Tips for maximizing low round count practice sessions?

[Pro2AInPA]

In an attempt to conserve ammo as much as possible while still progressing my shooting abilities, I'm wondering if you guys have tips to get the most out of let's say, 150 rounds in a practice session.

I'm looking for drills that will directly improve me as a USPSA shooter.

I do a ton of dry fire practice but nothing quite matches real trigger time!

Thanks!

[Bigpops]

Dryfire helps a bunch. Sometimes MORE than live fire.

Airsoft is another way to get some quality time behind a trigger.

[Pro2AInPA]

The biggest problem with dryfire for me is having to rack the slide between every shot. It's really tough to practice splits and transitions like that.

[jasmap]

You definitely don't have to rack the slide after the initial trigger pull during dryfire. You can still do transitions and simulated splits......minus the real recoil. Dryfire can also include different types of draws, reloads, movement, transitions, different types of starts (ex: gun on table unloaded; mags on table or even on belt), etc.

[Bigpops]

We purchased 2 airsofts, a Glock and STI replica from two different places. (Evike and Manny USA) The initial cost isn't to bad but like everything else you will need extra things. We are setting up a room in the house with small USPSA targets. (this weekend actually)

It really is surprising how much these new airsofts replicate the real thing. You may want to try it, especially if your shooting stock ammo. If your shooting a minimum of 150 rounds per session, it won't take long for the airsoft to be a good deal for you.

[Pro2AInPA]

We purchased 2 airsofts, a Glock and STI replica from two different places. (Evike and Manny USA) The initial cost isn't to bad but like everything else you will need extra things. We are setting up a room in the house with small USPSA targets. (this weekend actually)

It really is surprising how much these new airsofts replicate the real thing. You may want to try it, especially if your shooting stock ammo. If your shooting a minimum of 150 rounds per session, it won't take long for the airsoft to be a good deal for you.

I load my own ammo but small pistol primers and still a tough thing to find on a consistent basis.

[CocoBolo]

One way to minimize practice rounds is to focus on a particual weakness in that practice session. Today I'm going out to work on weak hand strong hand and that will be all that I practice, its my biggest weakness right now. I may run the Texas star a few times, its still taking me 6 shots to clean it, with the open gun and 7 or 8 with the limited gun at moderate distance of 15 yards. We have had it out to 30 yards at local matches. My average practice session runs about 500 rounds.

I use what I call my NMQ ammo, Not match Quality. The ones that do not drop all that well or that were loaded when the shell plate slung a little powder out etc.

I also have a 22LR conversion that fits both my limited gun and open gun and its not unusual to run a 1000 rounds in practice with the 22lr. I also shoot the rig in Steel mathes and its a lot of fun.

I try to dry fire at least once a day, for 10-15 minutes, drives the wife crazy. Only the first shot is an actual trigger pull the rest are training the eyes and the brain to acquire the target faster. Reload practice over the bed or couch. Dropping them on the wood floor is bad for the floor.

BigPops certainly has the right idea up in snow country but down here we shoot year round and today it will be sunny and in the 70's so the range I go. She's working so I go all day to play.

[Bigpops]

BigPops certainly has the right idea up in snow country but down here we shoot year round and today it will be sunny and in the 70's so the range I go. She's working so I go all day to play.

Thanks for rubbing it in Ron!

[Jman]

Here's one I use when I get a chance to practice.

Set up two USPSA targets 10 yards apart.

Place shooting boxes at 5-10-15-20 and 25 yards.

Start at the 25 yard box.

At the buzzer put 2 on each then move up one box and repeat till you reach the 5 yard box.

Figure out a way to increace your hit factor on every run.

This simple set up can spin off a ton of different drills.

Hint: if your ammo is limited...shoot Alpha's.

Jim

[Bigpops]

another great tool, created by a real nice guy - DR Performance Shooting practice deck.

Edited December 31, 2009 by Bigpops

[gb32]

Here is a practice routine I use that doesn't use too many rounds when I'm working on movement.

Arrive at range, set everything up.

Stretch, warm up

Slowfire 5 shot groups 15, 20, 25 yds freestyle, SHO, WHO

Dryfire for about 15 minutes. Basic fundamentals.

Sample drill: Plate rack at 25yds. Draw and move to the 20yd line hit two plates, move to 15 yd line hit two plates, move to 10 yd line hit two plates.

I'll mix it up with reloads, lateral movement, substitute paper for plates etc. I'll dryfire the drill at least 10 times focusing on technique.

I shoot about 100-150 rds of this with a Sig Trailside 22 doing a table pickup instead of a draw. Then I switch to my match gun and run about 100-150 through it.

I score all the runs and write down the data.

Finish up with about 20 rds of slowfire. Record observations in notebook.

This has worked well for me. I want to maximize the rounds I shoot in practice as much as possible. I visualize every run of every drill just like I was at a match.

My $0.02, GB

[38supPat]

Keep the drills small, don't fire rounds you don't need to. If working on transitions fire 1 per target, if working on movement or reloads, fire 1+1 or at most 2+2.

I see some shooters working on movement between positions and they will fire 2+2+2 move 2+2+2. Thats a lot of ammo if the only split you are interested in is between positions.

Shoot some accuracy drills, ususally group shooting takes awhile to run through ammo and there's no better practice you can do to make the biggest improvement in your shooting.

Most of all, pay attention to every shot. If you don't, you are wasting ammo.

[Flyin40]

The biggest problem with dryfire for me is having to rack the slide between every shot. It's really tough to practice splits and transitions like that.

I very rarely have the hammer back. I don't drop the hammer during dryfire more than 100 times in a yr. I use an STI so if your using a double action you want to practice that reset quite abit. You can still do all the transitions you want. I don't have the hammer back because I'm left handed and have broke quite a few ambi safeties. Its a common problem for lefties because of the design.

Flyin

Edited January 3, 2010 by Flyin40

[Calmwater]

The biggest problem with dryfire for me is having to rack the slide between every shot. It's really tough to practice splits and transitions like that.

I learned a neat trick with the Glock from here on the forums. I place a small piece of cardboard or triple folded paper out the right side of the ejection port keeping the gun slightly out of battery. The trigger doesn't offer the same resistance, but it does return forward and allow you to pull it multiple times in a string. I think PB had it posted on the forums somewhere.........

[boz1911]

Keep the drills small, don't fire rounds you don't need to. If working on transitions fire 1 per target, if working on movement or reloads, fire 1+1 or at most 2+2.

I see some shooters working on movement between positions and they will fire 2+2+2 move 2+2+2. Thats a lot of ammo if the only split you are interested in is between positions.

Shoot some accuracy drills, ususally group shooting takes awhile to run through ammo and there's no better practice you can do to make the biggest improvement in your shooting.

Most of all, pay attention to every shot. If you don't, you are wasting ammo.

This is the direction I have been taking also. No need to empty a mag to practice reloads for example.

Of course there is always a 22. I must have fired thousands of rounds of 22 trying to address shooting weakhand.

I always finish a session with accuracy shots.

[twodownzero]

Get a .22!

[el pres]

Dont top off your mags, 8-10 rounds in each. Then create drills around this round

count. It's real easy to keep pulling the trigger and wasting rounds when theres 20

in the gun ...

[LPatterson]

another great tool, created by a real nice guy - DR Performance Shooting practice deck.

I bought a deck at the Nationals and I think these are the easiest/hardest drills that can be done with 3 targets or just 1.

[Graham Smith]

My club has a 50' indoor range so that alone puts some limits on me, but not that bad. For me, the thing that I need to spend the most time on is getting a clear sight picture before pulling the trigger. So, I try and focus on things that will improve that.

From the ready, slow fire one shot at a time for trigger control

Using a timer and par times, draw and fire one shot

Put up two targets, then aim at one but shoot the other

Stuff like that

One trick I have found at home is to gas up the airsoft mag and lock down the follower but not load any bb's. When you fire, it will cycle the action without the slide locking back. This way I can go into any room and "shoot" at random objects without any bb's to pickup. Really good for fire and movement.

[BSeevers]

Go with a goal in mind.

Practice the right things. Plan and track. Early on as a tool, I used to set the SAME stage up and run it while tracking my progress on paper. Think Barricade, 3 targets, move to Box 3 targets and so forth. It showed me that the weird feeling grip was the right one, that I had to trust my sight pic, that I had to see a sight pic and so forth.

Dry fire is for draws, reloads,gun presentation type stuff,trigger and limited movement. I feel airsoft is the same genre or maybe even not as beneficial since it has very close targets. I know they use smaller targets but I don't see it as a vast improvement over dryfire. I agree it can't hurt and is a benefit to some people.

Live fire is pretty much EVERYTHING else. Movement, transistions, recoil control, shot calling, accuracy, speed, and so much more.

I look at it like music. You first learn your scales and exercises (dry fire/airsoft)but eventually you need to play songs(run livefire stages). The match is the "concert"

Dry fire feeds development of skills but you are doing the correct thing in knowing you need live fire to perform and perfect it,

All my practice is now limited or none but one big piece of advice is take extra ammo. Sometimes you want to extend a "breakthrough"session or maybe a M shows up and wants to help.

Edited January 6, 2010 by BSeevers