Skills Check: CCW Qualification

For training to be effective and to truly gauge one’s proficiency, drills should include achievable standards that allow for measuring improvement.

One qualification standard I’m aware of is this: At 7 yards, fire six consecutive shots into an 8-inch bullseye, no time limit. Any shots outside the bullseye result in failure, but the good news is you’re allowed to keep trying until you pass. 

Pretty simple, right? But, I’m told some people are unable to achieve even this standard. It could be they simply don’t know how to shoot, have never been trained or they are using—and planning on carrying—a pistol they are unable to control. In any case, proper instruction and gear selection might solve the problem. 

Of course, I believe even this simple test shouldn’t be required because we have a right to keep and bear arms, and rights don’t require you to pass a test to exercise them. That said, it’s a good idea for anyone carrying a firearm for protection to be able to pass this test. 

To that end, I suggest you try this test and, if necessary, adjust your training or equipment choices. Let’s spice it up a bit and see if we can come up with a more reasonable skills check. 

Here’s the Drill:

• At 7 yards Drawing from concealment, fire a single shot into an 8-inch bullseye in 2.5 seconds. Perform six times. (six rounds, total)

• At 7 yards Drawing from concealment, fire two shots into an 8-inch bullseye in 3 seconds. Perform six times. (12 rounds, total)

• At 7 yards Drawing from concealment, fire six shots into an 8-inch bullseye in 5 seconds. Perform two times. (12 rounds total)

This will consume 30 rounds of ammunition, and I suggest you shoot it with the defensive ammunition you normally carry. After all, you should practice with this ammunition and it’s a good idea to shoot it up and replace it with fresh ammunition from time to time. Give it a try and let me know what you think.