Few shooting drills enjoy the notoriety of the Bill Drill. The brainchild of Wilson Combat founder Bill Wilson, the Bill Drill is a streamlined, simple, and effective way to practice a wide array of marksmanship skills.

The Bill Drill is a fairly simple drill to run in theory. The shooter only needs to draw their gun and pop off six quick rounds. But during the drill, the shooter can dial in a ton of different actions, including drawing, aiming, and trigger pull.

Whether you’re a novice mastering fundamentals, a competitive shooter improving your game, or you just want to defend yourself efficiently if the situation arises, the Bill Drill is a great way to get better. Let’s take a look at how to do it.

Understanding the Fundamentals

As Michael Jordan said, “get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.” One of the great things about the Bill Drill is that it helps you isolate and train the fundamental aspects of your shooting form.

Grip

Proper grip is the core of pistol marksmanship. A firm grip will help you put shots on target and mitigate recoil. That’s essential for any shooter, whether you’re training for competition, self-defense, or just for fun.

Use the Bill Drill to practice proper handgun grip. For most modern autoloading pistols, this means firmly grasping the gun with your dominant hand. Then, interweave your support hand’s fingers between your dominant hand’s knuckles to tighten your grip.

(Source: https://giphy.com/gifs/grasp-Hm2TCteXiHMk)

Sight Picture

Sight picture (and sight alignment) is by definition the most critical part of accurate marksmanship, and the Bill Drill allows you to really dial it in. To achieve a proper sight picture, align the front post sight in the notch of the rear sight. Remember to focus your vision on the front sight.

If you’re shooting with a red dot, you don’t need to worry about sight alignment as much. Just make sure the dot is over your target and pull the trigger. The Bill Drill can help you train your muscle memory so that you’re not “swimming around” with your optic, searching for the dot.

Trigger Control

Trigger control is the unsung hero of accurate pistol shooting. Maintaining a smooth, steady trigger press keeps your shots on target. Ideally, think of it like you’re pressing through the trigger, not “pulling” it. On the other hand, if you’re flinching or jerking your trigger finger, your shots can end up wide to the right or left.

Use the Bill Drill to help you focus on mastering your trigger pull. Remember to squeeze the trigger smoothly. You should also pay attention to when the trigger resets, since that’s the moment you’ll be able to make follow-up shots.

Recoil Management

The vast majority of shooting situations require more than a single bullet. That’s when recoil management comes into play. Since the Bill Drill requires you to make six accurate shots, it’s a great way to practice controlling your gun’s kickback.

Dry Fire Practice

Practicing these fundamentals, shooting actual ammo on a range will get expensive. That’s why God invented dry firing. Dry firing isn’t perfect (you can’t practice recoil control, for example), but it can help you get a bunch of reps in cheaply to make the most of every live round you send downrange.

Executing the Bill Drill

Now that we know the specific skill areas the Bill Drill targets, let’s look at the actual drill itself. Here’s how you run the Bill Drill from setup to execution.

1. Setting Up

Setting up the Bill Drill is easy. Just put up a USDPA target at 7 yards. These targets are standard sizes, so you don’t need to worry about using the wrong one.

This is the type of target you should use.

2. Start Position

Start standing 7 yards away from the target. Keep your gun holstered. You can start with your hand on your pistol, but eventually, begin the drill without touching your gun.

3. Shooting Sequence

When you’re ready, draw your pistol and fire six shots dead center. To successfully pass the Bill Drill, you need to hit all six shots in the “A” zone of the target. Try to do so within two seconds.

Now, holster your gun and run it again!

Variations and Additions

Once you master the standard Bill Drill, it’s time to step up your game. Try some of these variations to get the most out of the Bill Drill.

Adding Distance

The rule of thumb is to run the Bill Drill at 7 yards. The age-old adage says that the typical self-defense gunfight happens at around 3 yards, so practicing at 7 yards will make you overqualified should you ever need to defend yourself.

But once you master that distance, there’s no reason you can’t challenge yourself. One great way to build on the Bill Drill is by increasing your distance by 3 yards each time you successfully hit 6 “A” zones.

Three in the Chest, Three in the Head

Some competitive shooters like Ben Stoeger only shoot for the “A” zones when running a Bill Drill. They don’t care whether those are chest or head “A” zones.

Other shooters take the Bill Drill one step further. On a standard USDPA target, there are two “A” zones: the chest and the head. Instead of just aiming all six shots at the chest, put three into the chest, then three into the head.

This will force you to change your point of aim and acquire a new sight picture during the drill, effectively doubling its usefulness.

Using Different Guns

The Bill Drill is a great way to practice fundamentals across several handgun platforms. Running this drill with a striker-fired gun (like a Glock or Sig Sauer P320) and a double action pistol (like a Beretta 92) will help you recognize the difference between how these different triggers feel — and how to practice with them. You can even use a six-shot revolver for the Bill Drill.

Reload

You can also work reloading into the Bill Drill. Start by introducing a single reload into the drill. Put three rounds into two magazines, and load one into your gun. Fire those three rounds, then reload. If you can master a single reload, put two rounds in three magazines and reload every two shots.

It’ll definitely be hard to nail this Bill Drill variant in under two seconds, and you’ll probably need to put in some reps before you can really do it. Keep at it!

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The Bottom Line

If you’re interested in shooting drills like the Bill Drill, there’s only one way to get better. You have to get out there and shoot!

Don’t just hit the range and start mag dumping, though. Practicing bad fundamentals will bake them into your technique. If that happens, you’ll need to start from square one to correct them.

Fortunately, training with the right instructor can help. That’s why Pro Armory offers online training to help you become more proficient and safe with your firearm of choice. Practice fundamentals and advanced shooting techniques and maneuvers with dry-fire drills you can practice right in your own home. Sign up for our newsletter to learn more.

Of course, any good marksman also needs a full supply of ammunition. At Pro Armory, we offer handgun, rifle, and shotgun ammo in just about any variation you need.

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