Level up your target practice

This entry synthesizes Ben Stoeger's insights on standard shooting tests, emphasizing their role as tools for individual skill development rather than mere reward systems. Stoeger, an expert instructor, details the components of these tests, including position changes and complex engagement orders, explaining their purpose in preparing shooters for practical scenarios. He highlights performance expectations and differentiates competition shooting from real-world applications, stressing safety and effective practice as key for class participation.

This guide details the process of zeroing a handgun optic, emphasizing the reduction of shooter error by using a stable rest. It covers firing initial groups, calculating adjustments based on optic specifications, and making incremental changes to achieve a precise point of impact at a recommended 25-yard distance, while acknowledging the impact of environmental factors like wind.

This drill focuses on efficient transitions between shooting positions (standing, kneeling, prone) while emphasizing the proper use of magnification adjustment on a Low-Powered Variable Optic (LPVO). The instructor highlights the importance of working the magnification control during the prone transition and engaging targets from various angles, including over-the-shoulder shots.

This video details the 'Rifle Pistol El Presidente' drill, an advanced tactical training exercise. It modifies the classic El Presidente pistol drill by adding a rifle component, requiring participants to rapidly engage multiple targets with a rifle before transitioning to a pistol for a second engagement. The drill emphasizes speed, accuracy, and smooth transitions under a strict time limit, testing a shooter's ability to manage multiple firearms and engage targets effectively in a dynamic scenario.

This video details the 'Check Drill,' an advanced firearms training exercise designed to integrate pistol and rifle skills under pressure. It emphasizes the critical combat scenario where a rifle may become inoperable, requiring a swift transition to a pistol, followed by the ability to quickly re-establish the rifle as the primary weapon. The drill highlights the importance of safe pistol re-holstering and efficient rifle reloads, simulating real-world tactical engagements.

This video details a combat rifle reload drill designed to test a shooter's ability to quickly and efficiently replace an empty magazine under pressure. The drill emphasizes building muscle memory for gear placement and performing the reload from various ready positions, culminating in re-acquiring the target for a follow-up shot within a strict time limit.

This guide, informed by Roy Huntington, Editor of American Handgunner Magazine, details the critical differences between buckshot and birdshot for home defense. It covers their physical characteristics, penetration capabilities through walls, and effectiveness at close range. The advice emphasizes choosing a load based on concerns about over-penetration while stressing the universal importance of training, target identification, and using a light for any home defense scenario.

This guide details the field stripping process for a 1911 pistol, presented by Roy Huntington, Publisher of American Handgunner. It covers essential safety checks, step-by-step disassembly, and reassembly, emphasizing techniques to prevent damage. An alternative 'cheat' method for faster disassembly is also demonstrated, along with advice on using specialized tools for tight components.

This video showcases an exceptionally rare find: a first-generation 1873 Colt Single Action Peacemaker, discovered via metal detecting in Arizona. The expert speaker details its museum-quality condition, dating it to 1875, and analyzes the authentic patina and wear, including specific gutta-percha grip details and muzzle wear from holster friction. The firearm's discovery context among homestead ruins adds to its historical narrative.

This guide, presented by Roy Huntington, Editor of American Handgunner Magazine, outlines an efficient '5-minute clean' for modern semi-automatic pistols like the Glock 26/27. It emphasizes that over-cleaning is unnecessary and can cause premature wear. The process focuses on targeted cleaning of critical areas like the barrel and slide rails, with minimal lubrication applied only to high-friction points. Proper function checks after reassembly are also highlighted.