Gabe White Standards

[Clobbersaurus]

Mr White or anyone else, are there any tips you'd provide for improving on the 2 to head? Is the best way to practice the draw to a smallish target without cheating the grip, then for the follow up shots work on something like Garcia dots? I find I either go too fast and drop tons of shots, or really slow to clean it.

I risk straying out of my lane here, but I worked on draws and controlled pairs to a 3X5 and the credit card and a USPSA target yesterday. Like you, I am frustrated with my first two shots. Normally my first shot speed is around 1.8 to 2.0 with a .5 to .8 follow up shot. So there is a lot of juice I should be able to squeeze from that.

So yesterday I decided to take the brakes off and shoot it like I normally would in dry fire. I decided to focus on trigger press, working to jam the trigger straight back. I was really surprised with how loose a sight picture I could have and still get acceptable hits. It was a lightbulb moment. After half a dozen mags I was able to get consistently down to a 1.4 first shot with a .3 follow up. It went so well I switched to the USPSA credit card and really didn't have to take my foot of the gas to get my hits, I only dropped 3 shots in 30 rounds. I think it was TG that said that sometimes you have to go faster to get faster. I believe that idea applies here.

I think these types of shooting problems, and true mastery of them, require a lot of rounds down range to solve. Dry practice will only get you so far. My main limiting factor in improving my shooting is live fire so it takes me longer to figure out these issues.

[LittleLebowski]

I'm seeing some strong hints from Gabe (correct me if I'm wrong, Gabe!) to use a small target no matter what. This hopefully affirms my practice of using 3x5 index cards as targets.

[Mr_White]

My smaller target advice was more for dry fire since I know scw2 does that a lot. I really like extra small targets for a lot of things in dry fire, especially draws.

Clobbersauras' account is definitely something worth trying out in live fire too. Probably won't work that way for everyone all the time but sometimes just attacking the task really aggressively like that can give a person a big jump.

[GAP]

Today I focused on "Failure to Stop," this was my first time trying the drill.

I used a Glock 19, JM George AIWB and a fleece pull-over.

My three best runs were:
2.17 - .25 = 1.92
2.15 - .25 = 1.90
2.09 - .25 = 1.84

Conclusion: I seem to be able to transition to and land hits on a 3x5 really well. I tried a few Bill Drills on a USPSA target and they need work. I seem to lose control on shots 5 or 6 and end up pushing them into the C zone. My Bill Drills are around mid 2s right now from concealment.

[GuanoLoco]

Mr White or anyone else, are there any tips you'd provide for improving on the 2 to head? Is the best way to practice the draw to a smallish target without cheating the grip, then for the follow up shots work on something like Garcia dots? I find I either go too fast and drop tons of shots, or really slow to clean it.

Have you experimented with target vs. front sight focus for this?

When I am in the groove, I find that with target focus I can occasionally achieve "snake eye" hits in the 3x5 (even across 2-3 targets) at seemingly improbable speeds.

I am more precise with front sight focus, and require it somewhere at 10-12+ yards to a 3x5 card - but am also much slower.

[GAP]

I've been a big fan of the Ameriglo Operator sights for the past two years. I like simple, low profile, and effective. Anyone who has followed my "Drills of the Week" posts or individual drill results posted in this sub-forum knows that my strength is accuracy. I can clear Dot Tortures from 7 yards all day long, but ask me to clear a Bill Drill under 3 seconds from concealment and you've found my kryptonite. I can do it, but not consistently.

I decided to explore the possibility of swapping my current night sites for something with a wider rear notch and an easier to pick up front site. I wanted to stick with Ameriglo since I like the value and variety of options they offer. I decided to go with the "Spartan Operator" combo except I use a .180 height front in conjunction with 147gr 9mm.

My fear was that the .140" width front and .180" width rear would destroy my accuracy. Those fears were put to rest when I nailed my first five HSTs into a 25 yard bull. Next, I wanted to work on one of Gabe's Standards like I've been for the past few weeks. This week I chose the "Bill Drill," and within a couple of tries I was shooting under 2.5. I attribute the success to having a full grip Glock 19 (carried a G26 strong side for a few years), appendix carry, and the big orange circle on the Ameriglo proglo front that I was able to pickup instantly.

I can't wait to spend more time with this setup, it has definitely exceeded my expectations.

Bill Drill - Glock 19, JM George AIWB and a fleece pull-over.

My three best (of 10 runs) were:
2.60 - .25 = 2.35
2.53 - .25 = 2.28
2.48 - .25 = 2.23

[Mr_White]

Thanks for posting about the sights and your progress, GAP. It's great to hear about your developments!

[GAP]

Thanks for posting about the sights and your progress, GAP. It's great to hear about your developments!

Thanks for your help and advice!

[GAP]

I went back out today and 2.3 was my normal range for the Bill Drills with concealment. These sites are working beautifully for me. I should be able to hit your standard with the .25 second bonus for concealment in a few more sessions.

I think I am going to continue to work on each one individually until I am at turbo pin level for each drill.

Gabe, any particular drills you like for shooting on the move? I'd like to mix a couple of those in as well. (I don't have any bowling pins)

Thanks!

[Mr_White]

I went back out today and 2.3 was my normal range for the Bill Drills with concealment. These sites are working beautifully for me. I should be able to hit your standard with the .25 second bonus for concealment in a few more sessions.

I think I am going to continue to work on each one individually until I am at turbo pin level for each drill.

Gabe, any particular drills you like for shooting on the move? I'd like to mix a couple of those in as well. (I don't have any bowling pins)

Thanks!

It's going to take me a little while to write up an answer for you, but I will get back to you on that...