Developing a flinch

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

Good afternoon all! I am coming to you for advice. I recently picked up a 450/400 double for my first buffalo hunt this October and while I love the gun I am rapidly begining to hate shooting it. I have, and shoot, a 9.3x62, a 375 H&H and a 404 Jeffery, none of which react the way this one does. It's not the recoil that is throwing me off, in fact the recoil is very managable! It's the fact that the gun seems to want to "hop" up and slam into my cheekbones every other time I pull the trigger. I don't know if I am holding it wrong since I am used to scoped rifles which may need to be held higher, I don't know if the cheek-rest is off (I hope not, the wood is beautiful) but for some reason about every other shot it wants to leap up like an impala and slap my cheek as hard as it can. As a result, I'm developing a flinch, not just with this rifle but with all my rifles. I even flinched today when I was shooting my 270, and that gun usually kicks as hard as a sleepy kitten. I need help, suggestions, advice, something! So please, give me your thoughts, your ideas, anything at this point because this is becoming a serious issue! Thank you.

 

[375Fox]

There is quite a bit written about this with shotguns. I have this issue badly with many shotguns unfortunately. Increasing the length of pull is the easiest solution with a shotgun for me to minimize it.

 

[R.M.C.]

I'm definitely no expert on shooting big bores and the biggest I've got is a .375 h&h but I think going to a .22 and dry firing the big guy more might help. I seem to develop a flinch every once in a while and the .22 helps me. Dry firing too. Hopefully this helps a little!!! Good luck I'm sure you'll be fine when the moment of truth comes. It will be second nature by October.

 

[Shootist43]

Eventually_ Africa_ Again, are you shooting off a bench, or are you shooting off sticks and or offhand? Your statement about being "slapped" every other time has me confused.

 

[Beretta391]

Check the pitch on your new double compared to your other guns. You may need to add a pitch spacer to keep it from slapping you in the face. You can loosen pad and add a couple washers at top of pad and shoot to get an idea how much pitch you need to get it to quit slapping your cheek.

 

[chashardy]

I occasionally have the flinch issue when practicing with my 416 Rigby at the range. I went Thursday of this week and the first two shots were dead on the bulls eye of the target. But on another round I flinched and hit low left--which is typical of flinching. For me, I just have to concentrate on staying down on the rifle and squeeze and hold the trigger. Seems to help.

 

[BourbonTrail]

I developed a horrible flinch when I bought my first magnum rifle (wife did too after a few sporting clay rounds with my 12ga), and I can say that dry fire practice helped immensely.

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

Eventually_ Africa_ Again, are you shooting off a bench, or are you shooting off sticks and or offhand? Your statement about being "slapped" every other time has me confused.

My apologies! I am shooting off of sticks. Basically what I mean is, the gun goes back into my shoulder, but also seems to rise up to meet my cheek pretty hard. No matter how I brace, it seems like every full pulls of the trigger my cheekbone gets hit.

 

[WAB]

If it is jumping you almost certainly have too much drop and possibly the pitch is off. A double
Rifle shoots like a shotgun, fit is critical. If the fit is off you are going to hate it. Fit on a scoped rifle is important but nearly as critical. There are some good gun fitters in the US. My buddy at H&H is one of the best if you ever find your way to London.

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

If it is jumping you almost certainly have too much drop and possibly the pitch is off. A double
Rifle shoots like a shotgun, fit is critical. If the fit is off you are going to hate it. Fit on a scoped rifle is important but nearly as critical. There are some good gun fitters in the US. My buddy at H&H is one of the best if you ever find your way to London.

Well I'd love to have a fitter take a look, unfortunetly I'm stuck in Albuquerque NM and that's a bit of a walk away from London lol. Not many people in this neck of the woods have experiance with one, I took mine to a gunsmith here for an issue, he's been around the block a time or three and it was the first double he had ever worked on.

 

[BnC 04]

First off, well done identifying you are/have developed a flinch. Most ignore it.
Best advice is to spend LOTS of time with a 22, or any little to no recoil round.
Run a few boxes through and then take a shot or two with a large cal rifle. Once you feel it coming on then it back to the 22 again. You can and will break the flinch. Just takes time and effort.

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

First off, well done identifying you are/have developed a flinch. Most ignore it.
Best advice is to spend LOTS of time with a 22, or any little to no recoil round.
Run a few boxes through and then take a shot or two with a large cal rifle. Once you feel it coming on then it back to the 22 again. You can and will break the flinch. Just takes time and effort.

I appreciate it, and for the other rifles your 100% right, I'm sure that would help me solve it! I just need to get the 450/400 cheek-hitting thing figured out though, because I love this rifle, I want to take it to Africa, and I am 95% certain I'm holding it wrong or something which makes it bite my cheek. It's the strangest thing! All my other rifles, they press the shoulder, yes, but that's just recoil. I can deal with recoil. But this thing jumping up and hitting my cheekbone, I cannot deal with that at all. I have no idea why it's doing it. I've even considered slapping some padding on the stock but that's a last resort for me, if it's even an option.

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

Is there any chance that you can press your cheek "too tight" to the stock? Should I just lightly rest my cheek on it while I hold it firm and steady into my shoulder, or should I be jamming my cheek down on it like I was hugging a tree in a hurricane?

 

[Berettaco]

If you are up for a road trip maybe head over to Champlin in Enid OK and have George take a look.

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

If you are up for a road trip maybe head over to Champlin in Enid OK and have George take a look.

They are the ones I bought it from actually! They have been great to work with when it had a few minor issues here and there. I don't think I'll be able to go, but I do want to say they treated me very well and if I ever want another of these I intend to go through them again.

 

[Berettaco]

Did George help you in person when you bought it? He might have some ideas as far as fit

 

[Berettaco]

As several of the other have posted it is probably pitch or LOP, I would guess the LOP is a touch too short. A cheap way to figure that out would be to add a nice slip on leather recoil pad and see how that feels

 

[One Day...]

Well I'd love to have a fitter take a look, unfortunetly I'm stuck in Albuquerque NM and that's a bit of a walk away from London lol. Not many people in this neck of the woods have experiance with one, I took mine to a gunsmith here for an issue, he's been around the block a time or three and it was the first double he had ever worked on.

From Albuquerque you can make an appointment with George Caswell, the owner, and JJ Perodeau, the master gunsmith, at Champlin Arms in Enid OK, who are certainly among the most respected double rifle experts in the US. It will be a long evening driving there and a long day meeting them and coming back (550 miles / 8 hours) each way, but you can rest assured that if there is something to be diagnosed and fixed, whether it be by teaching or working on the stock, they are among the best to do it. I mean it, it is likely worth the drive, and still within reach for you.

Edit - Oooops! Sorry, I typed the above before reading the entire thread, and I see now that Berettaco already suggested this.
+1

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

Did George help you in person when you bought it? He might have some ideas as far as fit

Unfortunately no, I bought it online and talked to him over the phone. Nice fellow though!!

 

[BourbonTrail]

@rookhawk - you are knowledgeable about gun fitment, any ideas to help him sort this out?