Bill Drill

The classic draw and burn it down drill.

What is the Bill Drill?

The Bill Drill is an absolute classic drill – simple but works some important skills for any practical pistol shooter or conceal carrier.

Both defensive pistol shooters and competition shooters need to have the ability to get a handgun out of the holster and putting rounds down range quickly. The Bill Drill tests and pushes a shooter’s ability to do just that.

The Bill Drill’s sustained rate of fire requires impeccable recoil control in order to maintain accuracy at speed.

Skilled shooters can run this drill in under two seconds while maintaining accuracy.

How to Setup

Drill Setup

  • 1 Target at 7 yards
  • Start position: hands at sides, wrists below belt
  • 6 rounds required
How to Dry Fire

Drill Steps

  1. At the beep, draw and fire six shots
How to Mod

Drill Modifications

  • A strict Bill Drill uses a USPSA target and requires all hits to be in the A Zone.
  • To improve speed, run the drill at 3 yards. (It’s actually extremely fun to run at such a close distance! Sometimes “giggle factor” is a perfectly valid reason to run a drill and a 3 yard Bill Drill has some serious giggle factor.)
  • To improve control, run the bill drill at 20 yards.

Double Bill Drill

  • A Double Bill Drill is two bill drills joined by a reload. Draw, six shots, reload, six shots.

Triple Bill Drill

  • A Triple Bill Drill is (you guessed it) three bill drills joined by reloads. Draw, six shots, reload, six shots, reload, six shots.

Drill Tips

The Bill Drill is all about speed. Speed often creates tension and sloppy gun handling – both of which will kill a Bill Drill. Build a consistent and firm grip on the draw or else each shot will get sloppier and sloppier.

Ben Stoeger explains the Bill Drill

Ben Stoeger

Ben Stoeger is an IPSC World Champion and multiple time USPSA National Champion. He travels all over the United States and the world shooting matches and teaching classes

Ben Stoeger’s Website »

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Drill Diagnostics

Since the Bill Drill is such an incredibly fast drill, every bit of extraneous movement has a greater proportional impact than other drills. Any excess movement can be the difference between a sub two second or over two second run. Pay attention to your body and watch out for movement that feels fast, but actually is just excess movement that doesn’t help get the gun from the holster to full extension. Try filming yourself and watching in slow motion. Look for any extra movement.


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Drill Environment

More Drill Modifications

Modifications to focus on: Conceal Carry

Modifications to focus on: General Modifications

Modifications to focus on: Movement

Modifications to focus on: Push Speed

  • Broaden what is considered “acceptable accuracy” - More info »
  • Decrease the distance laterally between targets - More info »
  • Increase the distance laterally between targets - More info »
  • Move targets closer - More info »
  • Put a black dot on the main point of aim on the target - More info »

Modifications to focus on: Tighten Accuracy

Modifications to focus on: Transitions

  • Decrease the distance laterally between targets - More info »
  • Don’t pull the trigger during transitions - More info »
  • Increase the distance laterally between targets - More info »
  • Transition from outside targets of an array and work inwards - More info »

Further Training with:

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Split Bill Drill

Improve transitions by engaging multiple targets as if it were a single target.

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Split Distance

Improve distance change up transitions by engaging multiple targets as if they were one target.

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Blake Drill

Push transitions faster so they sound like splits.

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