the mental part of handgun shooting

[RWF]

just wondering about your idea's.

as some of you know i got hurt about 2.5 years ago. up to that point, believe it would be safe to say i have pulled the trigger close to 100K times. when u could get 9mm blazer for 1k for $86 out the door we would panic if we got down to 5k rounds. no big deal for us to shoot 1000 rounds a weekend. i hunted with a 44 mag redhawk for years.

if u seen my other post i was upset over the FSS 4.5# trigger. i can dry fire fine but once its loaded with that 4.5 trigger my hands are shaking and trying as hard as i can to pull the trigger.  

for what its worth i am not strong enough to even dry fire a lot of guns off the shelf.

any idea's why i can dry fire okay, but not a loaded one.

sorry for the long story

 

just because i may have shot a lot does not mean i was any good. :)

Edited March 18, 2015 by RWF

[TNWNGR]

Not really sure what the best response to your post here is w/o knowing more about the extent of injury and any subsequent impairments. But I will point out the mental mindset involved in shooting is largely derived from learning the right fundamentals and developing muscle memory. It is a perishable skillset so it requires frequent practice. At face value it sounds like you might need to try out some other pistols. Additionally if your still taking physical therapy you should find a physical therapist who shoots and can help you develop the necessary exercise routines to help you shoot. If it's a nerve damage issue then a neurologist who shoots should be consulted.

[Jonnin]

is this physical or mental?   If physical, I have no idea... I have damaged hands as well and anything I can dry fire, I can shoot.  Mostly, that is SAO actions, or very light DA/SA that are already cocked.    What gun is giving you trouble?  Have you tried a SAO like a cocked revolver or a 1911 etc??

 

 

If it is mental...  I can't say much about that, except you just have to overcome the fear.

[Omega]

There should be no physical difference between dry fire and live fire on trigger squeeze. Mental, well too many unknowns there. If the injury was weapon related then there may be a mental block going on, if not it may just be that you have developed a recoil flinch.

Myself, I quit hunting for a few years after my rotations overseas. Just could not get back into it, no flinching, no ptsd just lost interest for some reason. One day I decided to ease back into it and not let anything change me, started with some range time then some hunting and all was well.

You may try having someone load your .44 for you at the range. 5 snapcaps and one live, aim at your target and squeeze; let the live one surprise you.

[DaveTN]

Anticipation is more than a Carly Simon song; my WAG is that it is what’s happening to you.

When I see it happening with someone I will load up a revolver with an empty cylinder or a magazine with a snap cap. When they hit that empty and the gun does a dive for the ground; they see it.

To get past it is just concentration and breathing. But if it’s hurting you; you won’t be able to fix it.

Getting old sucks and as they say; it’s not for sissies. Just because you did it before doesn’t mean you can still do it. I quit shooting shotguns because it just wasn’t fun anymore. I know how to properly shoulder a shotgun but now it hurts. So now I think I’ll give the Remington 1100 Competition Synthetic a try and see if it helps. If not; no more shotguns. Edited March 18, 2015 by DaveTN

[RWF]

thank you, all I broke my neck at C5 C6 & C7. I no longer have the 44, could not even pick it up. no longer in PT, but can only open a 20 oz soda with my teeth and both hands. its really just shooting hand guns. I now only use AR style rifles as I can move my head and neck into a correct position to see thru a scope. 

 

with triggers less than 3-4# the shaking is not so bad.

Edited March 18, 2015 by RWF

[RWF]

the injury is not weapons related, except at some point they disarmed me and only gave my wife my holster, gun and mag. my guard dog bullets where missing. and I do have snap caps.

[peejman]

I'll echo the suggestion of SAO revolvers. Those can have pretty light triggers.

[RWF]

thanks again guys, this stuff is just aggravating and upsetting. I have to relearn everything.

[Guest Lowbuster]

Since I was hurt, I too did a lot of shooting, but now it hurts my neck and shoulders. I think mine was mental due to the pain I felt in the recoil. I now shoot lighter loads in practice but in larger caliber, I just prepare myself for discomfort. I hope this helps.

[Trekbike]

Just a guess, but is the extra weight of the loaded gun vs. dry firing enough to cause you to expend your limited strength on holding the gun up and there's not enough strength left to pull the trigger?

Does the same thing still happen when shooting from a rest?

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk

[Spiffy]

You could try the competition spring set up and see if you have the same issue.  Like everyone else has said if you can dry fire it, you should be able to live fire it.  I know I shake and tremble more when the gun is loaded than when dryfiring.  I'm not sure I'm really benefiting from the mental aspects of dry fire since I still push the gun down when I shoot. Anticipation of recoil and all that is just a little too built in for me.

[RWF]

I have not shooting the pistols from a rest, its a good idea. but I no longer have the 4.5# trigger, got down to 2# pounds and no issues. not steady but much better.

 

Spiffy

the full size had the APEX comp springs in it so would be able shoot it. when I sent off the upper for the quad porting I (with help) put in the FSS trigger and sear, but did not use the FSS springs. caused lots of problems. no matter how I adjusted the trigger bar at best 5 rounds before a flat trigger.

when put the FSS springs in I could dry fire okay but heavy. live fire I could not hit my 8" plates at 20 yards.

I believe it's a mental issue, just do not understand why.

as someone stated there should be no real difference between dry and live fire. 

my carry gun that's stays on my wheel chair is just short of a full blown comp set up, I shake some but not too bad.

 

thanks all

[RWF]

Just a guess, but is the extra weight of the loaded gun vs. dry firing enough to cause you to expend your limited strength on holding the gun up and there's not enough strength left to pull the trigger?

Does the same thing still happen when shooting from a rest?

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk

I tried it from a rest, embarrassing took up the Pre travel then for the first 5 shots it was hard to break the trigger. then on the last 5 I got it right. there 11 holes in cardboard. the one hi at 12 was a old one. once I settle down and got 2 shots together I lower the rear sight.

[graycrait]

RWF, Are both hands equally affected?  How about a service style pistol with a big open trigger guard to use both index fingers?  One of the CZ's comes to mind, but can't remember the model.

[graycrait]

When my right shooting hand was buggered up from reconstruction I learned to shoot lefthanded until I could squeeze the trigger with my right hand, took over a year just to make a decent fist and I still have some issues with my right index finger.   Regardless if one or both hands are equally affected I would opt for shooting with a Ruger MK series .22 with a 2lb trigger.

[RWF]

RWF, Are both hands equally affected?  How about a service style pistol with a big open trigger guard to use both index fingers?  One of the CZ's comes to mind, but can't remember the model.

no, my left hand is weaker and has less dexterity. trying to stick with the M & P since that's all I have shot for the last 5-7 years and we have about 8 of them.