What are good pistol standards?

Standards should be challenging, but not impossible. They should test the shooters ability to perform without any do overs as well as a wide range of skill sets. You should be able to perform each skill set at any time, under any and all conditions. We don't always get the 80 degree day using an open top, no concealment, no retention holster. Challenging standards creates goals for you to achieve or  a level of performance to maintain. I recommend finding as many sets of standards as you can to shoot. You can always take away something new by experiencing different things.

Here are a set of standards that I have come up with. I came up with these standards as a form of measurement for me to work with experienced shooters. These standards are fairly challenging, but if you work at it, you can pass them very easily.  I believe you have to sometimes show someone that they can't do something in order for them to be interested in what you have to say. 

What makes these standards challenging is the time, achieving the levels of difficulty and the fact that you only get one shot at each standard. In a life or death situation, you don't get a warm up, do overs or a second chance to make something up. If you pull the trigger and miss, you run the risk of hitting an innocent person. So you have to develop your ability to control your speed enough to hit the target. 

Now, some of you may recognize these standards on YouTube as "Seal Team 6 Pistol Standards."Yeah, not even close. I have no idea where the guy on the video got that from.

Instructions are as follows:

Target - IPSC Cardboard

- Over time = FAIL

- Delta hit = FAIL

- Miss = FAIL

- Any hit in the head is considered an A Zone hit

- If the standard requires body shots and you hit the head, its a miss. Rounds must hit the required hit zone

- Refer to difficulty levels at the bottom of the sheet to determine how you qualify.

- All standards start from the holster except for MISC.

- For MISC, weapon starts out on target and begins on the buzzer.

Please try these standards and give me your feedback. You can post to this feed or reply on the HOME page of this site under "Got a Question" on the left side of the page. I look forward to seeing what you can do. 

To download your copy of these Standards, click HERE ..