Dry-fire par drills with par times
Dry fire is where most of the skill behind a fast draw or a clean reload is built, and a par time turns it into practice you can measure. Here is how par training works, five classic drills with starting par times, and how to set each one up on a shot timer.
Safety first
Every rule here exists because people have shot holes in walls, TVs and themselves while dry firing. Follow all of them, every session.
- No live ammunition in the room. Not in the gun, not in magazines, not in a pocket. Put it in another room before you start.
- Unload and check. Remove the magazine, lock the slide back, and look into and feel the chamber and the magazine well. Check again after any break.
- Point at a safe backstop. Pick a target in front of something that would stop a bullet if everything else went wrong.
- Use dummy rounds for reloads. Practise with empty magazines or inert dummy rounds only.
- End the session on purpose. Say "done" out loud, put the gun away, and do something else before you load it again. "One more rep" after reloading is how accidents happen.
How par time training works
A par time is a time limit. The timer gives a start beep, and a second beep (the par beep) when the time is up. Your job is to finish the task, for example draw and press the trigger with an acceptable sight picture, before the par beep.
A dry-fire click is quiet, so you don't need the timer to hear it. You judge each rep yourself: were you done before the par beep, and was the sight picture good enough to have hit?
How to pick a par. Set it a little faster than comfortable, so that you beat it on maybe half to two thirds of your reps. If you beat it every time, take 0.1 seconds off. If you miss most reps or the sight picture falls apart, add 0.1–0.2 seconds. The par times below are starting points from common practice, not standards; target size, distance, holster and gun all change them.
Setting up Par mode
In Simple Shot Timer, choose Settings → Drill mode → Par, then set:
- Duration: the par time, from 0.1 to 30 seconds.
- Repeat count: how many reps run back to back, up to 20.
- Interval between beeps: the rest between reps. Each new rep starts with its own beep after the rest. At 0, the par beep doubles as the next start, which is too fast for anything that needs a reset.
- Start delay: Random (1–4 seconds by default) keeps you from anticipating the first beep. It only applies before the first rep; the later reps start after the rest.
When you press START, the screen shows STAND BY during the delay, like a range officer would, then the beep starts the clock. Once a drill feels right, save it on the Drills tab with "Save current drill" and load it with a tap next time.
Five drills
The par times show a range from newer to experienced shooters. Start at the slower end until the drill is clean.
1. Draw to first shot
Stand facing the target with your hands relaxed at your sides. On the beep, draw, get a sight picture you'd accept, and press once.
- Par
- 2.0 snewer1.5 sexperiencedAdd a few tenths from concealment.
- Repeats
- 5
- Rest
- 6–8 senough to holster slowly and safely
- Start delay
- Random
Never race the holster. The par is for the draw; the rest is there so that holstering stays slow and deliberate.
2. Ready to first shot
Start at low ready: both hands on the gun, muzzle pointed at the ground a few metres in front of you, finger off the trigger. On the beep, bring the gun up to the target and press once.
- Par
- 1.2 snewer0.8 sexperienced
- Repeats
- 10
- Rest
- 3 s
- Start delay
- Random
3. Reload
Start with the gun pointed at the target and an empty magazine in it, and a second empty or dummy-loaded magazine on your belt. On the beep, drop the magazine, insert the spare, get the sights back on the target and press.
- Par
- 2.0 snewer1.5 sexperiencedAdd a few tenths when you also release the slide.
- Repeats
- 5
- Rest
- 8 sto pick up the magazine and reset
- Start delay
- Random
4. Target transitions
Set up two or three small targets a step apart. Start with the gun on the first target. On the beep, press on the first target, then drive the gun to the next one and stop with a sight picture you would press on. Most pistols need the trigger reset after one dry press, so the later targets are about the eyes and the gun arriving, not the press.
- Par
- 1.5 snewer1.0 sexperiencedFor three targets.
- Repeats
- 10
- Rest
- 3 s
- Start delay
- Random
5. Strong hand and weak hand only
The ready drill with one hand. Start at low ready with only your strong hand on the gun; on the beep, present and press. Run a set, then switch to the weak hand.
- Par
- 1.8 snewer1.2 sexperiencedAbout half again your two-handed ready time.
- Repeats
- 5 per hand
- Rest
- 4 s
- Start delay
- Random
What dry fire can't train
Drills like the Bill drill, six fast shots on one target, are about controlling recoil, and a dry gun doesn't recoil. Dry fire honestly covers only its first part: the draw and the first press, which is drill 1 above. Keep the fast follow-up shots for the range, where the timer hears every shot and shows your splits.
For setting up the phone on the range, see how to use your phone as a shot timer.
More guides
- How to use your phone as a shot timerMicrophone, sensitivity and Auto-configure, hearing the beep with ear protection, Bluetooth speakers, busy ranges and your history.
- Shot timer app or dedicated shot timer?An honest comparison: beep, microphone and fast splits, battery, price and history, and which timer to buy.
- Par timer vs. shot timer: what's the difference?A par timer only beeps, a shot timer hears your shots. What each one does and when a par timer is enough.
- Free shot timer apps comparedWhich free apps hear your shots, run on Android and iPhone, show ads or collect data.