I am Mr Blinky. Help me be Mr Glarey

P

Pond James Pond

New member
I only started noticing this when I starting shooting .44 Mag from my Redhawk, but everytime it fired I flinched rather heavily. I have tried hard to control this but it is a mighty strong response.

I distinctly remember that my instructor, prior to my licence practical test, had commeded me on not shying away from the returning slide that many seemed to.

I've got it relatively under control, but now it seems that regardless of the weapon, I will still blink at the point of discharge to some degree.

I even tried staring wide-eyed whilst squeezing, but I have since found that glaring at the target like a deranged lunatic whilst handling a firearm is not the best thing for building the foundations of a good reputation in this sport...

So, now, whilst I may not flicnh to the point of changing my stance or coming off target, I still blink. I rather I didn't.

Is it only me?
Does it happen to others?
Is it even a problem?
Suggestions?
 
I put a lot of effort into neutralizing all the things I can actually control... i.e.
Wearing really good ear protection... Plugs AND Muffs if necessary... Good eye protection (glasses)... A strong substantial hat.... And make sure the gun isn't spewing anything towards my head (spent cases, etc.)... Fix if necessary. All those considerations are REALLY important.

Beyond that... As Don Juan told Carlos Castaneda... I always try to remember to have Death as my advisor... And to watch my breath.
 
I bought my Ruger Super Redhawk last year and found myself flinching also.

As stated above, double ear protection, good eye protection, plus I found wearing shooting gloves to reduce that trigger-guard-dig into my figure.

As an exercise, I load two empties in random places in the cylinder when reloading. Spinning the cylinder so that I do not know when the empty takes place-i found this exercise really helped me to identify flinching/trigger jerk and several other bad habits.

doing the above has greatly improved my shooting control
 
It happens to most people who just have to have a big bore Magnum. It takes a lot of practice to over come this magnum flinch. I understand having one for hunting but can't understand why people want to punish themselves for the fun of it. :rolleyes: Try to find as much 44 spl as you can find and only shoot the magnum after you get comfortable with the gun.

I like big bore but in 45 acp 45 Colt or 44 spl. They don't make me jump as much.
 
Simply put, I don't think you were ready for full power .44 magnum rounds. Prior to this, what was the largest handgun/firearm you ever fired? jumping from a 9 mm or .38 caliber up to a .44 magnum isn't a good idea.

Recoil/kick is only part of the problem. When that explosion occurs in front of you and detaches both retinas, it's a normal response to start flinching, and closing your eyes is part of that.

Look at this guy. he's a professional, whatever that means.


MVC-018F.jpg
 
I overcame the 'Flinch' with my SBH full power loads, by buying a Contender 10" hunter barrel in .45-70, and loading that just under max...

.44 Mag is a pussycat after that...

(only partially joking)
 
All good so far!

I like the one about using random empties!! I also think the über ear protection is a good idea, too

As for the largest I'd fired before getting my Ruger Redhawk: A Desert Eagle .50, a SRH in .454 and a range .44 with a longer barrel. However, the first two a couple of rounds, nothing more and the long barrel .44 Mag were perhaps a dozen or so. So I've had exposure, just not extensive.

In my defence it really is more of a blink than a flinch, my eyes close whether I want them to or not, but my facial muscle do not contract, my expression (usually one of mild confusion....:D) does not change.... Still I want the blink to GO!!!

Luckily my range stock .44 Spl. However, they are the only ones and it is not cheap so I never shoot that many in a session!
 
We're all big strong manly men who don't flinch, don't blink, look death in the face and laugh, are kind to the aged, children and pets, (and inwardly sneer at those men who are less than we).....and that goes for some women, as well. That is an image. Its not reality, its just what we are led to believe we should be. And we fall for it, all too often.

It is a natural thing to blink, and flinch when you detonate a small explosion at arms length. Your concious mind knows its not really going to hurt, but your unconcious mind (and body) does not.

Back when magnum handgun rounds were developed, people didn't think that they were going to be used constantly. You don't need that kind of power for target shooting, or casual plinking. They weren't thought of as self defense rounds either. When hunting you don't shoot much.

Our cinema heroes today blast the bad guys with hand cannons as a matter of course. And we all feel we can do it too (inside anyway). But not everybody can.

However, most of us can learn to shoot the big monsters (a little bit anyway) without flinch, and maybe even without blinking. But it takes time, and practice. Practice with lesser rounds. Slowly working up to the big ones, and not "overdoing" it at any one time.

Because, if you get to the point where the bad habits set in, and just try to bull through (work through the pain, etc.) all you really do is set those bad habits in concrete, and make it a much tougher or even impossible job to overcome them.

Touching off a full house .44 mag is akin to a couple sticks of dynamite in your hand, or so it seems. ITs not easy to master it to the same degree you can a lighter round, such as .38 Spl. And its even tougher to do when you are limited to only factory ammo.

People say shoot .44 spl its milder, and they're right. And after you can manage the .44 spl the way you want you move up to the magnum.

But there is a catch in there. The magnum is so much more than the special that you can wind up going right back to those old habits again. For me, handloading is the way to get there. You load your ammor light to begin with, and then, over time, increase the power in stages, shooting until you are comfortably where you want to be with each level, before moving up to the next one. Eventually you reach full house loads, and with all the practice you have had getting there, mastering them is not as difficult.

But, this route isn't cheap, fast, or easy. If you want an instant fix, as far as I know, there isn't one. Sorry.

Fatigue when shooting also plays a bit part. One just should not shoot full house magnums as much as you do lighter rounds. Sure, physically you can, but its not good for your shooting skills to do to much at one time. I have several .44 & .45 magnums and I can't and won't shoot more than a couple cylinders or magazines worth at one session. IT wears me out, and then I can't shoot lighter guns as well.

It is a matter of training (practice) and endurance. You have to work up to it, to get, and keep good results.

And, putting in empties, so you don't know when the gun will shoot, and you can see what you do when it doesn't go off and you are expecting it to is a good tool for identifing your problems. But it doesn't help you overcome them. It will, however let you know if you have, or not..
 
Blinky's cousin

Hey there. As a fellow blinker I feel your pain. You are not alone.

Do I blink all the time? I don't know. But i do know it happens more when I fire my revolvers. I don't usually have a problem with flinching (will require life long maintenance) but I do notice myself blink sometimes. When the gas from the cylinder gaps comes back and I feel the pressure wave against my face, eyes, eyelashes (even with protection) I blink. someday I'd like to not blink too. But if it takes time that's fine.
 
but I have since found that glaring at the target like a deranged lunatic whilst handling a firearm is not the best thing for building the foundations of a good reputation in this sport...
Click to expand...

You mean glaring at the front sight. And glaring might not be the best word.
 
I like the idea about putting empties in the gun as well. I'd suggest five empties and one live round to start.

Also, I don't think blinking your eyes at the moment right after the shot is a bad thing. Wincing right before is another thing entirely.
 
I went to the range one time, qualifying for the military, and was only shooting 5.56 NATO. From an M16, almost no recoil. The problem was I forgot my ear plugs, and I was not going to draw attention to myself at the last second when I realized it... I normally shoot dozens to hundreds of rounds from my 7mm and 12ga without issue, but I always have good triple flange earplugs in. I barely qualified that day, anything more than a .22 LR kills me without hearing protection. I think I got a 24/40 that time, I normally get 38-39/40 when I qualify.

If you want less words, I find recoil to be nothing when shooting, but noise makes me cringe in my soul. Especially .357.
 
Try concentating upon the front sight-
Click to expand...
This, and shooting the gun DAO will make a big difference, especially in your groups.

Back in the iate 70s, my 4" S&W Model 29 shooting hot .44's was my baptism. An older acquaintance I used to shoot with suggested the above, and in a short while, my flinch was gone, and my groups had shrunk, and by more than just a little. It was pretty much the last time I thumb cocked a DA revolver, or pistol for that matter, and all my handgun shooting, and much of my rifle shooting improved. Im one of a few who doesnt find HK G3/90 series rifle triggers "bad". :)

Concentrate on the front sight and holding your sight alignment, while stroking the trigger, and it will change your world. :)
 
As an exercise, I load two empties in random places in the cylinder when reloading. Spinning the cylinder so that I do not know when the empty takes place-i found this exercise really helped me to identify flinching/trigger jerk and several other bad habits.
Click to expand...
This works well. It took me only a couple days of shooting this way to identify a flinch and completely eliminate it with my Redhawk a million years ago. Don't really know if I blink but I suppose I do. It was never a problem for me as I doubt it is for most.
 
I found that if you switch back and forth enough with the 44 and a 22 that you can train yourself to look through the shot. Don't stop seeing that front sight. Switching back and forth lets you confuse your brain a little and you will see yourself flinch like you had a 44 mag in your hand and it's the 22. :o That's when the brain learns. Then you'll see a perfect no flinch shot with the 44 and learn to ignore it until after the shot is done.

You'll know when you're doing it right when you see where the sight is at the bang and be able to call the shot. If you can't call your shot, then you didn't really know where your gun was pointed when you dropped the hammer, right?:eek: :D

When you do it right repeatedly you learn where your mind needs to be and it's easy to go there. The eye controls the trigger finger pressure. This is what helped me. The CNS can only take so much though so while I can tell the little voice in the back of my head to shut up early in the day, later in the day is when it stops working and I know it's time to go home for the day then.
 
Try to focus on the target.
Not so much eye focus, but mental focus.
Forget the gun, other than using it properly.
If you are only aware of the gun on the subconscious level, and the target on the conscious level, more than likely, the flinching will go away.
Use a nasty looking target, something with all teeth and claws, or, if your range allows it, the most evil looking bad guy imaginable.
And then imagine it's coming to get you.
No kidding, it really helps.
 
Everybody flinches. It's human nature to recoil from loud noises, and the nearer and louder the noise, the greater the reaction and more difficult to control.

The best way I've found to minimize it is to shoot a few rounds of .22 long rifle, a few of center fire, a few of .22 long rifle, a few of center fire, et cetera. Ball and dummy, (mixing live and fired rounds,) is good, and I certainly don't mean to denigrate it. In my experience, mixing light and heavy recoil tends to produce longer-lasting results.
 
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