Best way to train with a carbine on a square range?

[Eurodriver]

So when your only access is a square, public range that allows sitting, standing, kneeling, and prone with targets from 15-1000 yards, what is the best way to train?

I feel like I wasted a range trip yesterday. Threw a sillouhette target out at 300. Shot at it in sitting (as in Indian style), kneeling, and prone. Confirmed my zero was still there. Brought it into 100 and shot from the standing. Brought it into 15 yards and setup two targets side by side and did some failure drills on each. I'm fairly lucky. My range has a very "wild west" feel to it with very little rules. We can set up as many targets as we like assuming its not busy. But I'm still not shooting around barriers or shooting on the move.

Is there really anything more one can do on a range like this? What do you do to get the most of your time at the range now that ammunition is extremely expensive? I can't tell you how many hundreds of rounds I've wasted just blasting away, but I'm trying to make the most of every round now. It might sound silly, but every time I pull the trigger I remind myself that "speed is fine, accuracy is final". Maybe increasing ammo costs will increase shooting ability - at the very least it will make for more efficient range sessions.

[vandal5]

I'm interested to see what others have to say as well. We are not even supposed to set up more than one target at a time. We can't draw or do primary/secondary transitions either.

[dash1]

Deleted

[Chameleox]

OP-
If I were in your position, I'd be running 3-4 position drills, at varying ranges, and adding in elevated heart rate (like running from prone at 300 to sitting at 200). I'd also have a rock solid zero and a great dope card. It wasn't clear from your post, but could you bring in some homemade barricades? If you have a buddy, they can set up a few targets at unknown distances.

Ammo is in limited supply for me as well. Except at work, almost all my carbine training inside 25 is done with .22. Go into your range days with a plan. Know what drills or standards you're going to run, and what your best score or time is. Know what your weak areas are and work them.

Example: last class I went to I lost time on a 4 position shoot getting into and out of kneeling at 50 yards. I need to build my platform faster, and build it with more stability. Next range session, I might take 20 rounds, and go from standing to kneeling, to fire 1, 10 times, then do it 5 times, firing twice per repetition (possibly for time, but I won't skimp on accuracy).

[Zane1844]

I go to the range with a plan, like tonight was rezero my irons and red dot since for some reason they were off after I moved, then I once it got docker I did some shooting with the flashlight on, turning it off, moving while firing and continue till my mag was empty- I usually only put 5-10 rounds in at a time.

Though I have decided that until I take a class or have people to teach me in person, I am going to shoot less and less. I am going to focus back on grappling, and health.

Most of my shooting has been recently at distance from 100-600 yards, I miss doing that. But bench shooting is not really realistic, though my accuracy has gotten better from it.

[Voodoo_Man]

Only reason I do anything other than re-confirm zero or function test an AR at a square range is for recoil drills. Even doing them, I don't do them to a point to make sure I am not lagging behind in my standards.

Other than that, all the positional stuff, technical transitions, etc I do at home dryfire.

[RBid]

Going to give examples of some things I've come up with to increase the value of my time at an indoor, fixed-distance (50 feet) square handgun range. Some may not translate, but the point is to problem solve by saying, "what CAN I do?"

Some beneficial tools:
- polk audio ear buds. they fill/line the ear, so they reduce incoming noise. I use them under muff style ear pro for redundant hearing protection, and to link me to my iphone.
- Surefire Shot Timer app for the iphone
- snap caps

Sample drills:
- mark two areas on a single target, allowing for as much distance between them as possible. Opposite sides of the sheet, opposite corners, whatever. Set the timer for random delay, with an appropriately challenging par time. Start at low ready. When the beep goes, put one shot in each target. Check your split time. Repeat 4 more times, for a total of 5. Bump up the par. Repeat firing 5 total rounds, A-B-B-A-A.

- mark 2-5 areas on a single sheet. set random delay, and a long par time (10+ seconds). Begin at low ready. When the beep goes off, move in shallow boxes within your lane (back, left, forward, right, reverse) while transitioning between targets. If you're extremely space crunched, you can simply do slide left, slide right. The basic idea is to practice steady movement and balance.

- designate a large and a small area on a target. set the timer for a long delay, up to 5-7 seconds. set an appropriately challenging par time. when you start the timer, begin firing at the large area *before* the beep. when the beep goes, transition to the small area, and hit 1-2 times before the par time.


If needed, these can be adapted to slower (1.0/shot or longer) times. The emphasis is really on transitions, moving with the balls of your feet, etc. For transition drills, firing only one shot after each transition can fix the "rapid fire" issue at many ranges. Drills starting from low ready, high compressed ready (pistol), etc are also ways of working part of the draw motion into live fire work at places that don't allow work from holsters and such. Again, the basic idea is to find things that we CAN do to add value.

I am sure that some more developed shooters have more or better ideas than these.

[AKDoug]

If I'm at a range where I'm not allowed to move, I practice shooting the Redback One carbine standards. For the 8th stage of the standards I simply shoot them from strong side and weak side without using cover.

[theblackknight]

Only reason I do anything other than re-confirm zero or function test an AR at a square range is for recoil drills. Even doing them, I don't do them to a point to make sure I am not lagging behind in my standards.

Other than that, all the positional stuff, technical transitions, etc I do at home dryfire.

Amen to this. Much can be done in dryfire. What can't? the shot cycle itself and with rifle, dealing with stuff like wind at long ranges.

One thing I picked up from listening to people who fashion themselves as tactical is a snotty distain for THE SQUARE RANGE and how it grates at your soul just as deep as your training scares. It's like people have lost sight of why they are shooting, and forgetting that this shit is fun. Is practicing free throws on the square court alone with no guard\ gonna fully prepare you to win a big shiny ring? Nope, but your jumper aint shit without a good free throw as it's base. Ask Lary Bird, 200 a day .Shooting guns is no different.

For me and rifle, I really do like bang for buck work because I dont yet reload 223.When I get to the range, I shoot a certain drill cold, and then do more dryfire working on the small compotents up to full drills. Then work all these things live fire. Then finish with the same drill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwRzgSIl-qE This one works a lot of different things and costs you 5 rounds. Want to work recoil, make it 15 rounds with 3 per position.

[Apricotshot]

So when your only access is a square, public range that allows sitting, standing, kneeling, and prone with targets from 15-1000 yards, what is the best way to train?

I feel like I wasted a range trip yesterday. Threw a sillouhette target out at 300. Shot at it in sitting (as in Indian style), kneeling, and prone. Confirmed my zero was still there. Brought it into 100 and shot from the standing. Brought it into 15 yards and setup two targets side by side and did some failure drills on each. I'm fairly lucky. My range has a very "wild west" feel to it with very little rules. We can set up as many targets as we like assuming its not busy. But I'm still not shooting around barriers or shooting on the move.

Is there really anything more one can do on a range like this? What do you do to get the most of your time at the range now that ammunition is extremely expensive? I can't tell you how many hundreds of rounds I've wasted just blasting away, but I'm trying to make the most of every round now. It might sound silly, but every time I pull the trigger I remind myself that "speed is fine, accuracy is final". Maybe increasing ammo costs will increase shooting ability - at the very least it will make for more efficient range sessions.

Since we live in the same area and I assume the range you are at is Manatee Gun and Archery, I can tell you there is no place other than private places to shoot as you would like. What I have done is to not shoot and waste ammo. I'll take 3 or 4 classes a year and get my rocks off there.

[Eurodriver]

Apricot, you're exactly right.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwRzgSIl-qE This one works a lot of different things and costs you 5 rounds. Want to work recoil, make it 15 rounds with 3 per position.


I bet Mac even sleeps with intensity.

One of the youtube comments!

That's a great video. And a great drill. But it's just not something I could do at any range I regularly go to. It's unfortunate because it's absolutely perfect. Gets your heart rate up, gets you shooting from behind barriers, etc. Question: What did he mean by he "salvaged" four rounds? Edit: Nvm, I see he started with 9 rounds. He just didn't miss!

I have a buddy who shoots regularly on his land in Central FL. They're a bunch of stupid idiots but it doesn't mean I have to participate in their "Let's setup the bipod on the HK91 and act like we're defending the base from marauders" bullshit.

[theblackknight]

Euro, do you have a garage or back yard with understanding neighbors? If so getting a airsoft AR might be your ticket and turning your house/yard/garage into a scene or stage.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAMl22UihQ4


BUT, let's 1st figure out what exactly are your endstate and goals are?? Is this for home defense, work, or sports?

[TAZ]

The RB 1 standards seem like a great set of exercises to shoot on a square range.

You can also practice the fundamentals of marksmanship (not sexy or high speed but essential). Definitely practice positions and getting in and out of them. Lots of time lost in stages transitioning to and from shooting positions. You can also develop your dope, figuring out exactly what your BDC hits at...

[TehLlama]

As long as folks aren't getting too butthurt about it, the RB1 standards are a good starting point. Even after that 2-day Intermediate class I was still posting embarrassingly bad times (but making pretty groups: scoring 100 on Table III still ingrained too deeply at that point).

Not a bad time to do some mixed/dummy malfunction clearances. Pre-load a few magazines - one all live (can be like 10rds or so), and then sprinkle snap caps in with the rest of them. Run what would otherwise be fairly mundane drills, but treat the FTF's as a very much timed drill. If you're doing a set number, you can later check the split times to see how you're doing on those.

I almost wish somebody was working on hacking the old laser tag systems and hooking them up as boresighting/snap cap type setups where they would fire the laser momentarily when struck by the firing pin - could have decent, practical indoor target work. Airsoft is a distant, but tolerable next best, but the GBB pistols are closer to realistic for use because of the similar weight/holstering/feel with the exception of the triggers.

[T2C]

It's not rocket science. Set up difficult shooting scenarios and perform PT in between evolutions.

For example, do 50 pushups, then run a boring in drill from 25 meters. Then do 50 situps and engage multiple threat targets at 15 meters. Then do 50 Navy 6 count squat thrusts and perform a thread the needle drill.

Your ability to train is not limited by terrain as much as your ability to develop drills to push yourself beyond your limits.

In between live fire range drills, dry fire, dry fire, dry fire........

[rojocorsa]

I face the same situation where I live to the point that I don't even bother shooting any more. Isn't it sad?



It's not rocket science. Set up difficult shooting scenarios and perform PT in between evolutions.

For example, do 50 pushups, then run a boring in drill from 25 meters. Then do 50 situps and engage multiple threat targets at 15 meters. Then do 50 Navy 6 count squat thrusts and perform a thread the needle drill.

Your ability to train is not limited by terrain as much as your ability to develop drills to push yourself beyond your limits.

In between live fire range drills, dry fire, dry fire, dry fire........

T2C, I like the way you think. Unfortunately, some of the ranges in my area so square (pun intended), that the benches are permanently fixed and they put in a low ceiling so that a man of normal height can not reasonably shoot off hand. Also, most of the ranges around here discourage the use of AQT type targets too.

[rapomstage3]

It sucks to hear that there are people that can't properly train due to range restrictions. I'm lucky enough to have a private place to my self and can do what I want anytime. I recommend finding something like that if possible. I haven't been to a sanctioned range in years. But not everyone has this opportunity. Someone said have a plan and I agree 100%. This is the best way to insure there's no waste.