Do You Dot Torture Drill?

By Michael Mills

Posted in
#Skills

What’s the purpose of your range time? Is it to have some fun? Is it to enhance your skills? Is it both? What if I told you I had the perfect practice tool that combined the two, would you be interested? It’s called the Dot Torture Drill.

Do you get the most out of your time at the range? Are you there for fun, skill building, or both?

The first question I have for you is, do you have a plan for your days at the range? Most of us plan endlessly in our daily lives from our route to work to our daily tasks on the weekends. Often, we want to go to the range and have fun and just decompress. But is this the best course of action?

I would say the best course of action is to have a solid plan for your range day that will not only let you have some fun, but also streamline your range day and make sure you get the most benefit out of it.

Instructor demonstrates weak hand only shooting technique at dot torture target PDF layout positioned at five yards while student observes proper grip consistency and recoil management methods during deliberate practice session focused on skill building exercise for handgun accuracy improvement and accuracy baseline establishment. — If you’ve invested in quality gear like this Springfield Armory Operator 1911, why not train to get the most out of it?

Plan of Action

One of my favorite range day drills is Dot Torture Drill. I know, it sounds like a bit much. But, this can be a fun drill that can be competitive and help you work on all of your firearm skills. This target is readily available online for free and helps shooters at all skill levels work on everything from presentation to trigger control. On top of this, it only requires 50 rounds to run. So, you can maximize your training and range time without breaking the bank.

Close-up view of dot torture printable target displaying 2-inch circles arranged in specific dot pattern with circle one and circle two clearly visible showing shot placement results from 50-round drill where shooter completed string of fire demonstrating acceptable accuracy and tight groups on challenging drill. Range setup shows dot torture rules and dot torture instructions posted beside target distance markers at close range with lateral movement positions marked for practice session where shooter will attempt pass dot torture standard using smooth trigger press technique and controlled shooting cadence during qual target comparison. — The “Dot Torture Drill” target is free to download online and is a great way to wring out your skills on the range.

If you are a beginner, you will learn to self-diagnose with this target. On the other hand, a more advanced shooter may want to push the distance and speed. This target can be used at indoor ranges as well as outdoor ranges with a pistol or a rifle.

Getting the Dot Torture Drill Done

So what is this “Dot Torture” target, exactly? Each circle on the target works a different drill from either the holster or the low ready if need be. There are a total of 10 circles on the target. The drills start with five rounds of slow fire and progress through transitions, reloads, draw and presentation, strong hand only and off-hand only. You can see me running through these drills in the video at top.

Shooter executes holster draw and draw from holster movement while transitioning between dots on numbered dots target during string transitions that require freestyle shooting and two-handed shooting positions as part of David Blinder's difficult drill designed as diagnostic tool for marksmanship test and performance metric evaluation. — Mike likes to run the Dot Torture drill to refine his shooting skills with his 1911 pistol.

This drill can be run at your own pace and should be used for accuracy accomplishment initially. You can then start to push the limits of speed, while ensuring you maintain a high safety standard.

Do You Want To Improve?

Take back your range day with a solid plan of action. This simple and effective target and drill will provide you with a streamlined range session, save money on ammo and range fees, and work those perishable skills you have.

So, get out there, have some fun, and refine those shooting skills!

Editor’s Note: The Springfield Armory 1911 that Mike Mills used in this piece is no longer offered, but we have listed a comparable model from the current line below.

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