Offhand shooting?

[Fly103]

Looks like I'm not the only one who can't feel their trigger finger . The pictures are a little graphic to share here but it ended up partially de-gloved, broken, and was basicly only still attached by the skin above the middle knuckle. It took 64 stitches to repair it and along with no feeling it only has an 85deg range of motion.

I actually think the injury improved my shooting, since I can't feel what I'm doing every shot is a surprise! No anticipating and flinching!

Chris

 

[Bushfire]

Some but not many. I've got a couple of guys in their 40s shooting with us, but I would put the average age around 60.

That's the concern, I'm 31 and everyone my age is more concerned on how they can make things easier I.e. long range guns, thermal scopes etc.

 

[SwanShot]

That's the concern, I'm 31 and everyone my age is more concerned on how they can make things easier I.e. long range guns, thermal scopes etc.

Bells and whistles make you shoot better. Didn't you know that?

 

[Fly103]

That's the concern, I'm 31 and everyone my age is more concerned on how they can make things easier I.e. long range guns, thermal scopes etc.

I'm 32 myself, I sold my scary black unmentionables 4 years ago to buy my first firelock, never looked back.

Chris

 

[SPQR70AD]

guys can do what ever they want but shooting offhand to me takes too much practice wastes a lot of hard to find components. you can kneel sit or rest on a tree limb. air guns good way to practice but again to what end

 

[French Colonial]

guys can do what ever they want but shooting offhand to me takes too much practice wastes a lot of hard to find components. you can kneel sit or rest on a tree limb. air guns good way to practice but again to what end

Are you being serious?

Do you ever shoot any matches?

 

[SPQR70AD]

Are you being serious?

Do you ever shoot any matches?

like I said dont like wasting powder ball/bullets caps

 

[satwel]

I suspect you have two issues. Jerking the trigger and holding your fowler too loosely. I struggled for years with the same issues you are experiencing. To the point that I was thinking of bending the barrel of my 20 ga. flint fowler to compensate. I finally figured out that during recoil the muzzle was moving up and to the right because I wasn't holding the butt plate tightly enough against my shoulder. Now I consciously pull the fowler back into my braced shoulder while I'm aiming it. This also improved my cheek weld and lessoned the effect of recoil against my cheekbone. My other problem was jerking the trigger. I have to concentrate on a slow and steady squeeze to keep my shots vertically in the center of target.

Since all my smoothbore matches are shot offhand, I've never bothered to shoot my fowlers off a bench. Bodies react very differently to recoil when you're standing versus when you are seated at a bench.

 

[French Colonial]

like I said dont like wasting powder ball/bullets caps

So shooting in matches is a waste of powder ball etc?

 

[Bushfire]

I'm 32 myself, I sold my scary black unmentionables 4 years ago to buy my first firelock, never looked back.

Chris

I think I bought my first inline when I was 22 or 23, it was a great place to start. But I eventually moved it on and got into caplocks. Slowly selling them off now as I use flinters almost exclusively for BP hunting. We don't have weapon specific seasons here, I could use my centrefires, I just prefer flintlocks.

 

[Fly103]

I think I bought my first inline when I was 22 or 23, it was a great place to start. But I eventually moved it on and got into caplocks. Slowly selling them off now as I use flinters almost exclusively for BP hunting. We don't have weapon specific seasons here, I could use my centrefires, I just prefer flintlocks.

Yep, bought my first inline at 18 and followed it up with a pietta navy and caplock pistol, felt like I was Davy Crockett shooting prb out of my plastic stocked $99 walmart special.

I didn't have anyone to teach me the ropes back then so shot pyrodex and attempted to clean with hoppes #9.... within a year the bores on my smokepoles looked like sewer pipes and accuracy was gone. Thankfully I'm older and wiser these days.

Chris

 

[Coolhand]

I have the same .20 as you, if yours is anything like mine. The trigger pull is really heavy! To heavy! If you are on the bench you are braced better and the gun doesn’t move as bad. When you are shooting off hand the extremely heavy trigger pull is pulling the gun to the right. This has been the experience that I have had with myself and my .20 gauge.

 

[smo]

I’ll admit, I’m a jerker too…

I contribute it too shooting quail as a kid.
We always had bird dogs, & the action was fast in the fields and thickets of N. Alabama.
At that time the quail population was plentiful there..

So I too have to pay special attention when shooting not too jerk the trigger!

If I jerk, I always shoot too the right…being right side dominate ..

 

[FishDFly]

So shooting in matches is a waste of powder ball etc?

Not all folks have the talent to be match shooters.

 

[rusticbob]

After practicing all week with a wooden flint, I went to the range today to see if I had any improvement. Mixed results, but I think I’m getting closer.
I shot three shots at the bottom target first, 4” square at 25 yards. The forend resting in my hand, on a sandbag. Not bad, last shot dead center.
Then I went offhand and it went to sh-t real quick. Everything low this time. Although the last three were touching but 3-4” low but centered.
load was 75gr. FFG Goex, .600 RBI’s with .018 patch.
I did notice that the last three shots that are touching I remembered to hold my right thumb alongside and parallel to the tang. I do have a crude rear sight which I can file down if necessary. I think I better do some more dry firing!

 

[FishDFly]

Dry firing will work.

Dry fire first thing in the morning "after" eating breakfast.

You will concentrate better on the task at hand than in the evening when you are tired from the days activities.

It will take about 30 days of dry firing to see things really improve.

One good thing about dry firing is you do not have to clean your rifle!

 

[Fly103]

And make sure you're dry firing at a small target, "aim small miss small"! I use light switch plate screws on the other side of the shop about 20ft away.

Chris

 

[Rob M.]

I am having a problem shooting offhand with my new 20ga Fowler.
From the bench, I can keep all my balls in a 4” square block. That’s at 25 yards , using .600 ball, .018 patch and 65gr fffg. Of course I did put a homemade rear sight on it, helped a bunch.
My problem is offhand shooting, same target, same gun, same load, same range! Everything is off to the right side, sometimes a foot right! The elevation seems fine most of the time, but everything is to the right of the target. Shot 20-25 rounds today and am getting frustrated.
I am fairly new to flintlock shooting, but not new to shooting at all.
Any ideas?

Yeah , its either the dreaded flinch or , more likely , the pull . I'll tell ya how to rid yourself of it but the biggest thing is lots of practice while concentrating on the trigger pull and front sight . Any who ...I had the right pull thing when I first started . Funny , I'd never heard of it from other folks just the flintch . What I did was make sure it was just Me, shooting the gun or rifle sand bagged to male sure it is sighted in , then when I was shooting concentrating on the pull and front sight but also I'd aim just to the left of my target . Funny thing is I started shooting pretty good and was raising dome eye brows at some shoots and gatherings . Neat thing was after awhile my bullet hole started straying slightly left after awhile ...I was not pulling so much and pretty soon a bit more ...after awhile I could aim dead center and that is where I was hitting ... Worked it out . Good luck.

 

[Nuthatch]

Dry firing works a little for me but not enough to cure the dreaded flinch of a flinter. What helps me a little is using an actual flint in the jaws & getting used to the distraction of sparks in my vision. What really helps is if I have more time, I'll drop about 10 gr down the barrel & put a wetted patch on top (no ball). Then prime & hold for a shot. It just gets me used to the flash, smoke & ignition going off in my face without any recoil or actual shot to think about. Only makes about as much noise as a nail gun. Also taught me a lot about how my guns like to be loaded for good ignition. But then I have to clean so I don't do this often enough.

The flinch still gets me but I'm rather new to it. Recently, it took about 5 shots to hit a can at just 25 yards. 3 of those shots were rested on a tire. I just tend to pull the shot after the cock falls but before the main charge goes off. It's amazing what my brain can do in <0.2 seconds. And by "amazing," I mean frustrating...

I figure it's the same as target panic in the archery world -- the brain anticipating something happening and bracing for impact. The more you shoot, the worse it gets. If I don't use a clicker on my longbow, I'll get about 3-4 shots before I start flinching again. I need that reminder to keep pulling until I hear that *click* & then relax. I don't know what the flintlock equivalent of a psycho-trigger could be. And it's hard to hold the sights on-target when I can no longer see them.

 

[Col. Batguano]

4:00 o'clock hits are typical "flintlock flinch" hits. Caused by lifting your head and unconsciously pulling the gun down and to the right. Try "growling" and constantly exhaling as you're headed toward trigger break. even leaning forward toward and in to the target as you're doing the break. That will force you to stay tense with your body core, and should help accuracy.