shooting problems that opperator error

[Alcatraz]

Every time I am about to take a shot about 100meters or more I always get excited and jerk the trigger, my friend who was a sniper in the military told me to relax and slowly squeeze the trigger. I try that but I still jerk the trigger thus causing the

bullet to go down left or down right. My friend told me that my mind was getting excited and was jerking the trigger. Well one day I was at the range dry firing before I started shooting and noticed I WAS NOT jerking the trigger, does anyone have

any thoughts or ways to get rid of this excitement?

 

[STI_1911_Guy]

Hmmmm, Excited or scared? Are you flinching due to recoil or due to noise level. Flinching is not just because your a little baby your body naturally does not want to be hit or have a loud noise close by. I think in my opinion you may be experiencing more flinching than getting over "excited"

 

[scimitar2]

I would hazzard a guess that it is not so much excitement as it is a startle response. If so, ball and dummy drills with a patient shooting partner can pay big dividends...

 

[Punisher29073]

I would say dry firing exercises and getting to the range more so that you become accustomed to being there.

Ryan

 

[Punisher29073]

I would say dry firing exercises and getting to the range more so that you become accustomed to being there.

Ryan

 

[Alcatraz]

I do flinch when other people shoot their rifles so it could be that its startling me and im anticipating the recoil, anyone know how to break that habit?

 

[Archer762]

You need to dry fire a thousand times to develop muscle memory. Then let your friend load your rifle with a couple dummy rounds mixed in with live rounds to test you.

Today my oldest kid (9yo girl) was shooting my AR and I mixed in 2 dummy rounds without her knowing it. Both times the rifle went click and she didn't flinch. So if a 50 pound girl can do it, so can you.

 

[JGorski]

I do flinch when other people shoot their rifles so it could be that its startling me and im anticipating the recoil, anyone know how to break that habit?

Put your earplugs in, shoot something with less recoil, get a nice light trigger, do a lot of dry firing practice.

 

[Aimsmall55]

Another good practice is to have a buddy video you on camera ( iPhone or something simple ) and watch yourself afterwards. A real good friend of mine who shot at the GAP Grind this year said some of the pro's did this with him and his follow threw improved a really good bit because he was able to actually see himself right after the shot... And recognize what he needed to improve on.

 

[Aimsmall55]

Forgot to mention he did this with me and I was picking my head up too quick and didn't even realize it. After correcting this my groups shrunk at 800 yards

 

[millbastard]

Maybe try a Past recoil pad.

 

[vtb]

each time i start to flinch due recoil i take my 12ga which weights 2,5kg, load it with magnums and fire 8 rounds in fast tempo.
after that i take my rifle and fire it. it's always feels like .22lr after 12ga. and my mind tells my body that it's just .22lr - so no need to worry about the recoil.

PS
make sure you have good ear protection. you can flinch not due recoil but due loud BANG your ear is expecting to happen.

 

[BobD]

Is this a flinch you've developed from unfamiliarity with a larger caliber or situational problem. Do you have the same response shooting alone or a different rifle?

I assume that shooting with your experienced friend you are familiar with your respiratory pause and that is not part of the issue.

If the issue is with inexperience nothing will replace just going out and shooting. Shoot until its no longer foreign then shoot more. If you've began with a higher caliber it may help to practice with something that that doesn't have as much recoil. You're more likely to develop a flinch if you're trying to familiarize with rifles in general and start with too much.
------------------------------
If that's not the case,

You have the ability to manipulate your body very quickly through breathing.

Caffeine, stress, excitement, fear, exhaustion, muscle fatigue etc... all have an impairment on concentration and fine motor skills. As your heartbeat elevates and begin to breath faster your body and mind go through changes. Your reflexes can be exaggerated and fine motor skills can be twitchy as your brain puts them on the back burner.

You can fire under conditions like that and overcome outside interruptions. A huge part of it will be through more practice but there are other things you can do to help.

Unless you've trained your body to react a certain way under different conditions (eg. through your job.. ) I would suggest that you practice approaching and firing the rifle the same way.

Part of making this work is consistency in your routine. In addition to developing muscle memory (trigger control, body/head position, support, follow through), approaching the rifle in the same state of mind and (if possible) physical condition will help.

Part of this state of mind is understanding when your not in it (mentally, physically) and how to go back and replicate similar conditions. Additionally, that includes how to make things work when that's not possible and make best with whatever situation you're in.

The reason I bring up breathing is that it gives you major control over your body. People practice breathing in all walks of life to alter or illicit a natural response and to improve focus. It will help with jitters as well.

I'm not suggesting that it should be an additional burden to remember when shooting (or an element to over think) but to understand how it effects you personally and the control you have over it.

Any routine that you can repeat to maintain consistency will help. It can be whatever works for you. If part of that includes dropping the same leg to go from standing to prone then follow that. Find whatever works for you and follow as much of it as possible.


Everything the same...

Good luck, I'm sure everything will work itself out soon-

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[Redmanss]

Others have said most of what you need to be doing, but I'll expand a bit on them. You dry fire to build your training into how to slowly squeeze the trigger without disturbing the alignment of the sights onto the target. But you have to then apply that very same trigger squeeze to live fire. What is your mind thinking about when you're about to fire a shot? Are you thinking more about when the trigger is going to break, or about where your sights are at and what the wind is doing? You need to develop your methods and solve one problem at a time when you're firing a shot. You shouldn't be thinking about position, sight setting, breathing, if you're loaded, the next shot, the last shot or anything else when you're getting ready to fire other than the wind and your hold. Practice this methodical steps on the range as much as you can in dry fire, then apply it to live fire while remembering "just like dry fire"... Focus on your follow through and exaggerate it to ensure you aren't coming out of the shot before you're even done with that shot. I've seen many of these issues come up with shooters, new and experienced alike.

If it's a recoil issue, you need to deal with that with a proper brake, better (heavier) stock, better positioning for recoil management, or a caliber change.

If you don't have access to a shooting coach, a good way to evaluate yourself is to video record yourself shooting. Watch your eyes and position, break it down frame by frame prior to the shot and immediately following. You might be surprised at what you find and once you find the problem it becomes much easier to correct it.

 

[2guard]

dryfire before and between groups. If you shoot 5 round groups, shoot the first 5, then dryfire 5, then shoot another 5. repeat and see if you are flinching during dryfire. If you are shooting CF first, try shooting some 22lr before you break out the cf rifle as this will help with the anticipation/reaction to the larger recoil.

Also, put in some foam earplugs, and then put your muffs on top. If you are reacting to the bang, this will help. I did this with my girlfriend because she had never fired a firearm before and was a little jumpy at the sounds at first. Doubled the hearing protection and it stopped her from it. By the end of the day she was able to only wear the muffs because she had gotten used to the environment.

 

[Temp9]

+1 for the ball and dummy drill. Clearly, you're capable of good dry fire shots. Have someone mix some dummies in with your live ammo. This way you can see what you're doing differently during live fire.

And work on your follow through! The shot isn't done until you see the bullet hit something through your scope. Newer shooters seem to have more of a problem with this than with anything else. Keep the trigger pinned to the rear and your head on the stock until you SEE THE BULLET HIT!

 

[BobD]

.... But you have to then apply that very same trigger squeeze to live fire. What is your mind thinking about when you're about to fire a shot? Are you thinking more about when the trigger is going to break, or about where your sights are at and what the wind is doing? You need to develop your methods and solve one problem at a time when you're firing a shot. You shouldn't be thinking about position, sight setting, breathing, if you're loaded, the next shot, the last shot or anything else when you're getting ready to fire other than the wind and your hold. Practice this methodical steps on the range as much as you can in dry fire, then apply it to live fire while remembering "just like dry fire"....

I agree,

There is a time and place to consider those things. While you're pulling the trigger is not one of them.

Over thinking something that is already developed second nature and committed to muscle memory is one of the quickest ways to disturb it.

If you feel anxious when approaching or shouldering the rifle then your mind is elsewhere...






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[Alcatraz]

thank you I will surely try out what all of you said

 

[vaeevictiss]

How long have you been shooting the rifle?

I have this really funny quirk where i flinch with a different gun regardless of caliber lol.

Perfect example, i can shoot my 454 redhawk all day with my max load handloads without batting an eyelash. Recently i shot a friends little pocket .380 and didn't realize until i dropped the hammer on an empty chamber that i was dam near throwing the gun haha.

I think its familiarity. My 308 feels like a 22 to me now because ive spent so much time behind it. I'm steady as a rock now.

Just think of the recoil as an extension of the trigger pull.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

 

[Temp9]

How long have you been shooting the rifle?

I have this really funny quirk where i flinch with a different gun regardless of caliber lol.

Perfect example, i can shoot my 454 redhawk all day with my max load handloads without batting an eyelash. Recently i shot a friends little pocket .380 and didn't realize until i dropped the hammer on an empty chamber that i was dam near throwing the gun haha.

I think its familiarity. My 308 feels like a 22 to me now because ive spent so much time behind it. I'm steady as a rock now.

Just think of the recoil as an extension of the trigger pull.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

Haha, I remember shooting a Ruger LCP when I was still learning to shoot handguns. Couldn't figure out why half my shots hit the ground 10 yards in front of me. Until I miscounted the rounds left in the mag and pulled the trigger on an empty chamber. If I had been kneeling, I probably would have buried the muzzle in the dirt. Embarrassing to say the least.

 

[Alcatraz]

I can shoot my AR-15 all day long, but when I get my dads AR-15 I flinch and jerk the trigger. wierd how that happens

 

[vaeevictiss]

Actually speaking of the above post i have something else to add. I try my best to shoot my rifle with both eyes open. I've been meaning to get an eyepatch or something lol.

I find that when I'm looking through the scope, sometimes everything gets blurry and shaky, and i realize I'm straining because I'm trying to keep one eye closed. It actually takes a lot of facial muscles and thought to keep one eye open and one eye closed.

So that is another thing you can try to relax.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

 

[6brshooter]

Sounds like anticipation of recoil to me. I shot about 10 rds through a buddies savage 338lm, i thought recoil was mild but the brake on it was stupid loud. I developed a flinch from that experience. I swore off shooting his rifle and just shot my heavy 6 br and 243 fast twist for a month with lots of dry fire. It sucks to break a flinch.