Welcome back to another installment of the Watercooler, RedState’s daily Open Thread! Today, we’ve got… well, this is what Drill of the Month should have started with except I was short on ideas last month.

WARNING: There is a certain amount of inherent danger in any firearms activity. Neither RedState nor the author assume any liability for any consequences of attempting these exercises.

“Drill Of The Month” – The Tactical Professor’s Baseline Evaluation

This drill was developed by instructor Claude “Tactical Professor” Werner as a benchmark for shooters to observe and evaluate their own skill development. It appears here thanks to National Shooting Sports Foundation.

What You’ll Need

• Silhouette Target
• Roll of masking tape, not contrasting against target
• Pistol or revolver with spare magazine/speedloader and fifty rounds of ammo. Suggested: ten mags/speedloaders, preloaded with five rounds each.
• Eye and ear protection. Baseball cap and high-neckline shirt are also recommended–the Hot Brass Dance is not fun, doubly so for the ladies among us!
• Starting position for all stages is Low Ready (aimed at floor below target).
• Scoring: Anything outside the 7 Ring does not count–a headshot is a miss since we’re aiming Center Mass. Each hit is one point.

Stage One – 3 yards, or closest range facility will allow if 3’s too close

1. Raise weapon onto target and fire one round for Center Mass (CM). Follow through, decock and return to Low Ready.
2. Raise weapon, fire two rounds for CM. Follow through, decock, return to Low Ready.
3. Raise weapon, fire two rounds for CM, reload, fire one more for CM. Follow through, decock, return to Low Ready.
4. Raise weapon, fire four rounds for CM. At this point you should be in Slide Lock (autoloader) or empty (revolver).
5. Place weapon on bench. Retrieve target, record score in format “3-[# of hits]-10” and tape over hits.

Stage Two – 5 yards

1. Raise weapon onto target and fire one round for CM. Follow through, decock and return to Low Ready.
2. Raise weapon, fire two rounds for CM. Follow through, decock, return to Low Ready.
3. Raise weapon, fire two rounds for CM, reload, fire one more for CM. Follow through, decock, return to Low Ready.
4. Raise weapon, fire four rounds for CM.
5. Place weapon on bench. Retrieve target, record score (5-#-10) and tape over hits.

Stage Three – 7 yards

1. Raise weapon onto target and fire one round for CM. Follow through, decock and return to Low Ready.
2. Raise weapon, fire two rounds for CM. Follow through, decock, return to Low Ready.
3. Raise weapon, fire two rounds for CM, reload, fire one more for CM. Follow through, decock, return to Low Ready.
4. Raise weapon, fire four rounds for CM.
5. Place weapon on bench. Retrieve target, record score (7-#-10) and tape over hits.

Stage Four – 10 yards

1. Raise weapon onto target and fire one round for CM. Follow through, decock and return to Low Ready.
2. Raise weapon, fire two rounds for CM. Follow through, decock, return to Low Ready.
3. Raise weapon, fire two rounds for CM, reload, fire one more for CM. Follow through, decock, return to Low Ready.
4. Raise weapon, fire four rounds for CM. At this point you should be in Slide Lock (autoloader) or empty (revolver).
5. Place weapon on bench. Retrieve target, record score (10-#-10) and tape over hits.

Stage Five – 15 yards

1. Raise weapon onto target and fire one round for CM. Follow through, decock and return to Low Ready.
2. Raise weapon, fire two rounds for CM. Follow through, decock, return to Low Ready.
3. Raise weapon, fire two rounds for CM, reload, fire one more for CM. Follow through, decock, return to Low Ready.
4. Raise weapon, fire four rounds for CM. At this point you should be in Slide Lock (autoloader) or empty (revolver).
5. Place weapon on bench. Retrieve target, record score (15-#-10) and tape over hits.

Drill author’s closing comments: “The objective of this drill is to determine at what distance you can make 100-percent hits on the vital area of a silhouette target. By establishing this baseline of how well you can shoot right now, you can measure your marksmanship progress over time. You don’t necessarily have to repeat all the sequences in the future, simply start at the distance you couldn’t shoot 100 percent. The most missed shot in pistol shooting is the very first shot of a string of fire. That’s why this drill includes four first shots in every sequence. The second-most missed shot is the first shot after a reload, which is why every sequence also includes a shot after a reload.”

–from NSSF Blog, http://www.nssfblog.com/firstshotsnews/the-baseline-drill/

I’m going to suggest re-running this drill every six months to evaluate progress. When you can reliably shoot a “Possible” (10/10) at 15 yards, consider stretching out a little to 20 yards, then 25, and so on five yards at a time out to fifty.

This Week In History

• Sunday, 6/24: King Philip’s War begins, 1675; Lincoln consults Winfield Scott on war strategy, 1862; USAF Roswell report released, 1997
• Monday, 6/25: Tunneling under Confederate line at Petersburg begins, 1864; Battle of the Little Bighorn, 1876; end of the Packard auto line, 1956
• Tuesday, 6/26: First Doughboys reach France, 1917; Berlin Airlift begins, 1948; St. Lawrence Seaway opens, 1959
• Wednesday, 6/27: CSA victory at Kennesaw Mtn., 1864; B&O Royal Blue introduces electric passenger locomotives, 1895; Nixon visits USSR, 1974
• Thursday, 6/28: Battle of Monmouth Courthouse, 1778; Army of the Potomac disbanded, 1865; Spooner Act authorizes Panama Canal, 1902
• Friday, 6/29: First flight from mainland to Hawaii, 1927; Interstate Highway System created, 1956; Wozniak tests first Apple I computer prototype, 1975
• Saturday, 6/30: Michigan Territory organized, 1805; Taft appointed Chief Justice, 1921; first Corvette built, 1953

Today’s Birthdays: Gunsmith Paul Mauser, 1838; Helen Keller, 1880; Pan Am founder Juan Trippe, 1899; businessman Ross Perot, 1930.

Holidays Around the World: Djibouti celebrates Independence Day, Tajikistan has Unity Day, and Czech Republic observes its Commemoration Day for the Victims of the Communist Regime.

This Week In History is compiled with assistance from History.com and Wikipedia. Something interesting not listed here? Please share in the Comments section–this is an Audience Participation Encouraged featurette.

Gratuitous Gun Giveaways

• *American Handgunner magazine, for an Olympic Arms KRP Retro AR15 pistol or S&W Hi-Viz .500 Magnum revolver package: http://americanhandgunner.com/giveaway/
• *Guns Magazine, for a Kahr Arms Snapshot .22LR rifle, Mossberg 590M Heat Shield shotgun or Aero Precision M4E1 rifle (M4E1 ends Saturday!): http://gunsmagazine.com/giveaway/
• Davidson’s Gallery of Guns, for a Mossberg 590 Shockwave 20-gauge firearm or Patriot 6.5 Creedmoor bolt-action rifle (ends Saturday!): https://ggg.galleryofguns.com/
• Aero Precision, for a custom AR15 (ends Saturday!): http://gvwy.io/6przbx9
• GrabAGun, for a Kel-Tec KSG 12-gauge bullpup shotgun (ends Saturday!): http://grabagun.com/giveaway
• Springfield Armory, for a variety of XD pistols and related gear (1 of 2 drawings ends Saturday!): http://www.springfield-armory.com/resources/giveaways/

*Note: FMG Publishing giveaways require you to provide an FFL dealer’s info at entry. Aero Precision and Primary Arms giveaways give me one entry each per person who uses my referral link.

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Quote of the Day

In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends.–John Churton Collins

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