Embarrassed with my carry gun.

+1 The shooter has to decide if they want to stop flinching or not. Shooters can get away with it short range with a rifle, not so much with a pistol.

Then, when you think you've got a flinch under control, run some snap caps for a "ball and dummy" drill. You'll see how wrong you are, and that you've got more work to do [laugh]
 
A little dry fire goes a long way.

This. Pistol skills rust FAST.

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Because dry firing has none of the factors that cause a flinch. Noise and recoil. Plus the empty chamber drill does not distinguish between pre and post push

This. Is your first shot of the day on target and the follow ups off? Good indicator its a flinch.
 
Then, when you think you've got a flinch under control, run some snap caps for a "ball and dummy" drill. You'll see how wrong you are, and that you've got more work to do [laugh]

But how do you know if it's not post ignition push. If you ask me to do a Bill drill, but you only load 5 in my mag, you will see the muzzle dip on the click. But all 5 shoots will be in a nice group. The ball and dummy drill only tells you that the muzzle is moving, but not if it's before or after the shoot breaks. Only the target tells you that.
 
But how do you know if it's not post ignition push. If you ask me to do a Bill drill, but you only load 5 in my mag, you will see the muzzle dip on the click. But all 5 shoots will be in a nice group. The ball and dummy drill only tells you that the muzzle is moving, but not if it's before or after the shoot breaks. Only the target tells you that.

I would argue this with my father, he used to tell me I was flinching, and I was sure it was post like you say
 
If you don't/can't get to the range, there are alternate methods Laserlyte, you can do it in the basement. This is what I use:



They also make an adapter that fits your firearm and a bunch of accessories: http://www.laserlyte.com/collections/lts


Got the gun and 3 cans for Christmas, pretty cool when the gun isn't acting flaky. Not sure if I got a bad one but the laser has to be in just right for it to light.
 
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I've been surprised several times at how much doubling hearing protection can fix a flinch. Some folks are just sensitive to noise. I now routinely start newbies with foam plugs and electronic muffs at max volume.
 
whats a good exercise to help lose the flinch? my wifes got a little flinch when we move up from a 22

Hold your pinky out on your trigger finger hand....
Also its all in your mind when I teach courses I have to constantly remind the shooter students that the gun will not hurt you. Focus on the basics. Try incorperating snap caps into your MAG and forget what sequence the snapcap will chamber. Then if you flinch and the firearm doesnt go off you feel like a tard. When students still flinch I put them pack on the 22lr pistol and let them shoot until they calm down. I hate the phrase 'it should suprise you' because thats wrong, you should know when you put enough pressure on the trigger it will cause the firearm to do its job, anticipating recoil is all in your head.
 
I took a friend to the range two weeks ago who's a new shooter and has a wicked flinch. I mixed snap caps into his mag and had him shoot a bullseye at 7yds. I didn't tell him I mixed them in. I stood on the side of him and filmed him with my phone. When he got to the first snap cap the hand jerk was atrocious. I then played the video back showing him what he was unconsciously doing. He was shocked.

Most people have no idea what they are doing when the gun goes bang and don't realize the bang is all they are focusing on. You need to break that somehow.

I kept mixing in snap caps into his mags for several more times through. Because he started focusing on his trigger pull his groups shrunk to almost half their starting size.
 
Take a couple of Handgun 102-104 classes @ Sig Academy. They are local and easy to schedule. Or better yet, a private lesson with a reputable instructor.

The $$ you invest in a good class more than pays for itself. If you don't know how to practice properly or what you should be focusing on during practice sessions, then you are just throwing $$ away at the range. Once you learn how and what to practice, dry fire. High level shooters can typically dry fire/dry manipulate up to 10 dry rounds to every 1 live round fired.

This is the best advice here. A good instructor will be able to diagnose your problem and give you the tools to improve.

You can practice all you want, but if you're practicing the wrong way, you're just betting ingraining bad habits. If you know what you're doing wrong, you can practice to correct it. And an instructor can teach you the most effective way to practice to resolve your specific issues.

One hour with a good instructor can resonate over a lifetime. Money very well spent.
 
One of the things I don't like about MRA is the requirement for all targets to be at least 30 feet down range. Makes doing something like this too tough.

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This is cool. Can't believe I've never seen it before.

The point of the 30 foot thing at Mass. Rifle was when it was implemented the target carriers were higher and close targets meant a higher sight line that impacted the ceiling and not the berm. They now have lower target holders so the whole thing is kind of a moot point and also prohibits practicing at a realistic distance where concealed carry is concerned.
 
Snap caps and dummy rounds. Have someone "hide" a couple of them at random in your magazines when you go to the range. No peeking.

Now, when you go to shoot, you're going to be "surprised" by a click when you expected a bang. What did you do? Did you flinch and push the gun down and away from you? Are you jerking the trigger? Where are your sights after the simulated misfire?
This has helped me the most. At the range I pick up a mix of live and dummy rounds, shake them around in my hands, and then load the mags by feel without looking - that way I really don't know what's coming up when.
 
I improved my accuracy dramatically but doing a few things. I shoot more often and don't worry about the number of shots taken. Its better to shoot a few shots with focus than it is to throw a lot of lead down range. I hit the range more often than most and when I can't hit the range I dry fire. I know it's been said but dry firing is a great tool.
One of the most important things I have learned is that until you can do well at 15 feet don't bother with 50 feet. I see guys shooting at 50 feet and half the shots aren't even on the paper. Start shooting close up and work your way back. I also use quarter size stick on targets and focus on each shot. I reload as well so there are days when I just want to pop a lot of shots off. Now that's just plain fun.
 
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