While we typically run drills at outdoor ranges, here are some you can do indoors to keep your skills sharp.
Shooting drills are inherently valuable to your training. Drills provide you with a standard you have to meet, and the standard can come in the form of speed, accuracy, or both. They allow you to have a preplanned training session when you hit the range, and like most things, prior planning prevents poor performance. Indoor ranges often have strict rules regarding how you can shoot and how you can train. This prohibits certain drills that involving drawing, long strings of rapid-fire, and similar modern shooting requirements.
That admittedly sucks and makes it tough to train beyond basic marksmanship. So with that in mind, I’ve gathered a few shooting drills that are perfect for indoor and even outdoor ranges with restrictive rules. I have four for you, and I hope they help you get the most out of your range training.
iHack
The iHack is a modified version of the Hackathorn headshot standards and requires you to shoot three very small dots on a single target. The target can be printed at pistol-training.com, and it’s six two-inch circles. You’ll use three circles for each drill. Each run requires nine rounds, and the drill will be shot at 5 yards. Each run requires three rounds and must be fired in three seconds.
Shooters start in the ready. The dots run horizontally, and you’ll begin going from left to right, firing one round into each circle. Your next run will have you firing right to the left. Lastly, you’ll fire one shot in the center dot and then shoot the other two targets in the order you choose. You get 3 seconds for each run, and a passing score is 7 out of 9 while staying the time constraints. This is one of the few shooting drills made for shooting indoors.
Dot Torture – Modified
Dot torture is another printable target that runs you through a variety of different training shooting drills. From one-handed shooting to reloads and more. Sadly, dot torture does require some drawing but can be easily modified. Instead of drawing, set the gun on the table in front of you or start in a close retention position and work on your presentation.
Other than that Dot torture is the best training fifty rounds of ammunition can offer you. It’s simple, and the time and distance constraints are entirely on you. The goal should be to shoot the drill with the most accuracy possible.
The 10-10-10
The 10-10-10 is a simple, accuracy-under-time drill that can be quite challenging and eye-opening. This drill requires a B8 target at 10 yards, 10 rounds of ammunition, a timer with a par time set to ten seconds. The shooter starts in the low ready and, at the signal, fires ten rounds in ten seconds at the B8 target at ten yards.
The goal is to get all ten rounds in the black and score a minimum of 90. Anything less than 90 is a failure. This drill is fairly simple but challenging and can also be made more challenging within the indoor range constraints. This is one of the shooting drills that can be modified by adding a reload, shooting it with one hand, or reducing the par time.
Banging Hammers – Controlled and Hammer Pairs
This drill requires a target with a two-inch dot and a 3×5 card. The range can be determined by the shooter’s skill, but I advise starting at 5 yards. Place the dot above the 3×5 card. Set a timer to four seconds, load four rounds into your gun, and start in the ready position. This is one of the shooting drills that require you can go fast and slow within the same drill.
You also need to know the difference between a controlled pair and a hammer pair. A controlled pair is to rounds fired with two sight pictures. The shooter fires one shot and rapidly requires their sight picture and fires another. A hammer pair is two shots fired rapidly with one sight picture.
Shooters fire a controlled pair into the 2-inch circle and then transition to the 3×5 card and fire a hammer pair. Do it all in four seconds, and you’re golden. If necessary, decrease the distance and get some more practice in.
Shooting Drills At the Indoor Range
Shooting drills are a ton of fun but can also be quite frustrating. They force you to get better or fail. That’s where the value comes from. If you aren’t training with a purpose, then you are just wasting ammo. These indoor shooting drills are perfect for adding some pizazz to your indoor range trips. Do you guys have any indoor shooting drills you use? Let us know below.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine gunner who served with 2nd Bn 2nd Marines for 5 years. He deployed in 2009 to Afghanistan and again in 2011 with the 22nd MEU(SOC) during a record-setting 11 months at sea. Travis has trained with the Romanian Army, the Spanish Marines, the Emirate Marines, and the Afghan National Army.
He serves as an NRA-certified pistol instructor and pursues a variety of firearms-based hobbies.
You may also enjoy these popular articles:
Follow us on Social Media:
©MTC Holsters, LLC and CrossBreed Holsters Blog, 2021.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Travis Pike and the CrossBreed Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.