Week 4 of my Shoot Like a Girl range ready challenge introduces another dry fire drill to continue to build confidence with your handgun. If you’re new to Julie’s Challenge, check out weeks one, two, and three as important foundational steps. If are following along, this week I introduce another target into the dry fire sessions.
First, make sure your pistol is unloaded and you have no ammo around you. Using another sticky note or piece of paper with a dime-sized dot in the center, place your second target 1-2 feet to the right or left of the dry fire target you set up last week.
The start position is, once again, at the ready. Rack the slide for a dry fire shot being conscious of muzzle direction and keeping your finger straight and outside the trigger guard. Next, you’ll press forward and up for a dry fire shot on the target on the left and then transition to the right target and press the trigger again.
For that second dry fire shot, if you are using a single-action or striker-fired handgun, you won’t have the same trigger pressure or sound. That’s ok because the goal of this drill is to learn how to move the gun efficiently and acquire the sights.
While transitioning from each target to the next, keep the pistol up and drive it straight across. Avoid bending your elbows back to the ready or lowering the handgun in between targets. Once you’ve taken your second shot, rack the slide and return to the ready. Repeat this 2-target sequence 10 times.
Take a short break and set the pistol down if you need to before repeating the 10, single-shot transition sequence from the ready again. This time, however, change the target order starting with the right target and transitioning to the left. Repeat these sequences for half of the time you’ve allotted for dry fire.
Once you’ve completed the single shot transitions, another variation to add to this practice session is instead of taking one dry fire shot on each target, press the trigger twice. Taking 2 shots per target is common in many shooting sports and for defensive shooting drills. For single-action and striker-fired pistols, even though the trigger tension isn’t the same, focus on pressing the trigger smoothly and straight to the rear. Practice 10 presentations with 2 shots on the left target and transition to the right for 2 shots on the second target. Repeat the 2-shot sequence, but reverse the target order by starting on the right target and transitioning to the left.
Your goal for this drill is to continue to improve your efficiency in presenting the gun to your first target, acquiring the sights quickly, and making a good press that doesn’t disturb your sights. Building on last week’s drill, this week also focuses on multiple targets and multiple shots with both transitions and 2 presses per target. Setting aside 15 minutes a day for dry fire this week will set you up for success in next week’s challenge.
Here’s a list of additional videos to help you prepare for range day:
Julie Golob is one of the most accomplished professional shooters in the world and captain of Team Smith & Wesson. She has won more than 120 championship titles in international, national and regional marksmanship competitions in seven different shooting disciplines. Learn more about the champion, author, veteran, hunter and outdoor television personality at JulieGolob.com. View all posts by Julie Golob
[…] If you’re new to “Julie’s Challenge,” check out weeks one, two, three, and four. If you are following along, at this point, with all the gun handling and dry fire, you should […]