Firearms drills don’t have any form of standardized naming system. Some drills, like the 10-10-10, describe exactly what they are in the name. Some, like Mozambique, can be somewhat obscure until you learn the history behind the drill. Others, like the Hateful 8, are both descriptive and aptly named. The Hateful 8 drill sounds simple but quickly delves into the world of frustration as you chase an ever-escaping par time and accuracy standard.
The Hateful 8 gets its name from how many times the number eight comes up during the drill. It’s a drill that uses a B8 target. It’s fired from 8 yards, and you fire eight rounds in a par time of 8 seconds. It’s certainly an apt description of the drill. Hateful comes from the fact the drill is just the right combination of par time and accuracy requirement that keeps you chasing it.
Bill Blowers, a firearms instructor, US Army veteran, and 25-year police officer, designed the drill. He owns Tap-Rack Tactical and teaches a wide variety of classes to various customers. If he’s talking, you should be listening.
What You’ll Need
As stated above, we need eight rounds per run and a B8 target. We also need three magazines and either two spare pouches or a double-cell mag pouch. You’ll need a holster of your choice and, of course, your gun.
Alternatively, you can try to shoot this with a revolver, but if you can do this drill with a revolver in eight seconds, you’re an absolute monster with a wheel gun.
I used my Glock 17 with a Vortex Defender ST optic. My 6304RDS is on a Bianchi duty belt with a Safariland 79 Open Top Double Magazine Pouch. Since we have a par time we are aiming to beat, bring along a shot timer. I’d also bring several targets. You’ll want to keep shooting this drill, but going with one or two targets won’t be enough to satisfy you.
Shooting the Hateful 8
Once you get your target set up and 8 yards downrange, we can start. Load one magazine with 4 rounds and two magazines with 2 rounds each. The magazine with 4 rounds goes into your gun, the other two into your magazine pouches. Holster your gun, and engage any retention devices as you see fit. If you carry a gun on duty and are practicing with your duty rig I suggest using it to your department standard.
At the beep, you will draw and engage the target in four rounds. Conduct a reload and engage with two rounds, then reload once more and engage with two rounds. Do all that in less than eight seconds with all your shots on target.
Sounds easy? Eight seconds seems like a lot until you look at your shot timer and 12.36 stairs back at you.
With a B8, you have a potential for 80 points in total, and you score according to the rings. There isn’t a passing score. Instead, the goal is to see improvement. The first step is getting all eight rounds on target in eight seconds. Then, we get all eight rounds in black in under eight seconds.
The end goal is to score 80 points by putting all eight in the bull’s eye in less than eight seconds. From there, all you can do is get faster and faster. I shot the drill eight times because eight seemed appropriate. Only once did I get below eight seconds, and I only got half of the rounds in the black.
What the Hateful 8 Works
The Hateful 8 manages to work your accuracy, grip, stance, recoil control, draw, reloading, and more in a mere eight rounds and in around 8 seconds. It’s got a huge focus on sight tracking to get those fast shots on target and to do so accurately. Optimistically, your red dot or front sight should never really sit still.
This can be tough to do and I don’t think a ton of shooters are going to hit under the par time right away. However, it’s one of those drills that makes you want to keep trying. While shooting, I quickly identified things I messed up. Like a crappy reload or my bad habit of starting slow and picking up speed with my shots.
Identifying your failures can be immensely valuable because you know what to train and how to improve. That’s often the better half of the battle. As you get better, you see those seconds and fractions of a second fall off your time. This makes you want to try harder and try again.
When you feel fast, your reloads are smooth, and your shots hit all black, you think you did great, and you have to be under eight seconds. Then, bam, a 9.67 is on the timer.
You almost want to throw your shot timer downrange. You don’t.
Instead, you keep trying and keep trying. For me, the most beneficial thing the drill has done is forced me to try harder and harder.
The Hateful 8 is an excellent all-around training drill. It’s difficult but possible; frustrating but never make you want to give up. It works some very precious skills and doesn’t waste your time or ammo.
Seeing 8s
I keep a folder with various drills typed up for training purposes. If I don’t have a specific goal at the range, I go to the book and choose drills. The Hateful 8 is getting a place in that book. It’s an awesome tool for training and skill-building. It’s a great mix of simplicity and difficulty. Take it for a spin, take your time, and see what skills you can build in 8 seconds with 8 rounds.
