Drills To Make You A Better Pistol Shot

Shooting pistols can be a lot of fun, and new shooters will find that it’s even more fun when they consistently hit what they are shooting at. However, the skill needed to shoot a pistol accurately isn’t passed down from generation to generation; it’s learned through patience, persistence, and hard work. Fact is, just going to the range will make you a better shooter, but it won’t facilitate improvement as fast as shooting “drills.”

Shooting drills are the building blocks of a productive range session, as well as accuracy and speed. Rather than just standing around and sending some rounds downrange with little purpose, drills have you concentrate on a specific goal when shooting. They also give you a way to measure improvement as you use them during subsequent sessions.

A drill can be as simple as placing two targets side by side and shooting the first one, then the other. There are plenty of pistol-shooting drills available online, along with detailed instructions on how to shoot them. Here we’ll look at three drills that will help you build your skills quickly, leading to greater accuracy and greater confidence.

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Two To Count On

The Keep the Change drill doesn’t even require ammunition or a trip to the range. To do it, check—and then double-check—that your handgun is unloaded. Point it in a safe direction, balance a dime (or penny or other coin) on the top of the slide, aim at something, and press the trigger as quickly as you can without the dime falling off.

Most shooters will find that they must do it slowly at first to keep the dime from toppling to the ground. But with practice, speed will come while concentrating on that oh-so-important trigger squeeze that is one of the biggest factors in accurate pistol shooting.

Note that this drill can be pretty frustrating for newbies. But when you can keep the dime balanced on top of your slide, you can keep your sights on target while squeezing your trigger.

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The Dot Torture drill sounds painful, and it can be at first. One reason it is a favorite of many instructors is that it requires shooters to run through several rounds of ammo with whatever gun they are training with at the time.

There are plenty of explanations on the internet, but in a nutshell, it is shot at 3 yards and requires a combination of drawing, firing, addressing different targets, and firing with both strong and weak hands. By the end of the drill, you’ll have gone through a 50-round box of ammunition.

Printable targets are available online and state the requirement for each “dot.” For new shooters, simply ignore the specific instructions and put the right number of rounds into each target from your typical shooting stance with your normal grip. If you miss, it’s time to start over.

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One More Good Drill

The 10-10-10 drill is a little more advanced as it adds speed into the equation. That’s a good thing, since a self-defense situation demands both speed and accuracy. The drill requires 10 rounds of ammo per run, a single target of your choice, and your handgun.

Standing 10 yards from the target with the gun in a low-ready position (gripped but aiming toward the ground), the shooter must shoot 10 rounds—all into the bulls-eye—in 10 seconds to succeed. Any misses or taking more than 10 seconds to complete the drill result in failure.

It’s not shameful for beginners to move a little closer to the target when starting this drill and gradually work back to 10 yards as they improve. Once you can do it every time, either shorten your “par” time or back up another yard or two to keep the drill challenging. You can also make it more challenging by decreasing the size of the bull’s-eye.

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