3 Dry-Fire Drills to Sharpen Your Shooting Skills at Home

Chad Fillinger
Mar 16
3 min read

Dry firing is hands down one of the best ways to improve your shooting—both from a practical and financial perspective. You don’t need ammo, you don’t need range fees, and you can still build the critical skills that translate directly to live-fire performance.

I’m Chad from Code 7 Tactical, and today, I’m breaking down three effective dry-fire exercises you can do right at home to refine your draw, speed up your reloads, and develop rock-solid trigger control.

1. Par-Time Countdown Drill

One of the biggest mistakes shooters make is practicing at their comfortable speed. If you’re not pushing your limits, you’re not getting faster.

That’s where the par-time countdown drill comes in.

How It Works:

Use a shot timer and set a par time (start around 70% of your current capability).
Execute the drill—whether it’s a draw, reload, or an entire USPSA stage simulation.
Once you’re getting clean reps, start lowering the time incrementally until you’re right on the edge of control.

For example, let’s say your draw-to-first-shot time is two seconds. Start there, then shave off time little by little until you’re running at near-competition speed.

👉 Why it works: This drill forces you to break through plateaus, improving speed and efficiency without sacrificing accuracy.

2. Scaled Target Drills

Not everyone has the space (or the budget) for full-size target setups at home. The fix? Scaled targets.

You can download free printable scaled targets at Code7Tactical.com and set up realistic dry-fire drills in any space.

How To Use Them:

Print out miniature versions of full-size targets.
Cut, tape, or angle them to match real-life drills and competition layouts.
Pair this drill with the Par-Time Countdown to challenge yourself even further.

By downsizing your targets, you trick your brain into working with realistic sight pictures, making transitions, reloads, and target acquisition feel natural when you get back to full-size targets on the range.

👉 Why it works: Scaled targets allow for realistic training in small spaces and help refine sight alignment, transitions, and movement.

3. Trigger Control While Watching TV (My Personal Favorite)

Yes, you can train while binge-watching your favorite show.

Proper trigger control is one of the biggest factors in accuracy, especially for difficult shots. This drill focuses on learning exactly where your trigger’s wall is—the point just before the break.

How To Do It:

Ensure your firearm is clear.
While watching TV or movies, rest the gun in a safe direction and practice pressing the trigger to the wall.
Work on moving only your trigger finger, keeping the rest of your hand still.

Over time, this builds muscle memory and sensitivity, making you more precise when it counts.

👉 Why it works: Developing precise trigger control without distraction makes live-fire feel second nature, helping you execute cleaner shots under pressure.

Take Your Training to the Next Level

These three dry-fire drills—Par-Time Countdown, Scaled Targets, and Trigger Control—are easy to integrate into your daily routine and will make you a better shooter without spending a dime on ammo.

But nothing beats live-fire training with professional coaching—and we’ve got classes coming up!

✅ May 3, 2025 – FULL (Waitlist Available)✅ May 10, 2025 – SPOTS STILL OPEN

Secure your spot now: Sign Up Here

I’m Chad from Code 7 Tactical—see you at the range!