Handgun training drills

Smokeshot

Sergeant of the Hide
Full Member
Minuteman
Oct 8, 2024
336
2,726
Illinois
Hello,

I train with a Walther PDP (Gen 1, FS, 4" barrel, 15 lbs steel guide rod, Holosun 508T mounted). I consider myself a moderately decent shot but due to my eyesight, I struggle with tight groups. I do not want this to limit me and would like to train harder to become a better shot.

Please suggest some drills which help shooters improve their speed, efficiency, posture, and accuracy.

Thank you,
SS
 
I am not a pistol competitor but have shot them quite a lot for many years. There are some pistol competitors on the site and they will chime in soon. No formal training. I do hunt squirrels with a Colt Woodsman and am considered a good shot by most who have seen me shoot locally.
I do think it fair to say that the eyes are the foundation of accurate shooting of any type. If you do not have eyesight to shoot accurately you are either not going to improve or you will need to go to a RDS.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Smokeshot
Do you want to be a bullseye shooter, or USPSA/IDPA shooter?

I ask because, while in USPSA you might not be able to miss fast enough to win, a fast Charlie is often better than a slow Alpha. Beyond building, showing, and maintaining proficiency with the fundamentals of marksmanship, “tight groups” really are not a top priority…
 
Hello,

I train with a Walther PDP (Gen 1, FS, 4" barrel, 15 lbs steel guide rod, Holosun 508T mounted). I consider myself a moderately decent shot but due to my eyesight, I struggle with tight groups. I do not want this to limit me and would like to train harder to become a better shot.

Please suggest some drills which help shooters improve their speed, efficiency, posture, and accuracy.

Thank you,
SS

Have you really learned to shoot with the red dot optic (occluded)? As a long-time iron sight shooter, it has taken me some time to shoot as well with the RDO as I do with irons….
 
Have you really learned to shoot with the red dot optic (occluded)? As a long-time iron sight shooter, it has taken me some time to shoot as well with the RDO as I do with irons….
Mine is a green dot (not sure if this matters). I’d say that I’m still learning and improving, slowly.
 
Do you want to be a bullseye shooter, or USPSA/IDPA shooter?

I ask because, while in USPSA you might not be able to miss fast enough to win, a fast Charlie is often better than a slow Alpha. Beyond building, showing, and maintaining proficiency with the fundamentals of marksmanship, “tight groups” really are not a top priority…
I don’t think I’ll be entering the competitions anytime soon. There’s this guy “PewView” on YT and I like his style (excluding the air rack and trick reloads - because I can’t do that stuff 😅). Anyways, I would like to be fast and accurate (doesn’t have to be right on bullseye) when hitting multiple targets in a 180° view.
 
Please suggest some drills which help shooters improve their speed, efficiency, posture, and accuracy.

Accuracy is still final IMO. I am the survivor of exactly (**0**) pistol fights, but I kill a lot of critters around here on the ranch with an old, beat-up pistol that is always on my hip. This includes popping the head of a cottonmouth at 15 yards two summers ago as it was swimming towards my two kids that were playing in the creek below the house.

Accuracy is obtained through a combination of good eyesight (better get your prescription renewed), muscle strength, and application of fundamentals through 'proper' practice.

Speed and efficiency are going to improve through repetition of proper practice. Admittedly I don't shoot any kind of pistol competition, so my personal standards are going to be a lot less than what a good competitor would expect out of themselves. If I can draw and hit a running armadillo at 20 yards before it makes it to its hole...I'm a happy camper. Here is where I'll default any and all suggestions to guys who burn thousands of rounds annually as they are going to be better than me.

Posture will best be fixed through a coach. If you have a friend/acquaintance who is a high-level shooter, it is a great idea to have them watch you for a half hour and break down what you are doing right and wrong. As a former service rifle match shooter I learned more in 30 minutes on a firing line under the eyes of three other marksmanship instructors than I did in any school. This will apply to pistol shooting too.

There are a TON of great videos now of drills and fundamentals by accomplished marksmen that will help most shooters become better on their own. However, I still believe that individual coaching is going to get one to the best of their potential.

I'm rambling now. Best of luck.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Smokeshot
Baer solutions on YouTube. Drew Estell is exceptional at breaking everything down making it simple and explaining how to fix problems. He also wrote a book "process and progress" and it has a lot of great info in it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Smokeshot
I don't think it's possible to teach someone to shoot a pistol over an Internet thread, but I will tell you this. You're kind of asking the wrong question. What you need to focus on and pursue is skills. Or tasks. Not drills. A drill is an exercise of a skill. And there's a ton of different ways to practice a skill. Hence everyone's pet drill. Skills will usually often build progressively. In this day and age the progression of teaching someone to shoot a pistol has been established dozens of times. It depends on the use or job, but it shouldn't be a secret. I would also say, outside of competition, I would break down and categorize the progression between Basic Marksmanship and Combat Marksmanship. Basic marksmanship is slow and timed fire drills on bulls eye targets meant to teach and hone the 8(or big 4) marksmanship fundamentals. Combat Marksmanship uses timed and rapid fire drills on humanoid targets to teach tasks like multiple target engagements and transitions, speed mag changes without retention, TAC mag changes with retention, immediate and remedial action of malfunctions, rifle to pistol transitions.

It's hard to know where you are in the progression but here's some benchmarks.

25 meter bull, 10 mins, 10rds, B8 target repair center
Minimum for a beginner 70 points
Okay for a beginner 80 points
Minimum for an experienced shooter 90 points
Good for an experienced shooter 96 points

Presentation shot, 7 meters, 6" bull
1st round off the draw
Minimum 1.5 secs clean
Good 1 sec clean

El Prez, 10 meters, 3 x IPSC targets
Minimum 11 secs clean(A zone)
Good 8 secs clean

Speed Mag Change, IPSC target at 7 meters
From full extension, 2 RDS(1/1), 2 secs

Bill Drill, IPSC A zone, 7 meters
From the draw, 6 RDS, 3 secs minimum, 2 secs good

That covers accuracy and the fundamentals of MMS, presentation shot, multiple target engagements, rhythm drills, and speed mag change. After that you probably need to work on transitions moving into and out of positions.
Thank you for this detailed response. Appreciate it.
 

A lot to chew on with the question but I haven't seen it mentioned so I'll recommend you research the "Dot Torture Drill" with regards to the accuracy component of your question. The paper doesn't lie and rather than blasting away at the same target, you'll get a lot of feedback by running the drill.

There's a lot of other great drills (many of which have been mentioned by others in this post particularly in what @JR1200W3 shared). Just my opinion of course, but where many of those drills "shine" is when you use them as a benchmark to track your progress using a standardized course of fire and that'll give you quantifiable data on how you're progressing. I would also share that by focusing on only those drills you may be limiting your progress by focusing on the wrong fundamentals.


But again, just my opinion but I'd strongly recommend checking out the dot torture drill and giving that a try or two and reevaluating your goals/focus areas afterwards.

-LD
 
Last edited: