Recoil

[Mike in Virginia]

This might have been better posted in another category, but since single-actions are the most often used handgun for big bullets, I put it here.
 
A tip to manage heavy recoil:
 
My dad taught me this 50 years ago and I still use it today.  This works for new shooters as well as experienced ones who develop a flinch.  I still do it now and then just to keep myself aware that the blast and kick is not going to hurt me. 
 
Load the cylinder with 5 empties and 1 live round.  Gently spin the cylinder, or let a friend do it.  From the shooter's perspective, he cannot see anything but the rim of the cartridge.  He doesn't know when the live round will come up. 
 
Take a two handed hold and aim at a small bullseye target 25 yards away, or some target that takes extreme concentration to hit. 
 
Cock it, squeeze it off.  If it doesn't fire, you know if you flinched or not. 
 
Spin the cylinder again, repeat. 
 
One or two sessions of this at the range and you or your student are cured of the flinch.  It's a good excercise for even well-seasoned big bore shooters. 
 
Another variation to this is that the instructor loads all cylinders with empty cases and lies to the student, telling him there are some loaded and some not.  Now the student is hyped up a little more, expexting a probable boom.  If he flinches, he knows he flinched, and will eventually learn not to.     
 
For rifle shooters, a bit more extreme exercise, is to learn to shoot a flintlock.  If you can shoot a flintlock offhand and hit your target, you can shoot any rifle ever made.  To hold on target while the fire is transferred from pan to charge, takes real skill.  This is better done with a dull flint so you won't get instant ignition.
 
Class will resume after the break. 
 

[Camba]

Mike,
Thank you for the good advice.  Sometimes it is hard to addmit but I believe I flinch when shooting a handgun larger than a .22LR.  One other thing I tried was what Catfish (from huntingchat.com) recomended me (6 grains of bullseye under a 240 gr 44 mag bullet) a while back when my flinching was ever worst.  I will try your method to help reduce my flinching.  Thanks.
 
Camba

[mcwoodduck]

That and shooting a 22LR are the way I learned to shoot my 44 Mag.
Later used same idea in teaching some police to shoot their 357 mag model 60's that they had as back up.  But I did not limit the loading to a single round.  As well as used Specials.

[huntswithdogs]

I do this to help control my flinching.
I was "praticing" at not flinching one day at the range when there was more then just me. After my Ruger didn't go off a couple of times, I had some very concerned "gunsmiths" come down where I was sitting. I'd moved all the way to the far end of the shelter so I wouldn't bother anyone. After offering all kinds of help and suggestions, they wandered back to where they'd been shooting, but kept a close eye on me for the rest of time they were there. I've run into each of them a couple of times since and they're still asking how my de-flinching is progressing.

HWD

[45-70.gov]

BALL AND DUMMY DRILL   is what thats  called





been  doing that  for  years
i even  have to  retrain  myself occasionally


EVERY  new shooter  gets  that test from  me
you  can just tell them they  ''have  one  more left''....then  watch the flinch


i also  shoot  my 5oo snw


the gun  is actually useless
but  after shooting  it.....nothing  kick much

[guzzijohn]

I guess recoil is quite subjective. I have a Blackhawk in .357, no problem. I have owned or shot Colt autos in .45 ACP and 38 super, no problem. I have a SA .45, no problem. Had the opportunity to shoot a Super Blackhawk .44 magnum (don't no what loads) with Hogue grips, PROBLEM! Six shots were more than enough. Don't want to go there again or anything bigger.
GuzziJohn

[SHOOTALL]

What ya'll suggest is great to ID the problem and to establish it is fixed. Light loads , 22's and alot of dry fire can help get over it. I find dry fire a big help . One dry fire drill is line up your sights , look at the sights a light color wall is a good background, dry fire the gun SA or DA as the case may be and learn to keep sights lined up . This will set you up a good follow thru. Another is to sight on a target and keep the front sight on it as you pull the trigger . In both cases if you must adjust even a little after you pull the trigger you need more work. When both have been mastered then put the tow togather . Things gained are gun control , learn your gun and trigger and if you need trigger work. Yes this is really hard to master and takes lots of pratice but a short sesion each day goes a long way.
Being diabetic some days its almost impossible to do these drills but then to I learn what I can do on the off days . So if its an off day we don't shoot for lunch.

[gstewart44]

I think the single action grip design is much more forgiving with heavy loads than the double action grip.   My experience has been with Rugers SBH and SRH with heavy 300gr 44 mag loads.    The SRH, even though it is heavier, is more uncomfortable to shoot with stout ammo - my wrist bones feel the jolt.     The SBH would just roll up in my hand,  until the darned square trigger guard takes the skin off my knuckle.    But I never would feel anything unpleasant in my wrist with the SBH.

[SHOOTALL]

I have both also and like the better control ( less muzzle flip ) of the red hawk . The only SRH i shoot is 454 c and thats in a different class of recoil . I find wraping the little finger under the grip curling it keeps the gun fron sliding as you mention as much. I know thats what a SA is suppose to do. A good comprise between the two guns is the Super Blackhawk Hunter , a bit bigger grip and round trigger guard .

[gstewart44]

I will need to check out the SBH Hunter - that rounded trigger guard sounds like just what I need.     I sold my SBH because my knuckles couldn't take any more abuse from the squareback guard.   

[SHOOTALL]

The SBHH seems to have a different grip , it might be in the stocks themselves they seem thicker in the hand. That squared off dragoon style trigger guard would bruise and bring out blood in a 40 , 60 and worst an 80 round match .

[AtlLaw]

I will need to check out the SBH Hunter -

I have a SBH Bisley Hunter Gregg.  If we can ever get together I'll bring it and a bunch of ammo.  It's a great shooter!

[MePlat]

Recoil is handled by the mind.  First there are to types of jerking the trigger.  One is fear of recoil which no amount of dry firing or 22 Rimfire practice will help.  Second there the jerking of the trigger from wanting the gun to fire when the sights swing across the center of the bullseye but not from fear of recoil.
These are 2 distinct types of situations not the same.  Fear of recoil must be overcome by actually experiencing the recoil.  It is like a boxer learning to take a hit by just shadow boxing only.  That is a bunch of horse feathers.
The jerking of the trigger by the sights swinging across the center of the bullseye is cured by dry firing and watching sight alignment.  Also with 22 rimfire practice.
One had nothing to do with the other.  Although it is widely thought to be the same.
I have asked this question before but didn't get an answer.  How does one learn to take recoil unless one experiences it?   It sure isn't from NOT experiencing it.
Now anyone ready to explain how they can?  Not talking about jerking the trigger due to the second reason I stated.
Ok I'm ready.

[gcrank1]

FWIW, a lot of times my best shot of the day has been the first shot  . I wasnt anticipating the recoil, just sticking to fundamentals.......
I have shot NRA Bullseye, indoor RF back in the late '70s, early '80s. That taught me more about handgun shooting (for accuracy at targets not likely to shoot back) than anything else.

[HAMMERHEAD]

Had the opportunity to shoot a Super Blackhawk .44 magnum (don't no what loads) with Hogue grips, PROBLEM!

Hogue rubber grips?
If so, there's your problem.
Rubber grabs the skin and pulls.

[44 Man]

Hammerhead is right; the Hogue grips are what made the recoil so much more noticable.  I have Hogue's on my FA .44 mag, but I do that because sometimes the temp is down to 15 or less when deer hunting here in Michigan.  When I draw the gun from the holster, the grips do not 'feel' cold to me.  With regular grips, I must keep the gun in my hand all the time to keep them warm when it's that cold.  Just a preference that doesn't seem to affect my shooting.  I do find that I have developed a 'blink' when the gun goes off with heavy loads, but it has not affected my accuracy (yet).  I am trying to break that habit though.  44 Man
 

 

[guzzijohn]

That may explain it. I remember my hand having more of a bad stinging feeling, than being shook up from the overall recoil jolt.
GuzziJohn