Enhanced Tactical Targets
We have spent some time developing a few of our own targets. There are so many targets on the market, you can typically find what you need. The targets below we found work well for the specific goals listed.
We use a lot of other targets too. These are nice because you can print them out on a printer on 8.5×11 paper. Because of these overall small targets, they make it even more difficult to hit. We take these to the range every time and people ask about them and are amazed how small the circles are. We hope they are useful in your training.
Circle Drill
The Circle Drill is an accuracy drill. The numbers inside the circles are the recommended number of shots. We shoot these in rows. The total shots to complete this drill is 48 rounds.
Take your time with this drill. It is about hitting the circles. We will do this drill between 3 to 10 yards. With a typical carry gun this drill is very difficult at 10 yards. This is one drill the instructors do all the time to dial in our accuracy.
An alternative to the above is to shoot these per circle and shot count. Pick a circle and only load the number in the circle. This will slow you down and force you to reload much more often.
Parrot Drill
The Parrot Drill is one about speed and accuracy. The bigger the target the faster you can shoot. The smaller, the slower. This drill gives you a way to do both and work on your transitions between large and small targets.
You can turn this target multiple ways so you don’t get used to the same pattern. We recommend starting from largest to smallest. Either one shot or two shots per circle. If you are missing the circles you are going way too fast. You need to start slow and make sure you are hitting the circles. Then gradually speed up till you start missing. The smallest circle is very difficult to hit.
Instructor Drill
The Instructor Drill is about marksmanship. We do recommend doing this drill with your carry gun. Not tricked out target guns. This is a 6.75 inch circle. The total drill is 50 rounds. This drill came about from instructor qualifiers we have had to shoot.
You shoot this in 5 round cycles at 4 different distances. You start at 4 yards with a total of 15 shots in three 5 round cycles. Next at 7 yards with a total of 15 rounds. Then 10 yards with 10 shots. Finally, 15 yards with 10 shots.
The goal is 100% which is not impossible but requires good fundamentals. If you miss 1-5 you are 90%+. If you miss 6-10 you are 80%+. You need to be scoring 90+ consistently or you need to go back and work on your fundamentals.