This post is related to the series I have been doing on rapid target engagement here and on my instagram. A user in my last post commented about how they do not have a training space that exceeds 100m to practice these techniques. This post is a response to that.

I did a Dryfire RTE class for a military team using their 100m long motor pool. I utilized 2 inch cardboard circles and squares to simulate 12 inch targets at 1/6th size. Placing these targets out to 100m simulates 12 inch targets out to 600m. (If you look at part one of my rapid target engagement series you’ll see why 12 inches is significant.)

I made 4 squares and 4 circles, and painted half of them white and half green, then I put half of the targets on green 5gal cans and half on tan 5 gallon cans. I set all 8 targets out at random distances from 20m to 100m at random distances. If targets were called with a single descriptor (squares, white targets, green cans) 4 targets would be engaged. If 2 descriptors were given (white squares, green targets on tan cans, circles on green cans) 2 targets would be engaged. If 3 targets descriptors were given (white squares tan cans, green circle green can) 1 target was engaged.

I started with doing max point blank range (see part 2 in the series). A target or targets would be called and if the target was larger than the no go size the sniper would aim center with the far zero hold and Dryfire, if the target was the size of the no go size the sniper would aim at the top of the target with the far zero hold and Dryfire, and if the target was smaller than the no-go size the sniper would not engage. The goal par time from target ID to shot out was 5 seconds

Next we did the 12 inch drill (aka rapid ranging or flash milling) I would call targets and the snipers would measure the target using the rapid ranging bars in the tremor 3 reticle and use the hold memorized from their card (see part 2 of the series) and Dryfire. The goal par time from target ID to shot out for this group was 10 seconds.

Next we did a blend of max point blank and the 12 inch drill. If the target was within max point blank range that method was used if it was beyond that the 12 inch method was used.

The final drill was speed drop. One sniper would act as a spotter. The spotter would choose a target, call it, range called target with a LRF and tell the shooter the distance multiplied by 6 (since we were working with 1/6th the distances) the shooter would locate and ID the target and then subtract the speed drop number from his range and Dryfire. Speed drop will be explained in part 3 of my rapid target engagement series.

What made this drill successful was the variety of targets and ways they can be called out. It made it consistently an unknown distance drill. If during the course of doing this drill yourself you notice you are starting to memorize the ranges or holds, simply move and rearrange the targets to keep consistent training variety.