Pat Goodale – Practical Firearms Training (PGPFT) Defensive Handgun AAR

A brief introduction – this AAR and the Low-Light Handgun and Tactical Rifle AARs to follow are all based on a private course weekend. Defensive Handgun was on Saturday, Low-Light was that evening, and Tactical Rifle was Sunday from morning until mid-afternoon. As such, it doesn’t match up exactly with the Defensive Handgun I/II/III, Tactical Rifle – X Days, etc. courses on the website, but I think it still gives a good idea of what level of detail and which topics to expect to encounter.

Another note – since these notes were written up primarily to organize and remember the concepts and drills that were covered, they omit details of the range, class setup, etc., but the range was awesome, the class setup was superb, the instructors were excellent – honestly, it’s an unqualified recommendation. I can’t think of anything negative to say about it, so if you read no further and take nothing else away from this – strong recommendation.

And the obligatory disclaimer – these were typed up from my hastily-scrawled notes and dissipating recollections over the week, week-and-a-half after two days jam-packed full of shooting and excellent (have I said that I recommend it?) instruction, so – as always – if something is wrong or seems amiss, that’s almost certainly on me. Similarly, all of the drills were done under the close supervision of trained professionals by participants whose performance levels were constantly monitored and accounted for in the instructors’ selection and setup of said drills, so… honestly, if you’re the type of person who’d read a random person on the internet writing about running through the woods with a rifle engaging targets 100+ yards away and go out and actually do that on your own, well, you either don’t need this disclaimer, or you wouldn’t heed it anyways, so… on with it!

(N.B.: Since IIRC all of the group were right-handed, and to avoid constantly dealing with ‘(weak|strong)(-hand)? side’, this assumes that the right is the strong-hand side and the left is the weak-hand side.)

(N.B.: Unless otherwise specified, all of these drills are begun with a topped-up gun, which is reloaded as necessary. Ammunition management (tactical reloads, transfer of magazines between pockets/carriers, etc.) is performed as part of the ‘finish’ to the drill before holstering.)

(N.B.: No distinction was made between cover and concealment and, unless you’re facing area-directed fire or John Wick, the distinction is relatively academic, so the preferred term of ‘cover’ is used throughout.)

(N.B.: Unless otherwise specified, all of these drills begin from the holster. Actually, I think that all of these drills begin from the holster.)

(N.B.: There are a number of places where something seems right and logical and in keeping with the pattern, but I forgot or didn’t think to explicitly ask about, so I put in some variation of ‘assume’. I.e., if you notice that the magazine is empty when you pull it out during remedial action, I’d assume that you let it drop and transition into an emergency reload once you finish racking, but I didn’t ask about it so I don’t know for sure.)

(N.B.: All of the par times / scores were specified for shooters of our level, in the Cadre’s estimation.)

Note: I would assume that any of the drills could be made easier/harder by increasing or reducing the size or reactivity of targets (¼-scale vs. fatboy, bowling pin table vs. poppers, etc.) or changing the distance (subject to minimum safe distance for steel depending on angle and caliber).

Note: Although I don’t recall this being mentioned I would assume you would (and I think people were practicing that they would) return to full cover to reload if you run dry while shooting around it.

General Notes:

• General, multipurpose accuracy standard is all shots within a spread handswidth. No excuses.
• Once done shooting, lower the gun and look left and right, regaining situational awareness. Then safe the gun (if applicable). Bring the gun to the hip (retention) and look left and right again. Then and only then holster.
• When moving, park the gun in front of you / aiming downrange (i.e., don’t have it in front of you if you’re moving laterally to the targets).
• Manipulations done in “workspace” – gun raised slightly in front of chest / chin, on the center line and rotated to about 2 o’clock / 8 o’clock.
• When racking the slide, rack it – your left hand should leave the slide and almost hit your right shoulder as it pulls the slide to the rear and releases it. Do not ride the slide back or let it go with less than a full stroke.
• If one hand on the gun, unless specifically somewhere else for an exercise, it should be tight in to the chest area to avoid waggling around in space.
• Think gas pedal – dialing up, dialing back. Especially in shoot house – everything’s either very slow, very methodical, or violence of action. Don’t confuse / blur the two.
• Trigger reset – as you press/squeeze the trigger it passes through four (4) points – it starts at its most-forward position (A), passes through the reset point (B), breaks (C), and then bottoms out (D). When shooting strings, the trick is to just move between (B) and (C), instead of all the way (A) to (D) – not only is this faster, but it’s less movement, so you can stay more accurate. (I.e., when letting up on the trigger after a shot, if you’re going to shoot again immediately, only let the trigger go far enough to reset for the next shot.)
• Cover garment: If open-front, can either plant your firing-hand thumb in the middle of your chest, drag to the side, and then reach straight down unobstructed, or make a hook with your fingers and throw it back with a similar motion before reaching down. Pull-over, off hand reaches across to the strong side and down and yanks everything up as the strong hand reaches down to draw.

Calls:

• “Dry”: Indicates a practice run-through. Repeated for confirmation.
• “Go”: Initiates a dry (NO TRIGGER) run-through.
• “Threat!”: Initiates a live (SHOOTING) run-through.
• “STOP! STOP! STOP!”: Stop all action, freeze, and await further instructions.

 

Warmup – Plate Rack:

Setup:

• Plate rack. Shooter 7-10 yards in front of said plate rack.

Execution:

• For the first two (2) go-throughs, untimed. Draw and knock down all six (6) plates.
• Third iteration is timed.

Notes:

• Par is 6.5 seconds.

 

Warmup – Dueling Tree:

Setup:

• A dueling tree. Shooter is 10-15 yards away.

Execution:

• (Instructor’s choice) Hit all six from one side to the other, or, starting with a three-three split, switch each plate over to the other side.

 

N.B.: All of the remaining warmups were (IIRC) shot from roughly 7-10 yards with the targets directly in front of the shooters.

 

Warmup – Draw 2:

• Draw and fire two (2) hits to the center of mass (3” circle) on the target.

 

Warmup – 6-shot COM NSR:

• Draw and fire six (6) hits to the center of mass on the target.

 

Warmup – Vertical NSRs / Zipper Drill:

• Draw and fire a series of shots moving smoothly from the #1 area on the target (center-of-mass) down to the #2 area (pelvis) and then back up to the #3 area (head).

Notes:

• Shoot continually as you scan up and down, not bang, pause, bang, pause. Bang-bang-bang as you move the point of aim/impact down and then up.

 

Moving NSR Drill:

Setup:

• Shooter 7 yards in front of target.

Execution:

• On “Threat!”, draw and begin firing at the target as you move slowly backwards. (Instructors adjust speed / guide movement.) Shots should move smoothly in a vertical NSR / Zipper pattern from the #1 area down to #2 and then back up towards #3.

 

Hip Pivot to Turn Drill:

Setup:

• Shooter begins 7 yards in front of the target, facing away from the target.

Execution:

• On “Threat!” the shooter looks over their right shoulder. They pivot their hips as they draw one-handed (left hand tucked tight in to the chest) and deliver one (1) hit on the target.
• The shooter then pivots on their right foot, bringing their left foot around into a normal stance square-on facing the target as their left hand comes forward, underneath, but close in to their right arm and acquires a two-handed grip. Right arm and gun stay roughly stationary in space as the body turns around them and the left hand moves to the gun.
• The shooter then delivers additional hits to the target per the details of the drill.

Notes:

• The drill can be done with varying numbers and types of hits from both of the positions. For example, one (1) hit from the pivoted position followed by two (2) hits square, two (2) hits one-handed and then a COM NSR once square, or one (1) hit one-handed and then a full vertical NSR / Zipper once facing the target fully.

 

Malfunction Clearance:

• Type 1 Malfunction (AKA ‘Immediate Action’)

• • • Failure-to-fire or failure-to-eject. (Sometimes broken up into Type 1 and Type 2 respectively, with a double feed as a Type 3, but whether it’s a stovepipe or some other form of FTE (blocked slide, like later…) the remedial action is the same as for an FTF, so grouped together here.)
• TAP
• Tap (firmly) the bottom of the magazine to seat it fully.

• TUG

• Tug the bottom of the magazine to make sure it’s seated fully.

• RACK

• Rack the slide to eject any dud round and/or chamber a new round.

• • • If the above tap-tug-rack doesn’t work, progress to dealing with a Type 2 malfunction.
• Type 2 Malfunction (AKA ‘Remedial Action’)

• • • Double-feed or other ‘advanced’ error.
• LOCK
• Lock the slide to the rear to remove pressure from the magazine spring / top round.

• RIP

• Rip the magazine out of the gun. Practice retaining the magazine (tucking it under the right armpit works well) in case it’s your last/only magazine, but (I would assume) letting it drop and performing an emergency reload after you rack-rack-rack would be another option.

• RACK-RACK-RACK

• Rack the slide three times, remembering that the gun will be in your workspace, i.e. slightly raised and rotated, ejection port forward and down to ease… ejection of any offending cartridge(s).

• [Type 1 / Immediate Action]

• • • • After you’ve done the above, replace the magazine (with the retained magazine or (see above) a fresh one) and progress to the standard tap-tug-rack to get the gun running again.
• Handgun Mortar

• • The slide is locked up so that you can’t rack it for either immediate or remedial action. Commonly occurs on a stuck (bulged) case – ejector has a grip, but the case itself is stuck and so locks the slide in place off of the ejector.
  • Holding the slide firmly with your left hand bring your right hand back with your forearm in a direct line towards the grip, parallel to the slide.
  • Drive your right hand forward, grabbing the grip of the gun as you pull back towards your right elbow with your left hand, (hopefully) forcing the slide back from the opposing forces between your hands.

 

Malfunction Clearance (Drill):

Setup:

• Load up a magazine with about a 1-to-2 mix of empty casings (OF THE APPROPRIATE CALIBER) and live rounds. Better yet, have a friend load it up and then insert it into the gun without looking so that you have no idea of its contents.

Execution:

• Shoot short series (2-3 shots) fixing any malfunctions as they arise.

Notes:

• I assume (but forgot to ask) that if you noticed at any point that, say, the magazine was empty, you’d switch to an emergency reload. I.e., you’re riding the slide stop and so it fails to lock back when you run dry. Immediate action doesn’t clear it (your right thumb’s still on the release) and when you rip the magazine for remedial action, you notice it’s empty.
• Never repeat the same malfunction clearance. I.e., if immediate action doesn’t fix it, don’t retry it – go right to remedial action. If that doesn’t clear it (I would assume) you go to a new magazine or a backup gun (if possible).

 

Leatham Drill:

Setup:

• Shooter begins 7-10 yards in front of the target.

Execution (progressive to failure):

• On “Threat!” (timer start), the shooter has three (3) seconds to draw and put one (1) hit on the target. For the next iteration, the shooter has the same period of time to draw and put now two (2) hits on the target. Each successful iteration adds one (1) more hit, until the shooter fails to make the required number of hits within the allotted time.

Notes:

• If scored, the final metric is of the form “(N) [Time]”, for example “(6) 3.04s” would mean that the shooter successfully put 1, 2, …, 5 hits on the target, each string within the three-second limit, but took 3.04 seconds to score 6 hits.
• Ammunition may be managed between iterations – magazines switched, topped off, etc.
• Par score is successfully reaching 5-7 hits before failing at 6+ hits.

 

Draw & Fire Drill:

Setup:

• Shooter begins standing in front of the target, which is an 8-9” diameter circle (paper plate).

Execution (distance varies):

• On “Threat!” (timer start) the shooter has a set amount of time to make the specified number of hits from the given distance:
  • 1.5 seconds, 1 hit @ 7 yards
  • 2 seconds, 2 hits @ 10 yards
  • 6 seconds, 5 hits @ 25 yards

 

Dozier Drill:

Setup:

• Five (5) targets set up roughly 1 yard apart.
• Shooter begins 7-10 yards in front of the middle target.

Execution:

• On “Threat!” (timer start), the shooter draws and puts one (1) hit on each of the targets. Timer stops with the last hit.

Notes:

• Shooting one side to the other is highly recommended.
• When adjusting targets laterally, shift the eyes first and then the gun. When panning with the eyes & gun together at once, tendency is to sweep past the intended target. (And a higher likelihood of muzzling something that oughtn’t to be muzzled.)
• Modified / simplified version – can also be done with a second participant, who is tasked with retrieving a gun in various stages of disassembly / inaccessibility (inside zippered bag, with magazine removed, with magazine removed and slide off, etc.) and firing a single shot on a separate target.
• Par time 6 seconds.
• In general, add about ¾ second for drawing from concealment or from a Level III+ holster.

 

El Presidente Drill:

Setup:

• Three (3) targets about 1 yard apart in a line.
• Shooter begins 10 yards in front of the middle target, facing away.

Execution:

• On “Threat!” (timer start), the shooter turns and draws, putting two (2) hits on each of the targets in order left-to-right. They then reload and put two (2) hits on each target coming back, right to left. The timer stops with the twelfth and final hit.

Notes:

• Modified / simplified / more forgiving version of ‘standard’ El Pres: no requirements for starting hand position, not limited to 6+6 rounds, simple on/off target for hits vs. area scoring, etc.
• Par time 10 seconds.

 

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[BREAK FOR LUNCH]

***

 

“Polar Bear” Drill:

(Note: Apparently, the ‘polar bear’ name is used to allude to the victims’ commonly being white, and the assailants’ being non-white. More accurate [w.r.t. real-world situation, not literal meaning] and less potentially charged name for the scenario being described is “happy-slapping”.)

Scenario:

• Two assailants beat on a victim while a third stands off to one side, recording the assault. At the point the victim decides that this is not just a hit-and-run but a prolonged, potentially gravely injurious assault, they draw and engage both of the assailants in immediate contact.
• Once the two proximate threats are neutralized, the victim retreats to maintain distance between themselves and the third assailant while verbally challenging them. Depending on the reaction of the third assailant (charging, reaching for a weapon, running away, surrendering), the victim may or may not engage the third assailant.

Setup:

• Two targets side-by-side at arm’s length in front of shooter, third target about 5-7 yards to shooter’s weak-hand side  (in line with the other two targets).

Execution:

• Shooter begins in a “covered” or guard position – chin tucked, strong-side hip slightly back, arms up and folded back overhead – elbows by temples, fists over back of the neck. Instructor (gently) hits the shooter about the head and upper back areas as the shooter shouts “Stop!”, “Get away!”, “You’re hurting me!”, “Help!”, etc. The instructor triggers the shooting portion of the exercise with a call of “Threat!”.
• On “Threat!”, the shooter drops their right hand only to draw to retention. They point-shoot from retention two (2) hits to the #2 area (pelvis) of the target on the right before pivoting their hips and point-shooting two (2) hits to the #2 area of the target on the left, keeping their left arm up and covering their head and neck, chin still tucked.
• Once both of the near targets have been engaged, the shooter aims at the remaining target and retreats towards a distance of 7+ yards while shouting “Drop it!”, “What’s in your hands!?”, etc. At some point the instructor will yell out either a ‘shoot’ (“Gun!”, “Machete!”, “Charging!”, etc.) or a ‘no-shoot’ (“Camera!”, “Soda!”, “Surrendering!”, etc.) call – the shooter will engage the remaining target with two (2) hits if appropriate.

Notes:

• Retention Position:

• • • Gun is at the right hip, just above the waist, as if it were about to be reholstered or just drawn. Roll it out slightly (about 2 o’clock / 8 o’clock, I think) to keep the slide clear of your body. Arm tucked in behind it.
• Pivot with the hips instead of trying to angle the gun around the body.
• “Training the witnesses”
  • Keep in mind that this type of scenario almost by definition happens in populated areas, i.e. people might be (probably are) watching. Even if it does nothing to deter the assailants, the shouting (“Stop!”, etc.) establishes that you’re defending yourself. Imagine someone hearing the first gunshot (fists are quiet) and looking out their window to see you continuing to shoot, vs. hearing “Help! Stop! They’re hurting me!” and then gunshots.
  • Make sure that the verbal challenges are clear and as unambiguous as possible. “Drop it!” / “Show me your hands!” vs. “Drop the phone!” – the former communicate better that the shooter is still on the defensive / responding to a potential threat, whereas the latter is easily interpreted as a robbery or attempt to take evidence.

 

Retention-Malfunction / Move-to-Cover & Backdrop Drill:

Scenario:

• As an assailant is striking them, the victim draws their gun. The assailant grabs the slide of their gun (note: everyone in the class was using a semiautomatic; no revolvers) and the victim fires once, whereupon the gun malfunctions.
• The victim retreats while clearing the malfunction and neutralizing the first assailant before identifying a second assailant posing an imminent threat.
• After moving to a location of safety, the victim neutralizes the second assailant.

Setup:

• One target immediately in front of the shooter and a vertical piece of cover located ~7 yards to the shooter’s left, with a second target 15-20 yards downrange of the cover. (First target, second target, and cover form a right triangle.)
• A row of no-shoot targets are placed further downrange of the second target.

Execution:

• The shooter begins with the gun held in the retention position on their right hip with their left arm up and covering their head and the left elbow in contact with the first target. Their chin is tucked.
• The instructor has their hand on the slide of the shooter’s gun so as to induce a malfunction on the first shot fired.
• On “Threat!” the shooter fires one round into the #2 area (pelvis) of the proximate target and begins to retreat while clearing the malfunction (likely either an FTE or an FTF). They immediately retreat while delivering an NSR string to the first target.
• After ~5 yds of the retreating NSR, the instructor taps the shooter, whereupon the shooter runs towards cover.
• Upon gaining cover, the shooter delivers two (2) hits on the target from each side of the cover using their choice of shooting positions. The shooter is free to choose their order of engagement here subject to tactical repositioning – after three (3) shots (misses only?) from one position the shooter must return to full cover before taking up a new position from which to resume shooting.

Notes:

• Keep your mouth closed on this and all other arm’s-length drills. Otherwise you may get some DNA in your mouth.
• The shooter may only begin to engage the second target as soon as it is in line with some portion of the line of no-shoots. (Note: Engaging the second target on the move is highly discouraged for non-advanced skill-levels, but an allowable, if much riskier option.)
• While running the gun should (obviously) be kept pointed downrange. Depending on the angle of approach to the position of cover, it may be easier to release the left hand and keep the gun aimed at the second target in the right hand only.

 

“Plate Tee” Drill:

Setup:

• Three (3) cones are set up roughly 10 yards apart in a line centered about 7-15 yards in front of a rack of six (6) plates. The shooter begins centered approximately 25 yards behind the center cone.

Execution:

• On “Threat!” the shooter sprints towards the center cone, obtaining a stable stance before drawing the gun. They knock down the two central plates (3 & 4) in any order.
• Keeping the gun drawn and pointed at the plate rack, the shooter runs to the cone on their left and engages the two plates on the left (1 & 2).
• Again keeping the gun drawn and aimed at the plate rack, the shooter runs to the far right cone and engages the two remaining plates (5 & 6).

Notes:

• The gun may be held in one hand during the cone-to-cone transitions. Note that it may be easier to hold the gun in the right hand when moving to the left, and then switching to the left hand only before moving towards the final firing position.
• Drill can presumably be done in a number of orders (i.e., plates 1&2-5&6-3&4, 3&4-5&6-1&2, etc.) or for time.
• This drill introduced/can introduce ‘combat breathing’: several quick, deep breaths as you approach the shooting position, followed by slow, deep breaths as you draw or reacquire the target(s) and begin shooting.

 

Rescue Drag Drill (/ “Jacob Drill”?):

Scenario:

• An armed assailant has severely injured (to the point of incapacitation / immobilization) another person. You engage the assailant while moving to cover, whereupon you re-engage the assailant until they’re neutralized. Once the assailant has been neutralized, you leave cover to retrieve the injured person into cover, whereupon you prepare to re-re-engage the assailant if necessary.

Setup:

• A target is set up ~25 yards in front of a piece of vertical cover. A heavy dummy / drag-log is set up just in front of the target, in line with the piece of cover.
• The shooter starts behind and to the right of the cover, so that they move towards it on a forward diagonal.

Execution:

• On “Threat!” the shooter draws and moves towards cover while engaging the target.
• Once in cover, the shooter puts four (4) hits on the target. Tactical repositioning applies – after three (3) shots from one location (side and height; e.g. standing right-side of the cover), the shooter must return to full cover and resume shooting from a different location.
• As soon as the fourth hit has been made, the shooter holsters and leaves cover to sprint forward to the ‘victim’. They bring the victim back behind cover and then draw and reacquire the target.
• If the instructor shouts “Threat!” again, the shooter re-engages the target with 1-3 hits. Otherwise, after observing the target and the surrounding area, they finish the exercise. (Scan, manage ammo, scan, safe & holster.)

Notes:

• Strength (shooter’s) to weight (dummy) ratio, dummy configuration (log vs. sack of gravel, say), and terrain depending, the dummy may be dragged or carried to cover.
• Instructor may vary level of situational stress during the non-shooting portion by shouting or screaming various things that a shot/stabbed/shrapneled/etc. person may be shouting or screaming.

 

Trapezoidal Movement Drill:

Setup:

• Three (3) targets in a line roughly 7-10 yards apart.
• Four (4) cones laid out in a trapezoid about 7-10 yards on each of the short sides centered on the middle target, with the short middle side pointing towards and about 10 yards away from the line of targets.
• Shooter begins at either of the end cones (drill is done symmetrically, from both starting points).

Execution:

• On “Threat!” the shooter draws and begins to move along the sides of the trapezoid while engaging the appropriate target (following sequence assuming a left-to-right pass):
  • Moving on a forward-right angle from the first to the second cone, the shooter engages the leftmost target.
  • Continuing to move forward from the second to the third cone, now parallel to the line of targets, the shooter switches to engaging the center target.
  • Turning to their left (CCW) at the third cone, the shooter moves backwards on a back-left angle towards the fourth cone, engaging the rightmost target.
• Instructor stops the shooter when they reach the fourth cone.

Notes:

• At some point along the middle side of the trapezoid, one hand will almost certainly have to come off of the gun.
• The cones are set up so that on each leg, including the angled sides, the target will shift from being in front of the shooter to being behind them as they move.
• Imperative not to stop moving, trying to keep an even gliding pace (shortening regular strides of 30” down to 15”, rolling heel to toe to keep the upper body stable) during target switches, direction changes, reloads, etc.
• Par (assuming a reasonable walking speed) is 6-8 hits on each of the left and right targets and 8-12 hits on the center target.

 

Woodland Scrambler:

Setup:

• Seven (7) positions of cover spread out along the edge of the woods, with ‘leftover’ wooden barricades in between the edge of the woods and six (6) metal pop-up targets.
• Each position is marked and identified.
• Cover includes rocks, trees, fire hydrants, low slanted wall, taller vertical wall, etc.
• Targets are labeled 1, 2, …, 6/7. (Last two stations share a target.)

Execution:

• On “Threat!” (timer start), the shooter moves to the first position and, utilizing cover with respect to the designated target, achieves two (2) hits before moving on to the next position, and so on.
• Timer stops on the second hit on the final target from position #7.

Notes:

• As further encouragement, one (or more…?) of the instructors may use an airsoft gun to… indicate which portion(s) of the shooter’s body may be outside of proper cover.
• Intent of the course is to encourage proper assessment and choice of cover and shooting position relative to cover.

 

Zigzag Movement Drill:

Setup:

• 5-8 pieces of 8’+ furring, laid out in a 90-degree zig-zag pointing downrange.
• One (1) target centered along the long axis of the zig-zag path, about 7 yards from the end of the last strip.
• The shooter starts at the opposite end of the zig-zag from the target.

Execution:

• On “Threat!”, the shooter begins walking forward parallel to the zig-zag while engaging the target. When they reach the end of the zig-zag they reverse directions and walk backwards while continuing to engage the target. The instructor guides them on the backwards movement and stops them at the end of the drill.

Notes:

• The upper body should remain stationary / square to the target – the only rotation should be from the waist and hips down.
• This type of L, T, X, etc. geometry occurs inside of structures / with architecture a lot. Imagine moving diagonally across a grid of planters, tables, plinths, etc.
• Pay attention to footing and avoid getting your feet tangled up. When making a right turn, if the left foot is forward as you pivot, you go smoothly from left-foot-forward to right-foot-forward. But, if you have your right foot forward as you go to turn right, you either have to shift one leg forwards or backwards as you turn on the one foot, or you end up with your legs tangled.

 

Cover Weave Drill:

Setup:

• Three (3) pieces of vertical cover in a column facing downrange with 5-7 yards between them.
• Two (2) targets, left and right of the column of barricades and about 7 yards downrange from the furthest vertical cover.
• Shooter begins about 5 yards back from the first piece of cover.

Execution:

• On “Threat!” the shooter advances to the first piece of cover and draws. They achieve two (2) hits (or six (6) shots, whichever comes first) from one side of the cover against the target on that side, and then the same from the other side of the cover to the target on that side.
• The shooter then leaves cover on whichever side they just shot from (i.e., the ‘safer’ side of the cover) and advances to the next piece of cover. They repeat the same set of hits at the second piece of cover, starting with their choice of side.
• The shooter repeats the process of advancing to and shooting from the third piece of cover.
• Once the shooter has shot from both sides of the third piece of cover, they leave that piece of cover from whichever side they last shot from and circle around in front of the final piece of cover, engaging one or both of the targets as they move.
• When the shooter is back behind the third piece of cover, they again shooting from both sides.
• Moving backwards the shooter keeps the gun aimed towards the target on whichever side they’re moving on (as best they can). The shooter may walk backwards (the instructor follows to guide as needed) or the shooter may turn slightly sideways, similar to the hip pivot from earlier, and ‘cover’ the target with a one-handed grip – which may change depending on which side of the ‘cover stack’ they’re moving and whether they’re facing in (preferable, I think) or out.
• The shooter finishes the drill when they have shot from both sides of each piece of cover twice, once going forwards and once going backwards.

Note:

• Stay about an arm’s length away from the cover when shooting to preserve mobility and allow easy shifting from side to side.
• You can switch hands based on which side of the cover you’re shooting from (i.e., right-handed on the right side, left-handed on the left) but they (don’t know who, exactly) found out that basically no-one actually did that in practice, so they dropped it.

 

Barricade Cover Drill:

Setup:

• (Moving left to right along a line, about 3-5 yards in between each:) Two pieces of vertical cover, an ascending 4-step barricade, and a descending 4-step barricade.
• Four (4) targets, 7-10 yards from each piece of cover.
• The shooter begins back from the descending barricade (the right-most piece of cover).

Execution:

• On “Threat!”, the shooter moves behind the descending barricade and uses it as cover to fire from each of five (5) positions – around the side of the bottom step (right side at ground level) and on each step going up, in order. One (1) hit required from each position.
• The shooter moves to the second (ascending) barricade and, starting from the top, works their way down in a mirror of the first barricade.
• The shooter moves to the first piece of vertical cover and scores one (1) hit from the right, then one (1) hit from the left. They move to the next piece of vertical cover, the last barricade, and repeat their two (2) hits.

Notes:

• The gun may be braced against the barricade for stability.

 

Plate Rack Sprint Drill:

Setup:

• Three (3) racks, each of six (6) plates are set up at varying locations around the range. A cone is set up in front of each, about 10 yards away.
• The shooter begins at the cone in front of the first plate rack.

Execution:

• On “Threat!” (timer start), the shooter draws and engages the first plate rack. As soon as the rack is cleared, the shooter holsters and sprints to the cone facing the second plate rack. They draw and clear that rack, then repeat the process to the third and final rack.
• Time stops when the last rack is cleared.

Notes:

• On a more limited range, I’d imagine that the same drill could be simulated with a single rack downrange and the shooter having to begin at a point well behind the line and sprinting up to the line to engage. After clearing the rack for the first time, they’d have to run back to the same starting point – or some other point or route – while the rack is reset, before returning to clear it again, and so on. Like a shuttle run with guns. A shuttle gun!
• Combat breathing / preparing for shooting as you arrive in position is vital.
• Ammunition management is also vital. (Although technically if you’re topped off at 17+1 you shouldn’t need to reload…) The gun must be holstered while running, but if it takes six shots for the first rack and eight for the second (leaving you forced to reload to clear the final rack), you could have a magazine in hand and draw into an immediate tactical reload as soon as you arrive at the final rack. (Yes, I have shot IDPA before, but no I’m not a gamer; on the other hand, part of a tactical mindset is assessing and optimizing against the constraints of a given situation…)