Not all trap shooters flinches are caused by recoil. I shoot sporting, not trap, but I know a little something about flinches. I have suffered from a flinch, that recurs from time to time, for several years. All flinches are not caused by recoil sensitivity. I do not argue that some are, but a great many are caused by something far more complex and difficult to diagnose than merely reducing the shell payload. I was flinching up to seven or eight times in a round of 100 targets, and was convinced it had nothing to do with recoil. So, on a lark, I went from 1 oz. loads to 1 1/8 oz., at the same velocity, around 1250 fps. The flinch almost went away. My shooting improved to the point that I moved up three classes, after going to a heavier load. I'm not claiming that the extra 1/8 oz. caused the improvement, just that it certainly has not hurt anything. I now sometimes shoot several hundred consecutively without a flinch. Then, I may flinch twice in a round. Nothing to do with recoil.

I shot the Palmetto Cup last weekend and during the Prelim I was squadded with gentleman who was shooting a release trigger. We discussed flinches a great deal and he agreed with me that not all flinches are caused by recoil. Even if they were, the few extra grains of powder in a load with a different burn rate powder would not cause a flinch, nor would eliminating the extra powder eliminate the flinch.

To assume that all flinches are caused by recoil is akin to saying that all car wrecks are caused by drunk drivers.


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