Shooting — much like fire-starting and other critical survival skills — should be considered a perishable skill. In other words, if you don't use it regularly, you might lose it. In the context of a survival situation, that could mean an inability to protect yourself and your loved ones from harm. So it's advisable to get out to the range regularly and practice with your weapons in a variety of positions and conditions.

Performing a few easy drills on a regular basis can help your shooting skills stay fresh, and this is exactly the reason the RECOILtv Training Tune-Ups channel exists. In the three latest videos on this channel, Dan Brokos of Lead Faucet Tactical demonstrates three simple carbine drills to practice with your AR or other preferred carbine. They don't require a lot of range space or any special gear, just some paper targets, a shot timer or friend with a stopwatch, and (for the third drill) a few barricades to shoot around.

The first drill is a variation of Around the World, a drill we previously wrote about when Dan demonstrated it for handguns. It involves shooting a dozen 3-inch dots with two rounds per dot, reloading once during the drill. The goal is to complete all 24 shots and the reload in less than 13 seconds, with each shot outside the dots adding one second to your time.

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Carbine drill number two is exceptionally simple, but challenging nonetheless. Shoot 10 rounds into a 5.5-inch bullseye target at 50 meters. The entire drill has to be completed in 20 seconds, and eight of the rounds have to be within the circle to pass the test. This one focuses more on accuracy and precision than all-out speed.

Finally, drill number three also starts at 50 meters, but places some barricades at 45 and 40 meters. You'll need to hit a silhouette target twice at the starting line, four times standing at 45M (twice on the left of the barricade, twice on the right), four more times kneeling at 40M (two left, two right), and then run back to the starting line and shoot it two more times. The entire drill should be completed in 25 seconds. If you don't have barricades, you could simplify this further, or even work in different positions such as prone. This one should get your heart rate up after a few runs, which is ideal for simulating the reality of a life-threatening situation.

Written by Patrick McCarthy