Major Problems

[Clayne B]

I say dry fire practice, have your friend put a stack of dimes on the tip of your barrel once you are in position and on target, dry fire with out knocking them off. Do that a bunch of times, and then have him hand you the rifle loaded or not loaded.

Dry fire is excellent practice

Shooting alot of .22lr will help also, but that will make you relaxed when it comes to recoil management.

I notice when I shoot my .308 if I load the bipod, recoil is much more manageable.

anyways, hope you can take something from this.

Good luck!

 

[The Oregonian]

I had the same issue. I didn't use a 22 bc I didn't have one at the time, but used a 223. I also bought some Remington managed recoil rounds, and got a muzzle brake on my gun. Slowly work up to things.

Shoot some smaller calibers. Shoot some managed recoil rounds. Them shoot a few full 7mag. Then go back to smaller rounds, etc.

For me, it was about proving to myself that the recoil was completely harmless. It can be loud (good suggestion above on good hearing pro) and abrupt but it will not hurt you.

I still today shoot some 223 and some 270...I don't think about the recoil, I think about trying to make a good shot.

It will come in time, just be patient and be strong.

 

[X-man]

Lots of good advise about dry firing and .22 shooting.

At its core your problem is concentration. Concentration on the wrong thing.
If you are shooting properly you dont have time to think about recoil.
You have to concentrate on weather conditions, cheek weld, a bunch of other crap, then finally the trigger press. Never get into a rhythm of getting on target then touching the round off! Let the x hair float and start to ever so slowly squeeeeze the trigger. If it comes as anything but a surprise you are jerking the trigger.
Remember this is precision rifle, not trap, skeet, or running deer.....Squeeeeeeze while concentrating on the sight picture, mirage, and wind observations.

Shooting more will only hurt your progress.
Go to the range for a day and shoot 1 quality shot. No matter how it goes put your big rifle away, then pull out the .22. Shoot only precision work with your .22 one deliberate round at a time.
Your subconscious will take a huge sigh of relief as you put the rifle away.

Aspirins at 25-50 yards is a good one... don't care if you hit them you want to stay in a concentrated rhythm of slow and deliberate fire control.


In an hour or when you feel sure you are relaxed and ready for another shot take 1 more shot (one only!), then put the rifle away for another 5-60 minutes.
Enjoy the day and relax!
You are training your subconscious to ignore the recoil.
You programed it to anticipate the recoil and now you must undo this.
As you gain more confidence have a buddy load either a dummy or a live round...You only find out when the rifle fires.
Humiliation is a strong motivational force!

Doing this I have been able to train myself to relax while shooting a 416 Rigby (max power loads) from the prone position and to shoot huge African cartridges very well.
I have also taugh newer shooters to manage the recoil of 338s and a 375 Rum.

 

[Canadian Bushman]

That sounds like a really good idea

 

[Canadian Bushman]

I notice when I shoot my .308 if I load the bipod, recoil is much more manageable.

Clayne b
I use this when im having trouble being smooth. It takes alot more to move a rifle when its being "held down," for a better phrase. I also will hold the forgrip and pull the rifle into my shoulder and keep both elbows on the ground. Im not as steady but a little flinch wont pull the gun off and much easier to spot POI.

 

[Rangerpl]

I'm overwhelmed by the generosity in assistance; thank you. I'm writing all this down in my field book to read, reread, and practice. Thanks again!

 

[1SevenZero]

I commend you for admitting you have a flinching problem. A lot of people try and blame other factors as they find it embarrassing. Don't be embarrassed at all.

When born we are all born with 2 fears all others are learned. Loud noises and falling. These are a survival mechanism. Eventually we learn with falling come sudden and often time hard impacts.

We all know when we press a trigger on a gun it results in a loud noise and a sudden impact to the shoulder (which we learned to link with falling). Our subconscious is afraid of these two things. So the "flinch" which you are experiencing is normal and everyone has it. Yes…..EVERYONE.

What is happening is as you start that trigger press your mind is bouncing through a whirlwind of thoughts. Position, Grip, Breathing, Sight Alignment, Sight Picture….what's the wind doing…..how long have I been holding my breath….crap my sights are getting blurry….hurry…smooth trigger press…..hurry…. Then your subconscious is jumping in there with "OH ****" this thing is going to go BOOM and hit me… I've got to protect myself. Then comes the flinch.

You have to learn how to FOCUS. I'll say it again. You have to learn how to FOCUS. If you train yourself to focus the conscious mind it will override the subconscious. Some people are a little more natural at this than others. But anyone can learn how to focus.

Although all fundamentals are important, the single most important is trigger press. So naturally I would say learn to focus on it. Before you start the trigger press, get all the other fundamentals out of the way, except follow through (obviously). And take your time working through the fundamentals and setting up that perfect shot. Take a deep breath or 2 and then drop into a natural breathing rhythm. Reach the natural pause (top or bottom of the breathing cycle)…. You have roughly 3 to 5 seconds before you're vision starts to blur. If it starts to blur....stop, breath and begin again.

Fundamentals are out of the way….now it's time to FOCUS on the most important.

You need to focus on an action that your mind and body is familiar with (VERY IMPORTANT). For me I focus on "pressing" the trigger. The way I focus on it is by saying a repetitive/never ending sentence. And I make sure to say it in a rhythmic fashion. "Keep pressing, keep pressing, keep pressing…….." There is a fancy term for this, but I can't remember what it is. By doing this I am focusing the conscious mind on a single task, which overrides the subconscious need to protect me. I continue this focus until the surprise breaking of the shot, at which point it shifts to follow through.

If you choose to use the above sentence you can say it in your head. I would recommend whispering it to yourself first. And say it loud enough you can actually hear it….don't just mouth it. Then switch to saying it in your head.

It sounds crazy, but research these things for yourself and you will see.

A couple things I would recommend doing. Rather than having your partner throw in the occasional dummy round, have him load that sucker to capacity with dummy rounds. Then, occasionally sneak in a single live round between loadings. So you may go through 10 dummy rounds before getting that one live round. Then you might go through 6 dummies before getting that one live round. That way you never know if you are getting a live round in that firearm.

Dry fire….dry fire….dry fire.

Set your rifles up to minimize recoil. Add a recoil pad, muzzle brake, weight, lighter recoiling loads, etc… Wear thick clothing (thick jacket). Minimize the punishment.

Do the bulk of your practice with lighter recoiling rifles.

Sorry for the long winded response, but I've had problems with being recoil shy (some times I still am) and these things helped me tremendously.

 

[X-man]

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Dry fire is excellent practice

Shooting alot of .22lr will help also, but that will make you relaxed when it comes to recoil management.

I notice when I shoot my .308 if I load the bipod, recoil is much more manageable.

anyways, hope you can take something from this.

Good luck!

Good point..I should have mentioned this and some other shooting fundamentals.

Yes, load your bipod, but how you load your bi-pod is more important.
This is hard to describe, but I will try me best.
Square your chest, shoulders, and upper body to the rifle and target. As you settle in on target rock your chest/shoulders slightly forward. Someone watching you should barely see the movement...The rifle should rock slightly forward, but you don't need to strain the bipod legs here!
You aren't so much loading the bipod as you are giving the rifle something consistent to recoil off of.

So you are in position and on target.
Close your eyes, take a few breaths and relax, then count to 5.
The sight is off target isn't it?
See where your rifle is pointed? That is your Natural Point of Aim. Carefully adjust your body position until you get it right. This is a learned skill...so teach yourself!
If you want to be a precise shooter the buck stops here.

When the environmentals are right squeeze off the shot.

So how do you know when you have it wrong?
1) The rifle will crow hop left or right under recoil...When I said square I meant perfectly square. You will have to experiment with contact points and slight body position changes. Make sure your trigger finger/pull is 90 degrees to the bore axis. Do not choke the hell out of the rifle.
2) The rifle crow hops 12:00
Ever wonder why you randomly sail bullets over the target?
Your contact point or center of gravity is too low.
Until you get the rifle recoiling the same every time you are sending the bullet to slightly different zip codes. I can tell you about it, but you must perfect this feel and skill for yourself.

How do you know when you have it perfect?
Your upper body absorbs and completely absorbs/dampens recoil and the rifle moves very little.
After the rifle impulse your sight comes back on target and you get to see the bullet trace/impact through your scope.
When you get it right you will feel that Jedi warrior thing!

 

[Rimfire]

I shot a lot of rimfire competition and for me this could have developed a flinch when shooting heavier recoiling rifles. It was easy to correct due to the form and discipline instilled in rimfire position shooting. On each shot I had to tell myself to use more of a firm hold appropriate to the recoil of the rifle, and wait for the recoil which I knew would not hurt me or cause discomfort.
I'm a firm believer that you need to practice with the tool you are going to use and having the problems with. It is natural progression when you get to the 7mm rem or Lapua you have to work up to it and it won't be a problem, if you jump to it, this can cause problems. Recoil is something only you can gauge some don't feel it some do and some don't know they do (subconsciously)
If it doesn't hurt you should be able to overcome it with concentration and thinking your way through the shot.
Just my .02 but I don't believe in using a .22 with no recoil to correct a recoil flinch, that's like training on a moped and then trying to jump on a top fuel drag bike.

Doubling up with plugs and muffs can't hurt either, it will help eliminate blast and outside noise and direct concentration on the things you need.
It would also help to know how the flinch developed, was it when you started shooting a 7mm? if so what were you shooting before that, rifle cal. weight etc. I don't like recoil but I manage a 338 set up properly with a brake with no problem.

 

[bigngreen]

Watch the videos that Darrel Holland has put out and it will help you get shot to shot consistency. Running a dummy round every once in a while to see if you flinch isn't bad but regularly getting bush whacked by a live round will only add to what you have to over come.

 

[Rangerpl]

Rimfire - I 'suspect' my problems are tied to an experience I had several years ago at a range just outside Plains Montana.

I was offered the opportunity to shoot a .350 RM on a very light weight stock, maybe it was the model 600?? but I don't remember exactly. I believe the barrel was 18-20 inches; very short and no muzzle brake.

Anyways, I wasn't prepared for the recoil and I got a pretty nasty scope bite above my right eyebrow...took a couple of stitches to get it to close together. Owner got a good laugh and I got a good lesson in humility and an incredible black eye.

This was years ago so I can only suspect that this was, at least in part, the beginning of my problems.

 

[LDHunter]

Rimfire - I 'suspect' my problems are tied to an experience I had several years ago at a range just outside Plains Montana.

I was offered the opportunity to shoot a .350 RM on a very light weight stock, maybe it was the model 600?? but I don't remember exactly. I believe the barrel was 18-20 inches; very short and no muzzle brake.

Anyways, I wasn't prepared for the recoil and I got a pretty nasty scope bite above my right eyebrow...took a couple of stitches to get it to close together. Owner got a good laugh and I got a good lesson in humility and an incredible black eye.

This was years ago so I can only suspect that this was, at least in part, the beginning of my problems.

I used to own one of those back before they made the Model Seven and it' kicked the snot out of me so badly that I didn't even miss it when it was stolen... LOL

Your buddy was cruel... It injured more than your face and your pride... It probably developed a flinch that will be hell to overcome.

Bob

 

[Joe King]

Over coming your flinch has been well covered so I won't bother with that. I don't see hardly anything but 1 post about your eye watering and eye fatigue though. I believe what is happening here is your ocular lens is not focused, most scopes are made so you can focus your ocular lens. Here's what you do.

get in position behind your rifle (unloaded). Focus on some distant object, then look through your scope, the image should be instantly clear with your eyes relaxed (probably fuzzy right). You'll need to adjust it then, it focuses the same as the right eye diopter on your bino's. Just keep working on it until you can look at you distant object with your eyes relaxed, then look through your scope and see a clear picture without your eye putting out any effort, and you don't want that split second for your eye to adjust to the scope. No adjustment for your eye is the point. In my experience once your ocular lens is adjusted to your eye you don't need to mess with it again.

 

[X-man]

Over coming your flinch has been well covered so I won't bother with that. I don't see hardly anything but 1 post about your eye watering and eye fatigue though. I believe what is happening here is your ocular lens is not focused, most scopes are made so you can focus your ocular lens. ...................

I'm pretty sure his eyes are watering as a part of the flinch.
One nasty scope bite and your subconscious wants no part of it.
I had a bad experience with a 340Wby that gave me the same problems.

Ranger
The 350 is a barky little thing and has wrecked the shooting of lots of guys.
Little gun...nasty bite!