Your Practice Strategy at the Range....

[King]

Ok...you practice frequently, you shoot well, you're keeping a good edge on your skills. Question is, what strategy or technique do you use one you begin to practice? What is your goal?

Here's mine....I always take my main carry gun to the range as well as one or two others.

I shoot my carry gun first and do so at a range of about 6-7 yards (or 18 to 21 ft or so). My goal is to shoot at the target as quickly and expertly as I can and at what I consider as a center mass shot on a would-be assailant. In other words I shoot cold and close because that's what I think would happen if I had a personal SHTF event (burglar, someone wants to kill me). I'm talking 15 to 20 rounds or so.

Once complete, I shoot a couple of mags via my "fun guns" at a an intermediate distance (50 - 75 ft or so).

Then I go to a longer distance (50 yards +) and practice there for most of the session. The idea there is to be proficent and skilled enough at a longer range that I will almost automatically be expert at the closer distances.

I usually shoot 150 to 200 rounds in a session. That's for all guns and all calibers total.

Waht do you do? Any advice for me?

 

[ball3006]

I do about the same as you.....

I take my carry gun to run about 50 rounds through it at 7 yards. Then I shoot whatever I take that day, usually a milsurp. Practice sight picture, breath control, trigger squeeze, a real treat with milsurps as they are all different, and repeatable hold. Usually, do about 50-100 rifle rounds. Don't BS much as I am hearing impaired and cannot hear a word with muffs on. Can't seem to be able to afford the electronic kind, same cost as another milsurp.....chris3

 

[Wakal]

During "match season":

1. Start off with two mags full of one-shot drills. On the "beep", draw and engage with one round at 10 yards.

2. Two mags of two-shot drills (same as "1" with double taps).

3. One "Bill Drill." (on the beep, six rounds in the A in under 2 seconds).

That is the warm up. From there, some entering/leaving the shooting box drills, retreat and advance drills, perhaps some El Prez for the draw and reload under pressure...work under/over barricade, left/right barricade, running along the 180 while engaging targets...

Usually 300 to 400 rounds, three times a week. Matches are usually on weekends.

I'm a lightweight, too...this is a pretty skate schedule for serious IPSC goofballs.



Alex

 

[Bergeron]

At the range I'm usually practicing my bowling pin skills, or training for the local .22 steel plate match. If the steel plate rack is available, I will use it and try to hit each of the six plates with no misses, at my best speed. If not, I have a paper target with five bullseyes on it, each with white and black ringed areas. I usually will load five rounds in each of my magazines, run the targets out to 10 yards, and hit each black bullseye in minimum time, one shot per bullseye, and reload after each set of five.

When I'm practicing, I'll usually go through 200-500 rounds.

 

[Nathaniel Firethorn]

My strategy changes depending on what I'm trying to learn. Right now it's bullseye, so I work on that.

At the end, though, I do some defense shooting because it's easy and fun. Usually hang two half-size Q targets and alternate between 'em.

- pdmoderator

 

[Fed168]

Spend the first 100 or so rounds shooting the qualification course. I then move into steel or drills, starting at contact distance to 7 yards, including weak hand only operation, moving, reloads, etc.

 

[El Tejon]

I start and finish with accuracy drills. Shoot a Bill, an el Prez, a box, etc., work on the draw, work in mal drills, about 50 rounds of one hand (mostly off hand), shoot some at 20, 40 and 50 yards, then end with an accuracy drill and dry practice.

I try to keep practice under 300 rounds. Any more and I'm not getting anything out of it.

HTH.

 

[Charles Cotton]

King:
My practice sessions vary, depending upon what aspect of shooting is giving me the most trouble. There is a tendency to enjoy doing what we do best, so we often ignore things like weak hand only and malfunction drills. I always start off with slow fire and maximum accuracy, then, like Wakal, I work on movement, barricades and various shooting positions; all on IDPA targets.

I am the Match Director for our monthly IDPA match and I developed a problem I often see with our shooters - shooting on cadence, rather than when the front sight is where you'd like the bullet to go. This seems to be a common problem with action pistol shooters, as we want to hear the gun go off on a "rythm" and its hard to slow down.

I have a simple drill that I use four or five times a year to help prevent/cure this problem. I staple 30 or 40 9" paper plates on the target boards at random; you don't want any pattern (no rows and columns). Then, draw and fire one shot only on each plate from left to right. If you miss, let it go, you'll get it next time through. After I did this the first time, I was amazed at the number of plates that didn't have a hole. The next time through, shoot only the plates you missed on the first run. You'll probably still miss some, but don't pick up any shots; again, you'll get them next run. When you finally have one round on each plate, start putting another round on each plate using the same procedure. When you get to 4 or 5 rounds on each plate, you're getting good practice in target acquisition and identification as well! Before long, I was back up to speed and was not dropping near the number of points. (Obviously, the target distance you choose has to make this a challenge, otherwise you'll just hose the plates - on cadence!)

If you try this drill, I hope it helps,
Chas.

 

[ROSANGHAL]

Whenever I shoot either with a shooting buddy or not, I will always step off the line either to the left or right, during drawing and before firing. Getting off the line of force is what we call it.

After we're done with the drill we will always do a 360 degree check.

Depending how new the shooter is if the gun jams the drill isn't over you've gotta get that gun running again as soon and as safe as possible.

Sometimes we'll work on multiple targets also with target indicators. For example we'll have three targets up two with knives or guns and the other with no target indicator. I'll start with the participant facing away from the targets with his firearm holstered and hot. I'll then have the particiapant begin. Sometimes just to be a smart a$$ I'll put three targets up with no target indicators to see if the particapant swings around and starts to draw without any idication that there is a problem.

While doing these drills you must remain moving, at least in between shots and must use verbal commands and do a 360 scan.

Our accuracy goal is to get all shots in the cardiac triangle (a straight line from each nipple and lines connecting just below the throat area).

There are a couple others but these are the ones we put the most emphasis on.

We average about 200 rounds per session.

Ross T.

 

[Denny Hansen]

Start of with carry pistols. Primary is fired both two-handed and with one hand. Secondary is fired weak-hand only.
Contact distance to 25 yards includes everything from 1 round to non-standard responses (NSR), lateral movement, failure drills, shooting from barricade/cover.
Usually fire about 50 rounds

Move on to whatever system I need the most work on, usually M4 and shotgun from contact distance to 75 yards from field positions. Lot of NSR with the carbine and up-load slug drills with shotgun. If hunting season, work with rifle back to 200 yards from field positions.

End session with carry pistols as already described. Relube/clean weapons as needed, reload with carry ammo.

Denny

 

[Soap]

It depends. At this point in my training I'm working on developing my skill set, not just reaffirming it. So my practice is generally geared towards some aspect of my shooting that I have deemed insufficient. For example, if I'm having trouble doing snap shots with a rifle, I'll practice it. If I'm having a tough time with a left hand malf. clearance I'll practice that. Hopefully in the future, I'll spend more time polishing my skills rather than developing them.

 

[Rob Pincus]

King,

I like the way you start out. I try to load up with practice ammo before I leave the house/car and shoot those rounds while I'm as "cold" possible, from my carry position, wearing whatever +eyes&ears. I shoot these rounds close, fast and while moving around a little. After that my practice stays about the same or I'll work on speed/presentation drills. Lots of movement, lots of reloads... occassional malfunction drills (empty brass works great). I like to use a timer form random starts while walking in a figure 8 in front of target(s).

I have little or no use for parlor tricks like shooting pistols at 50 yards. If I do that stuff, I don't call it practice or training... at least not for defensive/combat shooting.

 

[El Tejon]

King, oh, yeah, left something out. Get a range buddy. Just like running or weight training, it helps to have someone egg you on or drag you out to the range. They can also watch your draw or loads and check for wasted movement.

Rob, parlor trick? Maybe not going to happen, but good to know. See, e.g., that thread on the Indy coppers and the BG with the CKC. You're right, of course, about need for closer work where a fight is likely to transpire.

 

[King]

Appreciate the feeback gents.....yep, I do have a shooting buddy. It makes range sessions all the more fun. I do practice weak hand as well.

Sounds like several of you have a training opportunity to move around a bit. I like that and could benefit from that opportunity. Tight now, the range closest to me really only allows you to stand there and shoot. Not sure if I can even practice malfunction / jam problems. I think the range may be deficient by not allowing more and various other practice opportunities.

Gives me another idea for a thread.........

Thanks again for the feedback.........