So, I've been shooting my whole life more or less. It never really occurred to me to actually check "how good" I am at shooting until recently, I always just thought that I was probably pretty good for a casual shooter. I've recently taken an interest in actively improving my skills, but I am trying to figure out a series of drills I can run at my next range trip on the clock to determine how I'm doing as a shooter, and identify specific shortcomings for me to work on. I'm primarily interested in carbine work, however concealed pistol work is also of interest to me. What drills would you recommend to me? I shoot on public land so I can usually find a spot to set up the range however I want, with the exception being that it can be really hard to find a place to shoot further than roughly 300m. As for range materials I have IPSC Targets, zeroing targets, 2 8" steel plates and 2 4" plates, a dueling tree with 6" plates, and a shot timer. Unless something turns out to be surprisingly expensive, I assume I can afford to pick up other types of target and whatnot too so if there's other versatile targets worth grabbing that's welcome information as well. Thanks!

There's a huge amount of drills and such on YouTube.  Just do a search.  Try looking at the websites and videos by Paul Howe CSAT (instructor standards)and those of Valor Ridge Training.

Have you taken carbine and pistol classes?

Off the top of my head, a standard draw from concealment to accurate A-zone shot is one drill. Acceptable time is under 2 sec, but good/great is closer to 1 sec.

Bill drill is another common standard.
1-Reload-1 is a low-round expenditure drill that teaches quick weapon manipulation.

There are tons of drills, it seems everyone has one that they feel is important.

USPSA or IDPA.  You will learn your skill level and also get humbled very quickly.  But at the same time it's the most fun you'll ever have with a handgun.

Drills, drills, drills....recognized, uniform standards are a great way to determine your own performance, and what you need to work on.

Off top of my head, for carbine:

Modified Navy Qual
El Diablo (similar)
VTAC half & half
El Presidente (for pistol too)
Devola's 5 (yeah, that's right!)
15 Seconds Of Fury
MTS 9 Shot Drill
Gunsite Stressrifle Course
CSAT Standards (for pistol too)

Pistol:

F.A.S.T.
Bill Drill
Wizard Drill
Fade Back Drill
PatMac's 5 second standards
Pressburg's No Fail Pistol Drill
3M Test
Reston Group Standards

There are many more out there.  Pistol-Forum.com is a great resource.  Many SMEs in the field have put out you tube vids on drills & TTPs also, just beware the source, lot of retardedness on there too.

I know this is gonna sound lame, but no, and bc I'm in the middle of a build rn (which I should have done in the next few weeks) I don't wanna schedule one, however I have been looking at taking a few. Biggest problem I've ran in to is how insanely expensive some of them are- so looking for more affordable classes is gonna be a priority for me this year, next year I wanna do Thunder Ranch's Urban Rifle course but it is definitely among the most expensive that I've looked at seriously. Any recommendations of good classes, particularly in the Northwest?


Thanks! I assume if I google all of these there will be time/accuracy standards that split you into beginner/intermediate/advanced categories or some other "ranking" scheme?

Yes.  Some drills are simply "GO/NO-GO", some have scoring schemes that show you where you're at, skillwise.  F.A.S.T & MNQ do, for example.

We've got an MNQ thread in here, always looking for participation.  Also a Federal Air Marshall Qualification thread in Handgun Discussions.

MNQ: https://www.ar15.com/forums/Training/Anyone-here-ever-shot-a-MNQ-clean-/5-236589/

FAM Qual:  https://www.ar15.com/forums/Handguns/Fed-Air-Marshal-Qualification-FAMQ-2024-AR15-com-edition/4-212390/?page=1

My recommendation would be to train to CSAT Pistol & Rifle Standards.  For most people that's gonna take some time & effort.  

If you know how to safely use a holster, try starting with Three Seconds or Less.  It's a good evaluation of real world pistol skills.  I use a USPSA target.  If you can't hit level 1, you really need to work on your fundamentals of marksmanship and gun-handling.   Seek out training.  If you clean it 20/20 then you have some very respectable real world skills.  Level 1&2 are C-Class.  Level 3 (18/20) is around low end of B-Class.

I'm not expert, but after my first class I realized the term, "You don't know what you don't know," is absolutely correct.

If you want to find out how good you are, shoot a match. Pistol….or rifle….or pistol and rifle….or PCC.

The drills are nice but you are only stacking up against a bunch of dudes online who lie about their results. Find a club and shoot a match. It will expose your weaknesses and your strengths. If you uncover a weakness, ask someone there for a tip. They are the best shooters for a reason.

"Dudes online"?  You mean Dave Spaulding, Kyle Lamb, Pat MacNamara, Tom Givens, etc., are all liars?

Those standards are put down by SME's.  Nobody's talking about random yootoob 'tards.  

On the competition aspect you are absolutely correct.  Shooting alongside others, under stressors such as time, unfamiliar COF, etc., IS a great way to establish a baseline for yourself.