What helped you most?

[Fuzz]

So winter may actually get here someday and I will be forced to drop back into the dry fire routine. I have my routine that I do and it has been very helpful.

So what I am asking is what dry fire do you feel helped you most. There is no incorrect answer and its not a contest. Just curious what little things some of you have done that have been helpful.

Thanks for polite responses.

 

[Sheepdog Gear]

So winter may actually get here someday and I will be forced to drop back into the dry fire routine. I have my routine that I do and it has been very helpful.

So what I am asking is what dry fire do you feel helped you most. There is no incorrect answer and its not a contest. Just curious what little things some of you have done that have been helpful.

Thanks for polite responses.

You're not stuck dry firing through the winter! If it ain't raining, you ain't training! (Snow applies here.)

 

[Combsie]

White wall, just past arms reach. Keep perfect sight focus through trigger pull...........1,000,000,000,000 times. I asked the same question on BENOS and that was the #1 answer. BTW, if you're not a member over there yet, do so. The biggest collection of USPSA shooters on the web.

 

[Fuzz]

You're not stuck dry firing through the winter! If it ain't raining, you ain't training! (Snow applies here.)

LOL OK But I am allergic to the cold ! Good one though.

 

[Fuzz]

White wall, just past arms reach. Keep perfect sight focus through trigger pull...........1,000,000,000,000 times. I asked the same question on BENOS and that was the #1 answer. BTW, if you're not a member over there yet, do so. The biggest collection of USPSA shooters on the web.

What does this do? Have not heard of it. I am also sure others would like to know.

 

[Bfish]

Just curious fuzz but why don't you shoot when it's cold? I mean I get if it's 5 degrees and windy you may not want to shoot, but it's not that way day in and day out or even a solid week usually...

 

[Mike Elzinga]

A few years back I decided to give the dry fire thing a serious go and was doing at least 20 mins a day for several months and noticed a significant increase in performance. That was during the summer though when I was dry firing all week and shooting matches all weekend. The end of the season came and I got out of the dry fire routine, when the next season came around, I dropped right back down to where I was previous. I think the dry fire thing works, but you gotta stick with it. Enos is a good site with lots of major players there, but I think over the years it has gotten a bit over the top for my personal taste. Don't over complicate the game, shoot fast and don't miss and you will likely do fine.

 

[racegunz]

shoot fast and don't miss and you will likely do fine.

That is what helped me the most!

 

[Fuzz]

Just curious fuzz but why don't you shoot when it's cold? I mean I get if it's 5 degrees and windy you may not want to shoot, but it's not that way day in and day out or even a solid week usually...

I will go to the range into the high 20s low 30s. But when it gets that cold it would just be more bullseye and rifle stuff. Not really doing much drawing and moving in the snow. Plus you never recover that brass.

And I really really just hate the cold ! I shoulda been born in the south. LOL

 

[Grelber]

Right now I am really liking Ben Stoeger's dry fire book & keeping track of my par times (I may go from a sand dial to a real timer if improvement warrants).

Main thing I like about the book, compared to everything else out there, is the schedule stuff in the back , no more walking downstairs and then trying to figure out what to do .

 

[Mike Elzinga]

Not sure if they are still out there, but Dave Xre used to make a deck of cards that each had a different dry fire drill or "stage" on them, the idea being that you shuffled the deck and pulled a card and did that drill, rather than just continuing to do the drills you liked. It was even available as a smartphone app at one time.

 

[Fuzz]

Not sure if they are still out there, but Dave Xre used to make a deck of cards that each had a different dry fire drill or "stage" on them, the idea being that you shuffled the deck and pulled a card and did that drill, rather than just continuing to do the drills you liked. It was even available as a smartphone app at one time.

I am still here. I will look at that and thanks.

 

[Leo]

Don't forget the option to fire a good pellet rifle or pellet pistol indoors. I am set up for regulation 10 meters, but if you have less space, just make smaller targets. At 10 meters offhand, you should be able to get to the place where all the pellet holes are touching, When you do, you will be surprised how accurate you shoot centerfire arms.

 

[DustyDawg48]

What are you trying to accomplish or work on? Is there a particular area where you feel you struggle more than others or is there a particular skill that you wish to work on? Practice mag changes along with a constant "front sight front sight front sight" going through you mind is also a quick and helpful exercise as you work releasing the slide, getting a good grip back on your gun and your sights aligned again to take another dry-fire shot. Also practice drawing and holstering your gun is never a bad thing. I've been to several competitions and I've seen some good shooters but they struggle mightily in just drawing their pistol or in getting the safety clicked off after they draw. Other areas I've seen people get incredible shooting improvement from is doing hand/grip strengthening exercises.

it sounds odd but I've read several studies that reaffirm it's helpfulness...but visualizing yourself doing something properly/correctly/quickly can also help improve you in areas. If you cannot actually practice the draw, the reload or constant sight alignment and sight picture... visualizing yourself doing those things correctly can have some very helpful impact on your shooting/gun handling ability. It is free to visualize hitting that reload perfectly while you drift off to sleep!

 

[Fuzz]

What are you trying to accomplish or work on? Is there a particular area where you feel you struggle more than others or is there a particular skill that you wish to work on? Practice mag changes along with a constant "front sight front sight front sight" going through you mind is also a quick and helpful exercise as you work releasing the slide, getting a good grip back on your gun and your sights aligned again to take another dry-fire shot. Also practice drawing and holstering your gun is never a bad thing. I've been to several competitions and I've seen some good shooters but they struggle mightily in just drawing their pistol or in getting the safety clicked off after they draw. Other areas I've seen people get incredible shooting improvement from is doing hand/grip strengthening exercises.

it sounds odd but I've read several studies that reaffirm it's helpfulness...but visualizing yourself doing something properly/correctly/quickly can also help improve you in areas. If you cannot actually practice the draw, the reload or constant sight alignment and sight picture... visualizing yourself doing those things correctly can have some very helpful impact on your shooting/gun handling ability. It is free to visualize hitting that reload perfectly while you drift off to sleep!

My routine usually goes: Slow draws trying to perfect the form and grip. After a few minutes of this I speed up slowly. This is just aiming and pulling the trigger in a small dot on the wall.

Next I draw and transition to six dots on the wall. After a few minutes if this I will transition to three sets of dots on different walls.

Next is a shifting, Basically alternating over sticks 3 ft apart.

Then it's mag changes. Again start slow with a draw and six dots then mag change, repeated 6 times. Then start over.

I do this in a 10 x 14 room so I am limited on movement which kinda sucks.

That's about it. 10 or 15 minutes a day.

 

[Grelber]

Other areas I've seen people get incredible shooting improvement from is doing hand/grip strengthening exercises.


.but visualizing yourself doing something properly/correctly/quickly can also help

Am working on a way to multitask here.

 

[rvb]

quite a few good suggestions so far.

Andersons and Stoegers books are good.

Trigger control is very important. aiming at nothing and breaking the shot w/ zero disturbance of the front sight. then work to speed up your trigger press. get it to where you can mash the trigger and keep the sights steady. then add a point of aim. I don't do this as part of my "dryfire" time, I do this, well, about any time I'm sitting around the house not doing anything else.

be willing to push your limits. screw stuff up. go too fast. fail. be the racecar driver who puts it into the wall. I like the Anderson method of doing reps at ever decreasing par times until you're pushing your limit, then back off. e.g. having trouble dryfiring a 5s El Prez? Set the par at 4 and go for it! Nothing will help you figure out what's weak in your technique faster than doing this. Then go back to 5 and see what happens. I'll admit to having done Bill Drills and not hit the target!

do reloads until your arms are numb and your hands are bleeding. 10-20 minutes is what I call "warm up."

Then again, who am I kidding, I haven't dryfired in like a year. But the above is what I used to do. hahah.

-rvb

 

[Expat]

I go to the indoor range a few times over the winter just to keep the dust off.

 

[SSGSAD]

I will go to the range into the high 20s low 30s. But when it gets that cold it would just be more bullseye and rifle stuff. Not really doing much drawing and moving in the snow. Plus you never recover that brass.

And I really really just hate the cold ! I shoulda been born in the south. LOL

THAT. is why I use a revolver !!!!!

 

[bwframe]

Not sure if they are still out there, but Dave Xre used to make a deck of cards that each had a different dry fire drill or "stage" on them, the idea being that you shuffled the deck and pulled a card and did that drill, rather than just continuing to do the drills you liked. It was even available as a smartphone app at one time.

I am still here. I will look at that and thanks.

Micheal Bane discussed this on a recent podcast. Not sure if these are the exact cards discussed, but I put them on my wishlist:

Amazon.com: Dry Fire Training Cards: Sports & Outdoors