Can recoil affect our accuracy?

[hqly2001]

My understanding is once you aim and then shoot the accuracy is already determined. But someone told me that if you can't control your recoil the shot will be off. Is that true?
Say I shoot a 45.. i can't seem to get close grouping. I'm wondering if it's my aiming or control of the gun.

[teIam]

The bullet leaves the barrel before the recoil effects the gun.

It's most likely trigger control that's causing your issues.

[rivraton]

Anticipation of recoil effects accuracy...

[BamBam-31]

For all intents and purposes, if you do your part correctly (sight picture, trigger control, breathing, etc.), by the time you feel the recoil, the shot is already gone. (I recall a discussion somewhere where they claimed this wasn't exactly 100% true, but it's close enough that for training purposes you can safely assume it to be so.) The only difference between shooting a .22lr and a .45acp, then, is the felt recoil and amount of grip force required for proper follow-through (where you level the sights at your target again).

In other words, if your accuracy is not where you want it to be, it's not because you can't control the recoil (the gun cycles and is still in your hands, right?). It's because you messed up in one of the areas prior to felt recoil (most likely in the trigger control department...aka flinching or jerking the trigger).

A bigger caliber will often lead to more flinching in a new shooter who does not yet have proper muscle memory programmed in. The cure for that is, as a quick search will reveal, lots of dry firing and training w/ a .22lr pistol.

[swifty]

With handguns(not rifles), recoil is already moving the gun before the bullet exits the barrel. Try to be as consistent as possible in your grip, and the firmness of your grip, from shot to shot. Pay an extreme amount of attention to the sights and your sight alignment while you are pulling the trigger. Once you have pulled the trigger, continue holding the trigger to the rear until recoil subsides.

[ZirconJohn]

Get some snap caps/dummy rounds

Train your eye on the sights/target, squeeze... and snap

At the 'snap' your eye is maintained on sights and target - frozen in time

When you live fire do the same thing - sights, snap, look for frozen end result
at the fire

The end result; recoil does NOT exist... you will hit your target with effective
efficiency... if you practice this method you will be amazed.

You have to practice dry-fire snap caps... practice a lot!

Live fire will improve.

When I first started this training, I would place a dummy round in with live
rounds (AT THE RANGE), random in magazine or cylinder. When I dropped
the hammer on that snap cap... I wanted, made myself see the frozen sight
picture. The trick is what the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.

When you do this live fire/random snap cap practice at the range, the first
few times you hit that random dummy round... you will catch yourself
flinching big-time! Keep up the training and soon you will hit that random
snap cap and you will be frozen NO flinch!

Good luck with your practice, be safe and have fun.

[jtmkinsd]

I once was at the range and a very petite female was a couple spots to my left. She was a very good shot...good form and mechanics. She asked her male shooting partner to let her try his gun...it was a large revolver...really big. She took aim, looked very comfortable, and squeezed...the revolver came back and almost hit her in the head...7 o'clock in the 10x ring, which is where all her groups were. It's not the kick that gets ya...it's the anticipation of the kick.

[jtmkinsd]

Bullet is long gone before recoil would affect aim.

[9mmepiphany]

As BamBam-31 said, the recoil of a gun has no affect on your shot. The effect of the recoil is just getting the gun back onto target for the next shot.

The reason folks believe that recoil has an effect is their reaction to the expected recoil. If you expect something to happen, you will often try to counteract it before it happens...we call that flinching

[ZirconJohn]

Bullet is long gone before recoil would affect aim.

As BamBam-31 said, the recoil of a gun has no affect on your shot. The effect of the recoil is just getting the gun back onto target for the next shot.

The reason folks believe that recoil has an effect is their reaction to the expected recoil. If you expect something to happen, you will often try to counteract it before it happens...we call that flinching

Precisely

Convince yourself through practice and training that recoil does NOT exist.

Do this and you will consistently complete accurate shots.

Do not do this and you will consistently complete inaccurate shots.

Do not complicate a simplistic and proven practice.

[bjl333]

For all intents and purposes, if you do your part correctly (sight picture, trigger control, breathing, etc.), by the time you feel the recoil, the shot is already gone. (I recall a discussion somewhere where they claimed this wasn't exactly 100% true, but it's close enough that for training purposes you can safely assume it to be so.) The only difference between shooting a .22lr and a .45acp, then, is the felt recoil and amount of grip force required for proper follow-through (where you level the sights at your target again).

In other words, if your accuracy is not where you want it to be, it's not because you can't control the recoil (the gun cycles and is still in your hands, right?). It's because you messed up in one of the areas prior to felt recoil (most likely in the trigger control department...aka flinching or jerking the trigger).

A bigger caliber will often lead to more flinching in a new shooter who does not yet have proper muscle memory programmed in. The cure for that is, as a quick search will reveal, lots of dry firing and training w/ a .22lr pistol.

This ^^^^^ Nuff said !!!

[swifty]

But someone told me that if you can't control your recoil the shot will be off. Is that true?

Say I shoot a 45.. I can't seem to get close grouping. I'm wondering if it's my aiming or control of the gun.

Yes, it's true. How recoil is managed affects both point of impact and size of groups. The effect is much more pronounced in revolvers then autoloaders. Recoil starts as soon as the bullet starts moving. Weight of gun, power of cartridge, how the gun is held etc., are factors that help determine how much recoil and the effect of the recoil.

Compared to revolvers, autoloaders tend to sit lower in the hand which puts the bore line closer in line with the arm and minimizes muzzle flip. Autoloaders also have a delayed recoil.

The effect is seen more in revolvers. The revolvers have a higher bore line and no delayed recoil. To compensate for this the factories tend to use taller front sights, on the guns that use a more powerful cartridge, the front sights are taller yet.

Line of sight does not change, eye-rear sight-front sight-target. Look at revolvers chambered for the .44Mag, tall front sights. As line of sight does not change, the taller the front sight the more the barrel is pointed downward. This compensates for the increased recoil which causes muzzle flip. Revolvers of the same make, model and caliber but with different barrel lengths will use sights of different heights. The differences in barrel weight at the muzzle affect recoil and the amount of muzzle rise. The different height sights again correct for the effects of recoil.

You mention shooting a .45 in the original post. If the cartridge is the .45ACP, .45GAP, .45WinMag etc. and used in an autoloader, the effects will not be as pronounced as if shooting a .45Colt or .454Casull in a revolver.

Follow the suggestions in the posts above, be very consistent in your technique and you will be shooting nice groups to point of aim.

[Donny1]

Yes, it's true. How recoil is managed affects both point of impact and size of groups. The effect is much more pronounced in revolvers then autoloaders. Recoil starts as soon as the bullet starts moving. Weight of gun, power of cartridge, how the gun is held etc., are factors that help determine how much recoil and the effect of the recoil.

Compared to revolvers, autoloaders tend to sit lower in the hand which puts the bore line closer in line with the arm and minimizes muzzle flip. Autoloaders also have a delayed recoil.

The effect is seen more in revolvers. The revolvers have a higher bore line and no delayed recoil. To compensate for this the factories tend to use taller front sights, on the guns that use a more powerful cartridge, the front sights are taller yet.

Line of sight does not change, eye-rear sight-front sight-target. Look at revolvers chambered for the .44Mag, tall front sights. As line of sight does not change, the taller the front sight the more the barrel is pointed downward. This compensates for the increased recoil which causes muzzle flip. Revolvers of the same make, model and caliber but with different barrel lengths will use sights of different heights. The differences in barrel weight at the muzzle affect recoil and the amount of muzzle rise. The different height sights again correct for the effects of recoil.

You mention shooting a .45 in the original post. If the cartridge is the .45ACP, .45GAP, .45WinMag etc. and used in an autoloader, the effects will not be as pronounced as if shooting a .45Colt or .454Casull in a revolver.

Follow the suggestions in the posts above, be very consistent in your technique and you will be shooting nice groups to point of aim.

I would tend to agree with these conclusions. Firing two different 5 round 2" .38 spl revolvers produces consistent high groupings for me where as a larger revolver, ie longer, heavier does not have the same effect. Changing the point of aim to a lower spot will bring groups on target. With a semi-auto pistol I can feel the delay, especially .45 acp.

[Turbinator]

Yes, it's true. How recoil is managed affects both point of impact and size of groups. The effect is much more pronounced in revolvers then autoloaders. Recoil starts as soon as the bullet starts moving. Weight of gun, power of cartridge, how the gun is held etc., are factors that help determine how much recoil and the effect of the recoil.

I feel this is splitting hairs at this point. All the slo-mo videos I've watched for autoloaders clearly show the bullet leaving the barrel before the recoil action has had a chance to affect where the handgun is aiming.

I side with the posters above who say that it's all in your head, in actual practice and practical terms, it's the anticipation of recoil that affects your shot placement, not recoil itself.

Turby

[-hanko]

I feel this is splitting hairs at this point. All the slo-mo videos I've watched for autoloaders clearly show the bullet leaving the barrel before the recoil action has had a chance to affect where the handgun is aiming.

I side with the posters above who say that it's all in your head, in actual practice and practical terms, it's the anticipation of recoil that affects your shot placement, not recoil itself.

Turby

This.

Read post #6, make a copy and take it with you when you go shooting.

-hanko