Ever lost confidence in a rifle?

[Addicting]

I recently had my L.A.W rifle rebarreled into a 260ai. I had lost confidence in the old barrel. As much as I try I cannot get comfortable shooting it again. Almost like I’m getting target panic.

I keep reinforcing doubt in the rifle. For whatever reason I seem to pick the most uncomfortable time and place to shoot it. Or I forget my rear bag and try and force it. As you can imagine load development is impossible. I’m ready to lock it into a leadsled to remove my panic/anxiety and get the development at least done.

Frustrating thing is it is only with this rifle. My Sherman I just got built is a tac driver that I’m in love with. Anyone else ever get this?

 

[kylemcintyre67]

I had a Mossberg MVP patrol in .308 that I never could get to shoot well. I tried putting it in a Boyd's stock and that made it worse, and the stock cracked after 20 rounds. I gave up and sold it.

 

[Addicting]

Selling it has crossed my mind but I know it’s just my performance that is causing the issue.

 

[WyoDoug]

I recently had my L.A.W rifle rebarreled into a 260ai. I had lost confidence in the old barrel. As much as I try I cannot get comfortable shooting it again. Almost like I’m getting target panic.

I keep reinforcing doubt in the rifle. For whatever reason I seem to pick the most uncomfortable time and place to shoot it. Or I forget my rear bag and try and force it. As you can imagine load development is impossible. I’m ready to lock it into a leadsled to remove my panic/anxiety and get the development at least done.

Frustrating thing is it is only with this rifle. My Sherman I just got built is a tac driver that I’m in love with. Anyone else ever get this?

YAW I did. I used to have a 300 Win Mag that even with a muzzle break it kicked worse than a donkey with a sparkler lit in his behind. It was also so loud it bothered my hearing even with ear muffs. Because of this I flinched bad when I shot it and my groups were scatter shot. I could not place my shots no matter how hard I tried. After maybe 12 rounds I always had a bruise on my shoulder from shooting it. It kicked so hard that eventually the wooden stalk broke along with pieces of the action. I went back to my 30-06 and a Rem 7mm Mag that I sold to pay for my wife's medical bills. I am planning on buying a new 7mm Mag soon for longer range shots than what I can do on the 30-06.

 

[Fullquiver]

Nope, never had that happen to me.. I am pretty recoil tolerant and confident enough in myself to understand both my own abilities and limitations.. Rifles are inanimate objects, of which I have shot many... I would have to say that what is really going on is that you have lost confidence in yourself, the rifle is just the focal point of this loss..

Having said that though, like many disciplines shooting is largely a mental exercise. If feeling bad juju shooting a particular rifle is problematic, it might help to stop shooting it for a good while until the stink of trouble has passed from your mind sufficiently..

Like a Dr. once told me about a particular health issue.. The mind is a very powerful tool in the hands of those who can control it and just as destructive force in the hands of those who can't.. Figuring out which side of that equation you're on in most of life unlocks all kinds of doors...

 

[Mallardsx2]

I have a .22 hornet that randomly throws about every 5th bullet out of the group. About 3 inches in any given random direction....lol Does that count?

 

[VikingsGuy]

I'm kinda a math guy so it either shoots or doesn't. Have had guns that wouldn't shoot and I either solved somehow or sold. For those I solved, I trusted the new numbers and that it was now a shooter even if it wasn't in the past.

 

[Panda Bear]

I can't say confidence but my first rifle was a used 30-06 and it was my only rifle for a few years. When it was retired, I have never used it again

 

[44hunter45]

I feel like it's more about losing confidence in myself. Such as when you get a couple of misses in a row from a rifle you know is dialed and shoots lights out.

 

[LuketheDog]

I had a used tang-safety Ruger .270 that I bought for myself when I was 18. It was great for a bunch of years and then at some point 3-4 years ago it just stopped grouping, no matter what ammo I tried. I sold it for $100 more than I paid 20 years ago, figured that meant it was the right time to move on...

 

[kylemcintyre67]

Maybe have another person shoot it? or at least have a peer coach watch you shoot it to provide some feedback?

 

[noharleyyet]

I'm pretty sure I burnt out a barrel trying to get a Rem 700 7mm RUM to shoot. Tried everything...recrown'd, bedded, trigger, removed fore end pressure point, restocked. The only parts left are a trued action and the bottom metal...

 

[jeff_gibbons]

my two cents - just keep shooting it. a lot.

maybe shoot cheap ammo so the fear of loss is lessened.

This makes me think of my golf game. When i used to play before career and kids eclipsed everything. i found myself swapping good balls out for cheap ones when i had to shoot over water. i removed the fear of losing a $4 ball and found my self making some of my best shots with cheap ones.

happy shooting.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Ruger Hawkeye in 300 WM. Couldn't get it to shoot groups at all, and the recoil knocked a few fillings loose. I'm not recoil adverse, but that thing was like getting kicked by a mule who had been taking steroids and arguing on the internet.

 

[44hunter45]

I'm pretty sure I burnt out a barrel trying to get a Rem 700 7mm RUM to shoot. Tried everything...recrown'd, bedded, trigger, removed fore end pressure point, restocked. The only parts left are a trued action and the bottom metal...

I just learned there is a 358 RUM. I've lost confidence in my 358 Norma before it's even finished.

 

[ImBillT]

I had a .223AI that would have shoot under .5MOA all day even if you tried to screw up. I’ve had other guns that shot better when I kept a close eye on wind flags and gun handling, but that .223AI would shoot groups you could cover with a nickel whether you were watching the flags or not. It defied logic. One day it wouldn’t even shoot 2” groups. I tried to find my lands and they were VERY uneven. That’s cleaning rod damage, but I always use a bore guide...turns out, I had bent my cleaning rod somehow and it ruined that barrel.

 

[tzone]

Never lost confidence in a rifle. But, I have grabbed a different one to mix things up or shed some bad juju.

 

[JohnCushman]

If I have a rifle that starts shooting bad all of a sudden, that I know used to be good, I'll pull a couple of old ones out that I knew were good and give them a shot.

 

[Trial153]

not a rifle, but i have with bow. two weeks before a moose hunt a few years ago I ditched my new bow because i had a bad feeling about it and took my old bow, it bothered me so much so that i listed it and sold it , and had it mailed out before i left for the hunt. Its bad luck to be superstitious.

 

[greatwhitebuffalo]

I'm pretty sure I burnt out a barrel trying to get a Rem 700 7mm RUM to shoot. Tried everything...recrown'd, bedded, trigger, removed fore end pressure point, restocked. The only parts left are a trued action and the bottom metal...

I can totally understand this. However, the pendulum swings in both directions. Specifically, with my 7 RUM experience. I really have a lot of confidence in mine. Just varies from person to person.

But, I've seen this A LOT more with shotguns. i.e. - people who are really good shots who then go out and spend a fortune on a new shotgun; only to find that they've "lost their touch". They then go back to shooting their "low-end gun" and hit like clockwork. It's best to find what works FOR YOU (not an idiot like me on one of these forums) and stick with it.