How to Turn and Draw a Pistol

In this week’s NRA Firearm Training Tip, we are going to provide you a tip and drill on how to turn and draw a pistol. To create this scenario, you will stand facing away from the target area before turning to draw your pistol and engage the targets. You can turn to either the gun side or the non-gun side depending upon the target arrangement. In general, turning to the gun is faster but the key is in getting your head around to the target quickly by driving your eyes ahead of the gun. Make sure that the turn is complete and you are facing downrange before drawing the pistol. Practice this technique in a dry fire environment before advancing to live fire training. 

Here is a drill that you can use to practice this skill:

• Stencil a one inch black square in the center of an 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper and place the target at 7 yards.
• Stand facing up-range with your back to the target.
• Turn then draw the firearm. Emphasize driving your eyes to the black square on the target to ensure that you are getting your head around quickly.
• When you first become aware of the pistol sights over the square, transition your focus from the square to the sights and take the shot.
• If you train with a shot timer, record your time. You will see that as your technique smooths out your times will improve.