Post Your 2020 50 Round Count Defensive Training Range Session

wvsig

wvsig

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So with times as they are many people cannot afford to shoot as much as they were. 250 + round count @Millie sessions are out of fashion. Some cannot even get enough ammo to get to the range and shoot. Many people have shifted their limited range sessions to defensive handgun skills with lower round counts. I personally am doing more dry firing and work from the draw at home vs the range. With this in mind here is the task.

  • You have a single box of 50 rounds.
  • No time limit
  • How do you shoot that single box of ammo in order to maximize your defensive handgun training?
 
Tom Givens Casino drill. Now this one will be fast but you can modify it. You can change the numbers and you can shoot 5, 7 9 etc... instead of 21. The only real constraint is enough rounds so you have to reload twice from slide lock. It is a great drill be cause you have to think about how many shots on each # and you have a draw and 2 slide lock reloads. You don't even need a timer.

 
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What’s the goal of the range session? If ammo access is limited, a timer is basically a necessity for maximizing time value. All times below would be for an A Class USPSA shooter or an IDPA Master. Adjust accordingly.

If the goal is confirming carry/competition skills from dry-firing:

Cold: run the F.A.S.T. twice (12 rounds, 2 draws from concealment, 2 reloads, 4 precision shots, 8 faster splits). Aim for six seconds or better.

Determine the snags from the F.A.S.T. reps.

If the issue is the draw-to-first-shot, do 18 draws on a 3x5 starting at 5 yards and increasing one yard at a time until maximum distance is reached. Set a par time of 2 seconds. Missing or over-time means you repeat the distance.

If the issue was the reload, do nine 1-reload-1 drills. Do ten yards, start from the draw, and aim for 3.5 seconds (1.5 draw, 2 reload).

If the issue was really trigger speed/sight tracking (usually grip issues in 99% of shooters) do three bill drills and really take mental stock of what you saw. If your sights tracked funky in the first attempt, don’t shoot again until you’ve set your focus on a strong support hand clamp. Aim for 2.5 seconds at 7 yards or 3 seconds at 10.

That leaves twenty rounds for working on getting into positions, drawing onto small distant targets, or working B8s for accuracy (e.g. shooting for 100 points on a 25 yarder, then doing another round for 100 points weak hand only at 10 yards).

Bill drills and 1-reload-1s are really high value for getting reps on a live-fire draw with a consistent grip.

In my experience, lower round count drills like the 5-Yard Round Up or the Wizard aren’t really great for self-diagnosing issues because the tested skills are very limited and the times/target distances are very generous.

USPSA Classifiers are great as long as you’re not just picking the well-known, fun ones with wide open targets like El Presidente. Tuxedo targets and no shoots can help you work on recognizing acceptable sight picture at distance under speed. The IDPA 5x5 is a waste of 25 rounds if the entire practice is limited to 50 rounds.
 
Closest thing I’ll get to a fifty round session is a BUG match.

I just cut out my practice sessions, and only shoot matches.

This is why IDPA stands for I Don't Practice Anymore.
 
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JRV said:
What’s the goal of the range session? If ammo access is limited, a timer is basically a necessity for maximizing time value. All times below would be for an A Class USPSA shooter or an IDPA Master. Adjust accordingly.

If the goal is confirming carry/competition skills from dry-firing:

Cold: run the F.A.S.T. twice (12 rounds, 2 draws from concealment, 2 reloads, 4 precision shots, 8 faster splits). Aim for six seconds or better.

Determine the snags from the F.A.S.T. reps.

If the issue is the draw-to-first-shot, do 18 draws on a 3x5 starting at 5 yards and increasing one yard at a time until maximum distance is reached. Set a par time of 2 seconds. Missing or over-time means you repeat the distance.

If the issue was the reload, do nine 1-reload-1 drills. Do ten yards, start from the draw, and aim for 3.5 seconds (1.5 draw, 2 reload).

If the issue was really trigger speed/sight tracking (usually grip issues in 99% of shooters) do three bill drills and really take mental stock of what you saw. If your sights tracked funky in the first attempt, don’t shoot again until you’ve set your focus on a strong support hand clamp. Aim for 2.5 seconds at 7 yards or 3 seconds at 10.

That leaves twenty rounds for working on getting into positions, drawing onto small distant targets, or working B8s for accuracy (e.g. shooting for 100 points on a 25 yarder, then doing another round for 100 points weak hand only at 10 yards).

Bill drills and 1-reload-1s are really high value for getting reps on a live-fire draw with a consistent grip.

In my experience, lower round count drills like the 5-Yard Round Up or the Wizard aren’t really great for self-diagnosing issues because the tested skills are very limited and the times/target distances are very generous.

USPSA Classifiers are great as long as you’re not just picking the well-known, fun ones with wide open targets like El Presidente. Tuxedo targets and no shoots can help you work on recognizing acceptable sight picture at distance under speed. The IDPA 5x5 is a waste of 25 rounds if the entire practice is limited to 50 rounds.
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Solid plan and breakdown!
 
Surprisingly, my match scores haven’t suffered since I stopped practice sessions.

Although, maybe that’s because everyone else quit practicing? Who knows.
 
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