Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Dry Fire

by MJ Woodland

One of the first things I notice in the classes I teach from M-W Tactical outside of safety is that the new shooter wants to show the instructors that they can shoot fast… but after a few drills and a better understanding they realize that they can be throwing their shots and at the same time instilling bad habits that are to become second nature. With time and practice speed will come but most importantly accuracy will follow.

Dry fire is something you can do every day for as little as five minutes. I personally dedicate about 30 mins to an hour daily on dry firing alone. The best part about dry firing is that it’s free. Because you do not have any bullets to go train, or the winter cold is keeping you from going outside….dry fire can be another choice for you to continue to build your skill level.

When I conduct dry fire drills I prefer to not have a magazine in the firearm, only because that alleviate any possibilities of a round going off due to not paying attention to my actions. With dry fire you are practicing the same skill as if you are actually shooting without the bang and recoil. The only difference is that you can correct a lot of bad habits and reinforce good techniques. One thing I like to do when doing dry fire drills is to balance an empty casing of the same caliber on the front sight, then pull the trigger. If done correctly, this drill will reinforce that you are conducting all the fundamentals needed to get a well-aimed shot off. If the casing happens to fall off the front sight, its ok… do a self-evaluation to discover why it fell off and attempt to do the drill again without the case falling. This also can be done with two people where one is the assistant or coach. The role of the coach is just as important as the shooter conducting the drill. The coach can put the casing on the front sight then observe how the shooter is pulling the trigger, watch their breathing, and their stance.

 Remember that you want your pull on the trigger to be smooth every time. Do not pull the trigger with a stop and go motion. If you keep it smooth with every pull and reduce the movement of the firearm, not only will the casing not fall off the front sight post…but speed and accuracy are being developed and you are not even noticing it. This technique also works with AR platform rifles with the inclusion of placing a cleaning rod in the barrel with a portion sticking out from the muzzle break, then take a dime and balance it on the cleaning rod. Unlike the handgun, you can perfect this skill with your AR platform rifle either in the prone supported or unsupported position.  

Visit us on Facebook by searching for M-W Tactical in the search bar, on Twitter @mjwoodland, and Instagram screen name mjwoodland.  Let us know what questions you may have. If you would like for me to come to your area and teach the techniques I talk about on the podcast I contribute to, visit us at M-W Tactical.com and look at our course descriptions and send a note from the Contact Us page or call me at 803-250-1256 and tell me what you are seeking to do and let’s get you and your group trained. 

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