Flinching

 

“I have a flinch I’d like to be rid of. What is the best way to break this bad habit?”

 

Contrary to popular belief, a flinch is never a habit and is very rarely due to anticipation of recoil. Yet many will switch to lighter loads, some even converting to a smaller-gauge gun, in order to stop a flinch. By far the most expensive yet useless attempt to rid oneself of a flinch involves having a release trigger installed in a shotgun.

Newsflash! The cause of a flinch is almost always the result of an interruption of the visual connection between the dominant eye and the target. It is sort of like the brain hiccupping in response to the disconnection. There are three common causes of this interruption of visual information flow: 1) “Spoiling the line,” where the movement of your gun to the break point results in the muzzle occluding the target as you execute the shot. 2) Improper gun fit, wherein the dominant eye may wind up below the rib of the shotgun when your shotgun is fully mounted and the shot is executed. In this case, you need less drop at the comb, so raising the height of the comb is the solution. You should either increase the height of your adjustable comb, have an adjustable comb installed or, as a temporary measure, use a comb riser product like the Beartooth Comb Riser or ISIS Comb Riser to increase the height of the comb. 3) Gun mount problems. Even if your gun fit and movement to the target are perfect, you might be pressing your head into the gun at the end of your move, pressing into the comb with your head. This positions the eye below the rib and blocks your visual connection with the target.

So with all that said, what is the root cause of your flinch? I would recommend that you seek the assistance of a gun fitter or instructor knowledgeable about gun fitting who can diagnose and help you resolve the cause of your flinch.

Don Currie is NSCA’s Chief Instructor, an Orvis Wingshooting School instructor, and Master Class competitor. To get free shooting tips and videos, sign up for his monthly newsletter. You can also see more tips from Currie at www.doncurrie.com.