Dry Firing Rules

Last week, I gave my justifications for using dry firing as a regular technique for improving marksmanship. I mentioned that I cover some rules meant to make dry firing safer. Here are the dry-firing rules that the DPS teaches all new recruits in their training academy:

1) Unload your gun in a specific spot reserved for that purpose. Leave all of your ammo at that place.

2) Go to a 2nd specific reserved spot in another room to do the actual practice. That room must contain no other guns or ammo.

3) Use only one pre-determined target.

4) Practice whatever skill you plan to improve (trigger squeeze, drawing from concealment, drawing from concealment while rolling on the carpet, or whatever) for the time that you have allotted, or until you have achieved the results you planned for that practice session.

5) This may be the most important step: Make a definite mental break when you are done dry-firing. It is best to say to yourself aloud, “I am done dry-firing”.

6) Go back to the place with your ammo, and either restore your gun to carry status, or stow it.

Always start your dry-firing practice at rule #1!