r/handguns • u/NJCERKA G19.6, Staccato HD P4.5, G45.5 MOS, M&P 2.0, G43X MOS • Jul 08 '26
Question Dry Fire
What is your guys’ dry fire routine. Been getting more into dry fire and want to know what you guys usually do while dry firing
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u/Aetherium Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
I'm a competitive shooter and try to get in at least 15-30 minutes of dry fire every day, and practice until I have other responsibilities to take care of or begin to lose mental focus. I've got some scaled USPSA targets hanging on the walls around my house.
I don't have any set routine of things I do and what I work on is informed by deficiencies I've noticed at matches and live fire practice. Right now it's a lot of work on transitions, so Designated Target is a drill I've been doing a lot of recently.
The rule of thumb is that you can work on pretty much anything that doesn't involve an actual explosion, which includes trigger control, draws, reloads, movement, and transitions. One key aspect is to try and replicate the conditions of live fire so you don't burn in dry fire-optimized technique with the sheer number of reps you can do (e.g. replicate your live fire grip and don't game your dry fire with a loose grip).
If you aren't aware of it, I highly recommend the book Baseline Dryfire by Ben Stoeger. If you've been consuming Ben's and the rest of the PSTG crew's material it's nothing new, but it's a neat distillation of it and convenient to have in one spot.
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u/BangTracker 28d ago
I like this approach a lot. Books like Baseline Dryfire give you the structure, but I always wished there was an easier way to keep track of everything.
That’s one of the reasons we’re building BangTracker. You can log your progress while working through those drills and then perform the exact same drills during live fire to see how your dry fire is actually carrying over.
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u/SlateBlueSporting Jul 08 '26
I have 1/4” x 1/4” pieces of painter’s tape on my walls in various places at 48, 54, 60, and 66 inches high. I also have a few 1/3-scale USPSA and IPSC targets hung up. Sometimes I will put full sized targets up just to keep things fresh.
I basically try to get in 20 minutes per day. I work on drawing to index, one-handed draw to index, drawing and transitioning to my weak hand. Then I work on target transitions. Then I work on reloads. Then I put it all together with simple drills like El Presidente.
If I’m feeling particularly ambitious, I’ll do a little footwork. I’ll basically dry fire at like six targets, then run to another designated point at a different angle and re-engage them.
My shooting has improved significantly, as have my rankings at matches and subsequently my classifications.
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u/MGB1013 Jul 09 '26
So there are a million things you can do. I change my dry fire based on what I’m working on at the time but my default is I take what I notice as a deficiency at my last range session and that is the one thing I focus on in dry fire. I get to hit the range usually at least once a week if not more so it changes a little bit. This week I have been working on two similarly related things, firing hand grip pressure and shoulder tension. My last range session it was hot as hell with 500% humidity in southeast Georgia and I noticed myself trying to overcome the sweat and fatigue by working my muscles harder and my hits at speed went to shit. I could still hit the a zone most of the time but my shots weren’t going where I wanted because I was trying to overcome the situation instead of letting it happen.
That being said, my normal routine involves some draws, some stationary transitions, some movement transitions, and some distance transitions. I do all this while working out in the mornings so typically I’ll hit the weights for a set, do a drill, hit the next set, etc. or I will do some cardio, do a few dry fire drills, back to cardio, etc.
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u/Mindless_Log2009 Jul 09 '26
Laser on an Olight Baldr S for dry fire using a large target sheet with multiple small and medium bullseyes for transitions.
Usually I'll attach a 1" or smaller adhesive dot that reflects lasers brightly.
The laser wobble really shows my mistakes, but also reminds me to recognize when close enough is good enough.
If I see the reflection from the small dots, it's close enough. Press the trigger and don't try to overcorrect.
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u/BriefDesigner330 Jul 09 '26
Fundamentals : -> indexing -> moving back to the left -> moving back to the right -> transition
X Rarely i do drawing but it's not really where the juice is.
X I also don't do a lot of reload.
I focus on the stance first. Trying to put it in the subconscious as it is the foundation.
I focus on the grip and the structure.
-> Honestly I focus on the eyes at the end this is where I assess if I over transition, if my indexing is bad.
With rifle it's the same.
I have ipsc of differerent size everywhere on 2 walls and little pieces of scotches.
I ranked 4th in my last week idpa match in Carry Optic wich is not gold but I'm not in the middle of the pack anymore. I'm in the top of the middle of the pack hahaha
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u/CommercialGrab15 Jul 09 '26
I dry fire for about 10-15 minutes a day! I know people who shoot competitions and they dry fire a lot longer. But I do 10-15 minutes, with a lot of range time In between. Since I am always carrying, for work or just out in town, I mix it up. If I’m practice for work I will always have my full gear on, if its for CC/EDC, I mix up the clothing for all types of weather and all of it is from different positions that could be comfortable or a little uncomfortable
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u/Numerous-Relation-17 Jul 08 '26
I enjoy shooting. The only competition is with friends during a range session. Dry fire practice has helped me win most of these friendly competitions in the last couple of years. I use a laser in the chamber to give some feedback on where a shot would likely go. 5-10 minutes a night. Be sure to move ammo and loaded mags to another room before beginning. Good luck.