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Going to the range can be incredibly productive or a huge waste of ammunition, money and time if you don't plan it accordingly. While going and shooting off a few random rounds at a bullseye can be fun, it won't necessarily increase your overall shooting capabilities. Here are 5 ways to help maximize your time when you're at the range.
1. Plan to work on something specific:
1. Plan to work on something specific:
Shooting is just like any other sport/skill and if you don't practice something specific you will most likely just maintain your skills at best. Think of a specific part of marksmanship such as recoil management, trigger control or target transitions and plan to work heavily on that specific skillset. Think about it like this: you don't go to the gym and do one set of every single body part do you? No, of course not, you would never get stronger. Instead you go and lift chest, or run a few miles or hit the bike for half an hour in order to help build strength or stamina in a certain body part. Shooting is exactly the same and requires you to heavily focus on one or two things to increase your proficiency.
2. Bring a Shot Timer:
Once you learn the fundamentals of shooting you might find that your general skill progression will start to plane out. Most people assume that because they can make a nice tight shot group that it means they have pretty much mastered most of shooting... They couldn't be farther from the truth. Real marksmanship comes when you need to maintain accuracy in conjunction with speed. The best way to practice this is with a good SHOT Timer. A SHOT Timer and a good target will always keep you honest as well as show you how much you are or aren't progressing.
3. Film yourself:
A great way to see what areas you could potentially improve on is to film yourself shooting. This is a great way to check your recoil management, your draw motion, see if you're flinching etc. Today's phones have some great slow motion capabilities that will allow you to really pin point improvement areas.
4. Make every shot count:
This is a big one! Every time you send a round make sure it counts. Just blasting away will waste ammo, time and usually develop bad habits. Shoot every round as if it's worth $100 and make sure it's a reflection of your best marksmanship skills. If you miss, try and figure out why. Analyze what caused you to throw that round off and push to make the next one right. This will save you a lot of money in the end.
5. Dry Fire:
This is a great way to make a small amount of ammunition go a long way. Start by dry fire shooting your course of fire 5-10 times. Then do the same course of fire with live ammunition. Repeat these steps and you will see your marksmanship skill improve drastically.
If you're looking for a great training system consider the RE Factor Tactical Essentials Shooting Guide and corresponding Essentials Target. This book and target combination diagnose your shooting, give you the ability to record your progression and offer drills to help improve your overall marksmanship. This is all done on one target that helps reduce the amount of money you have to spend while at the range!
Credit: RE Factor Tactical
