In my time as a firearms instructor I found that, far and away, the most common problem I dealt with teaching handgun shooting was anticipating the recoil. I could sympathize with them as I too struggled with this problem. In fact, I remember being 15 and knowing nothing about pistol marksmanship. I was shooting a .40 cal Glock, and could not hit an ample sized target at close range. At the time I had never shot a pistol larger than a .22 mag in a heavy revolver. My flinch was so pronounced that I was kicking up dirt three feet below the target. Having no access to any training my solution was to aim high and hope for the best. Even with that poor solution to my problem my groups were hideous.
When deciding what to teach my shooting students first, I knew that helping them overcome their flinch was crucial.
This drill is best done with a partner, and it starts with an empty gun. The student aims at the target as normal, and pulls the trigger. As soon as the trigger is pulled, the partner racks the slide quickly. Doing this reveals several problems at once. Usually one finds that their grip is too weak to manage the recoil, their stance is too upright or at worst leaning back, and that they slap the hell out of the trigger causing the barrel to dip down. Many people do not like this drill because they are ready to start slinging bullets down range, and see dry firing as tedious. Being able to sort out the first several fundamental problems with ones pistol shooting without wasting ammo is a smart way to begin with new shooters. They will go into that first shot knowing what it will feel like, and help to lessen the sensory overload that comes from shooting.
The flinch is something that comes from ones brain stem, and I know of no one that is completely immune to it. Teaching students to take up the first four pounds of their trigger, (assuming a five pound pull) then slowly add pressure an ounce at a time resulting in a 'surprise break' is a way to bypass the bodies natural reaction to anticipate the snap of recoil.
At times students would swear to me that the sights on their pistol were off and that their gun is shooting low. While this is possible, 99% of the time flinch is to blame. Demonstrating its accuracy is one way to eliminate this variable, but the author preferred another method. Have the shooter point at the target with a round in the chamber with their finger placed along the frame away from the ejection port. Pull the trigger for them in such a way that they have no idea when the round will be fired, and slowly enough that the sights are not pulled off target. It is important to note that wearing eye protection and looking away is essential as brass will be flying. Having them aim at a small steel target that they previously could not hit is the best way to drive home the point as they usually hear the satisfying 'ding'.
The other fun way to demonstrate this is to tell the student that you are loading it with a very powerful defense round and have them shoot it while you video from the side. The gun is actually empty and being able to show them just how far the barrel dips from flinching will make the shooter more aware of what is going on. Another way to do this that may be the most effective is to use snap caps mixed in with live rounds randomly in a magazine. This is something one can do alone, and again teaches the shooter to concentrate on the fundamentals of trigger control.
No comments:
Post a Comment