Favorite Practice Drills

A

AKrob

New member
Wondering what are everyone's favorite drills, both at home and at the range, for increasing speed and accuracy.

I'm a decent shot, can usually hold decent groups, but I'm really wanting to work on tightening the groups a little as well as increase speed.

So how about it, what's your drill?

AKrob
 
AKRob,

I was taught to slow it down and shoot slow and smooth. This helps build muscle memory through perfect practise. Since I'm not sure how experienced you are, please don't think I'm being condescending if you already know the things I say.

I like to start close, 5-7 meters or so, and shoot 3-4 inch dots. Personally, I fire contolled pairs in training. Sometimes I work on accuracy and take it real slow, just work on the fundamentals, and at others I speed it up with double taps, and rapid fire strings of 5-6 rounds. I know others who start even closer, and then move the target out.

Two things: Unless you're testing your accuracy "cold", start close and move out, and start slow and get faster. I once went to the range and started slow, then got fast. Everything was fine until I tried to slow it down again. At that point it really takes a lot of concentration. Which, now that I think about it, isn't such a bad idea anyways. Slow, fast, slow, might be a realistic way to train the mind to concentrate on your shots under stress. And to me that's the whole idea of training.

About the best drill for improving accuracy is the ball and dummy drill. Have someone load a magazine with 5 or 6 rounds and load two dummy rounds in there. Then practise your slow aimed fire. When you come to the dummy round you will notice any mistakes that you make. A buddy told me he could cut my group sizes in half in 2 or 3 hours, and I thought he was bragging (especially since he is one of the best shooters I've ever known). After 1 hour of the BADD, sure enough, my group sizes tightened considerably. Any time my groups start getting sloppy, I still go back and do it.

As always, watch the front sight and remember,

Slow is smooth
and smooth is fast.

Chuck
 
Chuck,

Thanks for the pointers. The Ball and Dummy sounds like a great drill. I'll definitely have to give that one a try next time.

AKrob
 
I am an accuracy freak. what I like to do is take a sharpie marker to the range and draw more targets on targets usually around the parimeter of the paper but not at the edges.

Once I have warmed up on the center target (5 rounds with 1 to 1.5 inch groups) I start going after the parimeter targets (you'll be amazed how shooting five inches to the side will reak havok on your groups) but once my groups start to come back to 1 to 1.5 then I will start doing double taps at every target in the parimeter. (these are never really pretty)

I do this just for speed and quick target aquisition but I have noticed that over time they got alot better.

When I am just shooting at I target at a time I only use 5 rounds in a Mag. If i'm doing my double taps around the world I use 10 rounds in the mag (2rounds X 5targets)

The dummy round is an exellent Idea I play video game shooters to test out if I am janking or jerking the gun when I shoot. I think I'll try that as well

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I usually take a handful of pennys and throw them up in the air... then using my Bushmaster - turn them into washers before they all hit the ground...

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"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." - Sigmund Freud
Hey - have you seen the new Ultimate Super Tactical Match Gun?
 
LMAO George! You do that too???
Hey, Chuck Ames, great idea on that BADD drill.. My father did similar to me when I was younger using a revolver. I guess I never really thought to much about doing it with anything but that.
Frank, all of us will have to do that next week at the range, eh?
Thanks... George for the laugh, Chuck for the idea.

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"...you're thinkin was that 5 shots or was it 6? Well, you've gotta ask yourself one question: Do you feel lucky??? ...Well, do ya PUNK!?!?
 
We did a neat drill yesterday...we had a mover set up at the 7 yard line. The shooter
started with his back to the target and when he heard someone yell "gun", he had to turn draw and go to cover and then hit the mover six times while challenging the target verbally.
You can do the same drill w/o a mover. Was great fun watching some of them chase the target.
 
If you have a friend with you and the range will let you do it (a league night when the range is closed to the public is ideal):

Send a silhouette target to the far end, probably 25 yards. Lay the gun on the shelf (pointing downrange, of course) and stand with your back to the target. Have your friend operate the switch that runs the target up the line toward you. At his signal (use the lines on the floor to vary the timing), you have to turn around, pick up the gun, and shoot the oncomer before he gets to you. Practices gun handling under pressure and can be pretty exciting. Especially when you turn around to see the guy coming at you from about 15 feet away! You will get a new appreciation of why the hit ratio in police shootouts is often so poor.

Some variations: (1) Your friend places the gun on the bench after your back is turned, so you don't already know precisely where it is; (2) Have the magazine or speedloader lying separate from the unloaded gun; you have to turn, load, and fire. (3) Put a single cartridge on the floor in front of you; you have to scoop it up, turn around, get it into the gun, and get that single available shot into the attacker. (This is the "Ten Thumbs" variation.)
 
IPSC target, 25 yards. 100 rounds ea., strong hand, weak hand, freestyle. Shoot all A's. The best for accuracy, that I've found, or if I start pushing shots off, is to shoot .22 pistol. Also do a lot of dry fire.
 
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