Flea Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 I'm a new handgun shooter and use a 9mm 1911. A fair amount of shots go low and left and after having someone load a mag with snap caps and ball ammo, the dreaded flinch was on full display. I'm looking for live fire drills that can help me eliminate this habit. I don't mix up the snap caps with the ball ammo by myself because even if I load the mag with my eyes closed, I can feel the difference between the plastic and the lead. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJH Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 Dry fire double plug slow live fire loosen strong hand grip tighten support hand grip watch sight till gun fires Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flea Posted February 26, 2020 Author Share Posted February 26, 2020 1 minute ago, RJH said: Dry fire double plug slow live fire loosen strong hand grip tighten support hand grip watch sight till gun fires I've done lots of dry fire and I can pull the trigger many times in a row without moving the gun so that's why I'm looking for live fire drills. Sorry but what is double plug? Anything specific in slow live fire that helps to stop flinching? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJH Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 (edited) Double plug=Muffs and ear plugs I feel the slow fire helps because you can use a slow smooth trigger pull and really concentrate on seeing the sights lift when the trigger breaks. Get used to that, then apply speed as time goes by Also if you don't have one i would suggest picking up a 22 and shooting it a lot Edited February 26, 2020 by RJH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MemphisMechanic Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 Always shoot with both plugs and earmuffs. Indoors and outdoors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powder Finger Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 https://brianenos.com/dont-blink/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnipTheDog Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 Next time try a 147gr or so bullet rather than the 115gr. With a heavy 1911, it should drop the felt recoil down to just about nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJB Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 1 hour ago, Flea said: I'm a new handgun shooter and use a 9mm 1911. A fair amount of shots go low and left and after having someone load a mag with snap caps and ball ammo, the dreaded flinch was on full display. I'm looking for live fire drills that can help me eliminate this habit. I don't mix up the snap caps with the ball ammo by myself because even if I load the mag with my eyes closed, I can feel the difference between the plastic and the lead. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Do you reload? If so load up several inert rounds, no powder or primer. Keep doing the ball & dummy drill with these in the mix & that way you won't feel the snap-cap as you load it. When you do the ball & dummy drill load up several mags & mix'em up and don't just work off of one mag. Do you have a double action pistol or revolver, even a .22? If so do some work with it and learning a DA trigger will certainly get you in the habit keeping your sights on target through your pull. Since you're a new handgun shooter, just shooting & getting more used to your gun, recoil, etc. will benefit you in and of itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flea Posted February 26, 2020 Author Share Posted February 26, 2020 35 minutes ago, MemphisMechanic said: Always shoot with both plugs and earmuffs. Indoors and outdoors. Unfortunately I already do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flea Posted February 26, 2020 Author Share Posted February 26, 2020 5 minutes ago, SnipTheDog said: Next time try a 147gr or so bullet rather than the 115gr. With a heavy 1911, it should drop the felt recoil down to just about nothing. I have a Wilson Combat CQB Elite Commander and shoot mostly 124gr and 115gr. I haven't used 147gr yet so I'll give that a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flea Posted February 26, 2020 Author Share Posted February 26, 2020 4 minutes ago, BJB said: Do you reload? If so load up several inert rounds, no powder or primer. Keep doing the ball & dummy drill with these in the mix & that way you won't feel the snap-cap as you load it. When you do the ball & dummy drill load up several mags & mix'em up and don't just work off of one mag. Do you have a double action pistol or revolver, even a .22? If so do some work with it and learning a DA trigger will certainly get you in the habit keeping your sights on target through your pull. Since you're a new handgun shooter, just shooting & getting more used to your gun, recoil, etc. will benefit you in and of itself. I don't reload and don't plan on it. I have a DA/SA Sig P226 so that's a good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racinready300ex Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 Can you shoot slow fire groups with out dropping shots? Probably no need in adding time pressure if you can't first hit the target with out that added pressure. I wouldn't worry about changing ammo, that's not going to fix the problem. If you can shoot groups, live fire drills to look up are Stoegers doubles, and practical accuracy. I also really like the Frank Garcia Dot drill. That is a really hard drill, I've never completed all 6 dots in a row. To pull it off your fundamentals need to be on point. You're probably pushing the gun down as you fire. Pay close attention to what your firing hand is doing. If you really pay attention you might be able to feel yourself push the gun down. Try to keep your eye's open so you can see the sight if it moves as the shot breaks. If you can get to where you can see and or feel what you're doing wrong it'll be easier for you to fix then just having someone on the internet tell you what to do. It's likely something you'll always struggle with and need to work on. Even the best guys drop shots low from time to time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flea Posted February 26, 2020 Author Share Posted February 26, 2020 12 minutes ago, Powder Finger said: https://brianenos.com/dont-blink/ I've actually been wondering whether I blink or not. Even after reading this article, I'm not sure if I do. I'll need to ask someone to watch my eyes while shooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJB Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 4 minutes ago, Flea said: I don't reload and don't plan on it. I have a DA/SA Sig P226 so that's a good idea. If you use that 226 be sure to use it in DA over & over, de-cock it each time to get that longer DA pull. You don't reload but do you know anybody who reloads who can make you a handful of inert 9mm rounds? If not then you can pull some of your ammo, dump the powder, snap that cap, re-seat the projectile. Be sure to mark the back of these dummy rounds if you make them this way and when re-seating the projectile maybe use a little glue in there because repeatedly chambering these rounds can eventually cause set-back and/or even knock the projectile out of the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flea Posted February 26, 2020 Author Share Posted February 26, 2020 4 minutes ago, BJB said: If you use that 226 be sure to use it in DA over & over, de-cock it each time to get that longer DA pull. You don't reload but do you know anybody who reloads who can make you a handful of inert 9mm rounds? If not then you can pull some of your ammo, dump the powder, snap that cap, re-seat the projectile. Be sure to mark the back of these dummy rounds if you make them this way and when re-seating the projectile maybe use a little glue in there because repeatedly chambering these rounds can eventually cause set-back and/or even knock the projectile out of the case. That's a good idea, but I think I found an easier solution. https://www.dummybullet.com/9mm luger inert bullets.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJB Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 16 minutes ago, Flea said: I have a Wilson Combat CQB Elite Commander and shoot mostly 124gr and 115gr. I haven't used 147gr yet so I'll give that a try. Different weight bullets might have a different recoil impulse for you but recoil impulse is after the shot so won't matter for flinching because that occurs just before the shot. And, you're not reloading so the factory 147 will often have more of a recoil impulse than a factory 124. Reloading a 147 is where you get the benefit a softer perceived recoil because you can load the PF down a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flea Posted February 26, 2020 Author Share Posted February 26, 2020 Just now, BJB said: Different weight bullets might have a different recoil impulse for you but recoil impulse is after the shot so won't matter for flinching because that occurs just before the shot. And, you're not reloading so the factory 147 will often have more of a recoil impulse than a factory 124. Reloading a 147 is where you get the benefit a softer perceived recoil because you can load the PF down a little. Ok, thanks for the education. Sorry for the newbie things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJB Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 7 minutes ago, Flea said: That's a good idea, but I think I found an easier solution. https://www.dummybullet.com/9mm luger inert bullets.html That works too. But, a pair of pliers, some leather or thick cloth so as not to mar the bullet, and 10 minutes of time and you can have your dummy rounds right now for pennies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJB Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 3 minutes ago, Flea said: Ok, thanks for the education. Sorry for the newbie things. This is exactly why this forum was developed. You learn now & pay it back later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m700 Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 I dont know if this is a common thing but I bring a 45 and fire a few mags before I start shooting the 9. It helps on practice days to realize how light the 9 is, but once you get the flinch at bay it will stay gone for a while. It may come back someday but go back to practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bravobravo Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Flea said: I've actually been wondering whether I blink or not. Even after reading this article, I'm not sure if I do. I'll need to ask someone to watch my eyes while shooting. I have found the easiest way to determine if you are blinking/flinching is to set up your phone's camera looking at you from the side a few feet away. In slow motion mode, video yourself firing a few shots slowly and rapidly. It will show quite clearly if you are blinking when the shot fires. Edited February 26, 2020 by bravobravo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 RJH really hit it all on the head (see above). Hold the gun lighter with your strong hand, and that will make it easier for your trigger to move the proper way. Without pulling the gun Down. Compensate by gripping MUCH tighter with your weak hand. That should help, since it sounds like you're already doing everything else properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perttime Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 I believe some have got rid of flinching by just sending bullets into a berm quickly. Just fire as fast as you can, without worrying too much about where, in the berm, the bullets go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHA-LEE Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 Flea> Have you taken a class from someone in an attempt to fix the issue? If not start there. It sounds like you are in a situation where you don't know what you don't know. Its going to be very difficult for you to figure this stuff out on your own even when pointed to viable solutions. Most people learn best with in person training because we all learn better in a "Monkey See, Monkey Do" learning scenario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furrly Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 4 hours ago, Flea said: I'm a new handgun shooter and use a 9mm 1911. A fair amount of shots go low and left and after having someone load a mag with snap caps and ball ammo, the dreaded flinch was on full display. I'm looking for live fire drills that can help me eliminate this habit. I don't mix up the snap caps with the ball ammo by myself because even if I load the mag with my eyes closed, I can feel the difference between the plastic and the lead. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. you are anticapatig the shot, practice, practice and more practice-live fire that is where the sound of the gun becomes secondary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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