Sample Drill from 3010Pistol

 

Today, I want to share a sample lesson with you from former Force Recon Marine, Chris Graham’s 3010Pistol course, guaranteed to put you in the top 10% of all shooters in the next 30 days.

birchwood casey spot targets

Birchwood Casey 1″ Spot Targets

There are a few items that you’re going to want to have, ideally, but that aren’t required.
1. A video camera or the video camera on your phone.
2. An inert training platform like the SIRT or snap caps
3. 1″ Orange Birchwood Casey spot targets or a thumbtack stuck into cardboard.

Once you’ve confirmed that you have an unloaded gun (or an inert training platform), have removed all ammunition from the area, have a distraction free training environment, and a backstop that can safely contain any negligent discharges, you’re ready to begin.

Set up your target in front of your safe backstop.

Pick a spot 7′ from your target to stand.

Set up your video camera so that you can record yourself shooting. To start with, as you’re facing the target, you want the camera 45 degrees off to whichever side you holster your pistol on, facing you and not the target.

For this drill, start with your pistol concealed, facing the target.

3010stance-Confirm both feet are approximately shoulder width apart (or a little wider)
-The foot on your shooting-hand side can be a couple inches to a few inches toward the rear as in a fighting stance
-Ensure that your hips are exactly equidistant to the target
-Ensure that your shoulders form the two points of a triangle with the target as the third point
-Roll your center of gravity forward, you should not be leaning back, you should not be standing straight up and down

Focus on smooth movements and perfect efficiency. Perfectly efficient technique practiced enough times will lead to speed.

Whenever you’re ready,
1. Clear cover
2. Draw
3. Get your support hand grip
4. Extend to full extension as you’re aligning the sights on the target and squeezing the trigger and
5. Release the dry fire shot as you reach full extension and have confirmed sight alignment with the target.

If necessary, get your gun ready for the next repetition, scan, reholster, and repeat 4 times.

After you’ve gone through the drill 5 times, review your video:

Is your stance perfect?
Is your center of gravity rolled forward perfectly?
How could you clear cover more efficiently?
Is your drawstroke perfectly efficient?
Did you present the weapon at eye level in front of the dominant eye (or did you duck your head to the weapon)?
Did you move the weapon in a perfectly straight line down the line-of-sight to your full presentation position?
Were you able to smoothly pressure the trigger straight to the rear to “break” the shot before reaching full extension?
Were there any “staggers” or “hesitations” in your drawstroke?

Pick out 1 or 2 things that you want to want to change/work on/improve and film yourself doing the drill 5 more times HOWEVER SLOWLY YOU NEED TO to do the part of the drawstroke that you’re focusing on perfectly.

Repeat as necessary, but not longer than you can maintain focus and execute good technique. If you can’t remain focused or if your technique starts to get sloppy, stop training and come back later.

force reconThis is 1 part of a single lesson from former Force Recon Marine, Chris Graham’s 3010Pistol.com course.  Because of the solo work that Chris did with tribal leaders, hours away from backup, Chris was forced to achieve a level of mastery with the pistol that few others do…even elite military operators who normally rely on their carbines and each other.  You can tap into the combat proven pistol fighting lessons that kept Chris alive and that he teaches today to high speed law enforcement, government, and military teams by going to 3010Pistol.com

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16 Comments

  • George Webber

    Reply Reply August 31, 2016

    I just realized this article is several years old. It is still current!! I gifted myself (via my wife) a Christmas present of a SIRT training pistol and a laser target. It sits across the room from my recliner and the pistol is within reach. One drill is from the sitting position since home invasions could well occur while I am sitting propped up. Right hand and left hand practice. I am teaching my left eye to perform like my right eye. (I am right hand dominant and right eye dominant.) The thought of adding video recording is intriguing and I can see the value. I also practice “shooting” various pictures, vases, lamps around the area and work on drawing from concealed carry.
    Keep these coming.
    George

    • Ox

      Reply Reply August 31, 2016

      Glad to hear about your training, George…I do a lot of the same things myself.

      And the article isn’t exactly *several* years old. It’s from 2014. 🙂 I’m going to shoot a video on various “reactive” targets that I use with the SIRT tomorrow. Some of them are dirt cheap and VERY effective.

  • Gary Cushing

    Reply Reply March 28, 2016

    I am new to concealed carry still waiting for my permit. I finished the course registered this instruction is needed for people like me. In the course they never talk about exercises to improve your understanding and shoot technic. I also doing 25 dry trigger pull a day to create muscle memory and shoot straight. I watch the site if it moves left or fight when I pull the trigger. I using a 357 Ruger revolver my next gun will be my concealed carry. Looking at a Ruger LC9 pro or LCP.

  • Morrie

    Reply Reply May 20, 2015

    God, I feel like I shloud be takin notes! Great work

  • Robert Ahrens

    Reply Reply February 19, 2015

    First I want to thank you for your service to your country, and to the Green Mother! Thanks also for sharing a part of your course with us, it surely sounds as if you know whereof you speak! My problem is this: After years of dry-fire practice with revolvers and pistols, I managed to knock mt dominant eye out! Right eye dominant, and now all I have to work with is a less than perfect left eye, and my attempts at even hitting paper at 25 yards were so embarrassing that I have NOT tried again; I’d like your advice, should I equip my pistols with lasers, should I forget about pistols and just use shotguns with buckshot, or can you help me regain some of what I have lost? not the eye, some of the accuracy without lasers, I have a fear of being let down by technology, don’t you know: Semper Fi Mr. Graham! If you could let out the part about my eye…

  • MATT

    Reply Reply February 19, 2015

    those where great ideas. im going to start with my wife first, then have her watch an make note for me. have laser on my gun so will be able to see how much movement an an consistenty

  • Robert

    Reply Reply February 18, 2015

    I bought the 30-10 Pistol Training book and it’s been very helpful for a new shooter like me. The exercises have really helped me slow down, be methodical about my approach and dial in my shots.

    Thank you for your service, Chris, and also for developing this training and sharing your knowledge with the rest of us.

    Kind regards,

    Robert

  • Craig Finley

    Reply Reply February 18, 2015

    Thank you for the excellent tip for practicing with your handgun. Even though I’ve been shooting for most of my life (law enforcement, military) you are never so good you can’t learn something new-and it may save your life!

  • Tom Gough

    Reply Reply February 18, 2015

    Great information…easy to apply…greatly appreciate it…Semper Fi!

  • Thomas

    Reply Reply February 18, 2015

    The steps are perfect, and the VIDEO recording of self is the KEY.
    The camera doesn’t lie. No matter how smooth you think you are, any flaws are immediately betrayed.
    A great lesson!

  • Jay

    Reply Reply February 18, 2015

    I have a laser on my pistol. Seeing as how I am not going to have to look down the sites are there any suggested modifications to the points of this lesson that would be more practical or beneficial? It’s a Viridian green dot and I have a holster that turns the laser off when the weapon is holstered and turns it on when the weapon is drawn, so, no, I don’t have to fool with turning the laser on before firing.

    • [email protected]

      Reply Reply February 18, 2015

      Hey Jay,

      Lasers on pistols are an awesome tool, and you’ve figured out something that a lot of laser owners haven’t…just ’cause you have a laser doesn’t mean you don’t need to practice anymore.

      There are a couple of things that I’d suggest for you.

      1. Go ahead and do the drill with your sights…either with the laser on or off. That way if it doesn’t work or you pick up another pistol, you won’t have completely trained yourself out of using your sights.

      2. Do the drill with your laser but release the shots from all points in the drawstroke until you figure out where you’re the most comfortable and then focus on practicing shooting only from that position. There are some definite recoil management advantages to shooting near or at full extension, regardless of the sights you’re using, but do what works for you.

      3. Since you’ve got a laser, see how early in your drawstroke you can get the laser on target, complete your drawstroke and extension while keeping the laser on target, and then reverse your drawstroke while keeping the laser on target. Do this as slowly as necessary to keep the laser on target. You’ll eventually be able to speed up your drawstroke, keeping the laser on target the entire time, and having the ability to release an accurate aimed shot at any point in the process.

  • Eldon

    Reply Reply February 18, 2015

    Will try, sounds good, thanks!

  • Rick Cross

    Reply Reply February 18, 2015

    Good stuff!

    I like the fact of small 1″ targets at a short distance and ‘taking your time’ for the perfect and efficient safe draw. The video camera is an added plus. Way to go Chris! (and David).

    Rick Cross
    +6 years CCW instructor, Nevada & Utah.

  • Chris Henderson

    Reply Reply February 18, 2015

    Very interesting to a novice shooter.

  • Tasha -Ni Jones.

    Reply Reply February 18, 2015

    I like this lesson very informative and easy to follow. Can’t wait to go try it.

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