Favorite rifle drills?

[bax]

What are your top 3 drills for your precision rifle? I would break them down by 100 or 200 yard range and 200 to 1k range.

Same question for carbine only I would break them down to 25 to 100 yards and beyond 100 yards.

I'm going for those things that you do almost every time. Where you keep and analyze targets.

Here are mine for PR:

PR 200 and under -

• cold bore plus 4
• dot drill
• Position 3 is either up and down, speed, or mag changes

PR greater than 200 -

• for 308, cold bore shot to 800 on the half-mil steel (or if I'm feeling confident on the 12-inch steel)
• wind drills
• multiple target engagement.
• for 300 win mag, cold bore to 1k on the half-mil steel or the third-mil steel
• Sometimes I run the range to check my card against conditions right now and verify wind calls.

 

[...]

• tie two different colored balloons together on the same string...designate one balloon a "target" and another a "no-shoot"
• jog 300yds down range to place target at berm (or whatever distance your fitness level or range distance will allow)
• jog 300yds back to firing position
• fire on the target balloon without hitting the no-shoot.
• set a shot timer for increasingly lower set times.....shoot before you run out of time.

this works a few things.....it mimics firing under stress with an elevated heart rate, target selection, wind reading, and forcing a shot when you dont have time to wait for ideal circumstances.

this is best on a slightly windy day


you can also do a variation of this where you have one or two "target" balloons in a field of "no shoot" balloons.....this helps work target selection, firing lanes, and knowing your target and what is beyond it.

 

[bax]

Reload times matter, try these.

Combined arms

Starting conditions
2 dot targets at 200 yards
2 dot targets at 100 yards
2 dot targets at 25 yards
handgun on left bench, empty, 2 magazines each with 2 rounds
carbine on center bench, empty, 2 magazines, each with 2 rounds
PR on mat, gun empty, 2 magazines each with 2 rounds
Shooter behind the line

And the drill is:

when the timer beeps,

advance to mat, assume a prone position on the rifle, two round on first 200-yard dot, reload, 2 rounds on second 200-yard dot, make the PR safe and stand

go to the middle bench, pick up the carbine, insert a 2-round magazine, any position, 2 rounds in the first 100-yard dot, reload, 2 rounds in the second 100-yard dot, make safe

go to the left hand bench, pick up the pistol, insert a magazine, any position, 2 round in the first 25-yard dot, reload, 2 rounds in the second 25-yard dot, make safe

For variety, shoot all targets 1st dot strong side, 2nd dot weak side or all weak side.


Where's Stanley?

you need 5 playing cards, ace through 5, and a timer
put up a big target at 100 with five 1-inch dots on it, dots numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 in no order. Best if shooter does not see the target before shooting the drill.
PR, rifle is empty, magazine with 5 rounds.
RO shuffles the cards and runs the timer

shooter assumes any position, load and make ready, RO starts the timer, when it beeps, RO turns over the top card and calls it, shooter shoots that dot. Repeat 5 times. Only hits count.

Variation, shooter starts standing facing away from the target, RO runs the timer, when the timer beeps, RO flips the card, calls it, shooter turns and assumes prone, load and shoot. Only hits count. Hits on the wrong target reduce the score.

Another variation, use the full deck, keep hunting for a card between 1 and 5.