Prepare For Shooting Range: Simple Drills To Practice At Home

Many gun owners would want to practice at the shooting range but not everyone is lucky enough to have the time to do so. Are you one of those people too busy to practice your shooting technique at the range? Don’t worry as you can always practice right at the comforts of your home.

 

You read it right– you can hasten your development as a shooter by practicing simple drills at home. In some drills, a live-fire would be out of the equation. Below are some of the ways to improve your shooting skills such as:

 

 

1. Practicing the Draw

 

Drawing your firearm can be stressful especially if you are a novice gun owner. It’s normal to fear for your life. The thought of pointing a gun at someone can also be nerve-wracking.

 

Practicing the draw can help you improve two important aspects– speed and muscle memory. Fortunately, you don’t need a lot of items for this drill– your gun and holster are all you need. You don’t even need ammunition as this can avoid accidental discharge. Dummy ammo should suffice.

 

Start by moving your dominant hand over the grip of the firearm. The key to this is being able to clear concealment garments. Grip the firearm firmly while keeping your trigger finger straight along the slide and outside of the holster.

 

Now pull the firearm up and out of the holster. Again, be conscious of keeping the trigger finger along the slide. Raise the muzzle straight up and as high as possible to be above the top of the holster.

 

Once your gun passes your belly area, move the other hand towards it. Make sure that you get a good grip on the weapon. Extend the arms into the firing position and start to focus directly on the front sight.

 

Practice this drill at least 10 times every day. While you can do this at your house, it is best done in a private part like your bedroom.

 

 

2. Pistol Presentation

 

Now that you have gotten the firearm out of the holster, you should practice to zero in on your target as quickly as possible.

 

You would want to rotate or bring up the end of the barrel or the muzzle but without it being pointed at a target too far up. You’d want the muzzle to be leveled.

 

Then push your firearm forward in a straight line. It’s as if you are throwing a punch with your hands on revolver. Your support hand should be firmly on the pistol.

 

The presentation will improve your shooting form. Perform this sequence at least 10 attempts a day.

 

 

3. Point-Shooting

 

Aligning the front and rear sight after you have zeroed in on your target can take up some time when you are at the shooting range. This makes most shooters highly dependent on sight picture and alignment.

 

But as you would realize, a perfect sight picture is not needed to accurately hit a target within five yards if you have the correct pistol presentation and index. You can hasten sight picture and alignment by using the gun points where your eyes are looking.

 

If you can see the target and you present your pistol at eye level, you may be able to create a sight picture across the top of the firearm’s slide. Yes, this is more of shotgun shooting than rifle shooting.

 

But instead of being concerned with the alignment, you can utilize the front sight as well as the slide in the same way that you would use a shotgun rib in breaking clays.

 

4. The coin on the Barrell Trick

 

This is a simple trick you can do at home and without using any ammo at all. It can help you improve your trigger control. Moreover, it only requires two things—your gun and a coin. Do note, however, that this drill is not suited for weapons with a protruding front sight.

 

Take out your gun and place a penny on the front sight of it. Obtain correct sight alignment and picture. Then apply constant, rearward pressure to the trigger until you fire the simulated shot. The idea is to prevent the penny from falling off the front sight.

 

5. Squeezing the Steering Wheel

 

As you may very well know, the proper gun grip is important as it can impact your aim, balance, and ability to pull the trigger.

 

But how can you develop a stronger grip so that you can perform better at the shooting range? One way to do so without going to a shooting range is to perform a steering wheel squeeze. You can also substitute the steering wheel with other household items like a tennis ball, the edge of a book, and a broom handle.

 

Here’s how to do it: squeeze the steering wheel as tightly as you can with your middle finger, pinkie finger, and ring finger while you relax your thumb. Repeatedly articulate your index finger as if you are shooting. Hold it for like 20 to 30 seconds while re-tightening your grip every few seconds.

 

6. Wall Drill

 

Finally, the wall drill is another simple exercise that you can do at home. You will need an unloaded gun and a blank wall for this drill. Most experts suggest that you find a light-colored wall for this exercise.

 

So how would you do this drill? Bring up the unloaded gun and alight the sights with the muzzle. Keep it about an inch away from the wall. Squeeze the trigger while you focus on the front sight through the rear sights. Your weapon should click without the sights moving. It’s harder than most people think. Perform this drill regularly to improve your trigger control.

 

Doing these six drills regularly and chances are, your performance in the shooting range will significantly improve. Moreover, these drills should help you in correcting some mistakes that could prove fatal in case of an encounter. So, what are you waiting for? Perform these drills to become a better shooter in the long run.