TracySes23
Well-Known Member
Excellent article with some humor. Just the kind I like.
I found an absolute cure for flinching that works for me. After shooting a sawed off single barreled 12 Ga. shotgun (I was 17 at the time), that thing gave me a case of the flinches, that took me 6 months to get rid of. My buddy said, "Hold'er snug up against your should, it's a handful!) Id did just like he said. I was holding on the the forearm really tight. When I fired that darned thing off, it kicked me so hard the forearm came off in my hand. It was worse than Dad's side-by-side with 3 1/2 inch magnums. Probably because it weighed half as much.
My next lesson was 8-9 years later. I picked up a Herter's .44 Magnum for $50 with 2 boxes of ammo. I loader her up and fired off a round. It wasn't near as bad as I thought it would be. I fired off another and decided this is okay. Well he must of had light loads mixed with full power loads. That third round almost tore the gun out of my hand. After that experience, I flinched so bad I coulda drove nails with the muzzle of the barrel I flinched so bad. To check myself for flinching I loaded her up with 2 empty chambers. When the hammer dropped on that first empty chamber, I was anticipating the recoil so much, I had pointed the barrel down at nearly 45° when the hammer dropped. I shot about half a box of full power load, while hanging onto it with both hands tight. Lord did that thing kick. It was like trying to hold on to a PO'ed mules hind leg. After that, I reserved full power loads for those who'd never shot one before. I'd always put 2-3 light loads before a full power load. I always figgered, "Let'em find out the same way as I did." That was the most fun I ever had with that 44 Magnum.
Its actually a better gun than I expected. I'm pretty sure it was made by Hawes Firearms.
What I did learn was, "Don't shoot anything that hurts you more than once !" Worked well for me. The only thing I shot full power loads in after that was my 22-250. Kicked kinda like a .410 shotgun.
I always held a rifle light shooting off a bench. My heartbeat has always been very strong and when shouldering a rifle snug to my shoulder, my heartbeat would bump the crosshairs 2-3 inches off the bullseye.
Light loads in everything else. In automatic pistols, I'd load just heavy enough to work the slide reliably.
Never had a problem with flinching after that.
I also can't shoot well with a heavy or rough trigger pull, especially if it has a lot of travel.
Since then I've never had a desire to shoot anything that would hurt me.
