As one who also battled a flinch I can relate to a lot of what you went through, Jon. I've never shot skeet or trap much. Could probably count the total rounds of both combined on my fingers and toes. However, my competitive sporting clays shooting has spanned some 20+ years, I guess. I worked hard at improving, and did. But, I soon developed a flinch that manifested itself in an inability to pull the trigger when my conscious thought wanted to. It was as though there was a short circuit between my brain and my trigger finger.
I was flabbergasted, and embarrassed, at such a thing happening to me. After all, I had shot doves since I was 8 years old and had never known such a thing. I developed the ability to recover from it and break the bird extremely late, often almost on the ground, over half the times I flinched, which at it's worst would be 8-9 times per round of 100. I knew in my mind it wasn't recoil, as I was shooting light 1 oz. loads in an 8 lb. + gun, a 32" Valmet 412ST. It had a trigger that drove me nuts, however, with much slack that had to be taken up before it would break. That was a terrible distraction to me and I tried to have it "fixed", to no avail. But, my flinches never followed me into the field ........... never. I began to reason out what you said, that my mind was not accepting the sight picture that my eyes saw as being right, and wouldn't pull the trigger.
A couple of things happened about that time that effected a change in my flinch. I began shooting a buddy's Beretta 682, which I loved shooting, and which had a great trigger. I also switched from 1 oz. loads to 1 1/8 oz., with an associated slight increase in recoil. The flinch suddenly got much better. Most of my problem seemed to be with the distraction of the sloppy trigger (I had been a competitive rifle and pistol shooter most of my adult life, and obsessed over good triggers). Another thing that helped was to start "slapping" the trigger, as opposed to just pulling it. This was at the suggestion of a good friend I shot with regularly who suggested it. These things helped tremendously, proving that it was not recoil related because of the increase in recoil from the new loads. When I started shooting the MX8, with it's fabulous trigger, it got even better. I punched into M class at the US Open in 2010, which had been a goal of mine.
The old flinch rears it's ugly head occasionally, still, though it's 99.5% gone. It still surprises me maybe once every 200-300 targets at sporting. Happened yesterday in a little registered shoot at Pinetucky, and cost me a bird. Though I shot pretty well, finishing with a 95 X 100, that flinch cost me one. My shooting buddy would have beat me anyway, as he smoked his way through the course with a 97 X 100. I subtly remind him when he beats me that he does so shooting lots of targets with his -.005" to +.010" screw-in chokes, while I shoot everything with fixed .020"s in both barrels. He then reminds me that my choice of tight chokes all the time is my decision, and that I'm hardheaded for doing so.
All in good fun.
Thanks for relating your struggles with the flinch. It is interesting all that you tried to get rid of it, and how it finally got better. I have empathy for someone when I see them flinching badly shooting a shotgun. It is a terrible malady. I admire you for having had the determination to go to the off hand to try to rid yourself of it. I stand in awe of you and Ted, and others who have successfully done so. I cannot imagine what a hard thing it would be for me.
Best, SRH
buzz, read your above post after posting mine. Currie needs to tell Jon Kruger that a release trigger is a gimmick. I'd like to be a fly on the wall and hear Jon's reply when he did. I once asked Jon if he would help me with my flinch. He replied "Who the hell is going to help me with mine?!!" He went to the release a few years later and says he should have done so many years earlier. Jon has even another unusual way of using his, he doesn't even set the release until he sees the bird.
