Looking for fun rifle drills

[timothy75]

I've gotten really bored with shooting a paper plate at 25-50 yds from the low ready position and was wondering if anyone has any fun tac drills with the AR. Also how much training do you really think a person should invest in with a rifle considering its relatively easy to hit the target. I pay out the nose for my own ammo to train with and I'm not getting any better. My freind who never practices shoots the same as me when we run drills together and tells me I'm a fool to waste my money on ammo. I'm starting to believe him.

[Twycross]

considering its relatively easy to hit the target

I don't know about any tactical drills, but 25 yards is pretty close. You might consider moving your target back. Maybe 200 yards? That will make it a little more challenging for you.

[jtkwon]

If it's possible at your range, run a couple of miles before you arrive at the firing line (you don't have to run with your rifle if safety rules prohibit it - just have the rifle waiting for you when you get there).

Then do fifty pushups, and then try firing from standing or offhand at targets 100 to 200 yards away, against the clock.

[ATW525]

I call this one Darwinism:
Get with some buddies, and have them blindfold you and spin you around a few times before shooting, then take your best guess at where the target is and fire. Assuming your buddies are still alive, switch off and give them a chance to shoot. The person who's furthest off target has to down a shot of whiskey (or whatever you prefer). If somebody shoots someone else they have to down two shots. The game ends when nobody is left standing for whatever reason.

Oh... I should warn you that this excercise is sometimes frowned upon at public ranges.

[Dave R]

Here's Fred's weblog--from a guy who has some great drills, and some great instruction on rifle shooting.

Rifleman Series

You'll find the drills on the left-hand panel, down a ways, below the Rifleman Series (which is also worth reading.)

[Edward429451]

Two 12 X 24 sheet metal panels at 50 yds, 6 ft apart. Against the clock from low ready. One shot each.

[claude783]

This requires two people, and a place to do some shooting...woods, desert, swamp.

You remain someplace where you can't see anything. Your buddy, then takes some "white" balloons out and ties them. Perhaps in a pattern, like comming upon a squad, or hidden amongs the trees, rocks, etc.

Now, he also sets up some yellow/red tape as in a path. Now, go from one piece of tape to the next, as if you are following a trail.

With your budding using a stop watch, go and clear out the baloons...how many shots, how far was the path, how long to clear...be creative, when you put the baloons out. Hopefully, there will be some wind which will cause them to move around...makes hitting them harder...you come around a corner and there are 3 balloons, perhaps hit a straightaway, and out 50-75 yards are 4-5 balloons. I think you get the idea. Now, if distance shooting is a problem, try using a .22.

After you have shot your course, you go out and change things for your buddy, he runs the gauntlet and you time and cout his shots..

[OBIWAN]

Tennis balls...keep em hoppin!

[jtkwon]

You could play golf, but shoot the ball instead of using a club.

[jonathon]

If you think you are REALLY good, try shooting trap with a rifle

I can do it with my henry, not the best but 5 out of 8 ain't bad.

[Eghad]

Go to some ranges that have 200-300 yrd miltary rifle matches...or some kind of military style targets staggered at different ranges.

The ultimate would be a military style popup with targets from 25 to 300 meters..

There you have to scan for the target to appear...aquire target....then shoot.
it can get hectic...lol

If you do have a target range that has different stops put some paper plates at different distances. Shoot one..scan over the top of your sights for the next one..shoot and do it till you empty the magazine.

[cabinboy]

Military style pop-ups on July 4th -- what fun!

http://rwva.blogspot.com/2005/06/rwv...tion-july.html

[Tim R]

If you have a service rifle type AR go find a High Power match and learn how to shoot. Even a reduced 100 yard match is humbling.

When the chips are down who do you think will pull off what they need to do? Those who train.

[Eghad]

Then on the Fourth -- what could be better than concentrated battlerifle fire on metal, paper, and popups on the 500-yd RWVA range? Only some special events in honor of the Rifleman tradition and our nation's birth!

PS: Don't forget a bunch of tracer ammo for your part in the “Tracer Mad Minute” (subject to weather conditions)!

now thats the ticket..... concentrated battlefire hot brass flying around..multiple rifle fire.....aint nothing like it to get the juices flowin

and a mad minute shoot..hotdamn

dammit dont live in NC

[cabinboy]

But Eghad, I hope we'll see you at the October Texas event.....

http://rwva.blogspot.com/2005/06/nat...riflemens.html

[Dog Confetti]

I agree with the running post...shoot tired and you'll be better off for it...you could also try not eating for a while and smoking about a pack of cigarettes...that gets me good and shaky.

Try moving in to "pistol" distances and working on speed. Start at the low-ready and work on hammers, failure-drills, etc. Box drills are good if you have multiple target stands. Work your way up to shooting-on-the-move (not running)...controlled shots on an 8" target. I have a much harder time shooting on the move with a long gun than I do with a pistol...it takes a lot more practice.

You could also pick up some dummy-rounds and mix them into your live...it'll force you to work on your malfunctions.

[Long Path]

I have several good ones.

From sling, muzzle down, weak shoulder: Stand at the line in front of two paper plates each at about 10 yards with a partner who has a holstered pistol. When he sees you begin to bring the rifle up, he tries to draw and put a hole through each paper plate before you can. If you practice, you can beat him if he's not too fast. At 15 yards it's a wash. At 20 yards the course belongs to the rifleman. Another way to do it is to have three plate up, with the center one being the stop plate. The shooters each punch their side outer plate and the first to hit the center one wins.

Then there's the intermediate force/carbine/pistol transisiton drills we were practicing last year.

[Guy B. Meredith]

Are you involved in a club that sponsors two and three gun matches? If not, it is like IPSC with a combination of handgun, shotgun and military style rifle.

[JBA]

Get a 22LR conversion for your AR and some 3" plastic balls and go to poppin an hoppin em all over the place.
If your range has several berns going out yu might set yurself up diffferent set of targets in each bern. Then take off and shoot from cover and clear each bern of targets then run out to the nest bern and clear it.

[smince]

Try running pistol drills at pistol ranges (3ft back to 50 yds) under time pressure.

Try a rifle "El Presidente'".

Shoot at 50-200 yards using field positions (kneeling, sitting, off-hand, prone, squatting).

[jburtonpdx]

You could play golf, but shoot the ball instead of using a club.

I am in so much trouble now. I dont think the golf course is ever going to let me back in...

[Purdue_XD40]

i went to one of those pop up target ranges for my army FTX it was awesome. a bit windy, but we had 1 or 2 trials at 28-30 pop ups if my memory serves me correct.