doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Continue to be hampered by flinch

How about an independent like myself. 😁 I hate to disagree, but I wouldn't wish a release trigger on anyone. I've seen too many guys near me shoot holes in the blacktop with one of those darn things. 🙄 Some guy on the line has a misfire and while he is goofing around trying to knock a stuck wad out of his gun, another guy is standing there holding his finger on the trigger or maybe he decides to eject the loaded shell while he is holding his trigger down because he gets tired of waiting and the next thing you know-- KA-BANG!! And it's always the guy who should never be around a gun who decides he needs a release trigger. Been there and done that before! 😬

Stan, I'm going to try that trigger slapping deal you mentioned as I'm starting to develop an occasional "flinch" as well.

Never noticed it while hunting but in my haste to bust yet another clay...it sometimes happens. I had figured it was partially due to switching guns around but...maybe not?

Thank you for that!

When I shot competitive IHSMA metallic sihlouettes, Russ helped me eliminate flinch by handing me the gun without me knowing it was loaded or unloaded. While it was a handgun and not a shotgun, no reason this wouldn't work for you, but use a heavy gun and light loads. Gil

IMHO after lots of years and effort dealing with a SHOTGUN flinch there is nothing more likely to worsen the flinch that not knowing if the gun is going to fire or not.
If tried, please let us know how it works out.
And after Dan Lammers tuned the locks on my Smith, trying to use a creepy, heavy, rough trigger is absolutely hopeless.

I'm sorry the trigger slap technique didn't work for you, Buzz. It helped me immensely. The final straw that broke the camel's back, and ended the flinching totally, was quitting serious NSCA competition. As I said, I always felt like mine was caused by an extreme desire to not miss. I still shoot fundraisers, rounds for fun, team events, etc. But, I haven't flinched in years.

BTW, mine was "trigger freeze", too. About 75% of the times it occurred I would recover and break the bird just before it hit the ground. But, 75% isn't good enough for serious competition, as you know.

first I appreciate all the feedback. Pretty sure my flinch was developed from poor gun mount, rushing the shot. After that it seems I was more sensitive to recoil, perhaps shooting too light guns despite my effort to use lighter loads. At the recent SxS shoot in the pigeon ring, I premounted the gun and didn't have a flinch problem. I am going to work on improving gun mount, stay with light loads.

Perhaps the pitch of your stock isn't right for you?

Drew, with the technique I used, it's all about conditioning and concentration which eliminates apprehension. We've all seen a skeet shooter just about topple over after a ftf after bracing for the shot. I started with .22LR and once no flinch there, went to the bigger calibers. It takes time and repetition. With shotguns, I'd start out with .410. Gil

Coming out of the gun shooting a low gun rather than premount may help some. For fitasc I shoot pull triggers because a release is hard to hang on to with low gun and I don't have the same level of gun control with the release as compared to pull triggers....and I do not seem to flinch much at fitasc. Along this same line and utilizing low gun while hunting quail and grouse, I never flinch. It only seems to happen with clays and is more frequent with a premount gun attitude.

Gil: It order to help each other it is important to be precise with our words, and meaning.
The "flinch" with (usually high recoil) handguns and rifles is a recoil avoidance response, not too different from the "duck & cover" response to an explosion. One can become habituated to the noise and recoil with the technique you describe.
The shotgunner's "flinch" is a neurologic disorder called focal dystonia. The primary action is the "trigger freeze" followed by a host of not very entertaining body reactions. It is not "fear of recoil" or "apprehension", although stress and lack of focus can certainly worsen a shotgunner's flinch - as will the anticipation of having a dud shell. There is "dartitis", golfer's swing/putting "yips", and baseball player's throwing "yips" and none of the movements are associated with recoil. I can now flinch (mostly jerk the forend down) well before pulling the trigger so it's now more than the "trigger freeze".
It's all discussed at length in the link I posted.
Although there are ways to mitigate our flinches, none of us can guarantee a cure - but release triggers are close. And as Buzz observed some continue to flinch despite release triggers, flinches which IMHO ARE mostly visual flinches. But none of know how a release trigger can resolve visual flinches either. Or why most flinchers never flinch bird hunting with pull triggers.