The 5x5x5 Drill

The best drills are the simplest, and it doesn’t get any simpler than this one. But at the same time it combines almost every skill a defensive handgunner needs. I find it especially good for double-action revolvers, which is primarily what I use it for. It takes no time to set up or run, which maximizes your training time, and you don’t need a case of ammo to do it.

GEAR:
Shot timer

 

DRILL:
The instructions are in the name: Five shots in five seconds at five yards. In addition, you’re shooting at a five-inch target. (Want simple? Draw a five-inch circle on a piece of 8.5x11-inch paper, then take it to a copy shop and, voila, tons of cheap targets.) Preferably this is shot from the draw, but Low Ready will suffice. Draw or raise the gun and get all your shots on target before the timer buzzes.

 

GOALS:
The five-second time limit is relatively easy to make, but it’s not so long that you can la-de-da and still get all your hits in the allotted time. As I mentioned, I love this for double-action revolver shooting, but you can certainly run a semiauto as well. It’s a good warmup drill, and you can also run it when you first take a new gun for a spin. Once you feel like it’s not challenging enough, it’s easy to increase the difficulty by increasing distance, decreasing the time or both.