A member of TTAG’s Armed Intelligentsia named washlefi writes:
I’m trying to come up with some new (at least new to my audience) training drills for the handgun and rifle. Our range isn’t as swank as the Scottsdale facility above (whose is?), but we have a lot of capabilites at our range. Unfortunately we tend to not use them as much as we should. We have three bays of six steel plates, numerous “pepper popper” steel targets, 24 shooting lanes with turning targets, up to 50 yards on our lower range and up to 100 yards on our upper range. The lower range has the capability of shooting in 270 degrees, which is nice. We have mobile barricades and a patrol car.
Here are a couple that I have come up with so far. Nothing too special, but I want the students to get away from standing on the line and shoot at paper targets. Any suggestions for new exericses would be greatly appreciated; I am ALWAYS looking for new ways and ideas to make my students more confident and accurate for whatever life throws at them.
Handgun – Start facing at 90 degrees to target with strong side towards target. Have another student in front of the shooter, handcuffed. While shooter is holding onto the handcuffs, the shooter will draw, strong hand only, and engage the target. The shooter will ensure that at no time that the muzzle of their gun is pointed at the student that is handcuffed.
Handgun – Shooter will simulate that they have a notebook and pen in their hands. Use a small block of wood and wood dowel pen. When the target turns, the student will drop the notebook and pen and engage the target.
Handgun – Start with shooter handcuffing another student/mannequin on the ground. The shooter will have their knee in the back of the student as they would in a high-risk handcuffing incident. When the target turns, the shooter will draw and engage the target from an abnormal kneeling shooting position, while maintaining control of the subject on the ground.
Handgun / Rifle – Have door and door frame set up. Possibly add in feature at the wall area on the right side of the range. As shooter opens the door, a threat emerges, and the shooter will have to engage the threat.
Handgun / Rifle – “Slicing the pie” Have shooter “pie” the corner until a threat presents itself. This drill should be run slowly, while the shooter is working on proper “pieing” technique.
Thanks,
Eric (washlefi)
Don’t forget the Tueller Drill.
Having TWO lanes next to each other from teaching a CCW class, the drill I like to practice with Range Master permission (25-yard indoor police range) is to set one target at 50′ (change this distance frequently), the other target is set to start at the 25-yard position. Timer starts the second target (25-yard) to begin returning to 0-yard (firing line). Firing is split between the #1 stationary target and the #2- moving target. When using Glock 20 with full house 10mm, having 15-rounds in mag, and sometimes use one reload. Never timed the return, believe it’s nearly 60-seconds. Always start with closest (stationary) target first which you’d do unless one target was carrying a shotgun or other weapon more threatening to your well being. One point you quickly learn is moving target as it gets closer is presenting LESS than FULL torso view than stationary which is directly facing you (also change so moving target is in front of you and stationary is next lane over). ALSO, put dummy round somewhere in one or both mags, forcing you to do a rack and chamber another round. AND, if you put a fired case that will create a jamb somewhere in mag, you’ll be forced to clear a level 3 malfunction (prefer dropping mag, capture with finger, rack slide to clear jamb, push mag back into position, hit slide release or rack slide as case may be and continue shooting exercise)
When you don’t know WHERE the dummy round will come up, or whether it’s in first or second mag… GETS interesting, along with seeing how WELL you shoot insofar as rounds on target/ number of misses/ and final score shooting on full size (and even HALF size silo targets- which from a practical standpoint has DOUBLED the distance you are shooting at. Try hitting a half size silo. target set stationary at 50-yards sometime). When running 30-rounds of 10mm in under 60-seconds, concussion from full house 10mm (180-gr. moving 1300fps by PACT chronograph) ,, dust from ceiling tiles, and hard to shoot if you’re parked in lane close by (why ask range master),
Short of doing an actual match competing against other shooters, the above is best ‘real world’ practice sessions I’ve devised. REAL competitions, whether a Cowboy Action Shooting match, IPSC or IDPA practical match= you still have your BEST screw ups in front of the LARGEST audiences. Mr. Murphy, of Murphy’s Law fame, was overly optimistic on nearly everything. davzway
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