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Mr_White
10-14-2016, 10:14 AM
Repeat of a staple dry fire drill from a while back. Time to do it again!

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Week 186: Driving The Gun/Lateral Transitions 1

Results may be posted until November 14th, 2016.

Designed by: Gabe White
Target: Shooter's choice (need at least two)
Range: Shooter's choice
Rounds: 0

This is one of several drills intended to work on shot calling, sight tracking, and trigger manipulation in dry fire. In this drill we're going to be working one method of practicing lateral target transitions. This method will emphasize trigger control at the cost of continuity of grip and vision. Those elements will be emphasized in an upcoming drill.

At bare minimum, verify gun is unloaded, have no live ammo anywhere in the dry practice area, and keep muzzle in a safe direction. But there is more you can do to ensure safety in dry practice. Please also read Robust Dry Practice Safety Principles and Procedure following the drill description.

Drill procedure: Start aimed at one target. Press the trigger and dry fire the gun. Now, continuing to hold the trigger to the rear, use your support hand to cycle the slide enough that the striker is reset or hammer is recocked. Resume your two-handed grip. All that was preparation for what we are actually drilling, which is the next part: snap your eyes to the next target spot, and simultaneously let the trigger forward allowing it to reset as you drive the front sight to that target spot. When you see sufficient alignment in the sight picture, press the trigger well enough for the target. Repeat many times.

That's how it is going to work with striker fired, single action, and DA/SA guns (this drill addresses shots after the first one, so even a DA/SA gun is essentially going to function as SAO for purposes of the drill.) With a true DAO, you can skip the part where you break grip and cycle the slide to get the mechanism ready to reset.

You will be interrupting your grip a lot, so make sure you reacquire your real grip on the gun each time. Focus on resetting the trigger while driving the front sight into sufficient alignment with the next target and pressing the trigger carefully enough as soon as you would hit.

Target considerations: You can use whatever targets you want. You will need at least two. I'd suggest using a variety of targets, from easy ones where you can pull the trigger well enough, as fast as you can pull it and before the gun is completely stopped, to harder ones where you have to be more careful with the trigger and stopping the gun too. Also vary the spacing of the targets. Closely spaced targets only need you to push the gun over gently. Widely spaced targets allow you to generate acceleration for the transition using your legs while keeping the upper body shooting structure intact.

Do the drill for a period of time you choose, rather than for a specific number of repetitions.

Please report when you've completed the drill, what gun you used, how much time you spent on the drill, and 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.

Robust Dry Practice Safety Principles and Procedure (the closer you follow this, the fewer opportunities you will have to ND)


Principles:

Allow no distractions – focus exclusively on the task at hand

Keep muzzle in a safe direction

Use correct trigger finger discipline

Verify no live ammo in gun, on person, or in the dry practice area

Use dedicated dry practice targets that are put away until you consciously choose to begin dry practice, and taken down when you consciously end dry practice

Use dedicated dry practice magazines and dummy rounds/inert training cartridges that stay in the dry practice area (if you use any magazine or cartridges)


Procedure:

Unload gun in a location other than the dry practice area

Leave live ammo, and magazines with live ammo, completely outside the dry practice area

Enter the dry practice area

Verify gun is unloaded, that any magazines do not contain live ammo, and that any cartridges present are inert/dummy cartridges

Consciously choose to begin dry practice

Put up dry practice targets

Do your dry practice

Take down dry practice targets and put them away

Consciously choose to end dry practice

Exit the dry practice area and do something unrelated for a few minutes

Return gun to location and condition of your choosing

Cory
10-14-2016, 04:56 PM
Target: 3x5 (two), 9.5" circle (two)
Range: 7 yards, and 5 yards.
Rounds: 0
Pistol: Glock 17 Gen4
Time: 15 minutes at 7 yards. 20 minutes at 5 yards.
Thoughts: It's a lot harder for me to move from right to left. I just am not as good at it. It seems easier to move from left to right and get refocused. Moving to a smaller target means I have to think more about my sights. I noticed that I was hitting the reset to late, so I had to work harder to pay attention to that. 5 yards seemed to have a lot more to teach me, because the transition was farther. Basically I sucked at it more, so I did it longer. I may repeat this again in the future, as it is a simple enough drill, but really makes me pay attention. Also: My first DotW. Cool.

Also, I'm fairly new at actually trying to be decent at pistol shooting (though not shooting overall). So if you have ideas or pointers feel free to let me know in my journal thingy.

At 7 yards:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT7Bd5FK6fk

At 5 yards:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-owFsQGYpYQ&feature=youtu.be

-Cory

RJ
10-16-2016, 02:10 PM
Yay! Another DotW I can do!

Gun: VP9

Targets: I chose to use my dedicated dry practice targets, separated by 4 feet, at about 3 yards. Target 1 was a 3x5 card, target 2 is my simulated B8 bullseye (basically a 3/4" black dot.).

Time: I spent 6 minutes doing transitions between 1 and 2, and 2 and 1.

Notes: So I got pretty tired of my eyes transitioning back and forth from the target to my front sight. I mostly have both eyes open, but it took a conscious effort to get off the trigger, get my finger indexed on the slide while I was focusing on the target, and then refocus on the front sight. I think I "get it" that for close in targets, I may not even need to see the front sight. My experience in competition is pretty limited though.

Certainly a useful drill, very interesting thing to do.

miller_man
10-29-2016, 07:51 AM
Used SIRT - lasers taped off, set up 2 USPSA targets about 3yd apart, worked at 5,7, 10 yds - used lower A and headbox. Did about 10 min total. Feel slow, definitely have not worked trans enough - don't feel like I have all the mechanics yet. Found I would land on target not having a good sight picture, front sight off to L/R, may have been ok for lower A but not headbox. After some work, found slowing into landing on next target was a big improvement (something I've been finding in drawing to hard target as well). Need to work on - keeping good index for landing on target with good sight picture, slowing into hard trans, having patience/discipline for good sight picture before breaking shot. Must try to incorporate more trans work into my weekly routine!!