From my dozens of paid shooting classes I’ve distilled some shooting range drills you can do at the outdoor range into a handy list you can take with you. Every indoor range drill can also be done at the outdoor range, so combine the two for a comprehensive list. Most of these drills are shot for time, bring a shot timer with you.

Outdoor shooting range drills list

1. Pistol triple tap steel at different ranges for speed and consistency
2. Rifle triple tap paper at different ranges for speed and consistency
3. Pistol transition between steel targets + clear checkpoints
4. Rifle transition between paper targets + clear checkpoints
5. Pistol double tap different targets at different ranges + clear checkpoints
6. Rifle double tap different targets at different ranges + clear checkpoints
7. Pistol tactical reload behind cover
8. Rifle tactical reload behind cover + move mags through pouches
9. Pistol fire from kneeling + clear checkpoints
10. Rifle fire from kneeling + clear checkpoints
11. Rifle fire from kneeling for accuracy
12. Pistol fire from prone for accuracy
13. Rifle fire from prone for accuracy
14. Pistol fire from supine (lying on back)
15. Rifle fire from supine (lying on back)
16. Pistol fire from laying on side
17. Rifle fire from laying on side
18. Pistol fire around cover (lean left/right/combo) (don’t stand too close to cover)
19. Rifle fire around cover (lean left/right/combo) (don’t stand too close to cover)
20. Pistol fire from laying on side around cover
21. Rifle fire from laying on side around cover
22. Pistol stand / kneel / prone transition for speed
23. Rifle stand / kneel / prone transition for speed
24. Pistol walk forward / left / right / back. Left and Right one handed
25. Pistol walk forward / left / right / back with combat reload. Left and Right one handed
26. Rifle walk forward / left / right / back.
27. Rifle walk forward / left / right / back with combat reload.
28. Pistol fire over cover (braced)
29. Rifle fire over cover (braced)
30. Pistol fire around cover (left / right lying on side)
31. Rifle fire around cover (left / right lying on side)
32. Target Identification (Shoot even or odd numbers)
33. Pistol reveal hostage starting at range
34. Rifle reveal hostage starting at range
35. Pistol reveal hostage for speed starting up close
36. Rifle reveal hostage for speed starting up close
37. Revealed target (hostile or friendly) while running towards cover
38. Speed course, multiple targets at multiple ranges
39. Advance on doorway keeping foot facing edge
40. Advance through doorway, clear blind spots

Outdoor Shooting Range Drills Explanations

Target Identification

This requires two people, one to write a number on a target, another to fire. Put targets behind cover, where the shooter cannot see them unless moving or leaning past cover. Setup a course of movement such that the shooter moves past all targets. When the shooter reveals a target, his partner should call out a number, odd or even, or a math problem. It forces the shooter to think and analyze the target before firing.

This training principle is to make sure your target is actually armed and that your use of force is justified. Even police mistake cell phones for guns. Interactive Gun Range provides a shoot/no shoot game mode to simulate this.

Prone / Supine fire

Supine pistol fire #1 (lying on back): Your feet are facing the target. Your legs are splayed out 45 degrees, and feet are pointed outwards. Starting with the pistol pointed in a safe direction, do a crunch upwards and fire. Obviously be careful of shooting yourself.

Supine pistol fire #2 (lying on back): You are at a right angle to the target. Your top leg is on top of your bottom leg, both feet touching the ground. Starting with the pistol pointed in a safe direction, aim in the usual way and and fire. This is a good method to shoot under cars.

Supine rifle fire #1 (lying on back): This is similar to supine pistol fire #2, where you are at a right angle to the target. I don’t recommend attempting this with feet pointed to the target, as the rifle is too heavy for most people to do a crunch and point it safely.

Shooting while walking

For this drill you are firing at a steel target, one shot per step or every other step. I’ve tried both shooting on the step and between steps; both seem equally inaccurate to me. The number of steps is up to you. Given how much you fire during this drill, it often includes a combat reload.

While walking backwards, drag your feet. This way if there is anything behind you, you bump it rather than trip over it.

Pistol/Rifle Transition

Transition means first firing with one weapon, then the other weapon. The training principle is that it is faster to transition than to reload, or attempt to fix a jammed weapon. If you are not actually faster, obviously that is something to work on.

Combat vs. tactical vs. regular reload

In a combat reload, there is a threat and you are not behind cover. You drop your current magazine to the ground, with no attempt to pick it up. You keep your eyes on the target, and gun pointed at the target, the entire time. You then reload from whatever magazine you are carrying.

In a tactical reload, you start out behind cover, while a threat is present. You release your current magazine, and swap it out with a full magazine, leaving the round in the chamber if there is one. You put away your current magazine for later use if it is not empty. This includes moving the existing magainzes you are carrying over to the left/right like a conveyor belt, ensuring the most full magazine is always the one you grab next.

A regular reload is done when there are no threats.

Braced fire

Braced fire means you are using an object, typically cover, to increase your accuracy. You can brace on top of a target by resting your weapon on the target. You can brace to the side of a target by leaning against it. I typically won’t do that for targets under 25 yards as it leaves me exposed, but for long distance shooting I will use anything I can get to improve stability. If you are shooting through holes in a wall or piece of wood, especially with a rifle, you can rest your weapon within the frame.

Kneeling / Prone / Cover / Supine / Walking

Self-explanatory, but this is important to train on. It should seem obvious you would spend 90% of your time training while moving or in cover, yet the opposite is true for most people.

Speed Course

By speed course, I mean multiple targets and cover ahead of time, predetermining what cover and targets you will shoot in what order, and shooting all targets for accuracy in as little time as possible. There are online forms or apps you can use that will score you, based on time and accuracy.

The biggest benefit of this drill is you learn how to mentally preplan. Prior to actually engaging with your target(s) you predetermine what movements you will make, how many steps you need to walk or run to reach the next cover point, and so on. With practice eventually you move like John Wick, wasting no time or movement with your transitions. I’ve been able to complete the course twice as fast with practice vs. doing the same set of movements cold. In most cases a fight doesn’t start out with bullets already flying at you. Speed courses train your mind to use what time you have while assessing the threat to pre-plan your actions, letting you move much more confidently and rapidly.

Doorway

Point your knee at the edge of the door. Perform what is called “Slicing the pie” to edge around the doorway, giving you maximum time to shoot while any targets in the room minimum time to react. But don’t stand in the doorway if your opponent already knows you are there! They can otherwise just aim at the doorway and shoot blindly as soon as they hear or see something. Drywall doesn’t stop bullets. If your opponent does know you are there, your best bet is to take another route of entry or avoid the engagement. If you have no choice for some reason, charge into the room and take cover.

I prefer to load frangible bullets for home defense. The bullets are made of pressed powder, designed not to go through cover.

Revealed Target / Hostage

In this drill you have multiple targets, but pretend you didn’t know the other target was there until shooting the first and taking additional movement. It seems silly, but helps with enforcing that you clear checkpoints and identify targets properly. Most thugs will not attack you by themselves. Even after Kyle Rittenhouse shot his first attacker, 3 more came at him.

Interactive Gun Range

Using Interactive Gun Range, you can do all indoor and outdoor drils at home every day. No long drive to the outdoor range, no ammo costs, basically free beyond initial setup. The only thing you lose is recoil, and with the CoolFire Trainer you can get even that.