The Bill Drill Is Not a Mag Dump
However, it’s nothing BUT a mag dump if you aren’t running it as a tool that definitively builds and tests key skills.
For anyone looking to learn how to shoot with speed and accuracy, the Bill Drill is recognized as a classic. It’s simple and practical, testing many skills.
The Bill Drill is often disparaged because it’s an aggressive, challenging drill. From 7 yards the standard par time is 2 seconds from the draw, with all alphas on a USPSA target. From what I’ve witnessed on the range, people who disparage the Bill Drill as a mag dump are the same people who can’t achieve this standard. And the reality is, it’s a challenging standard to achieve. It takes effort to develop the skill to be able to run the drill in 2 seconds, consistently.
Here’s why it isn’t just a mag dump. You’re working two critical skills that you must own to be a good shooter: vision and how you connect to the gun. Broken down, you’re working a fast and efficient draw. Your index has to be spot on. You need visual discipline to find and stay locked on a focal point. You must have a consistent and durable grip that allows you to get predictable behavior out of the gun and manage recoil — lasting through an aggressive, longer course of fire. All under a time constraint.
But don’t get trapped at 7 yards. My “Berserker Bill,” has me shooting multiple Bills at various distances, from 5 to 25 yards. Distance dictates the speed at which I press the trigger so varying the distances requires visual discipline as I adjust aiming schemes on the fly. There’s movement requiring me to disconnect from the gun coming out of position and then rebuild my grip and reacquire my target getting into position.
For additional complexity, I run my “Berserker Bill Drill” at 5, 10, 15, 25 and then back to 7 yards. In this version of the drill I’m looking for overall performance in regard to speed and accuracy, I had 27 alphas and 3 charlies in 25.65 with a HF of 5.61.
I use Hit Factor to score my performance, giving me quantifiable data to evaluate my performance, which pushes me to see where my max speed and full accountability meet.
The 2-second par time is important from a performance and defensive perspective. Want to achieve this standard? Come out for a class and let me help you shave time off your draw, develop a consistent index, decrease your split times and apply aiming schemes, making you a better shooter, for any context.