Let's talk about what we can do in our own time at a more restrictive range, not unlike where the vast majority of shooters find themselves. Clearly there's no replacement for actual training on a dynamic, 3-dimensional range, but the fact is most shooters spend far more time standing at a fixed firing line and shooting at a piece of paper.

 

What drills do you perform in this setting to maximize the benefit you get from such an environment? Include drawings and /or YouTube videos if you can!

Very good topic. The only thing I really work on is handguns and even that is mostly trigger control and reset. Very interested to see what people do here

 

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at many public indoor ranges, pretty sure the most you can do is work on strong & weak hand shooting and one v. 2 handed.  Many ranges will not let you draw and fire, and most will not let you rapid fire (more than perhaps a double tap). 

 

in my case, just getting the aiming correct is struggle enough.  

Go shoot matches. Seriously.

Go shoot matches. Seriously.

I did. I have to say it didnt really feel like my thing. Maybe I will try to give it another go

 

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I keep telling folks, you don't have to shoot it for the match points. As long as you don't break safety rules you can make the stages what you want. If people have problems with static firing lines, and you don't want to pay for a class every weekend, and you can't set up your own scenario for whatever range rules reasons then matches are cheap, pre-setup (although you can always help), and add an element of time pressure.

I keep telling folks, you don't have to shoot it for the match points. As long as you don't break safety rules you can make the stages what you want. If people have problems with static firing lines, and you don't want to pay for a class every weekend, and you can't set up your own scenario for whatever range rules reasons then matches are cheap, pre-setup (although you can always help), and add an element of time pressure.

Understood and agreed. Though that wasn't my issue

 

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Go shoot matches. Seriously.

Agreed, 100%. When I was semi-regularly shooting a mix of steel, USPSA, and IDPA, my shooting improved exponentially with every match, and I even won some money. Unfortunately weekends have become virtually impossible for me to have free since my son was born, but I will get back into it when I can. For now I'm curious what people can come up with for those quick, hour long trips to the range between other responsibilities.

Then Dry Fire. Put up targets on the walls around the house and make your own scenarios. Add a timer. Stay safe, maybe even use one of the blue barrels to make sure nothing stupid happens.

If you have a buddy with you...or can swing putting 2 or 3 targets up side by side...take some blank paper or cardboard targets...make 6 4" circles in each...then make each circle unique from the others..either it be different colors, numbers, letters etc...then take up a position and have your buddy call out which circle to engage...RED.....THREE.....D......and work on hitting the correct called out target within said circles...

Hmmmm

Go shoot matches. Seriously.

if sjgc did theirs on sundays..........

If you don't want to do matches, which I agree you should, another option is go to a place like RTSP that has a digital simulator.  You can practice all sorts of scenarios and the cost is comparable to shooting with real ammo, ie what you pay is made up for in what you don't spend on ammo.

Understood and agreed. Though that wasn't my issue

 

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Out of curiosity what was

Out of curiosity what was

Honestly. I was pretty bored. I spent most of my day standing around and came home with rounds in the box I started with. I had fun in the stage but it was very limited. (It was IDPA)

 

I've talked to some people about it and they say other matches in different areas move a bit quicker/more stages but I havent made the effort to try yet.

 

Steel matches sound like fun to me, so I may give some of that a try.

 

 

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It's reasons like this that I want a SIRT pistol and the software to go with it that utilizes a webcam to capture POI. Really neat stuff that doesn't require live ammo and allows you to move through your home in whatever scenario you'd like.

Honestly. I was pretty bored. I spent most of my day standing around and came home with rounds in the box I started with. I had fun in the stage but it was very limited. (It was IDPA)

 

I've talked to some people about it and they say other matches in different areas move a bit quicker/more stages but I havent made the effort to try yet.

 

Steel matches sound like fun to me, so I may give some of that a try.

 

 

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What matches did you shoot?

Then Dry Fire. Put up targets on the walls around the house and make your own scenarios. Add a timer. Stay safe, maybe even use one of the blue barrels to make sure nothing stupid happens.

 

Airsoft in the garage?  Just put up some sheets behind targets to catch the bbs.....

At a static range, "The Test" is probably the best drill you can do, assuming you have at 10 rounds in capacity. Hang a B-8 target up at 10 yards (or any other 5.5" bull). Start from low ready, and at the buzzer, fire 10 shots within 10 seconds. All rounds should be in the black.

 

Probably the best drill to work on when you can't draw from a holster. Best if the range is pretty empty so you can use your shot timer. Failing that, guess you'll just have to estimate.

One of my drills was to simply have the gun and mag apart on the table.    To load, rack and fire while never taking my eyes off the target, as quickly as I could.  The concept for me was simply to simulate doing it in the dark by feel or while I'm tracking a target.  I'm so good at it any more, that I don't do it much.

Have someone else load yer mags and slip-in a snap-cap every-so-often.  It will teach you how bad you SUCK as the gun moves and just clicks w/o a BANG!  Once ya get ridda da flinch, you can practice TAP-RACK-BANG drills with the snap-caps........

 

And try using ALL of a 25 yard range instead of being a Pussy and shooting up-close for every shot!  If you get ridda da flinch you might stay on the paper......

 

Have FUN and be SAFE!

Have someone else load yer mags and slip-in a snap-cap every-so-often.  It will teach you how bad you SUCK as the gun moves and just clicks w/o a BANG!  Once ya get ridda da flinch, you can practice TAP-RACK-BANG drills with the snap-caps........

 

And try using ALL of a 25 yard range instead of being a Pussy and shooting up-close for every shot!  If you get ridda da flinch you might stay on the paper......

 

Have FUN and be SAFE!

Just because the gun moves when it goes click, doesn't mean you are flinching. The target will tell you that. Not the movement of the gun

Another one to work on is reload drills. Load three mags, put two on your belt and one in the gun. Fire two shots and then do a tac load with one from your belt. Fire two more and repeat the tac load followed by two more shots. For ranges that don't allow drawing from a holster start from a retention hold.

 

Replace the partial mags onto your belt and do it again. To mix it up put slightly different numbers of rounds in your mags at the start. By the time you've run it a few times you don't know which mag is which and you'll unexpectedly come to a slidelock reload when you're expecting a tac load.

There are a bunch of good drills here, many of which can be shot on a static range:  http://pistol-training.com/drills.  For example, Dot Torture is an excellent drill:  http://pistol-training.com/drills/dot-torture

 

Honestly. I was pretty bored. I spent most of my day standing around and came home with rounds in the box I started with. I had fun in the stage but it was very limited. (It was IDPA)

 

That was the problem right there with the boredom. 

There are a bunch of good drills here, many of which can be shot on a static range: http://pistol-training.com/drills. For example, Dot Torture is an excellent drill: http://pistol-training.com/drills/dot-torture

 

 

That was the problem right there with the boredom.

I hope youre not advocating uspsa cause I have even less interest in that lol

 

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Just because the gun moves when it goes click, doesn't mean you are flinching. The target will tell you that. Not the movement of the gun

We're gonna hafta agree to disagree on THIS one............and it's WAY too late for me to get into it right now, lol!  But suffice to say striker-fired guns complicate target shooting techniques.  But when recoil is anticipated and the gun is lowered, it's a FLINCH in my book!  Correct the flinch and somehow the gun can shoot straight.  It's a MIRACLE, lol!  NO need to waste good lead to teach how to just let the EXPLOSION happen......

So Checko you don't have any interest in the two most popular action shooting games. Well maybe competition isn't for you if you decided to dismiss them based on .. well I don't know on what .. but if neither of those work for you then I think you are out of luck there.

You could try this "Russia Only" drill as outlined by LAV.

 

Just say no ...

We're gonna hafta agree to disagree on THIS one............and it's WAY too late for me to get into it right now, lol!  But suffice to say striker-fired guns complicate target shooting techniques.  But when recoil is anticipated and the gun is lowered, it's a FLINCH in my book!  Correct the flinch and somehow the gun can shoot straight.  It's a MIRACLE, lol!  NO need to waste good lead to teach how to just let the EXPLOSION happen......

 

 

The dummy round drill can not differentiate a pre ignition push from a post ignition push.  Both will look like a flinch, one is not

 

I don't see how a striker fire gun complicates anything.  Keep the sights on target until the shot breaks

I have a lot of thoughts in this topic, but as of yet have not had time to compose my thoughts fully.

 

Until then I will say this: Some anticipation is actually required when shooting fast - as you would in a close-in defensive engagement. The post-ignition "flinch" is actually helpful - arguably necessary - for controlling recoil.

 

Instead if a ball and dummy drill I prefer to conduct a "wall drill" - which isolates and diagnoses the pre-ignition flinch (which is not helpful and not needed for recoil control) and reinforces trigger control.

 

WALL DRILL

 

• Keep the muzzle 1" from your target - a 1/2" circle

 

• Aim in

 

• Dry fire 15 times perfectly - controlling the trigger to reset each time. If your finger comes off the trigger or if there is any movement of the front sight seen - stop, take a breath, reset your grip/stance/sight alignment and start your 15 dry fires over.

 

• Step back to the 1 yard line. Load and charge the pistol.

 

• Fire 5 rounds for tightest group - rounds should be touching, if not in the same hole.

 

• Repeat 2x. If it is easy move back yard by yard/foot by foot until it is not.

 

If at any time at the range you feel your group is opening up, or you are getting sloppy on the trigger, stop what you are doing and shoot this drill 1x.