Keeping your handgun skills sharp requires consistent practice, but repeatedly doing the same drills can lead to boredom and stagnation, right?
This is why having a well-rounded set of range drills helps us maintain various handgun skills. These include accuracy, speed, target acquisition, and stress management.
I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t train like I should. Another problem I have is that I gravitate towards those drills that I’m good at and neglect the ones that are challenging for me. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s ok to find a drill you’re good at or like and really push yourself to be even harder. But we also want to keep our training diverse and work on a range of skill sets, not just a few.
Remember when your mom told you to eat the veggies on your plate? A well-rounded meal isn’t just the meat and potatoes, it also includes vegetables, fruit, and other foods.
Training is somewhat the same way. There are some we like, some we don’t like, and some we even hide under our seat… Sorry, I was thinking about those awful Brussels sprouts when I was 10. The point is, use a variety of drills that work on multiple skill sets to keep your training as robust as possible.
So, with that in mind, here’s a blend of five drills to keep your handgun skills sharp and versatile at the range.
1. The D.O.P.E Drill
I was introduced to the D.O.P.E Drill (Data On Previous Engagements) by firearms instructor Rick Crawley. This drill helps you find that balance of both speed and accuracy.
It’s designed to reinforce fundamentals while emphasizing quick, accurate shooting. To perform this drill, set up one target and mark off starting points at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 yards. Begin with your pistol holstered.
On the command, draw and fire five rounds into the first target (5 yards). Write down your time and mark your shots on this target. Move to the 10 yard line and repeat. When you have done this from all five locations, you can calculate your “hit factor” by using a simple formula. For complete details, check out my article about the D.O.P.E drill from Rick Crawly.
As I mentioned before, the primary benefit of the D.O.P.E Drill is the blend of speed and accuracy. It trains you to shoot as fast as possible while still hitting the effective area of a target. It’s not about bullseye shooting, it’s about being as fast as possible while still being effective.
2. 50-Meter Pistol Drill
While the D.O.P.E drill works on balancing speed and accuracy, this drill leans just a little more into accuracy. It’s still a timed, fast-shooting drill, but the target is further away and smaller.
Dan Brokos has an excellent video demonstrating this simple, yet effective drill. The idea behind it is that a larger target is easier to hit if you train to shoot fast at a smaller target further away.
For this drill, simply set up an eight-inch target at 40 meters and fire 10 rounds within 20 seconds. The time limit puts some pressure on you to hit the target with all 10 rounds before running out of time.
He uses a SHOT timer, but you can also just have a friend use a stopwatch and yell when you’re out of time.
Shooting at extended ranges magnifies mistakes that might not be noticeable at closer distances. Mastering the 50-Meter Drill helps with the basics like stance, grip, and trigger squeeze. When you’re comfortable at 50 meters, closer shots become significantly easier, boosting overall shooting confidence.
3. The Bill Drill
The Bill Drill is a classic handgun drill developed by legendary competitive shooter Bill Wilson. It’s one of the most popular drills out there because it’s fun and effective.
Fellow writer Travis Pike does a great job of explaining the Bill Drill in his article “The Bill Drill: A Classic Skill Builder”.
To execute the Bill Drill, set your target at 7 yards. From the holster, draw and fire six shots into the target as quickly as possible while maintaining accuracy.
You can add one second to your time for every shot you hit outside of the A (or zero) zone. While this drill is also focused on speed and accuracy, it adds an element that the others do not, drawing from your holster.
This drill is particularly beneficial for practicing rapid sight reacquisition in a realistic setting for self-defense. Recoil management is another critical skill this drill can help with. It’s a quick repetition drill that trains your muscle memory, enhancing your ability to maintain accuracy during fast shooting sequences.
4. Box Drill
The Box Drill is a dynamic shooting exercise that builds speed, accuracy, target transitions, and magazine management. It incorporates movement into your training, which is important to do.
To perform this drill, set up four cones in, guess what shape? Yep, a square. Start at one corner and begin firing at a target while moving from one corner to the other. Typically, a target is set at 7 yards, but you can change this based on your own skill set.
I also start from the holstered position for this drill. Use a shot timer and draw, engage the target while you move, but don’t make sure you do not stop. You can add five points for every time you make it around the square and subtract one point for every shot you miss.
I use three mags for this drill and subtract my points from the total time to produce a standard time for reference when you do it again. The lower the time, the better.
This drill is fun and forces you to move around while shooting. This is something a lot of shooters overlook, so make sure moving and shooting are included in your range drills.
5. No-Fail Pistol Drill
The No-Fail Pistol Drill from Chuck Pressburg is another drill that builds skills with holster draw, but works on speed and accuracy as well. It’s a little bit like the 50-Meter pistol drill, but instead of firing 10 rounds in 20 seconds, you fire one round in 3.5 seconds.
You may be wondering why it’s good to do a similar drill from a different distance. What I have found is that shooting the 50-meter drill makes you faster at this drill. When you get faster at this drill, you become even better at the Bill Drill.
The distance for this drill is 25 yards with a B8 target. Fire once, then re-holster and repeat for a total of 10 times. If any of your shots land outside of the 9-ring on the B8 target, you fail. If your time goes past 3.5 seconds, you fail. All 10 shots must be within the 9-ring and within time. That’s it. No score to keep or percentages to add up. You pass or fail, and there’s no in-between.
Stay Balanced, Stay Sharp
Mixing different drills into your training keeps your handgun skills sharp, versatile, and ready for various scenarios. Some of these may appear to be somewhat repetitive. But you are mixing up your distance, target size, time, and working on multiple skills.
There are many more drills you can substitute any of these with, but these five are among my favorites for keeping things fun and productive at the range. If you only have access to an indoor range where drawing from a holster or moving around is not allowed, modify the drills. You can take just about any drill and make it work if needed.
So, the next time you hit the range, give these drills a try. After that, find some more you like and add them to the list. Keep shooting, keep training, and keep improving your skills.
