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  • Lanny Hanks

A Couple More Good Shooting Drills

Rounding out this weekends drills are the 5 in 1 Drill, and the 1,1,1 Drill. The 5 in 1 drill is done on any type of paper target, paper plate, or cardboard. This is a precision drill and no timer will be used. Start at 3 yards and then you can work at different distances when you have super tight groupings. Focus on one empty spot on the target and fire one shot. This bullet hole now becomes your point of aim for the next four shots. Take your time, use good smooth trigger press, and don't forget to use trigger reset. If you are unfamiliar with trigger reset I will explain that near the end of this post.


The goal with the 5 in 1 Drill is to have all five of the bullet holes in the target touching. Yes it's hard, but with practice, you will be able to do it. I really like this drill because it uses only five rounds each time. So no excuses about running through ammo like a crazed Taliban over-the-head shooter! When a bullet impacts a paper or cardboard target you will notice a dirty looking spot around the bullet hole. This is called the grease ring and its from part of the manufacturing process where the bullet is pressed into the case. This bullet lubrication prevents marring of the bullet and the case and also acts to kind of seal the cartridge so moisture does not get to the powder.


So why talk about the grease ring? When scoring a target I like to give credit for impacts near the edge scoring lines. If the grease ring touches the line but the paper is not torn that far out I count the shot. In the 5 in 1 Drill if the grease ring touches another hole or grease ring they are considered touching. Its just a cut and dry way to score close hits. With routine practice you should be able to cover your group with a dime. Again, when you can consistently shoot a group the size of a dime, move back another yard and so on.


The 1,1,1 Drill uses three magazines and a shot timer. Staple a paper plate on a backer board or tape the plate to a backstop. Most large paper plates are around 9" in diameter but you can always use smaller ones when you get good. Load 1 round in each of the three magazines. Stand about 5 yards from the target and load one of the magazines into your pistol and put it into battery. That one round will now be in the chamber. Have you other two magazines in a belt mag pouch with easy access. One the buzzer draw (or you can start from the low ready position) and fire one round into the plate, reload, then fire that one round into the plate, repeat for the last magazine. Check your time. Par time for this is around 5 seconds for beginners of this drill from low ready and 6.5 seconds coming out of the holster on the first shot. It's a simple balance of speed and accuracy with reloads thrown in. Work your way down to a total time of around 3 seconds. Consistency is the key to this drill!


I mentioned above about trigger reset. Trigger reset is when you pull the trigger and keep the trigger pulled back all the way through the recoil process. Then line your sights up on the target and let your trigger finger slowly move forward until you feel a small click. Now the trigger is reset and ready for another shot. This reset also allows for a good follow-through of the shot process. Precision shooting is not about pulling the trigger and then releasing the trigger right away. That tiny bit of forward finger movement can pull your shot. Trigger reset takes a bit of practice but once you get it down I guarantee your groups will become tighter.


If you have any questions please feel free to email me. Until then, Train Often!




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