Recoil Therapy: the Art of Relaxing at the Range

guns.com ^ | 6 February, 2012 | Jim Downey

[marktwain]

While this is written in a light-hearted way, I find that range time does much to sooth the soul. Serious target work requires zen-like concentration.

[Sudetenland]

Worked for Rick Perry after he dropped out of the Republican primaries. :)

[cripplecreek]

Don't sell recoil rage short.

[Vaquero]

my .44 mag was my first handgun....going against the experts who suggest a .22 rimfire or .38 should be your first....I loaded the Redhawk up with full house loads and blammed away....I did develop a flinch so I got the .22 Mk 2 Ruger to ease up a bit...

a good trick to control flinching with a revolver is to load 2 or 3 rounds spin the cylinder and fire each shot as if there was a round in it....if it goes click and you flinch, you will know it...then you can concentrate on not flinching. mind over matter...it will work if you can concentrate on it.

my .54 caliber Hawkin(replica) muzzle loader kicks worse than any gun I have....a good trick is to hold these FIRMLY against your shoulder.....holding it lightly because you fear the recoil will give you MORE recoil....

[MHGinTN]

With the following you can get your recoil reward and trigger time, in 5.56, or with a CMMG stainless kit, your trigger time with optics yoga without recoil reward:

[paterfamilias]

I love it!

And, it is 100% true - trust me, I’m a doctor.

[Vaquero]

[Mich Patriot]

I love my 9mm, but sometimes I just like plinking with my Browning Buckmark .22. Dirt cheap ammo yet still relieves the stress.

[ctdonath2]

12ga pistol AOW - when you absolutely, positively must have a ginormous grin on your face.

[lurk]

They need to turn burned gunpowder smell into an aroma therapy candle.

[catman67]

My version of Recoil Therapy!!!

[G Larry]

Hope they clear the snow at our local therapy center, so I can get a little 100 yard therapy going this weekend....

[MHGinTN]

Aw man, now you got me drooling again.

[wyowolf]

I would LOVE to take my Dan Wesson .45 to the range more... but burning through .45 rounds is pricey!!

[Victor]

"...I find that range time does much to sooth the soul. Serious target work requires zen-like concentration. I find that range time does much to sooth the soul. Serious target work requires zen-like concentration....."

Man, you said it....it took me a while to understand why/how I would be so exhausted after even an hour on the range. And my 23 year old son says the same thing.

Zen-like concentration indeed...

[sjmjax]

Recoil Therapy? Nothing drives away the demons or the blues like a burst from the M2HB!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So6mrAEUAOU

[FishinTX]

You can never have too much “therapy”. Usually start off saying, “ I’ll just shoot the 9 a little” and end up getting the big guns out.

[paul51]

LOL. I do the same thing. Kind of like going to the driving range. Start with the short irons and move up to the driver

[nobamanomore]

I’ll get my mind right tomorrow morning, probably fire some AR15’s, .45 ACP, maybe even through in the .416 Rigby for some recoil therapy. That’s the fast route to recoil therapy

[elcid1970]

The first handgun I ever fired (age 10) was my uncle’s Highway Patrolman .357 and my Dad loaded three random rounds into the cylinder. After gun safety, the very next lesson was flinch control!

At my last range session I was happily blasting away at a target consisting of Jane Fonda’s ugly scowling face (.38 wadcutters work best). Two younger guys were watching and one said, “Is that his ex!?”. The other replied, “Naw, man, he must be Vietnam. That’s Jane Fonda!”

FWIW I was in Vietnam while Fonda was treasoning in Hanoi.

I gave the lads an unfired Fonda target and told them to copy it and pass it around.