ACCELERATOR DRILL

Setting Up The Drill: Place 3 USPSA Torso targets 7, 15, and 20 yards from the firing line. Space the targets far enough apart to force real transitions (a few feet between targets is perfect), but keep them all square to the shooter.

Shooter will start with a loaded, holstered handgun and at least one spare magazine. You’ll need 12 rounds total (6 shots, reload, 6 shots).

Drill Instructions: Shooter will begin standing relaxed with wrists below the belt line. Upon the audible start, shooter will draw from the holster and engage targets T1-T3 with 2 rounds each before peforming a mandatory reload and engaging targets T1-T3 with 2 additional rounds each. There should be 4 shots on each target when you finish.

Scoring and Handicaps: We are using Hit Factor scoring for March’s drill. If you are unfamiliar with this scoring system, it is your final score divided by your time. Alphas are worth 5 Points, Charlies are worth 3 Points, and Deltas are worth 2 Points.

If you shoot this drill completely from concealment, remove 1 Second from your time as a handicap bonus for being cool.

Safety note: Any unsafe gun handling voids the run.

Summary: The Accelerator is one of the best “truth serum” drills for competitive shooting because it forces you to change gears on demand. The 7-yard target tempts you to blaze, the 20-yard target punishes impatience, and the 15-yard target lives right in that uncomfortable middle where people throw points away.

The goal isn’t just raw speed—it’s learning how to throttle control: drive hard up close, add confirmation as distance increases, then do it all again after a reload when your brain wants to rush.

If you want a clean run, think: snap to the close target, settle for the far target, and don’t let the reload steal your pace. Clean first… then fast.