Yesterday was a waste of time and ammo for me.

Was trying out a new load for the 629, yes it was a light load for golf ball population control.

Anyway, from the get go, when the trigger was right at the break, I’d flinch the gun to the right and up slightly and was too quick on the pull. Imagine slamming your finger closed on the pull.I’ve never done that before. My routine is right before I start the trigger pull, to exhale and smoothly follow through and let the recoil just happen. This works for me from anything from 22 to full power 44 mag.

But yesterday, I couldn’t quit to save my life. I couldn’t consistently hit the 8” gong at 50 yards. Meanwhile my dad was wearing out the golf balls, he nearly couldn’t miss. This only got worse the madder and more frustrated I got.

Have any of you had days like that or started flinching for no reason?

Had a 338 Mag Rifle that I never could shoot from the Bench.
Flinched on every shot.
Finally started shooting it standing up over the hood of my truck.
It’s long gone!
But I have a Beretta 21a Mouse Gun that I probably can’t hit a mouse with.
I Can probably hit a Barn Door!

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

Had the same issue happen while trap shooting. There were days that it seemed like I couldn't miss and other days where I couldn't hit anything. Never could figure out what I was doing wrong. You just have to relax and not over think it or it just seems to make the issue worse.

Can't be sure by your description
whether you were shooting SA or
DA.

In either case, there are days like
that. I remember a gun magazine
article by a training officer. He
learned never to accept a challenge
from a cadet because that would
"be the day."

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Ubi Est Mea

"If I'm standing on the dock...I couldn't hit the water" Lt. Columbo.

Try using your middle finger. No no no..to pull the trigger... (it's worked for me on flinch-day)

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My Daddy was a pistol..

Too much coffee (caffeine) perhaps. (No, I'm not joking)

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

To me, it sounds like you are doing everything right, but perhaps I misunderstand what you are telling us. Do you squeeze slowly, allowing the actual shot to be a surprise?

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Formerly Model520Fan

Yes, go back to quieter softer loads or guns for a range trip or two. Clear your head. Load 4 rounds and two empty rounds with dead primers. Practice dry firing with snap caps. Cycle your trigger finger at home and work without moving any other fingers.

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Front sight and squeeze

In golf it's called the "Yips" ..... For me it was all of a sudden breaking my wrists on chips. Whaaaaaaaa ?!?! .... "Stop doing that" I'd tell myself. Ok, I won't do that this time ....AND I'D DO IT AGAIN ! Finally it went away after a few rounds over a month.

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Y. B. Ord & A. Ree

Get a bigger barn door, or try the side of the barn.

Or shoot from inside the barn!

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protocalldesign.com

Had a similar frustrating range day recently shooting my Sig P365. Shooting at a steel 18x24" torso from 25 yards all my shots were missing left. I finally began aiming at the right edge of the torso and my shots started hitting the left side of the steel about 15" left from where I was aiming. I have a feeling I am jerking the trigger anticipating the shot and recoil, causing my strong hand to turn to the left and point low. Guess I need to get more practice!!

**** happens sometimes. Every once in awhile I'll have a day where I'm just off, the most recent time blasting clays. Time before it was clay murder. Time after, clay murder. Just couldn't put it together that time. It'll be better next time. Besides, any time out in the sun converting money to noise isn't the worst thing in the world.

That happened to me late in my basic training. I took to the M-14 like a duck to water, was told I was a cinch to shoot expert at qualification. A couple days before qualification, I couldn't hit any silhouette at any distance, even 50 meters. My platoon leader took me aside to another firing point, lay down beside me, and started stuffing live rounds mixed with dummy rounds one at a time in the receiver. I was flinching so bad, it's a wonder I didn't toss the 10 lb. rifle back to the bleachers.
So we started over with dry fire and fundamentals, and a couple days later, I managed expert shooting in a pouring down rain.
Do what mtgianni says above. It works, and good luck.

Maybe it's psychological, what do you have against golf balls.....??

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.............SmithNut

Concentration on sight picture, develop an automatic Squeeze of trigger, not thinking about trigger ,just sight alignment and breathing control. Takes lots of practice until it just comes naturally.

I just keep pulling on the trigger till it breaks, then the gun twists upward from the recoil. I try and just imagine making the hammer fall, nothing else.

If I load any softer, I might as well just throw the bullet at the target. Hey, it’d be cheaper.

Thanks for the tips guys, the golf reference is something I’m familiar with as well. I’ll try again in the morning, this time the super red hawk, and some h110 thunder boomers are coming out to play, if that doesn’t make me stop, I don’t know what will.

Renowned sports psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella has written several books on golf and worked with pro golfers. He often refers to the natural "mind-body connection". Sometimes that connection doesn't work as well. Your mind tells your body to slow that golf swing down so you don't hook your drive but you do it again on the next hole. For me it takes lots of concentration and focus to get things back.

Some days that "mind-body connection" is working well and you can't do anything wrong and you are in the "zone". When things go south I always think of one of my favorite lines from the movie "Full Metal Jacket" when the Marine Colonel tells Private Joker to "Get his head and a.. wired together".

Good luck and hang in there!!

I always take a K-22 to the range. On a bad day of yips, I'll go to the 22 for a couple cylinders. After that, squeeze the 44 like it's a 22 and magic happens.

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Some collect art; I shoot it!

An all to familiar problem for me. Back when i shot traditional bows a lot that was my bugaboo problem. I learned to just quit put it away and try again tomorrow.

It's just life! Some days you win. Some days you lose. Some days get rained out. Larry

When it happens to me, I know it's mental.

As Yogi Berra once told his coach...

“I can’t think and hit at the same time.”

It's the same with properly fast driving on twisty roads. There are days when you seem to have minutes to set the car up, smoothly wind the steering on and off and the car zooms round the corner with barely a squeal. A week later you come to the same corner 10mph slower and you are crossed up in a major pucker moment with the tires screaming in agony.

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Release the Kraken

I think I’ve got the flinchitis out of my system.

Loaded 30 fire and fury h110/240gr xtps, this load is accurate but it ain’t much fun to shoot. The other 70 are unique/240gr xtreme plated rnfp.

I took my super red hawk because I refuse to use the h110 stuff in the 629, 4227 and 2400 perform way better overall in it. Maybe not velocity, but accuracy and way less painful.

Anyway, 7.5” srh, Burris 2.5x7 scope which is set for the unique load, hogue rubber grips.All shots from a rest and sandbags. First shot at 50yds was way way way too high, to hit a soda can, I have to have the can almost disappear out of the top of the scope, ie aim way under. After that, dead on every time. No flinching at all.

Next cylinder full, I aim at cans at 100yds, aimed about 1/8” under looking through the scope, cans went flying every time. Still no flinching, I shot all but the last cylinder full and never flinched, my dad shot the last cylinder and missed once.

I forget how bad the muzzle blast and fireball with h110 are. The recoil is rough and does hurt a little, but the blast is far worse to me.

We took breaks in between each cylinder and partook in the 617 and model 41, no excitement there.

After the h110 chaos was over, it’s time for the unique loads, it’s still a mystery as to why golf balls seem to infest the 50yd pile anytime unique is in a case. Well, the infestation was took care of in short order. Took a combination of srh and 629, but the mission was accomplished.

There were a couple of other guys there, both of them were ecstatic when we went to using unique. They were both paper punching 22 rifles. We weren’t just blammoing away, but the muzzle blast is aggravating.

Much better trip this time.