Be a Better Shooter Now: Simple Drills With the Humble B8 Handgun Target

Who knew the humble B8 target could make such a big comeback? The B8 is an NRA handgun target intended to be used at 25 yards. It’s one of the most traditional bullseye targets on the market. Yet it’s made a comeback in the modern tactical realm because it works. It’s easy to score, widely available, cheap, and small enough to be challenging to hit. It can be a stand-in for the head or chest (center mass) and it fits conveniently in your range bag.

I love the B8 target, and in the service of learning to shoot better, let’s look at five fairly challenging drills that use the B8 as their go-to target.

10-10-10 Drill

The 10-10-10 Drill, also known as The Test, was created by master instructor Ken Hackathorn. It’s very simple. The range is 10 yards, your par time is ten seconds, and you have to fire ten rounds. Your starting position is the low ready, but can be swapped for a draw from holster for an additional challenge.

At the beep, you aim and shoot ten rounds as fast as you can within the time limit. You want to make those hits count. This drill doesn’t have a passing score. Rather, you want to keep seeing your scores increase and your times decrease. Scoring is simple, just use the numbered rings on the target.

This drill works your recoil control, your ability to track your sights, and your ability to pull the trigger quickly, again and again. The B8 is the perfect target to observe, score, and hopefully improve. The 10-10-10 is ideal for new shooters and those who are less experienced, but want to learn to go  a little faster.

Hateful 8

Bill Blowers designed the Hateful 8, which is a great name for a drill that can be frustrating. The Hateful 8 uses a B8 target, eight rounds per run, a par time of eight seconds, and is fired at eight yards. We’re starting to see a theme here with the numbers, right? You’ll also need three magazines, a dual magazine pouch, and a holster.

Load one magazine with four fours and the other two with two rounds each. The magazine with four rounds goes into the gun. The other two are stowed in your mag carrier. At the beep, you draw, fire the four rounds, reload, fire two, and reload and fire the last two. Do all of that in eight seconds and you’ve beaten the Hateful 8.

Warning: this is pretty challenging and my frustration came from hovering right around the nine seconds mark. The drill works and develops numerous important skills in a mere eight rounds. It’s tough and not great drill for beginners unless you really want to feel the hate. I love this particular drill and can’t wait to finally beat it.

No Fail

The No Fail Drill comes from Chuck Pressburg. The idea is to replicate what happens when you positively cannot miss. The drill uses the B8 at 25 yards, which is where it was designed to be placed. All shots must be in the black…or you fail.

The drill is simple. Draw and fire one round within 3.5 seconds at the beep of your timer. Repeat this drill for a total of ten repetitions. It’s simple…but difficult. I’ve failed the No Fail pistol drill too many times to count. For ego stroking, I used a .22LR and passed once, barely.

This drill works your draws and your precision under pressure. The demanding standards force you to shoot fast and straight. Shooting fast and straight is one of the best defensive shooting strategies you can employ.

10-Round Assault Course

The 10-Round Assault Course comes from Ethan Johns of SWAT Magazine. Again, you use a B8 target and start at 25 yards. You start with the handgun holstered with a par time of 20 seconds. You’ll need ten rounds loaded in your pistol.

At the beep, you’ll draw and fire two rounds. You then advance to the 15-yard line while keeping the gun safely controlled. From the 15-yard line, fire two more rounds. Now move to the 7-yard line. When you reach the 7-yard line, fire three more rounds. You’ll fire the last three rounds as you advance to the target from the 7-yard line.

And that’s it. That’s a lot of movement and range changes, probably more than you’re used to. You’ll be firing while moving, and you’ll be advancing on a threat. Closing the distance isn’t something most of us often practice and your range may not allow it, but if it does, the Assault Course drill is a great way to break out of the stationary mindset.

Cold Heat

SLG, a contributor to pistol-training.com, designed the Cold Heat drill. It’s meant to be fired cold, as in without warm-ups. This should be the first thing you do when you hit the range. The drill is fired from a concealed holstered position.

Shooters place the B8 target five yards from the firing line. This drill is fun and switches up how we measure success a bit.

With a two-second par time programmed into the shot timer, you draw and fire as many rounds into the B8 as you can within two seconds. The measure of success is how many rounds we can accurately fire in two seconds, which, from concealment, isn’t as many as you may think. I’m lucky to get two well-placed rounds in two seconds. Give this one a try.

B8 Training

There’s no reason for things to be overly complicated. A standard B8 target provides a small, cheap, easily scorable target for worthwhile firearm training. If you can hit the black of the B8, you can hit the vitals of a threat. The B8 keeps things simple, and there are plenty of good, modern, defensive-oriented drills built around it that you can use to improve your skills. Now get out there and do it.