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Monday, June 15, 2026

3 Low Round Drills to Train and Not Break the Bank

3 Low round drills require less ammo, and more bang for your buck.

Dot torture

Required: a handgun, two magazines, 50 rounds of ammo, a holster, a spare magazine carrier, and a free printable target.

Distance and time constraints are up to each shooter, but I suggest starting at 3-yards and working your way outwards.

Dot Torture utilizes a target made up of 10 circles measuring 2-inches.

Each circle offers a specific assignment, from shooting slow fire to drawing to one-handed shooting, reloads, and more.

Dot Torture works a little bit of everything and requires a single box of pistol ammunition.

Targets: targets4free.com

Required: nine rounds per run, a free printable target, and a handgun, of course. The target comprises six small circles, and you’ll use three circles for each run.

This is modified Hackathorn headshot standards for an indoor range and requires a single target, no drawing, and a lot of simplicity.

Start at 5-yards, set a par time for three seconds, and obtain a standard ready position.

String 1 – At the beep, fire one round in each circle, going from left to right in three seconds.
String 2 – At the beep, fire one round in each circle, going from right to left in three seconds.
String 3 – At the beep, fire one round in each circle, starting with the center dot. Then the shooter chooses the order to shoot the left and right dots in three seconds.

· A passing score is seven out of nine. Anything fired after the three seconds counts as a miss.

· This simple drill is quite fun and challenging, plus it’s allowed at most ranges.

· It trains trigger control, sight alignment, accuracy, and your ability to transition targets, all under the stress of a timer.

Targets: Tacticalhyve.com

The 10-10-10 drill acts as both a test of skill and a drill to improve.

Shooters will fire 10 shots at 10-yards in 10 seconds at a B8 target. All shots must land in the black of the B8 target.

If you are unfamiliar, the black of a B8 target is the 9, 10, and X rings.

You can also do this drill at an indoor range with strict rules because it doesn’t require movement, drawing, or any other unapproved movements.

It’s a challenge to achieve. And as a drill provides every metric, you need to measure performance — range, round count, specific target, and time limit.

If you do get a little too good at it, try shortening the par time, or if allowable, add a movement, a draw, or something similar.

But if it’s too hard, decrease the distance at first, then slowly increase the distance as you get better.

Targets: www.bigtexordnance.com

Current economy and ammo costs dictates finding ways to train but remain on a budget. Using these low round drills can maximize your ammo bill and still be able to maintain a high rate of training.

Semper Paratus

Check 6

Burn

Learning Prep and Self Sufficiency From Scouting

Scouting for Skills

Have you ever seen someone doing something and said, “I’d like to learn that!” How often would you like to improve your self-sufficiency or preparedness education? The answer could be the Boy Scouts. “Helping old ladies across the street?” you say? Scouting is service oriented, but there is much more. Camping skills are skills that could save you or your family’s lives. First Aid is one of the first that comes to mind. Now I’m not saying you should be a Life Scout working on your Eagle rank, I’m just saying there are many resources in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) that are at your disposal. I’ve been involved with Scouting most of my life as a boy and a leader. Three of my four sons are Eagle Scouts and the last is on his way. I know the benefits of Scouting. But can Scouting benefit an adult who is not a scout leader? Yes! Everything from cooking to knot tying. What if you’d like to learn the basics of farm mechanics? BSA has a merit badge manual for just that. Beekeeping, shooting, using rope for lashing (pioneering in BSA language), gardening, leatherwork, archery, using a map and compass (orienteering) and horsemanship. These are only a few of the self-sufficiency and preparedness skills you can learn from merit badge manuals. You can learn the information in the manuals, which will give you a basic knowledge of the subject, or you can do the requirements and “earn” your merit badge. Now don’t expect a patch at the Troops next court of honor, but the knowledge will last a lifetime. You can teach your spouse and children with the same material. My daughters have benefited from our Scouting experience as well as my wife. My wife has been involved in Scouting for some time too.

To see a catalog go to www.scoutstuff.org. From here you can order whichever merit badge pamphlet you need. There are as of this publishing 140 merit badges. They don’t change very often so even if you find an old pamphlet on e-bay it would cover the same information. Some merit badges have gone away. I mentioned beekeeping earlier and that was misleading. Beekeeping has been discontinued as of now. It could come back some day, but old pamphlets do exist. Two of my sons have the Beekeeping merit badge but the third could not get it. They are reasonably priced and a great addition to your library. I have a few (first aid and wilderness survival) in my go bag. I’ve also seen merit badge pamphlets at Deseret Industries, Goodwill and other thrift stores. You can find them at garage sales too. BSA has handbooks and field manuals that are a wealth of information also. I’ve taught many adults and youth with these manuals because of the concise writing and easy to understand level. They are a joy to teach with! BSA’s organization is divided into Councils that cover sometimes a large area. You can got to www.scouting.org to find a Council locator to find one near you. They sell these manuals and other scouting items. Learning can be fun and the BSA makes Scouting fun for boys and adults alike. If you’d like to visit a Troop they are everywhere or you can find one through a Council near you.

Here is a complete list of merit badges:

Automotive Maintenance

Citizenship in Society

Citizenship in the Community

Citizenship in the Nation

Citizenship in the World

Disabilities Awareness

Emergency Preparedness

Energy

Engineering

Entrepreneurship

Environmental Science

Fish and Wildlife Management

Health Care Professions

Landscape Architecture

Model Design and Building

Reptile and Amphibian Study

Signs Signals and Codes

Skating

Small-Boat Sailing

Snow Sports

Soil and Water Conservation

After being involved with Boy Scouting for 30 years or so I’m sure of the benefits it can bring to boys as well as adults involved. I have learned and done things I would never have experienced outside of Scouting. I knew how to use a compass and map before I received my military training in the same skill. The skills of lifesaving and first aid I have used to help members of my family. Fire building and campfire cooking could save my life one day. If you earned 30 of the above badges you could say that you were well rounded.

My challenge to you would be to pick ten or so of the above badges and collect the pamphlets. Do the requirements. Find someone you would consider expert at the badges you want to earn. Ask them if they would be your merit badge “counselor”. You would meet with them once a month or every few weeks to review your progress. This would be a great training program for you or other members of your family. You could involve your spouse and kids. You could add to the requirements to delve deeper into the subject. This may sound a little silly but you can learn much this way. The rank requirements for each rank could be helpful too. This may get you interested enough to become a real merit badge counselor or Scout leader for boys. I feel I’ve become proficient in many skills because I’ve taught the basics over and over. With over 120 subjects there are bound to be many things that will interest you or that you feel would be good skills for preparedness or survival.

The Boy Scout materials, pamphlets and manuals have so much information in them that I would recommend having these books in your preparedness library. Old manuals are easy to find, and the information usually is valuable even if outdated. I have some of these materials in my go bags. I particularly like the merit badge pamphlets, they are small in size and usually in number of pages, so they are light and portable.

Scouting has enriched my life in many ways. I have learned much but watching my sons and other boys become competent, confident, and good American citizens is the real fulfilling part of Boy Scouting. I would recommend that anyone get involved as a volunteer but especially to get your boys involved. You won’t regret it.

Training is an important part of preparedness and there are many ways to train. I think using a tried and true system that really works is a inexpensive way to enrich your training.

Semper Paratus

Burn

PS: Scouting took a sad turn. It is now Scouting America and has abandoned its original intent in building boys into men. Girls and woke ideologies have taken over. I have nothing against girls, but I believe Girl Scouts was developed for girls specifically. I’m not sure what good is achieved by allowing girls into a program developed specifically for boys. BSA bowed down to crap from the world of “all inclusive”. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints abandoned the program, and they were the longest supporter of the organization. There can be some good in the program, but it is bereft of its original intent and grandeur. It’s sad but the origination is a shadow of its former self. A lot can be learned still from its materials, but I don’t think I can recommend it as I once did.

Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Training Value Part 3-Dry Fire

I have Dry fired for years. Problem is, I never really had a regular program for dry firing. I've just started to put together my own dry fire program. A collection of steps to do it safely, and a collection of drills to work on areas I'm concerned about and to give variety. As I was researching Dry Fire I came across the following article. I liked the way they have evaluated Dry Fire to see what skills it helps with. I include a portion of this article because I think they at Dryfire Mag did a much better job than I could have. Dryfire Mag is a tool to help in Dry Firing. I've never used the product but it looks very promising.

From Dryfire Mag

https://dryfiremag.com/blogs/dryfiremag-blog/dry-fire-vs-live-fire

DRY FIRE VS. LIVE FIRE: WHAT SKILLS TRANSFER THE BEST? August 08, 2025

SKILLS THAT TRANSFER WELL FROM DRY FIRE

The good news is: most foundational shooting skills transfer extremely well from dry fire to live fire. These include:

1. Trigger Control

This is the single most transferable skill.

Dry fire allows you to isolate your trigger press without the noise, recoil, or blast of live fire. You can watch your front sight (or red dot) and get immediate visual feedback on whether you’re moving the gun during the press.

· Builds proper finger placement

· Smooths out press mechanics

· Reduces flinching habits

· Improves shot anticipation

Pro tip: Use tools like the DryFireM ag to simulate trigger reset without racking your slide between reps.

2. Sight Alignment & Sight Picture

Because dry fire gives you a chance to slow down and focus, it's excellent for reinforcing correct sight alignment and visual focus.

· Helps build consistent alignment

· Develops fast sight acquisition from the draw

· Reduces over-confirmation of sights in close distances

· Encourages more awareness of optic/dot movement

You’ll also learn how your sights behave during transitions, draws, and trigger presses—giving you crucial data you can’t always catch during live fire due to recoil and time pressure.

3. Draw Stroke / Presentation

Drawing from concealment or duty gear in a live environment can be rushed or rushed. Dry fire lets you refine mechanics, reduce wasted motion, and build consistency.

· Improves grip acquisition

· Refines speed to presentation

· Allows high reps in short time

· Reduces “fishing” for sights

A well-trained draw in dry fire translates directly into faster, more confident live fire performance.

4. Reloads (Emergency & Tactical)

Dry fire is ideal for working reloads, since you’re not under pressure from timers, loud bangs, or brass flying around.

· Refines mag release & indexing

· Helps develop 'muscle memory'

· Perfect for running reps from concealment or gear

· Enables repetition of specific reload types (speed, retention, admin)

5. Target Transitions

Even without recoil, dry fire allows you to practice visual and physical transitions between multiple targets—especially valuable if you use laser targets or reference points.

· Builds eye-target-lead habits

· Reduces over-travel

· Improves timing and rhythm between shots

6. One-Handed Shooting & Manipulation

Whether dominant or support hand, dry fire gives you the chance to safely build confidence and control using either hand alone.

· Develops strength and dexterity

· Reinforces trigger discipline with either hand

· Prepares you for injury-based scenarios or low-light tool use

7. Movement & Footwork

You can rehearse stepping into positions, slicing the pie around cover, or moving while staying on sights.

· Practices movement into shooting position

· Encourages balance and stability

· Simulates real-world CQB or defensive movement

· Helps prevent over-exposure in corners or barricades

SKILLS THAT DON’T FULLY TRANSFER FROM DRY FIRE

While dry fire is powerful, there are a few key elements it cannot fully replicate. Understanding these limitations will help you balance your training.

1. Recoil Management

Dry fire doesn’t produce recoil—so it won’t develop the timing, grip pressure, and follow-through required to shoot fast and flat.

· No muzzle rise

· No need to manage rapid cycling

· No recovery between fast shots

This is one reason combining dry fire with live fire—even occasionally—is crucial for well-rounded skill development.

2. Follow-Up Shots (Cadence)

While you can practice simulated double taps or multi-shot drills in dry fire, the real recoil rhythm can only be felt on the range.

· No recoil impulse

· No true split-time feedback

· No real dot/sight lift to control

3. Flinch / Recoil Anticipation Under Pressure

Dry fire helps reduce flinching, but it won’t expose your body to the startle effect of muzzle blast and recoil under real-world stress.

Some flinching only shows up when the bang happens—so live fire is still needed to diagnose and fix these issues fully.

4. Shot Accountability

Unless you're using a laser system or something like Mantis X, dry fire gives you limited feedback about where your shots would land.

· No paper or steel hits

· No confirmation of groupings or POI (Point of Impact)

This is where tools like the Smart D r yFireMag or dry fire targets with integrated tech come in handy.

Some of the following drills may help in your Dry Fire program:

1. Trigger Control Drill: Focus on smoothly pulling the trigger without disturbing your sight picture. Start with your firearm aimed at a stable target and slowly squeeze the trigger. Pay attention to any movement in your sights as you pull the trigger. This drill helps improve your trigger control, which is crucial for accurate shooting.

2. Draw and Fire Drill: Practice drawing your firearm from the holster and acquiring your target quickly. Begin with your hands at your sides, draw your firearm, and aim at your target, simulating a real-life scenario. This drill enhances your speed and accuracy, making you more proficient in defensive situations.

3. Reloading Drill: Simulate reloading your firearm to improve your speed and efficiency. Use dummy rounds to practice ejecting the magazine, inserting a new one, and chambering a round. Consistent practice with this drill ensures you can reload quickly and smoothly, which is vital in high-stress situations.

4. Movement Drill: Work on moving and shooting to develop your ability to stay accurate while on the move. Set up multiple targets and practice shooting while walking, sidestepping, or even running. This drill improves your ability to maintain accuracy in dynamic environments.

By regularly incorporating these drills into your dry fire practice, you can develop essential shooting skills and become a more confident and effective shooter. The key is to practice consistently and focus on the fundamental aspects of shooting.

Using all the tools available you can maximize the time, energy, and money you put into your personal training and increasing your Training Value.

Semper Paratus

Check 6

Burn

Pages

Monday, June 15, 2026

3 Low Round Drills to Train and Not Break the Bank

Learning Prep and Self Sufficiency From Scouting

Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Training Value Part 3-Dry Fire