RE Factor Tactical released new products at a pretty impressive rate all through last year, constantly broadening their product line without (as best we can tell) diluting the quality of construction or design. You might recall seeing our article on their Kill Zone and IQ Targets a few months back. This is the newest style: the Essentials Target.
The “Essentials” target is laid out to be a multipurpose, multi-drill target primarily used for pistol work. RE Factor says it is “…designed to give you an essential set of drills that will maintain your current proficiency level.” One way to do that is by following their drill break down available here. This drill takes 150 rounds to complete and covers multiple aspects of pistol marksmanship, to include slow aimed fire, weak and offhand shooting, target transition, trigger speed changes, drawing, magazine reloads and controlled multiple shot groups. The company also tells us that the targets are scalable to meet the individual proficiency level of each different shooter. They recommend you tailor the target, yard lines and drills to meet your specific mission set or level of marksmanship.
So basically there is no wrong way to use the Essentials Target as long as you are getting training value out of it.
Here’s an example of one drill they posted:
4 Second Par Time Drill
Range: 5 yards
Starting position: Gun holstered and facing downrange. Place your shot timer to a 5 second par time.
Drill: At the sound of the buzzer fire as many rounds as possible into target no. 1 before reaching the 5 second par time. Repeat the drill for targets no 2-6.
End game: The goal here is to balance speed with accuracy. You should only be counting hits within the target.
Score: Your score is the most rounds you are able to put in one dot out of the six targets.
The target measures the same as the others recently released, 23″ x 35”, and is printed on heavy stock paper. Available in 10, 25, 50 and 100 count packs, the Essentials target mixes in well with their other specialty target offerings. We hit the range to give the new target a try, shooting it both with pistol and carbine at pistol distance. Paired with a shot timer, you can create some pretty challenging drills for yourself. For example, you can warm up focusing on the fundamentals, using the large “bullseye” target. Next, move on to shooting the 13 target for speed. Do the same with your next magazine on the smaller targets, such as the 8 or 9 targets at the top. Do the same on the 1 through 6 targets, and finish another mag on the tiny 14 or 1” square 15 target. Alternatively, you can shoot a “box drill” using the 8,9,10, and 11 targets which border the four corners. Shoot all four as fast as you can hit, and then change direction. Breaking up the monotony of always shooting clockwise or counterclockwise is another good idea.
There is no shortage of ways to use the Essentials Target, which is a very cool aspect of this product. We’re confident you’ll create many of your own drills, as we have through experimentation. You can pick up a pack here at RE factor’s website, and if you have any favorite drills for a target such as this, please share them in the comments section below.
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Got this off of Wilson Combat:
Standard IDPA Target – 10 yards.
1. Count 25 shots on the target (24 body – 1 in the head).
2. Add 50 seconds for each hit in the “-1” area.
3. Add 1.5 seconds for each hit in the “-3” area.
4. Add 2.5 seconds for each hit off target and slap yourself.
Start Position: Hands at your side no concealment garment necessary.
String 1: Draw and fire 5 shots freestyle (two hands)
String 2: Draw and fire 5 shots strong hand only.
String 3: Draw and fire 5 shots freestyle (two hands), reload from slide lock and fire 5 more shots freestyle.
String 4: Draw and fire 4 shots to the body freestyle and 1 to the head.
SKILL RANKING ACCORDING TO BILL WILSON:
Grand Master: 15 seconds or less (never accomplished this yet)
Master: 20 seconds or less (average right here or a little over)
Expert: 25 seconds or less
Sharpshooter: 32 seconds or less
Marksman: 41 seconds or less
Novice: 50 seconds or less
And anything over 50 you are not proficient enough to carry a handgun 🙂
-TRAIN HARD!
I bought one of these and threw 150 rounds at it. When I was done it still looked brand new!
That self healing paper is good stuff.
All kidding aside, cool target… I’ll be checking these guys out.
I have been using their IQ targets for a while, I’ll order some of these to throw in the mix. And yes, I get A LOT of comments on my “violence is the solution” shirt.