[robertp]

A Bad Flinch

My wife and I are hunters and occasionally target shoot. She usually does good but lately has been getting worse and worse. Today we were going to sight in a new scope on her 22-223 and she tried but couldn't take a shot. I had to sight it in for her at 25 yards. After about 10 rounds I was close (I was thinking since 4 clicks is one inch at 100 yards, 1 click was 1 inch at 25). Well I finally got there and she said she wanted to take some shots. She took 10 shots at a 2 inch target on a 16" x20" box at 25 yards and didn't hit the box. She said she thought she was hitting the target. Does anybody have any ideas about what we can do. Thanks. She went 3 animals with three tags this hunting season.

 

[bauerdb]

Double up on ear protection (both ear plugs and ear muff). You could add some weight to the rifle if recoil is an issue. Shoot from a sandbag. etc. This thread won't last...

 

[robertp]

A Bad Flinch

The rifle is a heavy barrel. She was using a tripod with towel for cushion ( I thought it might not have been enough ). Maybe I could get her to wear some ear plugs with her muffs. Thanks for the response.
Is there any place the thread will last?

 

[4C Dragon]

The ear plugs and muffs are a great suggestion. I sufffer from the flinch disease. Mine started from excessive shotgun shooting for many years, heavy loads (old school) which also caused neck/nerve damage. At one point in my shotgun career I was taking pictures at a party for some people and flinched when I took the picture. I knew then I had to do something. A flinch can happen from pain or an experience of pain, so practice with smaller caliber guns, suppressor use and general positive exposure helps. Loss of target view or a poor target perception can also cause it, but more prevalent with a shotgun. Positive thoughts help a lot. You cannot tell yourself "don't flinch" before you shoot. That is like telling a kid stepping up to the plate to bat "don't strike out". The last thought you should have before pressing the trigger is relax and clearing thoughts. I recommend working on the mental game to help overcome and also improve your shooting. I recommend The Mental Management program as a good starting point. Mental Management Systems ? The Mental Training System the Pros Use.

I hope you try something and don't loose interest in this sport. Hopefully others will make suggestions as well.