The 5-Yard Roundup is another low-round-count drill that tests a lot of skills. It is easy to run, doesn’t require much in the way of range facilities, and can be completed in about 90 seconds. Best of all, it will tell you an awful lot about your abilities as a shooter.
This article contains affiliate links. Please consider supporting Swift|Silent|Deadly using our Amazon affiliate link!
The 5-Yard Roundup
Retired Marine LtCol Justin Dyal designed the 5-Yard Roundup. Dyal was a member of MARSOC, and he and I crossed paths during my time on active duty. Justin designed this drill because he noticed too many serious shooters training at distances outside of realistic combat ranges. The 5-Yard Roundup was designed to correct this by requiring good accuracy under time pressure at close range. You can read about it in Justin’s own words in this article.
This drill is a phenomenal way to assess students’ proficiency. It’s also a great way to assess your own proficiency. As Justin says, it is “an impartial truth teller” about where you stand with a certain platform. These ten rounds will certainly tell you more than simply turning 10 rounds into noise…and they will tell you more than many lesser shooting drills. Let’s get into the course of fire.
The Course of Fire
Fire the 5-Yard Roundup on a single target, from a single yard line. The target is the NRA B8 Repair Center, and the yard line is five yards. Additionally, all strings of fire have the same par time: 2.5 seconds. Super simple, right?
- Stage 1: Draw and fire 1 round
- Stage 2: From the ready, fire 4 rounds
- Stage 3: From the ready, fire 3 rounds, strong-hand only
- Stage 4: From the ready, fire 2 rounds, weak-hand only
I retrieved the details of this drill from Dyal’s own article. Scoring is simple: score it per the scoring rings on the B8. Any shots over time incur a 5-point penalty (i.e., ten hits in the 10-ring, but with a late hit is only a 95). And that’s it!
It sounds simple, and it is simple to execute. But consistently passing may be elusive for casual shooters. Routinely coring a perfect 100 is the goal for most serious shooters but again, it can prove elusive. This is not a training drill, it is a test of your skill, and it shows you want you need to work on. I highly recommend shooting the 5-Yard Roundup during your next range session!
