A drill with a par time turns range time into measurable progress. These 14 standard drills, from a 5-round basic check to full qualification courses, are listed in rough order of difficulty. Shoot them cold, on a timer, and record the results in your after action report.
At a glance
| Drill | Rounds | Distance | Par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5×5 Drill | 5 | 5 yards | 5.0 seconds |
| Dot Torture | 50 | 3 yards to start | Untimed |
| Bill Drill | 6 | 7 yards | 2.0 seconds (benchmark) |
| Failure Drill (Mozambique) | 3 | Close range | Not set |
| F.A.S.T. | 6 | 7 yards | Expert under 5 s, Advanced under 7, Intermediate under 10 |
| Wizard Drill | 5 | 3, 5, 7 and 10 yards | 2.5 seconds per stage |
| El Presidente | 12 | 10 yards | 10 seconds |
| Casino Drill | 21 | 5 yards | 21 seconds |
| Rangemaster Bullseye Course | 30 | 25, 15, 7 and 5 yards | Per string; 285 of 300 is good shooting |
| Three Seconds or Less | 20 | 3 and 7 yards | 3 seconds per string |
| Gabe White Pistol Standards | 17 (four drills) | 7 yards | Turbo / Light / Dark tiers |
| Hackathorn Standards | 60 | 5 to 25 yards | 250 points: 250 Excellent, 200 Acceptable |
| FBI Pistol Qualification | 50 | 3 to 25 yards | 40 of 50 hits to pass |
| Tueller Drill | 2 | 7 yards (21 feet) | About 1.5 seconds |
The drills
5×5 Drill
Gila Hayes
- 5 yards
- 5 rounds
- Par: 5.0 seconds
Course of fire: Start at low ready with both hands on the gun. On the beep, fire five shots into a 5-inch circle.
Tests: Basic defensive competency: quick, controlled hits on a small area.
Dot Torture
David Blinder
- 3 yards to start
- 50 rounds
- Par: Untimed
Course of fire: A 10-dot sequence of slow precision groups, draws, strong-hand-only and weak-hand-only strings and reloads. Pass only with all 50 rounds on the dots, then move back or add time.
Tests: Accuracy and consistency across draws, one-handed shooting and reloads.
Some sources note IPSC shooters ran a similar drill earlier.
Bill Drill
Bill Wilson
- 7 yards
- 6 rounds
- Par: 2.0 seconds (benchmark)
Course of fire: From the holster with hands up, draw and fire six rounds into the A-zone as fast as every hit stays in.
Tests: Draw speed and recoil control in rapid fire.
Wilson set no official par; 2.0 seconds is the common benchmark from Gabe White’s standards.
Failure Drill (Mozambique)
Jeff Cooper named it; LAPD SWAT renamed it
- Close range
- 3 rounds
- Par: Not set
Course of fire: Two fast shots to the chest, assess, and if the threat is still there, a deliberate third shot to the head.
Tests: Moving from fast body shots to a precise head shot.
F.A.S.T.
Todd Green
- 7 yards
- 6 rounds
- Par: Expert under 5 s, Advanced under 7, Intermediate under 10
Course of fire: Start with two rounds in the gun, holstered. Draw, fire two at a 3×5 card, slide-lock reload, then fire four into an 8-inch circle. Add 2 seconds per card miss and 1 per circle miss.
Tests: Precise first shot, an emergency reload and fast follow-ups.
Wizard Drill
- 3, 5, 7 and 10 yards
- 5 rounds
- Par: 2.5 seconds per stage
Course of fire: From concealment: one head shot strong hand only at 3 yards, one head shot at 5, one at 7, and two body shots at 10.
Tests: Accurate first-shot draws at increasing distance.
Pass or fail; all five hits required.
El Presidente
- 10 yards
- 12 rounds
- Par: 10 seconds
Course of fire: Facing away with hands up, gun concealed and loaded with six. Turn, draw, fire two at each of three targets, reload, and fire two more at each.
Tests: Turning draw, transitions and a reload under time.
Classic standard: all 12 hits in the A-zone.
Casino Drill
Tom Givens (Rangemaster)
- 5 yards
- 21 rounds
- Par: 21 seconds
Course of fire: With three 7-round magazines, fire one round into shape 1, two into shape 2 and so on through six into shape 6, reloading as the gun runs dry.
Tests: Thinking while shooting: sequencing, counting and reloads.
Add 1 second per miss or out-of-order shot.
Rangemaster Bullseye Course
- 25, 15, 7 and 5 yards
- 30 rounds
- Par: Per string; 285 of 300 is good shooting
Course of fire: Five slow-fire rounds at 25 yards in a minute; two five-round strings at 15 yards in 15 and 10 seconds; five, reload, five at 7 yards in 15 seconds; five at 5 yards in 5 seconds.
Tests: Marksmanship fundamentals under tightening time limits.
Three Seconds or Less
Karl Rehn (KR Training)
- 3 and 7 yards
- 20 rounds
- Par: 3 seconds per string
Course of fire: Nine short strings covering draws, close-range retention shooting, each hand alone, a reload and head shots. A string over time scores as misses.
Tests: Realistic close-range skills under a short, consistent limit.
Gabe White Pistol Standards
Gabe White
- 7 yards
- 17 (four drills) rounds
- Par: Turbo / Light / Dark tiers
Course of fire: From the holster: Bill Drill (2.00 / 2.50 / 3.50 s), Failure Drill (1.70 / 2.25 / 2.90), two head shots (2.00 / 2.50 / 3.00) and Split Bill Drill, four body and two head (2.60 / 3.50 / 4.70).
Tests: Draw and close-range speed graded in three tiers.
Concealment or retention gear earns a 0.25-second bonus.
Hackathorn Standards
- 5 to 25 yards
- 60 rounds
- Par: 250 points: 250 Excellent, 200 Acceptable
Course of fire: Thirteen strings: head shots at 5 yards, strong-hand-only work, an El Presidente, shooting on the move, prone at 20 yards and a barricade string with a reload at 25.
Tests: Well-rounded skill across distances and positions.
Each string has its own par, with a 0.30-second grace period.
FBI Pistol Qualification
FBI (2019 course)
- 3 to 25 yards
- 50 rounds
- Par: 40 of 50 hits to pass
Course of fire: Five stages from 3 yards, one hand at a time, out to 25 yards standing and kneeling, with draws, low ready starts and a reload string.
Tests: A law enforcement baseline across common distances.
Instructors need 45 of 50.
Tueller Drill
- 7 yards (21 feet)
- 2 rounds
- Par: About 1.5 seconds
Course of fire: Draw and fire on a target 21 feet away. With a partner, a runner sprints on the signal to show how far an attacker covers before your first shot.
Tests: Why distance and cover matter against a rushing attacker.
Based on Tueller’s 1983 SWAT article.
Before you shoot
- Follow the Firearm Safety Rules and your range’s rules on drawing from the holster.
- Use a shot timer; a phone timer app works to start.
- Shoot each drill cold first, with no warm-up, to see where you really stand.
- Accuracy before speed: a fast miss is still a miss.
Want coaching on these standards? Find a class in the Training Schools guide or read How to Choose a Training Class.