i was getting some work done on my sako 75 .270 and had a mussel brake made for is recoil is nill its loud but ear plugs and muffs are cheap .

also shot a 338 with a brake fitted not too bad at all .
always wear ear plugs and muffs on the range and a good thick jacket also shoot off a bench more so than prone .i flinched some years ago its the noise more than recoil i think .
shoot as much as you can with a .22 or the like

im with bucko
i think the surprise trigger is b.s.
what you need is a predictable trigger pull
this is not always the glass rod thing
nor is it a hair trigger
learn not to fight your gun
you need a stance or rest where you dont have to pull the gun right left up or down to have the crosshairs on the center before you are ready to shoot, this is easy at the range maybe not in the woods, but once you learn it makes a difference on how your gun will settle down for you. stock fit an length of pull also are big factors , recoil anticipation makes people think they have to hold the gun tight you dont need to, i shoot a 416 rem offhand and never hold it any tighter than a 22 long rifle.
i shoot clay pidgeons offhand at 200 meter backstop and the biggest problem is always
a trigger that dosnt break when i want it to

If I am going to be at the range for a while with something along the lines of a 458 lott or 338 lapua, I always shoot about 100 rounds of 22, mostly from a standing position. Since my Lott is sighted in, I hope I never again have to shoot that bi*** off bags. It gave me my first real flinch problem while working up loads about a year ago.

There for a while, it was like i was schitzo -- I could actually hear a voice inside my head saying "you don't want to do that" when I was working off the bench with that rifle. My brain made it difficult for my index finger to depress the trigger. Really. I had a few Monday mornings where clients would ask what happened to me after the scope on that rifle had walked on my face a bit on a Sunday afternoon.

I don't have the problem if I am shooting offhand and stick with my loads that are good for about 2200 feet per second.

The poster might want to try a few different 375 rifles. The ones that I have shot were real pussy cats in the recoil department and simply devastating on game.

quote:

Originally posted by bucko:
If you can see the scope accelerating towards your face then you are not flinching
The shot is already long gone by then
The surprise break isa crock of shot in my opinion a hunter needs to know exactly when that thing is going off

Right - but therein lies the difference between the bench and hunting. I can get away with suprise break on the bench but offhand or 200 yrs with shooting sticks. Surprise break is the crutch with which I've been able to shoot groups at the bench. But now off the bench I no longer have that crutch and have to face my flinch.

I just wonder if surprise break wasn't worsening the problem.

quote:

Originally posted by Ard:

quote:

Originally posted by Wayfaring Stranger:

quote:

Originally posted by Ard:

Sounds like your flinch has little or nothing to do with actual recoil

That is a very interesting insight but I'm not sure I fully understand it.

I do understand that:
1) Its probably not a noise issue as I wear earplugs and headphones, and a .270 out of a 24" barrel has relatively little blast

2) The recoil doesn't hurt - even after 30 shots. My shoulder is never sore after shooting.

So if its not noise, and its not pain, what the hell is it?
Either
1) I'm self sabotaging and its time to see a shrink
2) My usual technique of shooting off the bench is the culprit. I squeeze until it goes off and when it does it surprises me. Most times I can see the scope accelerating toward may face before I blink. Maybe that's why I flinch!?!?!!?

W.S.,

Perhaps you have hit on something with the self sabotage idea. Not sure. However flinching is sometimes also known as "Pre Ignition Push" or PIP. In other words, self sabotage. I repeat, we all experience it from time to time, even with the rim fire calibers.

If PIP is what you are up against, only you can win that fight. The Brits say gin is good for; "The PIP, The Grip and the Occaisional Slip". (I do not recommend gin while handling weapons).

On the other hand, after you mentioned that you have no shoulder discomfort after a range session, I still suspect noise rather than actual recoil is to blame. If not entirely, at least in part.

It is wise to wear both plugs and phones but if your shoulder is not a little sore and you are still flinching, I repeat that I do suspect noise is an issue. Perhaps more accurately put, your anticipation of the noise is your culprit, right through the hearing protection and all. Our facial bones transmit a bit of noise to the ear drum even though our ears are plugged and covered.

This probably explains why my ears have been rung pretty well via some hot rod rifle with muzzle brake, right through my ear covers. Hopefully you can reason this out and press on with better accuracy thereafter. It is sort of like boxing lessons. After you get past the fear of being popped in the face it all sort of goes alot better and the lessons begin to make sense from then on.

Don't sell short your 24" barreled .270 in the muzzle blast department. It is a very sharp crack when it discharges and although perhaps not as much in deciples as some belted magnums, it is very intense and "sharp edged" in report. Sort of like a baby screeching as opposed to a bass opera singer. The opera singer has way more volume but the baby will run me out of a room every time with that high pitch screeching.

Best of luck with it all.
Ard.

So then the shooting a smaller cal (say .223) in a similar rifle for a while along with the other tricks (ball and dummy, dry fire ect)is the best approach?

I don't find shooting a 22 will help a flinch. It will help you shoot off hand because it's cheap and you can shoot a lot. Dry fire is the best way to get rid of a flinch. I also agree with the earplugs and head gear. No noise will help. Shooting a rifle is much like a pistol only easier. 4 Steps.

1. Bring the rifle up and always get into the same position. For a pistol this is simply stance and grip.

2. Sight picture. Always the same.

3. Trigger control.

4. Call your shot. It's ok to miss a bit, just know if you're low and left or whatever each shot.

Rinse and repeat.

When you go to the range, dry fire 10 times or so until you have the same sight picture after you pull the trigger as you did before.

Shoot 10 rounds, then repeat.

Just went to a friend's place today, he had gotten a great deal on a Browning MARKII BAR STALKER in 338 Win Mag. It weighs 7.75 lbs. He said it kicked bad and was thinking of a muzzle brake. I picked it up, lined up the sights and prepared for the recoil. It was surprisingly mild and I told him so. He then shot a nice 3 shot group off hand. I recommended a mercury recoil reducer and a Decelerator pad, the reducer mainly to get the balance right. A lot of the time it's all in our head.



Best of luck,

Chuck

quote:

Originally posted by Wayfaring Stranger:

quote:

Originally posted by Ard:

quote:

Originally posted by Wayfaring Stranger:

quote:

Originally posted by Ard:

Sounds like your flinch has little or nothing to do with actual recoil

That is a very interesting insight but I'm not sure I fully understand it.

I do understand that:
1) Its probably not a noise issue as I wear earplugs and headphones, and a .270 out of a 24" barrel has relatively little blast

2) The recoil doesn't hurt - even after 30 shots. My shoulder is never sore after shooting.

So if its not noise, and its not pain, what the hell is it?
Either
1) I'm self sabotaging and its time to see a shrink
2) My usual technique of shooting off the bench is the culprit. I squeeze until it goes off and when it does it surprises me. Most times I can see the scope accelerating toward may face before I blink. Maybe that's why I flinch!?!?!!?

W.S.,

Perhaps you have hit on something with the self sabotage idea. Not sure. However flinching is sometimes also known as "Pre Ignition Push" or PIP. In other words, self sabotage. I repeat, we all experience it from time to time, even with the rim fire calibers.

If PIP is what you are up against, only you can win that fight. The Brits say gin is good for; "The PIP, The Grip and the Occaisional Slip". (I do not recommend gin while handling weapons).

On the other hand, after you mentioned that you have no shoulder discomfort after a range session, I still suspect noise rather than actual recoil is to blame. If not entirely, at least in part.

It is wise to wear both plugs and phones but if your shoulder is not a little sore and you are still flinching, I repeat that I do suspect noise is an issue. Perhaps more accurately put, your anticipation of the noise is your culprit, right through the hearing protection and all. Our facial bones transmit a bit of noise to the ear drum even though our ears are plugged and covered.

This probably explains why my ears have been rung pretty well via some hot rod rifle with muzzle brake, right through my ear covers. Hopefully you can reason this out and press on with better accuracy thereafter. It is sort of like boxing lessons. After you get past the fear of being popped in the face it all sort of goes alot better and the lessons begin to make sense from then on.

Don't sell short your 24" barreled .270 in the muzzle blast department. It is a very sharp crack when it discharges and although perhaps not as much in deciples as some belted magnums, it is very intense and "sharp edged" in report. Sort of like a baby screeching as opposed to a bass opera singer. The opera singer has way more volume but the baby will run me out of a room every time with that high pitch screeching.

Best of luck with it all.
Ard.

So then the shooting a smaller cal (say .223) in a similar rifle for a while along with the other tricks (ball and dummy, dry fire ect)is the best approach?

Hello again W.S.,

Not sure what the answer is for you. Am grasping at straws here but I suspect you are on the right track with dry fire practice. I'd probably not bother with the .223 as it also has a very sharp edged "muzzle crack" report.

For live fire drills in this perplexing case, I'd try what others have said here about the .22 rimfire. In fact, try some CB caps as they are very quiet. Wear hearing protection any way. They're available in .22 long cases so you won't gum up your LR chamber but the projectile itself is short and these gallery cartridges may require feeding single shot into your chamber if your rifle only feeds long rifle ammunition.

Again, I wish you well in this. I repeat, sounds like you are on the right path.
Ard.

WS,

I also forgot this, Rudy Etchen used to teach if you apply more pressure with the 2 fingers of your shooting hand that are around the pistol grip, it helps get rid of the flinch. That was with shotgun shooting, but I still think it might help with yours shooting a rifle. Again, I think your flinch is more of a visual thing, if you can shoot off of a bench when the scope isn't moving and can concentrate on your trigger control and shoot tight groups, you're probably just worried about "pulling" the trigger instead of squeezing it when the crosshairs go over the target. The guys are right about the trigger, as well, if you're flinching, you want a heavier trigger, not a lighter one. Go to the gunsmith and tell him you want a heavier trigger, he'll think you're nuts and maybe he'll offer to give you some hands on coaching!

I voted for the 338, but I would probably pick the 30-06 with good bullets as a minimum.

The best fact of the 30-06, 35 Whelan, and 9.3x62 is that it holds 5 rounds when the 338, and 458 Winchester usually only hold 3.

Except for downright uncomfortable guns, I think flinching is a mental affliction. The gun goes off makes a bug bang and shoves you backwards. Throw in a scope eye or two over a few years of shooting and you will develop a nice flinch. Best way over it is to concentrate on the fact that the worst place to be would be in front of the barrel, not behind it!

Concentrate on the fact that nothings going to happen to you when the gun goes off, other than the shove and the noise. Don't worry about accuracy while doing this, just concentrate on putting the cross hairs on the target, take a few deep breaths, and on the last one let half of it out, pull the gun into your shoulder, and squeeze the trigger, keeping in mind that you are on the friendly end of things!

quote:

Originally posted by Wayfaring Stranger:I know I should be able to shoot a .458 without flinching but I'd think a.30-06 would be a more easily attainable goal.

Don't be so hard on yourself! I have news for you. Most folks, including experienced shooters of smaller calibers can't shoot big bores well. It takes a lot of practice to become proficient, and many never do. The flinch happens to the best of us sometimes. Stop thinking about it so much. As someone else mentioned here, the flinch is between your ears. You've gotten some great advice from these guys.

When I was 20, I purchased a 270 Win. in a Remington M700 ADL. When I cleaned the barrel/action I would lube the barrel and action, occasionally too much (youth and in-experience). I would then put the rifle in my closet in an upright position like everyone else does. Over a period of time, the oil would run down the bolt and get in the rear of the bolt around the firing pin. When I would take the gun out to the firing range, I would wipe the barrel/bolt off but since it was a M700, I did not take the firing pin out (no bolt tool) and clean it. When I fired the first several shots, the bolt would dis-charge a small amount of oil right straight into my eye. This gave me a flinch for some time. I have also had this happen when dry firing certain other rifles, such as CZs in sporting goods stores. Since then I've gone to Winchester rifles and have never again had this problem. I'm not
knocking any brand of rifle since I own all three of the fore-mentioned brands, I am just stating a fact.

Just another quick thanks to all that replied. If I ever run into you in a bar, I'll buy ya a cold one. You can hold me to that.

when i was getting over my flinch stuff, i'd have someone load the gun or not and hand it to me so i didn't know if it was live or not, but had to dry fire or shoot it like it was. amazing to see how bad you can flinch when "think" a gun is loaded and its not...really forces you to concentrate each time. I probably still flinch a little but i group good so....

I don't shoot enough, but I do shoot a Lott (on occasion / pun intended) I have an intermittent flinch I can cure with a little concentration.

My advice on calibers is to consider where you are on the food chain relative to the target and adjust accordingly.

best of luck with the flinch and the Grizz.

What no .45-70 Govt.?

I also have had a flinching problem. My problem came after I was an 81MM mortarman. I didnt have it when I joined the military and shooting the M16 didnt bother me when I was in.BUT the bigger calibers did bother me for awhile after I got discharged.In my case recoil was never a problem it was the noise.What worked for me was just telling myself this is B.S and I'm going to beat it.Its mind over matter stick with it practice and make your mind realize that the blast isnt going to hurt you.Shoot at the range often and call your shots even if you flinch you'll know where the crosshairs where when you dumped the trigger just to get rid of the agony of anticipating the big boom.Keep at it and you will overcome it if its the noise that bothers you.

A few things I think will not help you are.

1. A muzzle brake (Not only will it make it louder for you even with ear protection it will make everyone around you flinch also.)
2. A lighter trigger. This will work for the first couple of shots then your mind will learn it and youll simply be dumping a lighter trigger.

I would get a 375H&H and put a brake on it

To answer your question, .30-06 with 180g NP is the minimum IMO.

Personally I would use .338-06 with 225g NP or a .35 Whelen with 250g NP.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Z.:
What no .45-70 Govt.?

He said "LIGHTEST" caliber... you don't want to blow the thing to bits!

Take your .270 for the hero pics. Let your guide kill the moose and bear. See, problem solved.

quote:

Originally posted by white eagle:
I would get a 375H&H and put a brake on it

They don't kick much and the "break" breaks your ear drums. I know because I made the mistake of buying a .375 H&H with a break. That will be the last rifle with a break I ever own. If the recoil is too much get a less powerful cartrige or a better built gun. I'd start at an 8mm minimum (.325wsm, 8-06, 8mm Rem mag). I have a .325wsm at 7.5lbs. scoped. I don't think it kicks that bad.

I think everyone is forgetting (or didnt read)......the man flinches "BAD"!

this talk of 45/70's, 7 1/2 lb 325 WSM;s & 375 H+H's are not in his spectrum as of yet.

If forced to, I would do this hunt in a heart beat with a .270. Push a 150 or 160 premium out, hit whatever it is in the right spot..........and they're all gonna be on their way to see Jesus

And if he can handle the .270, he can most likely handle an '06......JMHO.

A well placed shot through the heart/lungs with a 270 win would be much preferable then a 458 through the guts.

This is how to get over a flinch..
First get a good trigger job, then, fit the gun properlhy that you want to use.. A .243 with 100 grain partition will break an elks shoulder at 250 yards, my son did it when he was 12.. 30-06 is a winner with good bullets. ASk the pros what bullet to use, not a forum... (your guide should be fine).. Another forum a guy who never went to africa told everone the best african gun was a 45-70. Yes you can use one, but charging rino no thanks.. Ok now to get rid of the flinch, i identified some 27 kinds of flinch when i was younger and worked on each of them, such as the pump flinch for example, is one, tends to make some shoot the legs off pheasants pumping before you shoot..... Stop shooting center fire for a while.. Get a red rider bb gun, shoot 100 times a day, every day, at a tin can hanging from a string in the back yard at about 10 yards. shoot it still, staked down, on end, shoot it swwinging, shoot it every way that keeps you from going crazy, when yo get better you can shoot arrows upright, shoot arrows horizontal, you can shoot ping pong balls, what ever, shoot, shoot shoot..
Shoot so darn much than when you pull the trigger on a center fire your brain doesnt realize its not a bb gun... it works, and will cure the flynch.. You may need to go back to it off season.. The other stuff wont get you to the finnish line... youve talked yourself into flynching when you pull the trigger, now you have to talk your brain out of it by sheer shooting boredom. But hit that can, arrow, ping pong ball, for heavens sake.. Have contests with your kids several nights a week, when there old enough to hold it, and when thier 12 they will be able to shoot an elk in the shoulder at 250 yards fromm the kneeling possition.. ..yes the red rider has the most terrible trigger of all the guns, leave it that way.. You can put on a nice rear carboard site tho.. Ps buy bbs by the 1000.. Dave

quote:

Originally posted by ffffg:
ASk the pros what to use, not a forum... Dave

You tell him not to ask on a forum & yet you give advice?.........weird

FWIW there are several "pros" on this board

quote:

FWIW there are several "pros" on this board

I dont know who the pros, are, so we can assume the average newbie looking for answeres doesnt either... Ive been consulting the reloading books about bear guns, and came across one of hornadies articles hornadies , .45 cal, 500 grains moving aprox 2200-2300 fps for very dangerous game,... another quote from talor whom i will belive, says "a 400 grain softnose in the .416 rigby will stop a big charging lion like no other gun",... barns says "the .375 with the right bullet is for anything, any time, anywere" those are the pros of which i speak.. I wish barnes would have accompanied this with a minimum velocity, so that statement is not complete either.. Im 60 years old and cheap advice is just that.. sometimes its good sometimes its bad. Im just warning those that would belive what he wants to hear not what he should be looking into.. This is a good place to start, but actual examples and reading and testing should accompany ones quest for information. My opinion only.. Sorry about giving the advice, i ressist doing so but no one else (after two pages) knew the anserer, so i stuck my neck out and got it stepped on.,, Dave (memeber since 2004)

When I was first stationed in Alaska back in 1967 I was convinced there wasn't a big-game animal in North America that I wouldn't take on with a 30/06. That lasted until I took my first Brown Bear hunt with a friend.

We stayed in an old beat-up trapper's cabin in the Cordova area and the first morning we got up and walked outside there were pie-plates size tracks on the beach --- 20 yards from where the front door should have been. We saw plenty of bear over the next week but because of heavy rains we couldn't get into position for a shot on any of them. On the 8th day I was back at the cabin trying to find some dryer clothing when a good size Brownie walked out on the beach and started down the beach at a slow walk. I grabbed my gear and got to within about 200 yards before he walked around a small point in the bush ... I hustled to the point quickly and was still at least 200 yards away so no shot again ... did this a couple more times until he walked up a small stream which in my inexperience I followed.... 20 minutes later I was up to the knees in my hip-boots, the stream had gotten more narrow and, discretion being the better part of being stupid, I stopped and slowly backed out and waded to the beach. If I would have had a more powerful rifle I could have killed him several times over but the 30/06 felt like a pea-shooter at the time. I bought a .338 the day after I got back and learned to shoot it.

I think the 30/06 would do fine on picture-perfect broad side shots where the bear was in the openl, not to far away and far enough away from cover to allow a follow-up shot or two...otherwise unless you want your guide to kill your bear for you pick something bigger --- or drop the bear from your list and concentrate on moose and caribou. You will feel like crap if you wound a bear and the guide tells you to stay back and out of the way until he kills your bear.

And remember when it comes time to take that shot you will probably be tired, our of breath, wet, and at least a little scared.

Also, local residents have the luxury of not taking a marginal shot because they know they will get another chance -- either that season or the next year and as a sport hunter on the trip of a lifetime (for most) the temptation to shoot when manybe you shouldn't will be strong.

some good advice here. I especially appreciate what ARD, Chuck375, and Db Bill write.

No doubt you're on your way, WS, to having it licked. Bear that in mind, and you'll be ready to shoot anything you want when the time comes.

In your thinking mind, you know that the gun won't hurt you. You know it won't hurt you one bit. It won't even be uncomfortable. From a rational point of view, you know this explicitly.

I wonder if your current flinch is something similar to "muscle memory" (or an involuntary response?) to prior experiences. If so, it will simply take time & practice to develop "new memory."

Maybe thinking of a similar kind of push/noise might be helpful. I imagine that any adolescent child can push against your shoulder about as hard/sharp as a 30-06 or similar (though perhaps not as "quickly"). You wouldn't be afraid of that, of course. Perhaps thinking of a similar physical push might be helpful.

Wow, I love playing armchair shrink. Maybe I'm full of it? If it works for you, though, please let me know so I can start making infomercials for late night TV

Really, I think you'll lick this before you know it.

One last thing. I've never shot a bear of any kind, but I did shoot a nice young moose last fall - 150 gr. A-frame broke both shoulders and the spine too. 240ish yards. Bullet was picture perfect.

Just think of it this way - at least you never have to justify the practice when your wife starts complaining about range time!

friar

I think if a guide had his choice he wouldn't let a client shoot at a brown bear closer than about 60-75 yards and no further than about 125.

30-06

With regard to flinching, I think the idea about having a friend load your gun and you firing it, not knowing if you have a live round or not is the best. I do this with revolvers all the time. I load five rounds, spin the cylinder, and fire. We will almost all flinch at some time, so don't beat yourself up about it. If you are thinking about kick when you are about to fire on an animal, I would advise you to just pass up the shot.

Do You reload? If so load up some dummy cartridges and some reduced recoil loads to work your way up. Remember to follow thru, the shot doesn't end with the bang.

Lots of dryfiring and live range time should help you overcome a flinch, and even allow you to be proficient with a 375 H&H or larger. And don't be afraid of using a "sissy pad". I shoot a 375 alot and generally have no problem with recoil, but to get it sighted in off the bench I put a sand bag between the but and my shoulder.

.. . Be honest with your guide .. But if you can lay hands on a nice little 260 Remington , Load it with 130 gr TSX bullets at around 2800 fps .. and use a scope with 5 " of eye relief .. And a nice Decelerator ect pad .. You will be able to kill anything ... Your guide may need to STOP an animal . But the 260 will kill them just fine ... If not , alot of dead Swedish moose are lie,rs ..... Have a good trigger in the rifle .. It helps amazingly ..... I voted for the 270 because you didn,t have the 260 in the poll ....

I'm thinking my tried and true Rem 700 270 would be deadly on these three. If there's bears of the big brown 1500 lb variety, I'll be bringing my 500 Jeffery along for backup.

Regards,

Chuck

I shoot a .338-06. With hand loaded 225 grain bullets chugging along at circa 2590 - 2600 fps, the recoil is not discernibly different from my .30-06 with factory ammo: 180 grain bullets moving at circa 2700 fps.

If the rifle 'fits' you properly, and you have a good quality recoil pad, mine have Pachmayer "Decelerator" pads, the rifle should n't bump you too much when fired.

In fact, taking into account the muzzle blast aspect of the .270, I find both the above more pleasant to shoot for 20 - 30 rounds at a session than my old .270 with a nominal 24 inch barrel.

If you were shooting, say, 225 grain heads in a .35 Whelan, using good / premium quality bullets, I think you would obtain satisfactory performance from the viewpoint of terminal performance, trajectory and 'felt recoil'.

Additionally, have the trigger tweaked or replaced. You will be amazed how much better you shoot with a good trigger. I was, when I had a Timney replacement trigger fitted to one of my rifles.

The 9.3x62 with good quality 250 grain bullets would also be good if available to you / you reload. This round has a reputation for good performance on game and manageable recoil.

From my armchair bear hunting research, I think 200 grain, .30-06 is probably the lightest for the larger species of bear, though not ideal for fairly lightly built Caribou. A tough premium 180 grain .30 calibre bullet, which could deal with a bear, would still zip through smaller deer. I think it would be better to look at the heavier, to get the necessary penetration enhancing S.D., but 'less tough' conventional 200 grain .30 calibre bullets.

Looking at things like temporary and permanent wound cavitation, I like the .338-0 with 210 and 225 grain bullets. Similarly, the .35 Whelan with 225 grain bullets gives you the terminal performance and trajectory along with 'shoot ability'. I am recoil shy, and do not like the fast magnums. I find the .300 Win Mag less pleasant than my .338-06.

It's hard to believe anybody would flinch using my 30-06 with it's decelerator.

.....Most of a flinch is mental not physical ... I flinch almost as bad with a 22 as I do my 458 ... I call it shot anxiety ....... . Just being afraid I,m not going to hit the intended target sometimes .. Thats why for som e people a 22 is good to take to the range with them also ...... Most people don,t give a hoot if they print a micro group with their 22 , it,s just for plinkin. so they calm down and get over being anxious about the shot .....

Update:

1) Shooting a couple hundred rounds of .223 has helped immensely. I still occasionally flinch but no where near as bad and I figure I'll have this think licked before the hunt. Speaking of the hunt:

2) I booked a combo Griz Caribou hunt for 2010. I'm considering getting a 30-06, 300 wm or .338-06 - It'll probably come down to economics and availability (anyone else had this problem?). While I'm sure I could use the 270 I'd like to anchor that bear good and give it as swift a death as possible.

This may have already been said... if you use a 270. or 30-06 on grizz, use heavy for cal bullets for max penetration.

In terms of flinching, work on breathing. Exhale on the pull. think of it as practicing La Maz (spelling?). If your wife/ girl friend can give birth to a child by breathing right, surely a little gentle exhale can help you shoot a 270 without jumping.

Kidding aside, obviously it's psychological. Try shooting open sighted while being distracted during the shot... being safe as always though. Have your buddies cough, clap, etc. to psychologically get over the "pressure" hurdle of shooting. Sort of like Tiger Woods' dad farting during his back swing to prepare him for the psychological rigors of the PGA.

Most importantly, accept the fact that it's not going to hurt you no matter what. Best of luck.