting.

[myfriendis410]

Welcome to the brotherhood of the large caliber rifle. I have fought a flinch for 30 years. You have to develop a process mentally that you follow through with for every shot. That includes hunting. You also have to be honest with yourself when you let the shot go. With experience you can "call" the shot. I shoot a lot of stuff from the bench and then follow up with a few standing unsupported shots at 100 yards. I can usually shoot within about 2" for three shots. Certainly good enough to kill a hog. (I always use a rest when possible) If you shoot shotgun that will hurt your shooting ability and I attribute my flinch to too many rounds through my .41 Magnum. (40,000 or so over 25 years)

My brother said it best: "Practice makes PERMANENT! PERFECT practice makes perfect." Shoot a lot, but don't just blaze away. Develop a regimen and stick with it.

Get a light trigger on your gun; 3# or so is about right for most people with a hunting rifle. Mine is 2 1/2#, but that works for me.

[Pro953]

Thanks everyone. I have a little Remington 22 I will have to work with that a bit to develop trigger technique and routine. I am trying to develop the routine but those darn bad habits are hard to break. What is everyone’s through on dry firing to develop a routine so I do not have to push so many rounds? I spent some time at the range this week and every third shot I fall out of my grouping due to a flinch or pull. Not awful but I know the issue will magnify 100 fold once I am out in the field and I am bound to miss the side of a barn!

Always appreciate everyone’s help. Hope you had good luck in the draw and a great season. Look forward to seeing the pics.

[700x4me]

Thanks everyone. I have a little Remington 22 I will have to work with that a bit to develop trigger technique and routine. I am trying to develop the routine but those darn bad habits are hard to break. What is everyone’s through on dry firing to develop a routine so I do not have to push so many rounds? I spent some time at the range this week and every third shot I fall out of my grouping due to a flinch or pull. Not awful but I know the issue will magnify 100 fold once I am out in the field and I am bound to miss the side of a barn!

Always appreciate everyone’s help. Hope you had good luck in the draw and a great season. Look forward to seeing the pics.
Can't see how dry firing would help since you know there is not going to be any recoil & in my opinion, anticipation of recoil is what causes flinching. That is just my opinion though & others may disagree. Good luck breaking the bad habit though.

[myfriendis410]

Can't see how dry firing would help since you know there is not going to be any recoil & in my opinion, anticipation of recoil is what causes flinching. That is just my opinion though & others may disagree. Good luck breaking the bad habit though.

100% Correct!

[ltdann]

What helps me is to focus so hard on the keeping the cross hairs in the bull that round going off is a suprise. I too, shoot a Tikka. When I got to the range, I have one of those shoulder pads to soak up recoil. It really works.

I swear when I'm hunting, I concentrate on the animal so hard I don't even hear the rifle firing.

[bsandls]

Where dry firing pays off is in learning the creep and other nuances of your trigger. Flinching after the recoil will not affect your shot, the bullet is already out of the gun. I flinch at the anticipation of the shot. A flinch is usually the result of your upper body tensing (arms, shoulders, chest) resulting in the shooter mashing the trigger or tensing the whole hand and "pulling" the shot. For me it is anticipatory and seems subconscious, I really have to slow down and concentrate to try and minimize it.

I shoot a few different guns and each one has a distinct trigger. Because my memory sucks, I may dry fire the particular gun I am going to go hunting with a few times, then go shoot it at the range a few times to develop muscle memory. I do this in close proximity to the hunt, that way when I go hunting I feel more comfortable and confidant with my weapon of choice.

I don't believe dry firing is a cure-all but I do think it has some value, just don't over do it.

[ltdann]

One more thing. When I have a really good day at the range and the rifle is totally dialed in, I pull the last target and tape it to the inside of the rifle case. That way, when I'm hunting and pull the gun out, I'm reminded where its holding i.e 1"high and 1/2"right. Its a GREAT confidence builder.

[700x4me]

One more thing. When I have a really good day at the range and the rifle is totally dialed in, I pull the last target and tape it to the inside of the rifle case. That way, when I'm hunting and pull the gun out, I'm reminded where its holding i.e 1"high and 1/2"right. Its a GREAT confidence builder.

Explain to me how you figure it is "totaly dialed in" if it is shooting 1" high & 1/2" right? Just curious. Would be handy trying to figure that in with some Kentucky windage & Grorgia elevation.

[ltdann]

Easy big fella, its just an example, and with lead free at $2.25 per round, good enough out to 250.

[WoodGrain]

I believe in Dry Firing! While in the Marines, I sucked at shooting for the 1st 2.5 years. (this was because I grew up hunting prior to the service, and thought I could shoot). Finally, I payed attention to what the shooting instructers were saying. I felt that most important out of the fundamentals of shooting that Dry firing was the most important. Once you master the other fundamentals (breathing, boss hog effect, supported position etc.) Dry firing was the last step. We "snapped in" (dry firing) for hours and hours before going live. With all that being said, I ended up shooting range high on pre qual and qualification day and still shoot the same way. Make sure everything else is correct and in line then, DRY FIRE, DRY FIRE, DRY FIRE!

Semper Fi,

WoodGrain

[ltdann]

I believe in Dry Firing! While in the Marines, I sucked at shooting for the 1st 2.5 years. (this was because I grew up hunting prior to the service, and thought I could shoot). Finally, I payed attention to what the shooting instructers were saying. I felt that most important out of the fundamentals of shooting that Dry firing was the most important. Once you master the other fundamentals (breathing, boss hog effect, supported position etc.) Dry firing was the last step. We "snapped in" (dry firing) for hours and hours before going live. With all that being said, I ended up shooting range high on pre qual and qualification day and still shoot the same way. Make sure everything else is correct and in line then, DRY FIRE, DRY FIRE, DRY FIRE!

Semper Fi,

WoodGrain

LOL, I remember doing the same thing. I was Navy and filled an empty billet one summer. Lordy, snap-in for a full week, the shoot for a week. When they told me to take that little 5.56 and hit that 500 meter target with iron sights, I thought "that's just crazy talk!"

After I put 9-of-10 in the black, I a) found a new respect for the Marine Marksman Program b) realized everything I thought I knew in 20 years of shooting was wrong c) learned that my equipment could outshoot my abilities.

That was a real eye opener for me. Good times.

[WoodGrain]

LOL, I remember doing the same thing. I was Navy and filled an empty billet one summer. Lordy, snap-in for a full week, the shoot for a week. When they told me to take that little 5.56 and hit that 500 meter target with iron sights, I thought "that's just crazy talk!"

After I put 9-of-10 in the black, I a) found a new respect for the Marine Marksman Program b) realized everything I thought I knew in 20 years of shooting was wrong c) learned that my equipment could outshoot my abilities.

That was a real eye opener for me. Good times.

Hilarious, I put 9 of 10 in the black also at 500 Meters! I brag all the time

LOL,

WoodGrain

[myfriendis410]

The funny thing about dry firing is for example: I can aim and dry fire a handgun (empty) and the gun is rock steady. Put ONE round in the revolver and it's Shakey Pete time. It's all anticipation of blast and flash. (for ME)

I've never gone through a military firearm training program so I can't speak to that. What I CAN speak to is witnessing my best friend who IS military and DOES outshoot everyone I've ever seen, out to ridiculous distances. I attribute it to a couple of things. 1-His eyesight is 20/5 and 20/10 respectively. 2-His ego (or confidence) is through the roof. He knows he can do it, deep down, and that's not something you can learn--it's just part of his makeup. 3-No fear at all. None. That may be part of (2) though.

I can shoot long, but it's the result of practice and knowing my equipment and being real anal about it. Not much dry firing. I can NOT shoot a handgun well. I know some of them that can and they are just "different".

Finally; I was taught the three most important things about shooting a gun well are: trigger, trigger and trigger!

[Mr. Luckypants]

After spending hours and hours fine tuning my reloads, the last thing on my mind is flinching. The only thing I focus on is how to get the smallest group when I hit the range. It doesn't matter if I'm shooting my AR or 300WM.

Basically, I don't think about flinching or pain. Just pull the trigger and smile at your groups.

[700x4me]

LOL, I remember doing the same thing. I was Navy and filled an empty billet one summer. Lordy, snap-in for a full week, the shoot for a week. When they told me to take that little 5.56 and hit that 500 meter target with iron sights, I thought "that's just crazy talk!"

After I put 9-of-10 in the black, I a) found a new respect for the Marine Marksman Program b) realized everything I thought I knew in 20 years of shooting was wrong c) learned that my equipment could outshoot my abilities.

That was a real eye opener for me. Good times.

Jeez.........that's strange! When I did my firearms quals in the USAF, they gave us live ammo right from the get-go. Guess they figured we were smart enough to load up & shoot without shooting ourselves or someone else without dry firing for a week..................J/K. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Oh, and by the way, I qualified as Expert Marksman all 3 times that I had to qualify. Just funnin ya!! Have a great day! You too Wood Grain.

[ltdann]

Great! Here it comes, pot shots from the Chair Force.

[tony270]

I concentrate on quartering up the bulls-eye. And like other has said, when the shot goes off it’s a surprise, you should never know when the trigger is pulled. When I’m shooting an animal I don’t hold the crosshairs on the animal too long or I’ll start shaking, that’s what’ll make me pull a shot. In the photo the purple lines point to the areas I make sure are equal before I let a shot loose.

[Pro953]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I understand that dry firing will not resolve the recoil issues but as noted i thought becoming more confident with the rifle and routine would be beneficial vs running ton's of rounds through the rifle. Either way back to the range I go.

[hogassin]

I learned to shoot a 22 with open sights.
I switched to a 270 with scope and developed a bad habit of trying to squeeze the trigger only when the crosshairs were dead on...
now I exhale and start squeezing...... avoiding that figure eight move & jerking of trigger....
Just saying maybe your problem might be your technique....
im no expert & ive never hit anything at 500 yrds but I shoot ok

[Land Cruiser]

Muzzlebrake

[Where's Bruce?]

Appleseed Project...best $75. I ever spent. You won't believe the difference after the 1st day.

[flingem71]

Too much "creep" in a trigger can cause this.
If you don't have a custom trigger...get one. Accu makes a good one ect. The amount of time your "pulling" may cause target panic, recoil anticipation and so on. The difference between a 3lb. Trigger with a half mile of creep and a 3oz. Trigger with no creep would improve ray charles! Next...be comfortable in position. Never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lay down. Balance a quarter on the end of the barrel, deep breath in, let half out, hold and squeeze. Be sure to not use too much finger tissue contact on the trigger. Its more of a drag the finger than anything. Try not to leave a finger print on the face of the trigger. If the quarter fall off during a freestyle dry fire.... do it again. Hope this helps.
Sent from my Huawei U8800-51 using Tapatalk 2

[Bayboy2020]

Practice with a .22 for a little or a gun with less recoil... I use to have a bad flinch after scoping myself. I found that shooting a .22 helped me work on form and losing the flinch. Also I put a slight hair trigger on my rifles

[wthrbyman]

I was hit in the eye by my grandfathers .264 win mag when I was 14 or so. I flinched for several years after that. I now shoot a .270 wsm with no flinch and I attribute that to hundreds of rounds shot using a lead sled. Also make sure you are wearing eye and ear protection. It will give you a sense of protection and if the bang of the gun what is causing the flinch that might help as well. I started just by sqeezing the trigger without really caring where I hit on the target. I just focused on squeezing the trigger. at first I found myself closing my eyes right before the shot. Now I can pretty much watch the dirt fly in the scope. The lead sled takes out a huge amount of recoil and I believe over time will help build your confidence. I shot my biggest buck ever 2 years ago at 386 yards, something I wouldn't have attempted with a flinch. good luck and know your limits.

[quack_head]

Breath. I'm sure you are wearing ear plugs. Subconsciously listen to your heart beat. Practice firing between beats. Develop a routine and stick to it. Relax your jaw, face and neck. Make consistent stock to shoulder alignment.

Most triggers are adjustable, while at the range make adjustments to the trigger. Draw a line on your finger near the center. With sports tape, tape your finger leaving the line exposed. This will train you to engage the trigger consistently in the same location.

If recoil is to much. Browning makes a muzzle brake that can be installed without machine work. It's adjustable too, like the BOSS. It's licensed under a different name. 40% recoil reduction.

I have a adjustable brake on my .270 wthby. It's felt wrecoil is less than my .257 wthby.

[Wino]

I notice I flinch sometimes on the bench with my .308. But when Im hunting and I have an animal in the cross hair, I don't remember ever thinking about the recoil or tense up. Im just thinking about how far and how much to hold over for elevation. I don't even remember the recoil. Im just trying to fiend the animal again in the scope to see if its down or do I need a follow up shot.

[BigAssWhiteBoy]

Tons of good advise so far! #1 Trigger!!! If the trigger is crisp with out a lot of creap then go to what Woodgrain said,#2 DRY FIRE DRY FIRE DRY FIRE!!! I use that one with the kids and the wife and it worked like a charm. #3 muzzle break. I shoot a 300WM and as some of you know they kick like a mule and no matter how much you try to not think about it the recoil is a part of the equation. JP Enterprises recoil Eliminator!!! Turned that mule into a Kitty cat!! any way that is waht worked for me hope it helps. Let us know how it goes.

[KTKT70]

stick with what the USMC tells you. A lot of the time it has to do with breathing right. the Lt. Col says they when he was in boot camp. If you could not breath right, They would put your head n the head and than teach u to breath by flushing the water down. When the water is gone... u breath... when it fills up u hold your breath and sqeez the trigger. not pull.

i hope thigs get better for you. may just take sum time and a little hard work. If that dose not help. Im sure there are sum Corps guys here that can yell at you. jk lol