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Everyone wants to get better at shooting. Even people who have been shooting for years are always working on some aspect with drills. Jeremy Stone, a newer shooter, and Daniel Shaw, GunMag’s resident gun expert, go through how to shoot better in under 15 minutes. In the video are tips to help any shooter become a faster, safe, and more accurate shooter.

Quick Tips to be a better shot:

• Solid yet relaxed stance
• Proper trigger pull
• Reset sights before next shot
• Start slow to get fast

Jeremy Stone is a wrong-handed shooter and has been struggling with consistent shooting as a new shooter. Daniel Shaw is there to help point out what he was doing wrong and how to fix the problems. Daniel starts out by saying that dry-fire work is a great way to start, with the focus being on the trigger press to avoid moving the gun.

Daniel says that most times new shooters can get the first few shots on target and then the shots start to drift. This problem is mostly attributed to moving the gun while pressing the trigger and meeting recoil. His goal is to have shooters recognize what it takes to make a perfect shot and to recognize what it feels like when it isn’t a perfect shot. The difference will be a game changer.

Starting off, Jeremy’s stance is super tense all around with a narrow stance in his feet. Daniel points out that the gun doesn’t care how it is held, it will work regardless. But the grip is vitally important to a perfect shot.

For a proper grip, you want to get the handgun in line with your arm if your hand size will allow it. The recoil action should happen at the wrist and nowhere else. The thumb on your non-firing hand should be pointed towards the target. The webbing of your non-firing hand acts as a splint to compensate for the recoil.

Your arms should not be locked out but bent just a little, with the pistol aligned with the midline of the body. The elbows should be rotated out slightly with shoulders down and back. Lean into the firearm at the waist with your shoulders back and elbows bent to allow for recoil absorption in your body. The absorption of recoil helps decrease split times between shots and get your next shot off faster.

Daniel points out that there are different opinions about the proper way to pull the trigger and finger placement. For him, letting the finger fall naturally on the trigger is best. The muscle memory of doing that will help in moments when the shooter needs it. When shooting, articulate the finger without moving anything else.

Jeremy takes some shots following Daniel’s advice. He has a couple of good shots, showing that he knows how to properly aim the pistol, but the next few shots are off. Daniel says that most new shooters get their first few shots on target, but that is because they hadn’t met recoil yet. Once they experience recoil, the shots start to dive and the body compensates. Daniel states that the best way to counteract that is to get to know your trigger.

Getting to know the trigger of the pistol is vital for accurate shooting. You need to know exactly how much pressure you need to use to move the trigger. His example is that you don’t need to use 27 lbs of pressure on a 5 lbs. trigger, and a slow and methodical trigger is best. You can do this by slowly taking up pressure on the trigger, a little at a time, to the wall and a methodical pull to break and fire.

Once fired, you will need to wait until the sights are back on target before attempting another shot. According to Daniel, the gun will tell you when it is ready to go “bang” again when the sights are back on target.

Daniel stresses that you cannot force it, that you must have the discipline and understanding of your own abilities. You need to go slow to learn and to be able to go faster later. Control is a biggie. You need to stay in control. If you can’t stay in control, you aren’t ready to go fast yet.

Jeremy shoots again and is better this time, but still needs improvement. His non-firing hand was needing to be adjusted after each shot. The non-firing hand is further away from the body and easier for that elbow to get locked out. Daniel reminds him that both elbows need to be bent to ensure that the gun doesn’t jump out of his non-shooting hand.

To practice these steps, Daniel shows a good drill to do on the range with a buddy. The buddy would safely set up the pistol for the shooter. The shooter would safely take possession of the pistol and act like it was a dry fire for each shot, regardless of whether the buddy set it up as a dry fire or live fire. This acts like a real demonstration of what the shooter is doing or what they need to work on. This can be done alone by the shooter with one round per magazine and alternating between live and dry firing.

Daniel wraps up this video by saying that you need to point the gun where you want the round to go, and fire without moving the gun as well. These two things will get the accuracy you want. He encourages new shooters to not get discouraged and to keep practicing.

The Department Of Energy doesn’t sound super tactical, but believe it or not, they’ve had a tactical force since right after WW2. As such, they’ve developed a number of qualification procedures to ensure their protective services are up to snuff. Today we are looking at the DOE SMG qualification. To be fair, this qual also covers the assault rifle issued to troops on site, but I think it’s better suited for PCCs and braced subguns. 

What do you need for the DOE SMG qual?

Obviously, you need a gun. I used the CMMG FourSix. You’ll also need 84 rounds. Yep, it’s a fair amount of ammo for a qualification. Shooters will also need to bring two magazines, a spare magazine holder, a handgun and holster, and six rounds for your handgun. Oh, and you’ll need something you can use for cover. I used a PTSB Lite, but you can use practically anything to simulate cover. 

You’ll need a way to carry the extra magazine and a sling. Plus, one target. The DOE has its own target that is helpful for official scoring. However, you can practically use any man-sized target. I went with a Birchwood Casey 3D target. It needs to have a chest and head. For the longer-range portions of the qual, I used a 10-inch gong. 

A passing score for DOE SMG qual is 90%. When you use the DOE target, the top potential score would be 420 points, so a passing score would be 378. You’ll be shooting at a variety of ranges, from five yards to 100 yards, and you’ll need a range that allows movement. 

A few of the stages call for a protective mask. I don’t have such a thing, but I imagine it’d make the qual more interesting. I didn’t fuss with it, but that’s an option for the 100% DOE experience. 

The DOE SMG Qual Course of Fire 

Every stage starts in the low ready with the weapon on safe with a loaded magazine. 

Stage 1 — Five Yard Line 

The DOE SMG qual calls for the use of controlled bursts of full-auto fire. I don’t have that, so I’m going with double taps. At the signal, engage with two 2-round bursts to the torso, then deliver a final two-round burst to the head. Do this in three seconds. 

Repeat the drill for a total of two runs. 

Stage 2 — 7 to 3-yard lines

At the signal, begin to move from the 7-yard line to the 3-yard line. Fire one shot to the head of the target. Accomplish this in three seconds, and the shot must be made on the move. 

Repeat the drill for a total of two runs. 

Stage 3 — 7 to 3-yard lines

At the signal, begin moving from the 7 to the 3-yard line. Along the way, fire two 2-round bursts into the chest and a final 2-round burst to the head. Do this in four seconds. 

Repeat the drill for a total of two runs. 

Stage 4 — 10 to 2-yard line

It’s time for the ol’ 10 to 2 with the DOE SMG qual. Make sure you have only two rounds loaded in your rifle/SMG magazine, and have your handgun ready. At the signal, begin moving to the yard line and fire a two-round burst to the torso. Once you realize the gun is empty, let it hang, draw your handgun and engage with two rounds to the chest and one round to the head. 

Repeat the drill for a total of two runs. 

Stage 5 — 7 to 3-yard line (With Protective Mask) 

Shooting with a gas mask can be tough, but a good red dot certainly helps. If you want the authentic experience, toss a gas mask on and try it out. I can respect the DOE SMG qual for including it. 

At the signal, begin moving from the 7 to the 3-yard line while firing two 2-round bursts to the chest and then firing a final 2-round burst into the target’s face. Do this in four seconds. 

Repeat the drill for a total of two runs. 

Stage 6 — 10 to 5-yard line (With Protective Mask) 

Keep that gas mask on boys and girls and move your butts to the ten-yard line. For this portion of the DOE SMG qual, we will move from 10 to 5, and as you close the distance, fire two 2-round bursts into the torso in four seconds. 

Repeat the drill for a total of two runs. 

Stage 7 — 10 yard line (With Protective Mask) 

We got a fairly simple drill here. At the ten-yard line, you will engage the target center mass with two rounds in three seconds. 

Repeat the drill for a total of two runs. 

Stage 8 — 15 yard line 

Let’s back it on up to the 15-yard line and get ready to move. At the signal, move from standing to kneeling and fire two rounds center mass in four seconds. Better get moving. The DOE SMG qual waits for no man. 

Repeat the drill for a total of two runs. 

Stage 9 — 25 yard line 

Welcome to the intermediate distance drill of the DOE SMG qual. Make sure you have two rounds loaded into the magazine in your weapon and two rounds loaded into your spare magazine. 

At the signal, fire two rounds center mass, then speed reload, assume the kneeling position, and fire two more rounds center mass. 

Repeat the drill for a total of two runs. 

Stage 10 — 50 yard line 

Nice for the big 50-yard line. Move back to the 50-yard line and bring your cover with you. At the signal, assume a kneeling position behind cover and lean to the right or left (use your dominant side), and fire two rounds center mass. Do all this in six seconds. 

Repeat the drill for a total of two runs. 

Now, we are staying at the 50-yard line and this time at the signal transition from the standing to the prone and fire two rounds center mass. You have eight seconds to boot, scoot, and boogie. 

Repeat the drill for a total of two runs. 

Stage 11 — 100 yard line 

Finally, we’ve made it to the end of the DOE SMG qual. It ends at the 100-yard line, and you’ll finish strong. I believe in you. You need two rounds in your loaded magazine and another two rounds in your spare magazine. 

At the signal, move to a prone position, and fire two rounds center mass. Now reload, and fire two more rounds center mass. Do this in 20 seconds. 

Now breathe a sigh of relief. You’ve done it. 

What I Would Change in the DOE SMG Qual 

Not much. I think the DOE SMG qual is pretty dang great. Some of the times are a little generous. Others are fairly tight. For example, the six rounds in three seconds can feel tight. I like all the various positions and ranges, the use of cover, and the reloads. 

In fact, I would probably just add more use of cover. As you can see, most of the drills here repeat if you want to cut the ammo requirement, you can run each drill just once. However, all in all, this is one of the more challenging quals on the roster.

It’s a fair bit of fun, so I have to ask, what would you change? A lot? A little? Run it, and get back to us below.