Shooting Range Drill: How to Speed Run a Bolt

Tony Gimmellie
Secret Service firearms instrutor, competitor
Setup: Four 1-inch targets.
Range: 100 yards.

Shoot: Using a bolt-action rifle, start with three rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. At the start signal, attempt to place one shot on each target.

Begin with a par time of 30 seconds and work down to 15. Only a 100 percent score, with one hit on each target, is acceptable. The goal is to increase the speed with which this is accomplished.

Skills: This drill improves gun handling, and the ability to smoothly work the bolt and acquire the next target. It requires solid fundamentals in the prone position to prevent recoil from disrupting your natural point of aim.

This drill will build a hunter’s confidence. If you can hit four 1-MOA targets in 20 seconds, a deer’s chest will look as big as a blimp. This also teaches you to manipulate the rifle and successfully make multiple shots under stress.

For more tips and drills, click here.