Nomercy448

Not much has changed around our house, since I’ve worked from home my entire career and my wife isn’t working, but a lot of matches I in which was entered this spring and summer have been cancelled - so, I’m mostly resigned to dry fire practice at home and practicing on my own. I like to take on different online forum shooting challenges and courses of fire, because it usually means I’m forced to practice a skill I wouldn’t naturally otherwise.

So what drills or practice courses of fire are you guys shooting in this era of social distancing? Might we share some favorites to help lighten some boredom for each other in the same-old-same of our normal drills and practices, or maybe motivate some folks who have been bored at home to develop the habit of dry fire practice, or even get back out and do some shooting!

Valorius

I have always dry fired a lot over the years. Especially my CCW handgun. Whatever that might be at any given time, which for the past 10 years has been a variation of the Ruger LCP (currently a 10th anniversary/custom model), as well as my primary home defense firearm (10.5" braced AR-15 pistol).

It is probably not an exaggeration to say I dry fire 10,000 times for every live round I fire.

I find it cathartic/zen to aim at my brick fireplace and dry fire while watching TV in the evening (with no one else in the room, obviously).

I honestly think in some ways dry firing is better than live fire training, because you never develop a flinch.

Big Uncle

Good topic.

I dry fire year around with center fire rifles or pistols that will be used in the near future. I must aim each shot at a tiny target and tickle the trigger exactly as I would do if I was shooting at a club match. If I get sloppy and lose my focus the dry firing does me more harm than good, so I limit the number of trigger pulls and focus on "powdering the aspirin". Lately I have been shooting a bolt action .22 (live fire) from standing shooting sticks when the weather permits me to use a range on my property. Twenty shots only for each session, and I keep the targets (good and bad) in a folder for the year. I do the same with centerfire rifles from different positions before a hunting season. I have also been dry firing a 1911 more than usual recently.

Oldtimr

Try putting a penny or dim just behind the front sight to cure jerking the trigger if you are having problems, on the range. Do it while dry firing and also while shooting at the range. Have someone load three rounds in the cylinder or do it yourself and spin the cylinder before closing it so you do not know where the live round is. Obviously this is for revolvers and not semis.

Big Uncle

Both of my gun clubs are open (and crowded) but I am staying away. I only have access to a 100 yard rifle range and a pistol range on my property and do not see much benefit of burning powder and barrels by using the 100 yard bench. With these limitations it is almost like it is deep winter so the gunsmithing projects and dry firing are my shooting sports hobbies new. Thank goodness for .22 rifles!

Dry firing from different positions sure points out where I need to work on my flexibility and breathing - all from the comfort of home. I can not picture how a fellow would practice all of the different positions required in a PRS match from home. Don't you fellows shoot from roofs, car hoods, etc. and in pairs (team members) in addition to the more "normal" positions?

Nomercy448

PRS matches aren’t team events, but there ARE special precision rifle and practical team matches, not PRS sanctioned, in which we shoot in teams. Sometimes that might mean two guys with precision rifles, or one guy with a 5.56 (gas or bolt) and the other with “the long gun.” Sometimes that might mean shooting from the partner’s shoulder as a support.

But yes, in PRS matches, we shoot from a lot of stuff. Usually 40% prone or modified prone, never seated at a bench. I’ve shot from a school bus front convex mirror frame and out of school bus windows, out of a helicopter side door, out of the top of a HWMMV turret and across the hood & tail, and through the body. Prone off of a flatbed, off the bed rail of a standard bed, across the tail of a Willys, from a cargo net, many, many barricade walls, from concrete culverts, tops of T posts, hedge posts, & telephone poles...

I honestly only use 6 positions for any obstacle we might encounter. It’s really just a matter of the obstacle height vs. my body. Standing, one knee down, both knees down, “S sit,” and prone - with “sitting” as a very rare 6th addition.

So at home, I have a 4ft tube style cattle gate, a tank trap, and a small multi-level barricade wall in my basement for dry fire practice, but also sometimes use a step stool, 4ft and 6ft ladders, a 5 gal bucket, my workbench stool, my office chair, etc. Ropes and chains are a tough one for me, so I’ve started practicing that more at home this year, as well as incorporating more and more 4 position/Highpower styles, since my offhand game and sling support has been a deciding factor on several stages. It all looks super varied, and it is if you think it is, but at the end of the day, a truckbed and a railroad tie wall and a mine-pit truck tire all shoot the same - standing is standing.

Big Uncle

I guess not too many guys spend time dry firing. That is too bad as I have never known a truly good rifleman that did not practice, usually with a .22 and/or by dry firing. Perhaps you could post an inappropriately large number of links and pictures to illustrate the topic.

Valorius

BTW, a laser sight of any kind is an absolutely outstanding dry fire aid. If your muzzle moves -AT ALL- at any point during your trigger stroke, it is absolutely obvious to you. Once you got that entire trigger stroke down to the point that the dot never moves, you have mastered that particular trigger.

I've been using a Crimson trace laserguard on all my carry firearms for at least 15 years now. Shown here is my Ruger LCP custom.

Father Forkhorn

Unfortunately, I fall into the category of not practicing enough.

One thing I do is not so much a drill but an exercise: I squeeze one of those hand exercisers used to increase grip strength, often with just my trigger finger. It makes a heavy trigger feel like nothing.

Redfish6

Regarding dry firing: How important is i to have a “spent” cartridge in the chamber?
1. Not at all important?
2. Important on some firearms?
3. Absolutely for all or most?

Wanting to dry fire the Ruger No. 1 but have yet to live fire so no spent cartridges in the 270 Weatherby.
that will change once ambient temps drop below Sweltering.

your thoughts?