Featured Holdover drills for optics David Reeder August 23, 2013 Join the Conversation At RECOIL, we review every product fairly and without bias. Making a purchase through one of our links may earn us a small commission, and helps support independent gun reviews. Learn More Find out more about how we test products. Holdover drills, which many shooters perform without realizing they're doing so, are simple exercises that increase the speed of your target engagement. They typically improve the shooter's ability to manipulate and employ the weapon by virtue of increasing the shooter's understanding of the scope. In this video from Trigger Time TV, Jim and Melissa Gilliland run through the whys and wherefores of holdover drills. If you aren't familiar with the Gillilands, Jim the founder of Shadow-6 Consulting. He is an accomplished shooter with an extremely impressive military pedigree and a big part of the AmericanSnipers.org effort; Melissa is a competitive shooter for both the Ashbury Precision Ordnance and Steiner long range competition teams (she is also a TacGirl). I called both Jim and Melissa before writing this. I asked him for a quick rundown on the practical advantages of putting holdover drills into a shooter's training regimen, and asked her how they'd impacted her competition performance. “Holdover drills are great,” Jim responded. “Hunters have been doing this a long time whether they realized their ballistics or not. You hear it all the time, ‘I laid the crosshairs right over its back and dropped it.' So it has a very practical hunting aspect, but from the tactical aspect it allows you to go from target to target quickly without coming off the scope. If you know what your weapon will do, you can transition from multiple targets at different ranges more quickly and be combat effective with the first round, without having to manipulate your system…” Melissa advises, “Jim actually taught me those when I first started shooting competitively. I've been doing them for about a year. The holdover drills really do work, especially with time stressors. I like them because when you're in a competition, all the stages are timed. So if you have multiple targets within a minute and a half, for instance, that's when the holdovers come in because you don't have to change your dope. You just stay on your scope and use your reticle.” If you're interested in hosting a Shadow-6 class, contact Jim via e-mail, James(at)Shadow6.net. You might also check out Team Triangle if you support female shooters and want to encourage more of them to get out on the range. Why you can trust RECOIL Since our founding in 2012, RECOIL remains the premier firearms lifestyle publication for the modern shooting enthusiast. We deliver cutting-edge coverage of guns, gear, accessories and technology. We go beyond basic reviews, providing no B.S. buyer’s guides, hands-on testing and expert analysis on everything from firearms and survival equipment to watches and vehicles. Our reviewers are the backbone of our operation and come from diverse shooting backgrounds: Former law enforcement, military veterans, competitive shooters, seasoned hunters and plain old firearms enthusiasts. Furthermore, we’re not just gun experts, but dedicated journalists who adhere to the strictest standards of our profession. At RECOIL, editorial independence is the foundation of everything we publish and the cornerstone of reader trust. Our editors, writers and content creators make all editorial decisions independently, free from outside influence. That boils down to: advertisers don’t dictate our coverage, the outcomes of our reviews or what we recommend in our buyer’s guides. First and always, our commitment is to our audience—ensuring every review and article is accurate, unbiased, and driven by real-world experience. Whether you’re selecting your next firearm, upgrading your gear, or exploring the latest innovations in the shooting world, RECOIL provides the trusted insights you need to make informed decisions. Learn more about our Editorial Standards and how we review products. NEXT STEP: Download Your Free Target Pack from RECOILFor years, RECOIL magazine has treated its readers to a full-size (sometimes full color!) shooting target tucked into each big issue. Now we've compiled over 50 of our most popular targets into this one digital PDF download. From handgun drills to AR-15 practice, these 50+ targets have you covered. Print off as many as you like (ammo not included). Get your pack of 50 Print-at-Home targets when you subscribe to the RECOIL email newsletter. We'll send you weekly updates on guns, gear, industry news, and special offers from leading manufacturers - your guide to the firearms lifestyle.You want this. Trust Us.
