Still closing my eyes

Hi
I posted a problem about my flinching / closing my eyes on Dec 21, and greatfully received many good responses.
I hate to be a pest but I can't get a handle on this problem.  I have since evolved some. I have been practicing /training minimum two hours a day seven days a week for several months mostly dry fireing . This is only with center fire, we are not shooting 22 in our rec league at this time. I can now put most if not all the shots in the black on slow fire, for me that's a big deal. I mostly never Jerk the trigger any more although my pull could be smoother and I know it's to slow. 
I can never call a shot ! My eyes are always closed . I tell myself over and over focus hard on the dot. Telling yourself and doing it aren't the same. This is with the 45 lightly loaded. I bought a 38 just to work on this and shoot very light loads for only 50 ft. With the 38 I can keep my eyes open about 20 percent of the time. The 45 never.
I am not sure but I think it's the noise . I wear ear plugs and muffs.  I don't think it's the recoil, especially sine the 38 barely moves my hand. I fear I won't be able to advance untill I can get a handle on this problem. 
Thanks again for any advice. 
Tom

Hi Tom, do you have a 45 with irons to try? I find when I'm really focused on the front blade (zen state) I catch myself with eyes WIDE open. Just a thought. My eyes don't feel like they really focus on the dot.

I struggled with this. I have always been super protective of my eyes. Use shooting glasses that you trust completely to protect your eyes. I had to tell myself to keep my eyes open. You aren't telling yourself that. You are telling yourself to focus on the dot. Those are two different things. If you have an air pistol or have access to a good one, start with calling the shots with that and work your way up the recoil ladder. People have different tolerances for recoil. Some can shoot hard ball in a 1911 all day long and never flinch, while others flinch every time they pop a .22. You have the right idea about ear protection. Breaking a bad habit is harder than learning the right way from the beginning, but I think most of us have had to do it.

Reading what you said, that you put your shots in the black slow fire, you can't be closing your eyes until after the gun fires. That being the case, what you need to see to call the shot is visible maybe only briefly, but that's all it ever is. If the shots are going mostly where you want them to go, stop worrying about calling them or about closing your eyes and the problem will most likely go away on it's own. 

Instead of being upset that you closed your eyes take a second after the shot and replay in you mind what you did see you might be surprised.

And stop saying "can't"

Thanks for the replys. 
I don't have an iron sighted 45 so that kind of a dead end.

I actually tell myself out loud to keep my eyes open.  I follow your logic start small and work my way up, that is the reasoning behind buying the 38 and loader and every thing else I needed.  It's basically a bust not working out.

I can call my shots all day long with a 22, can also shoot skeet and sporting clays as long as I want and never have a problem.  
The reason I mentioned focus is the last time I looked for help with this it was suggested to increase my focus on the dot. Just got back from the range, shot without the  eye pal aperture,  due to astigmatism it leaves me with a dot and a tiny black whole in the middle . Today I verbally told myself keep your eyes open and follow through and I focused real hard on that tiny black spot on the dot. Closed my eyes every single shot.
Thanks, Tom

Rather than thinking or focusing on not blinking, try focusing on seeing exactly what the dot or front sight is doing when the sear trips.  Don't be thinking about the trigger or shot or wobble, just see the movement of the dot or sight.  Eventually you will see it begin to lift due to the recoil.  

It's ok if you blink after it's started moving, just be sure to see it move due to recoil first.  

From your description is almost sounds like you are "trying to get" the trigger / gun to go off and the anticipation is building up to the point where you actually may be reacting (blinking) before you finish the trigger operation.   Hopefully we can work on some ball and dummy rounds sometime.  Might try setting up a camera and do a video of your shots.  See if there is a real visible jerk or reaction as the gun fires and maybe look for some other clues.  

Human brains are designed to recognize movement more quickly that static focus.   That's why there is no need to wait until you "see" no wobble, when you finally do and recognize it, it will be gone (for most of us mere mortals).  And when the visual focus shifts from the front sight (or dot or target depending on your preference) to something else (like the target with open sights), we again lose valuable time and jerk our focus back to where it needed to be, losing more time and focus.   

At that millisecond, that is the snapshot you need to call your shot.  You are focusing only on trying to see the movement of the dot / front sight against the background or with respect to the rear sight.  And the background or rear sight will be fuzzy.  That's ok.  

Doesn't matter what happens after and doesn't matter very much what was going on before.  

Another way to think about the shot process that might help alleviate the tendency to anticipate or try to pick off shots.  Think about operating the trigger like you were dribbling a basketball (most people do that without thinking, just by feel), and keep your focus on the basket (sight).

Do you see the case eject in your peripheral vision?

Maybe you really need to focus on trigger control. Bill Blankenship said that he worked a long time on trying to get his gun to go off automatically. He also worked a long time on speeding up his trigger squeeze. My slow fire scores, when I was competing, were pretty good. I learned to start the trigger pressure and just wait for the shot to break. That way it was a surprise. That way my eyes didn't close before the shot broke and I could call my shots. It took some time and patience. Nothing regarding the sport was easy for me and I recon that most of us have to work hard. Focus on what you want to do and go at it in a positive manner. It starts with baby steps.

Thanks for the replys. 
99% of the time I don't see the case eject , on the rare occasion that I am able to keep my eyes open I see the case eject the  and fire out of the end of the barrel. 
I'll keep at it until I work this out. 
Thanks  Tom

Here's my theory; I think you're making the shot break and thereby pulling the trigger and closing your eyes at the same time you see a sight picture you like. You should be letting the shot break, not making it happen.

Trigger speed is crucial. Too slow and you'll experience chicken finger, the shot won't break and the trigger will feel like it's 10 lbs. Too fast and your shot won't be ideal plus, as above, because you're making it break at your desired time, you know it will break and you simultaneously blink.

I would recommend pulling it slower. Feel the pressure build while watching the dot/sights. If you can do this you shouldn't blink since you won't know when the shot will break.

If you can accomplish that, calling the shots can follow. Here's an exercise that helped me with that. I made a target with no black. I keep it on the bench while shooting slow fire. Before scoping I put a number 1 on the target where I think it hit. Then I scope and put a number 1 in a circle where it actually hit. I connect the two number ones with a line. Repeat 9 more times, numbered 2 through 10. After a handful of targets, the lines got shorter meaning my shot calling improved. That means I was improving my awareness of where the dot was when the shot broke.

Improving your ability to call shots will make you a better shooter.

Here's a link to my Practice Target

Remember, don't shoot on it. Just use it to practice your shot calling.

Good luck! (let me know if the link doesn't work)

I agree and I also think your problem is that you are making the shot happen rather than letting the shot happen.  Dry fire more and watch the dot against a blank wall, should look like its painted on the wall when the shot breaks.
Phil