PDA

View Full Version : Week 179: Clusterf*ck Drill



Mr_White
08-26-2016, 12:08 PM
Week 179: Clusterf*ck Drill

Results may be posted until September 26th, 2016.

Designed by: Main drill by Clusterfrack, paper option by Clusterfrack and Gabe White
Target: Main drill uses three, 10" steel targets (or similar), paper option uses six, 2" circles - download here - http://pistol-training.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/6x2in-circles.pdf
Distance: Main drill at 15, 20, or 25 yards (shooter's choice), paper option at 3, 5, or 7 yards (shooter's choice)
Rounds fired: Varies


It's been a big help for me in working on increasing discipline and reducing misses on steel...I would suggest running the drill several times and reporting each score. Goal: consistency, not multiple fails and a few high scores.

This drill forces the shooter to make on-demand hits to some reasonably tough targets under time pressure. Ideally, you will do the main drill that Clusterfrack designed, but it requires three steel targets (originally specified as 10", but if you have other similar targets like 8" steels, go ahead and use them.) A paper option is also provided for those who aren't going to be able to set up the steels.

Main drill procedure: Set up your three steel targets two yards apart, at 15, 20, or 25 yards (shooter's choice.) Start with the handgun loaded and holstered, and the timer set with a 10 second par. At the start signal, draw and engage each steel with one shot each, left to right or right to left (shooter's choice), and keep engaging in that same order until either the 10 second par time expires or you miss. If you miss, that run of the drill is over. Your score is the number of consecutive hits you made under the par time.

Paper option: If you don't have the targets or facility to shoot steel, try this option instead. Set up the six, 2" circle target at 3, 5, or 7 yards (shooter's choice.) Start with the handgun loaded and holstered, and the timer set with a 10 second par. At the start signal, draw and engage each of the six circles with one shot each, left to right or right to left (shooter's choice), and bottom to top - so bottom row first, then top row - until the 10 second par time expires. You must only fire one shot at each circle. Count the number of consecutive hits you made under the par time, and that is your final score. For example, if you fired one shot at all six circles, and in order, you had four hits, one miss, and another hit, your final score would be four. If you might get past six shots under the par time, set up an additional copy of the target and you can shoot up to twelve shots. Conceivably, you could set up three targets and be able to get up to eighteen shots.

Please report the following when you post your results in this thread:

Equipment used (pistol, holster, optional concealment garment if one was used)
Steel (include size and shape) or Paper
Distance
Score on each run you did
Anything you noticed

Training with firearms is an inherently dangerous activity. Be sure to follow all safety protocols when using firearms or practicing these drills. These drills are provided for information purposes only. Use at your own risk.

Clusterfrack
08-28-2016, 10:46 PM
Equipment used: Sig p320 GGI, USPSA Production Rig
Steel: 10"
Par: 10s
Distance: 25 yds
Scores (m = miss): 8m, 10 clean, 2m, 10 clean, 6 clean (with a reload), 11 clean

Notes: I came up with this drill because I've been losing too many points from misses on steel at matches. It is so tempting for me to go full retard on an array of steel. My best runs were when I saw a good sight picture and called each shot. I caught myself speeding up to try to beat the par, and that almost always results in a miss.

Mr_White
08-28-2016, 11:11 PM
Awesome Clusterfrack! I shot it this morning a few different ways and I'll get it posted tomorrow probably. I liked the drill, it was excellent.

Mr_White
08-29-2016, 01:10 PM
Equipment used: Gen3 G34, concealed in a Keeper under a polo shirt

I shot this one four ways. Couldn't do the steel, but I did 3/5/7 yards with the paper option, and used bowling pins at 18 yards from a rough approximation of steel. One thing I did a little bit wrong was shoot L-R, R-L, L-R, etc. on the paper drills. Finally remembered to stick to one or the other when I shot the pins.

Paper option at 7 yards
8 hits, no misses

Paper option at 5 yards
10 hits, missed on 11th shot

Paper option at 3 yards
20 hits, no misses

Bowling pins at 18 yards
6 hits, missed on 7th shot

I thought this was a really fun drill! I was pleased with the discipline I had in shooting it, though I would have liked higher scores. I guess that's the tension in this drill though...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x2HJHglsCc

Clusterfrack
08-29-2016, 01:29 PM
Gabe--nicely done! Those pins looked really tough. I was impressed by your discipline. Your splits didn't seem to vary much. I find that tension can build during fixed time drills, and it seemed like you either didn't feel that or ignored it so each shot was the same for you. It was also impressive that you didn't have any runs that were total clusterf*cks. I agree that higher scores would always be nice, but absence of failures seems more important.

Mr_White
08-29-2016, 01:51 PM
Thank you!

On one hand, I was impressed by my discipline too. The good part of that is solid on-demand performance. The part that nags at me though is that I don't think doing it that way made me any better. But, Not Screwing Up badly definitely did make it fun, and fun was the name of the game yesterday morning. It's pretty hard to swing for the fences on drills where a miss means the drill is over.

Clusterfrack
08-29-2016, 02:05 PM
But that's the Holy Grail, isn't it? Going faster while never Screwing Up Badly?

Nephrology
09-05-2016, 03:51 PM
Equipment used: Gen 4 Glock 35 w/ TLR-1; Blade tech OWB holster; no concealment
Steel (include size and shape) or Paper: Paper
Distance 3y
Score on each run you did 5, 7, 8, 10, 5
Anything you noticed: Was going slower than need by initially, and then too quickly. Definitely could clear 2 pieces of paper with a little more focused effort.

hiro
09-08-2016, 02:25 PM
Equipment used Glock 17K, Ready Tactical OWB holster, no concealment.

Paper

Distance: 3 yards

Score on each run you did: 6, 1, 2, 6

Anything you noticed: Trying to push the speed up and off the rails I go. I'm hitting the 6th target at around 6 or 7 seconds so there is definitely the potential to score higher.

For some reason I think I'd find this easier to shoot at distance on steel, maybe I'm just scarred by my abject failure with the Frank Garcia Dot Torture? Hahahahaha. I don't have access to steel and a place to shoot it but I'd like to try!

Mr_White
09-08-2016, 02:33 PM
Equipment used Glock 17K, Ready Tactical OWB holster, no concealment.

Paper

Distance: 3 yards

Score on each run you did: 6, 1, 2, 6

Anything you noticed: Trying to push the speed up and off the rails I go. I'm hitting the 6th target at around 6 or 7 seconds so there is definitely the potential to score higher.

For some reason I think I'd find this easier to shoot at distance on steel, maybe I'm just scarred by my abject failure with the Frank Garcia Dot Torture? Hahahahaha. I don't have access to steel and a place to shoot it but I'd like to try!

hiro, one thing I always find harder about closer paper dots than real steel further out, is that it is so inviting to eye sprint and watch the very visible bullet holes appearing in the paper. Not sure if that's what's going on for you, but it's a thought anyway.

hiro
09-08-2016, 05:00 PM
hiro, one thing I always find harder about closer paper dots than real steel further out, is that it is so inviting to eye sprint and watch the very visible bullet holes appearing in the paper. Not sure if that's what's going on for you, but it's a thought anyway.

I couldn't say for sure that I was doing it on this drill but it was one of the things I was focusing on not doing at yesterday's range trip, I still find tracking my front sight very difficult, I pick it up after it settles back down but having my eye on the sight as it recoils up and down is yet to be mastered.