Gun channels on YouTube make up something we collectively call GunTube. GunTube can be an outstanding resource for learning, training, and just being entertained. With that in mind, we’re going to focus on the learning and training side of things. We are bringing you five drills from our favorite gun tubers.
Sage Dynamics Eleanor Drill
Aaron Cowan over at Sage Dynamics is an awesome instructor and GunTube content creator who makes a lot of free stuff available to anyone with an internet connection. One of those things is the Eleanor Drill and a corresponding target. The Eleanor target is an adaptation of a USPSA target with a partial A-zone and a head target with a big triangle and a distinct dot.
This target is necessary for the drill. To make it even easier, the drill is listed on the target so you remember exactly what you’re supposed to be doing. The drill can be fired with a rifle or a handgun; the only difference is that handgun users fire the drill at three yards, and rifle shooters fire the drill from five yards.
If shooting with a handgun, start holstered. If shooting with a rifle, start from the low ready. At the beep, you are going to draw and/or aim at the small dot and fire one round. You’ll then transition to the checkered box and fire three rounds. Regardless of platform, you have 2.5 seconds to succeed.
It’s simple but works a few things. With a handgun, you’ll focus on your draw, your precision from the draw, and then changing pace and going fast for the big target. With the rifle, you better understand your height over bore to hit that tiny little dot. You’ll then have to work a transition and change pace to put holes in that partial A-zone.
This is a simple drill with demanding objectives. Smart targets and tight times mean you’ve got to move fast to succeed!
ASP Ten Round Skill Check
Active Self Protection is a YouTube (aka GunTube) channel that has evolved a lot since its inception. John Correia runs the channel, and in his time on YouTube and in training, he’s developed a few different drills. One of my favorites is the Ten Round Skill Check. It’s a great way to judge your skills.
As the name implies, the drill requires ten rounds, and you’ll be shooting with a handgun. The range is designed around a USPSA target, and you’ll need a shot timer. The skill check has three strings of fire that will consume your ten rounds of ammo. We started with the gun holstered and concealed, and standing seven yards from the target.
- String 1: Draw and fire one round into the A-Zone. (Repeat for a total of two runs.)
- String 2: Draw and fire two rounds to the head A-Zone.
- String 3: Draw and fire six rounds into the A-zone.
A-Zone hits are worth five points, C-Zone shots are worth three points, and D-Zone hits are worth a single point. Add your shots together and then divide it by your overall time. Take that number and multiply it by 12.5 to get your final score. Scoring is a little complicated, but the 10 Round Skill Check is the best way to turn ten rounds of ammo into efficient training.
You’re practicing your ability to draw, to shoot precision shots, and to control recoil while shooting. The Skills Check gives you a specific score that you should record and try to make higher with every run.
Modern Tactical Shooting Add 2 Drill
Modern Tactical Shooting is a GunTube channel run by Jeff Gurwitch, a former Green Beret and GWOT firearms historian. MTS covers a wide range of subjects, and training is just one. Seriously, the 5.11 Tactical Vest video is fantastic. The Add 2 Drill from MTS can be fired with a rifle or handgun, but the drill is designed around rifle use.
The Modern Tactical Shooting Add 2 Drill needs a USPSA-style target, three cones (or similar markers), a shot timer, and twelve rounds of ammo. Set a cone at 10 yards, 15 yards, and 20 yards. Start at the ten-yard cone.
You’ll start in the low ready, and at the beep, you’ll aim and fire two rounds into the A-zone. You’ll then sprint to the 15-yard cone and fire four rounds into the A-zone. Finally, you’ll sprint to the final cone at 20 yards and fire six rounds into the A-zone. That’s it, it’s over. The par time is 12 seconds, but add .5 of a second for C-zone hits, 1 second for D-zone hits, and five seconds for misses.
This drill forces you to shoot fast and straight at multiple ranges. There is no comfort level here. Plus, you have to add short sprints and your ability to turn back and re-engage a target quickly and accurately. It’s not easy, but it’s a ton of fun and very dynamic.
Hunter Constantine Draw Drill
Like almost everyone else on this list, Hunter Constantine isn’t just a GunTube content creator. He’s a professional competition shooter and USPSA Grand Master. In fact, he became a USPSA Grand Master in 14 months, which makes me feel terrible about myself and makes me want to shoot more. Luckily, Hunter Constantine shares his drills with us.
The Hunter Constantine Draw Drill might be your next nemesis. You’ll need a handgun and holster, and at least ten rounds. This drill requires a USPSA target and a shot timer. We’ll set the target at ten yards and load ten rounds into our gun.
Holster the gun and at the beep, draw and fire a headshot into the head A-zone. Each shot has a par time of 1.5 seconds. Your overall goal is to score 10 headshots in the A-zone, with each shot taking less than 1.5 seconds. If you miss or fail the par time, you finish your ten shots, reload the magazine, and shoot ten more.
The idea is to shoot it until you shoot it clean. This can be demanding, especially if you’re a new shooter, so modify it to the point it makes sense. If you don’t have the ammo or don’t want to run this thing a hundred times, I’d at least run it until you have ten clean headshots.
Hunter breaks it down well and discusses how it’s great for your processing power. As you draw, you have to be thinking about your grip, your presentation, and your trigger press. Anything less than outstanding means a miss or a blown par time.
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Lucky Gunner Table Drill
Lucky Gunner is more than just a GunTube channel. It’s an ammo retailer with an awesome blog. The Lucky Gunner Table Drill isn’t an official drill. It’s part of the Lucky Gunner Home Defense Shotgun Skills Test. The entire Skills test is worth shooting, but the Table Drill stands out to me. This is designed entirely for shotguns, so get the repeating claymore out.
This drill will be fired at five yards. The gun will start cruiser-ready with three in the tube. Cruiser ready means the hammer is down and the chamber is empty. You’ll need two spare rounds, which work best in a side saddle. You’ll need something to set the gun on, be it a table or a barrel at the range.
At the beep of your shot timer, retrieve the gun, load a round, and fire all three rounds into a USPSA target, aiming for the A-zone. Now you’ll conduct an emergency reload with your two spare rounds and fire them both. You can reload any way you desire. You can conduct two port reloads, a port reload, and a tube reload, or whatever other way you choose to do so.
If you can do this with most of the pellets in the A-zone in under 11 seconds, you’re moving pretty fast. If you can do it in seven seconds or less, you’re blazing through the course of fire. I like this drill because it doesn’t start from a standard position or readiness level. You have to grab the gun and start shooting. Add in reloads, and you have to be thinking too. Shotguns are a thinking man’s weapon.
The GunTube Way
YouTube is a fantastic resource for shooters. Sure, not all information is equal, but if a YouTuber can inspire you to get out and train, then it’s worth the time. Give these five drills a try and let us know below what you think about the drills of GunTube.
About Travis Pike
Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine Gunner, a lifelong firearms enthusiast, and now a regular guy who likes to shoot, write, and find ways to combine the two. He holds an NRA certification as a Basic Pistol Instructor and is the world’s Okayest firearm’s instructor.
Any instruction is a good deal and can be used on the range too. Saw a shooter at the LGR shoot a string and then refer to his phone, and he’d repeat the drill. There are well known shooters giving the online instruction, so it not just some random guy doing the video. Use whatever training available and we’ll continue to profit from these videos.