2-stage trigger contributing to jerk/flinch?

[hkfan45]

I have a braked 308 in a tube gun stock that I have been shooting off a bench. I have a cg extreme trigger and am having an awful hard time kicking a trigger jerk/flinch habit. I seem to be pulling through the first stage and having a terrible time avoiding pulling through the 2nd stage immediately without letting it break slowly. I am having a lot of horizontal stringing which makes me think its me and not the gun /load.

Did any of you have difficulty with a 2 stage that benefited from moving to a single stage? I have spent a lot of time dry firing my trigger with no help.

 

[Lapua40X]

Two stage triggers add just one more element to trigger control than I can handle. I try to avoid them except for my military rifles where they are standard issue. Your CG Extreme has a weight adjustment for each stage. I'd suggest you set the second stage to the weight you prefer and then set the first stage enough lower than the second so that you can more easily detect the change in pressure as you press through the trigger's length of travel. Also be sure to have a nice flat finger pad contact on the trigger so that you get the best "feel" throughout the trigger engagement process.

 

[hkfan45]

Two stage triggers add just one more element to trigger control than I can handle. I try to avoid them except for my military rifles where they are standard issue. Your CG Extreme has a weight adjustment for each stage. I'd suggest you set the second stage to the weight you prefer and then set the first stage enough lower than the second so that you can more easily detect the change in pressure as you press through the trigger's length of travel. Also be sure to have a nice flat finger pad contact on the trigger so that you get the best "feel" throughout the trigger engagement process.

Helpful advice, thank you.

Has anyone gone from a cg back to a Jewell?

 

[NickB1075]

I have both and both are great triggers. It is all personal preference. I prefer the two stage for my prone rifle. For me the taking up of the first stage kinda let's me sharpen my focus this is purely mental for me.

I would practice holding at the second stage then breaking the shot. You could also make the second stage a bit heavier to help you diferentiate between the end of the first stage and the beginning of the second.

Also if you have to make a certain trigger pull the two stage kinda drops the pull weight down to whatever the second stage is set at. But it will still make the weight requirements. Example say your comp requires a 4lb pull 1st stage = 3lb 2nd stage =1lb if you learn to hold between stages you only have 1lb pull to release the shot.

I hope that makes sense.

Nick

 

[1shot]

I agree with everything Nick said, but I do it in the reverse. The 1st stage is very light and the 2nd stage breaks at about 14oz. I like others like the ability to pull through the 1st stage and if something doesn't feel right or the conditions change I can let off with no effort.
To quote my 1st instructor "The objective of the trigger finger is a straight, smooth deliberate action directly to the rear until the weapon fires."
I hope this helps,
Lloyd

 

[gme]

All good advice, the type of trigger your using should not contribute to flinching, one thing about a flinch, the more you think about it the worse it will get, a few other things to consider: if you are not already doing it run double hearing protection, the concussion from the brake can contribute to flinching, also try and develop a pre shot routine, for me it's doing a mental check of my position stating at my feet then moving through may hips, shoulders, neck etc. Then checking the wind, target, shallow breath, break the shot. There's also the tried and true ball and dummy drill.

 

[fredhorace77]

trying to break a flinching habit is really tough imo. i resorted back to shooting a lot of 22lr. and pellet rifles to try to retrain myself not to flinch. one other tip is also concentrate on holing the trigger back for 2 seconds after the trigger breaks and the gun fires. this will cause u to concentrate more on whats happening after the shot to help fool ur mind into ignoring the recoil. also double up on hearing protection , i use plugs and ear muffs to help keep my concentration. good luck.

 

[rocketron]

Check with CG triggers. the owner is a really nice guy i think his name is tom. I had one and I think you can set up the first stage so it will act like a single stage trigger.

 

[Keith Glasscock]

I have been running my Barnards with both stages. First stage is so light it is almost free floating. The second is <6oz. I had a bit of a flinch too. I cured it by watching the bullet impact the target. I think it's called follow through.

 

[FatBoy]

The CG has the ability to reduce the 1st stage to basically nothing. You can set it up to almost act like a single stage.

I had developed a flinch from target shooting a Sendero in 300WM. It took my Dad and I a day of ball and dummy drills to break the flinch but that worked.

I doubt the trigger is the issue with flinch. It's probably either recoil or noise.

 

[chkunz]

The noise and recoil of the highpower rifle causes our subconscious to react in ways that can be destructive to our shooting performance, and therein lies the problem. The body’s senses react naturally and involuntarily to noise and recoil, so what we must overcome is our natural instinct to protect ourselves from what our subconscious perceives as a threat. And, at the same time, we must learn and apply the fundamentals of marksmanship as they pertain to what ever shooting exercise we are doing. This is no small challenge! You must learn to control your natural, subconscious, involuntary, reaction to noise and recoil. This is sometimes manifested by flinching, bucking or jerking the trigger to spoil an otherwise good shot. For the new shooter, the challenge is to learn from the beginning to avoid the destructive reaction of the subconscious to noise and recoil. For the experienced competitor, it is a much more difficult task of unlearning the bad habit of adversely reacting to noise and recoil. I have finally discovered a training exercise, that, for me, does help. The training exercise is called “Ball-and-Dummy”. For this exercise, mix five live rounds with fifteen dummy rounds and use them in your live fire practice session. Mix the five live and fifteen dummy rounds and load at random and shoot for practice. As you break the trigger on the dummy rounds, you will soon see all the bad habits you have developed. But, you can also see the results of breaking the bad habits as you continue this training exercise.Many shooters who try this once will not continue because it reveals bad habits they are not willing to admit they have. What self-respecting shooter will admit he jerks the trigger, or worse; there are too many other things to blame a bad shot on.

 

[missed]

I was battling the flinching issue lately. After a BAD sinus infection I could not handle any of my braked rifles, It took shooting my 22 then getting back to the non braked barrels before I could get over the flinching. It took me a weekly trip to the range for about a month to break the habit. I hate my sinuses.

 

[Lapua40X]

FWIW .... When I first trained for pistol competition in the military my instructor would balance a penny (or dime if he was flush) on the top of the front sight. He'd stand behind me and have me squeeze through the shot on an empty chamber. If the coin fell from the sight I got a swift kick in the backside.
I don't recommend the swift kick but the coin balancing act still works well; even without a front sight on the barrel. 8)

 

[johara1]

Flinching has nothing to do with a two stage trigger……… If you were in the service you would find all rifles are two stage triggers. A lot of trap shooters start flinching and is from recoil not the trigger. They use a release trigger to combat the issue, best is learn to to do it right and it's mind over matter. Trigger control can be dealt with, it's in your head …… a slow steady even pressure to the rear till the hammer falls with out the shooters knowledge ……… bucking and jerking can be handled ……. jim

 

[hkfan45]

Thank you all for the helpful comments.

Does anyone think a heavier 2nd stage might be better? I am thinking that if I make the 2nd stage heavier, I can focus better on pulling the 2nd stage and feeling it break.

 

[FatBoy]

You can a just the CG up to about 2lbs. If you need it heavier than that, I recommend you email Tom at X-treme and see if you can send it back for heavier springs.

I don't think this will fix a flinch. If anything, it may make it worse. Get a buddy to go with you and have him load the rifle without you seeing what he loaded. A spent case on a random basis is all that's needed. Well that and time to work through it. ball and dummy drills are the only way I know if to breaks a flinch. Concentrate on your fundamentals while squeezing and you should work through this is no time.

Consider removing the brake as well. At least until you get past this.

 

[6fatrat]

Flinching has nothing to do with a two stage trigger……… If you were in the service you would find all rifles are two stage triggers. A lot of trap shooters start flinching and is from recoil not the trigger. They use a release trigger to combat the issue, best is learn to to do it right and it's mind over matter. Trigger control can be dealt with, it's in your head …… a slow steady even pressure to the rear till the hammer falls with out the shooters knowledge ……… bucking and jerking can be handled ……. jim

+1
Steve Bair

 

[hkfan45]

I don't currently own a 22, but from comments in this thread, maybe it would be a good idea to practice on a good 22. Any recommendations for a quality 22? I used to shoot smallbore w/ an Anschutz 1903 (sold long ago) that I loved.

 

[wyoming .260]

I was battling the flinching issue lately. After a BAD sinus infection I could not handle any of my braked rifles, It took shooting my 22 then getting back to the non braked barrels before I could get over the flinching. It took me a weekly trip to the range for about a month to break the habit. I hate my sinuses.

Lol , I had the opposite effect for me. I sighted in My trusty .458 with full sinuses and when I was done they were running clear!!!!!!!!!

 

[BoydAllen]

There are three things that you need to do to fix your flinch. Get a hold of an accurate .22, and carefully shoot a couple of bricks of ammo. The other two things have to do with what caused the flinch in the first place. I am always amazed at how many fellows seem to feel that their manhood would be called into question if they took adequate measures so that the sound of their rifles firing was reduced to the point where it was not a factor in their shooting. In short, you need to start using double protection, high db rated foam plugs, under your ear muffs. The second thing is to realize that there is no shame is using additional padding at the shoulder when shooting at the range. I never shoot anything that has any recoil without extra protection, because I have a lot of time and money invested in my benchrest hobby, and I do not want to mess that up with a flinch. For me, a strap on pad has worked well (magnum version). Lacking that, a sand bag of the appropriate size and shape. This idea that the pain and noise are things that require manly endurance is at the root of your flinch problem. When the sound of your rifle's discharge is sufficiently attenuated, and the sensation of its recoil reduced to a shove, you will be well on your way.