Today I bring you one of the most complex shooting standards out there: The Hackathorn Standards. Infamous for its difficulty and complexity, this one has been on my list to try for quite some time. It requires a fairly complicated range setup, but if you can shoot it, it will test your skill.
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The Hackathorn Standards
Designed by living legend Ken Hackathorn, the “Hack Standards” is the basis for the IDPA qualifier. I shot the version as posted on Pistol-Training.com. Shooting the Hack Standards won’t be available to everyone as range requirements are demanding. You need to be able to shoot three targets, of varying height, draw, shoot on the move, turn, use a barricade, and shoot from positions other than standing. You also need to shoot from a total of seven different yard lines.
The targets are setup one meter apart. They are 5-, 6-, and 4-feet tall, from left to right. The preferred target is an IPSC target, but an IDPA target will work. Scoring is 5 points for any shot anywhere on the head (not only in the circle as I state in the video)* or in the A/-0 zone. You are awarded 3 points for anything the C/-1, 2 points for anything in the D/-3. A miss is worth no points. With 60 rounds fired, there are 300 possible points. Shots over time are worth 0 points, however, there is a 0.3-second grace period on all par times (i.e. a par of 3 seconds could be shot in 3.3 without penalty).
*So technically I hit all three of the SHO headshots giving me 15. more points. But I don’t want to move up based on “technically.”
The Course of Fire
All stages except Stage 9 begin with the gun holstered. The stages are as follows:
- 5 yards, draw and fire 1 to each head, 3 seconds
- 5 yards, draw and fire 1 to each head SHO, 4 seconds
- 5 yards, draw and fire 1 to each body, 3 seconds
- Repeat stage 3
- 8 yards, draw and fire two rounds to LEFT target, 2 seconds
- 8 yards, draw and fire two rounds to CENTER target, 2 seconds
- 8 yards, draw and fire two rounds to RIGHT target, 2 seconds
- 10 yards, El President (face uprange, on the beep fire two to each target. Perform a slide-lock reload and fire two more to each target), 10 seconds
- 10 yards, pistol on the ground, butt facing strong hand, on beep kneel and pick it up WHO and fire 1 on each target, 5 seconds
- 12 – 8 yards, draw and fire 2 on each on the move from the 8, 5 seconds
- 15 yards, hands up holding an “air rifle,” on buzzer transition to pistol and fire 1 on each, 4 seconds
- 20 yards, on beep drop to prone, draw, fire 2 on each, 10 seconds
- 25 yards, draw and fire 2 standing on each from barricade, tactical reload w retention, 2 kneeling on each from barricade, 24 seconds
As you can see, the Hackathorn Standard has some very unusual stages. After you score it up, how did you do? Ken says a 250+ is excellent, 200 to 249 is “acceptable,” and below 200 “needs improvement.”
