2 of Our Favorite Pistol Shooting Drills to Try

There are so many great ways to start your day at the range! But how do you pick the best pistol shooting drills for you? You have already invested in the sport by having your firearm and getting to the range. Now you are ready to take the time to invest in your shooting progress and precision. The following drills are staples in the firearm training industry and can be used and monitored with Mantis Systems. 

Any time you are training, you should have a goal in mind. Goals will help you develop or pick drills that will help you measure your progress and skill level. If you are working towards accuracy, using the same target at predetermined distances will help you mark your improvements over time. Your goals change a plinking session into a training session. 

Just having a goal does not mean you will achieve it right away. Taking the time to measure your performance can make a huge difference in how fast you succeed. Pistol target practice can be measured with the MantisX Shooting Performance System and the Laser Academy. MantisX can be used during dry or live fire practice. Laser Academy is a dry fire only training tool and can be used in the comforts of your own home. The best part is that both of the apps keep the data in your history so you can reference your metrics any time! Some of the best pistol shooting drills are simple and easy to set up. 

Focus on Accuracy- One Ragged Hole

Sometimes you may be limited by range supplies and targets available. The good news is that the One Ragged Hole Drill can be done on any paper target. The challenge is to get all ten of your shots in a hole that can be covered by a quarter. If you would like to start with a grouping the size of your fist, you can work down to a quarter based on the distance you are shooting from. 

By making one ragged hole, you are focusing on the fundamentals of marksmanship and accuracy. You need to focus on the basics of the trigger pull and sight alignment to make sure each shot lands in the same spot as the last.

If you have the MantisX Shooting Performance System, or the Mantis Laser Academy, you can use drills within the app to help you complete this drill.  Our suggested method is below!

MantisX Shooting Performance System- MantisX  Benchmark 

Beginner

Set up your target 3 yards away from your shooting position. 

Start the MantisX Benchmark drill in the app.

Shoot 10 shots at your target, with the goal of being able to cover the hole with a quarter. 

Analyze your shots in the app to help correct any errors you had during the drill.

Try Again!

Advanced

Set up your target 7 yards away from your shooting position. (Feel free to put the target further out as you improve!)

Start the MantisX Benchmark drill in the app.

Shoot 10 shots at your target, with the goal of being able to cover the hole with a quarter.

Analyze your shots in the app to help correct any errors you had during the drill.

Try Again!

Laser Academy- Bullseye Ten-Shot

Beginner

Set up your target 3 yards away from your shooting position. (If you are using the portable/ small targets, set the target at approximately 1 yard away.)

Start the Bullseye 10-Shot drill in the app.

Shoot 10 shots at your target, with the goal of being able to cover the hole with a quarter. 

Analyze your shots in the app to help correct any errors you had during the drill.

Advanced

Set up your target 7 yards away from your shooting position. (If you are using portable/ small targets, set the target at approximately 1.75 yards away.)

Start the Bullseye 10-Shot drill in the app.

Shoot 10 shots at your target, with the goal of being able to cover the hole with a quarter. 

Analyze your shots in the app to help correct any errors you had during the drill.

Focus on Speed- Bill Drill

The Bill Drill is a simple one-target/six-shot course of fire. Set your target at a distance of 7 yards away from your shooting position and this drill is timed. If you are using the MantisX at the range, the shot timer will still pick up your finish time accurately because it senses your trigger pull and not the sound of the shot. You can use this to your advantage at indoor ranges where other people's shots may be picked up or counted on the traditional shot timer.

Laser Academy is dry fire only. So to simulate this drill, we will be doing just the time to the first shot.

MantisX Shooting Performance System- Shot Timer

Beginner

Set up your target 7 yards away from your shooting position. 

Start the Shot Timer drill in the app.

Hold your handgun on target or at the low ready position as you wait for the beep. 

At the beep, aim at your target, and shoot 6 shots at your target as quickly as possible.

Analyze your shots in the app to help correct any errors you had during the drill. (Look at your split times and see how consistent your timing was. Did you have a shot that you hesitated for?)

Try Again!

Advanced

Set up your target 7 yards away from your shooting position. 

Start the Shot Timer drill in the app.

Holster your firearm. 

At the beep, draw your firearm, and shoot 6 shots at your target as quickly as possible.

Analyze your shots in the app to help correct any errors you had during the drill. (Look at your split times and see how consistent your timing was. Did you have a shot that you hesitated for?)

Try Again!

Laser Academy- Compressed Surprise Break

Beginner

Set up your target 7 yards away from your shooting position. 

Start the Compressed Surprise Break drill in the app.

Hold your handgun on target or at the low ready position as you wait for the beep. 

At the beep, aim at your target, and shoot 1 shot at your target as quickly as possible.

Reset your firearm and continue until you have completed 6 shots. 

Analyze your shots in the app to help correct any errors you had during the drill. (Look at your split times and see how consistent your timing was. Did you have a shot that you hesitated for?)

Try Again!

Advanced

Beginner

Set up your target 7 yards away from your shooting position. 

Start the Compressed Surprise Break drill in the app.

Holster your firearm.

At the beep, aim at your target, and shoot 1 shot at your target as quickly as possible.

Reset your firearm and continue until you have completed 6 shots. 

Analyze your shots in the app to help correct any errors you had during the drill. (Look at your split times and see how consistent your timing was. Did you have a shot that you hesitated for?)

Try Again!

More Drill Ideas

In the MantisX App we have courses at the bottom of the training page. They are separated into Marksmanship and Combat-driven courses. Based on your goals, you can start either set of courses. Once you select your course, the app will prompt you to complete the set of drills. Your earned patch will be sent to you upon completion if you input your shipping address when prompted! In Laser Academy, we have the Pistol Marksmanship Course with more to come! 

Conclusion

Track your training! You will thank yourself later when you can look back and see how far you have come. The One Ragged Hole drill is a fun one to pull out on the range when you are looking to show off your technique! And if you can do it while shooting quickly it is even more impressive and can potentially help you if you ever need to use your marksman skills in public. 

Beginner pistol shooting drills can also be a simple drill to fall back on if you don't know what you want to do at the range. Drills bring structure to your training and should be included in your range session and tailored to your goals. 

Keep training and track your progress! Join groups in the MantisX app to see how others are training!