It seems that every firearms instructor out there has their own set of drills and standards. Most are really pretty similar, but occasionally you find one a bit different. Cold Heat may be a bit different, but hopefully, you will see why.
I find LE qual courses to mostly be fluff, with very few skills really tested in a meaningful way. The single biggest problem with them is the unrealistic size of the target. They are typically huge! A truism of shooting is aim small miss small. I hate to quote Hollywood, as the idea has been around forever, but most people seem to identify it with the movie, so there you go.
On the other end of the spectrum, most shooting school standards are aspirational in nature. Most people will never be able to make them without a lot of luck. Those of us who have the luxury of tons of range time and ammo, and an understanding of how to practice, can usually pass these types of standards without too much difficulty. That is not the norm for professional gun carriers. Good or bad, Pistol-Training.com is largely responsible for this trend in the industry. The FAST test was one of the first of these types of tests, and certainly, it is the most popular and best known. I will say though, that the requirements for the FAST are much more realistic than some of the newer ones.
One thing all the standards out there seem to have in common, with a notable exception or two, is that they are not usually shot cold. This makes all of them pretty useless as a gauge of your ability when confronted on the street rather suddenly. What you can do cold, is really all that matters in most cases. Here I’m specifically talking about U.S. based civilian self-defense or most LE scenarios.
The idea behind the Cold Heat standards is that you should be able to pass them cold, wet, tired, or hungry, with whatever gun you carry. They have to be shot cold, and you should be able to do them on demand, that is with no preamble or warm-up, at any time someone may ask you to. To further clarify, only your initial attempt counts for anything. That is your only truly cold run, and Cold Heat is a fighting standard, nothing else.
The target is the black 9 ring of a B8 bullseye. I am certainly not the first to recognize the benefits of this target and it has a long history in the training of gunfighters. This size better represents the actual vital zone of a human and specifically the worst-case scenario of an aggressor who is sideways to you. It could also be thought of as a large head zone or a partially covered target. You can print them yourself off the internet or draw a circle and go from there.
The target is placed at 5 yards. 5 yards is close enough to car length, and many fights happen around cars. 5 yards is also far enough away that if you want to be sure of hitting, you need to use your sights. I can index shoot pretty well, and most of the time I can hit the target that way. I cannot guarantee it though. At 3 yards, I can guarantee it. At 7 yards, the truth is that many gun-toters simply can’t hit a realistic-sized target all the time, let alone at speed. Somehow, they still tend to win most fights they get into. As I said, this is a basic standard, not the be-all end-all of shooting skill.
From your concealed holster or duty rig, you start with your hands in what I think of as a placating position. It’s where you put your hands when you are trying to calm someone down. Others call it an interview position. At the beep, you draw and fire as many times as you can hit in under 2 seconds. If you can draw and hit it once, in under 2 seconds, you have met the minimum standard to carry a gun in public. I would say that people with CCWs, patrol cops, and security guards should be able to meet this standard. This is harder than you may realize, and an awful lot of people cannot do this cold.
If you can draw and hit it twice in under 2 seconds, that is more like a tac team or firearms instructor standard. If you can hit it 3 times in under 2 seconds, then you are at the top of the professional gunfighter pyramid. More than 3 hits in under 2 seconds are easily accomplished by enthusiast shooters, usually competition shooters. That level of ability is awesome, but really has no bearing on anything we are discussing here. In fact, many modern programs today will even tell you that it is detrimental to shoot that fast. Maybe we will discuss that another day.
These differentiations are obviously a bit contrived, but they have held pretty true with the hundreds of people that I have tested this out on over the years. One of the benefits of Cold Heat is that if you are just concerned with protecting yourself or your family, and you are not interested in making shooting a major part of your life, you can use the 1 hit standard as a goal for your training. Once you are there, you just need to maintain that ability, but you can spend the rest of your time doing other things. Likewise with the other levels. If you are a tac guy and you can hit 4 times in under 2 seconds, then maybe you should spend less time on the range and more time rucking, or on medical, or whatever.
Now bear in mind, if you can make 3 shots under 2 seconds on a nice day on the range, shooting your preferred full-size duty gun, but can only make one shot in under two seconds in the middle of winter, with gloves on, shooting a G43, then your actual ability in that scenario is not 3 shots, but 1 shot. If you can make 2 shots in that same winter scenario, using your full-size duty gun, then that is your ability. This is one reason I have always preferred to carry full-size duty guns, rather than easier to conceal but harder to shoot mini guns.
There it is, Cold Heat. Give it a try and let me know how it goes. Of course, you only get one try per day, and it has to be the first thing you do with your gun.
Heading to the range I’m the morning. I’ll give this a go. Good, simple evaluation of skill.
Please let me know what you think when you shoot it. I find a bit of data over time is better than a one and done, so I tend to start with this every day on the range.
This is excellent!
Thank you.
I typically start my range session with the 5 yard round up and my carry gun and then go on to whatever I am working on that day (currently practicing for a Bianchi Cup match), I will give this a try. So good to have you back SLG, now DB doesn’t have to carry the torch alone
Thank you. Let us know how it goes and good luck with action pistol!
I didn’t get the DB reference before but I do now. Not sure what torch you are referring to, but I do like action pistol. Just started it myself last season.
Well, that is essentially the HiTS 2 second standards that has been the stable of every Hardwired Tactical Shooting class since the company was started and was bred from a white paper written by Wayne Dobbs that was extensively researched and taught by Wayne for pushing 20 years.
I had never heard of the Hits 2 second standards before now, so I looked it up. Maybe the info on the net is incorrect, but it seems that what you are referencing is nothing like Cold Heat.
Is this it?
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?36085-Week-316-The-Two-Second-Standards-Part-1
I would guess so.
Finally got to run this. 3 in 1.96 with my duty gun/gear cold. I like it.
That’s excellent! What is your duty set up?
G19.5 w/ Steiner MPS (doing a T&E). Safariland 6395 w/ an ALS guard and nub mod.
Pretty slick:-). If you try it from your off duty concealed gear, please let us know as well.
Beautiful day here so the family had a range day. Ran this from my carry gear – JMCK AIWB with my duty gun again. Just missed getting 3 hits under 2. Time was 2.10. So my 2 hits were at 1.83. Went through the rest of the mag and on my last run got 3 hits in 1.92.
On a different note, I found out the B8 center is the same size as the old PT.com target that has the circle with the 1” square.
Good deal! I find that I can usually get 1 more hit from a duty rig as well. Not sure which target you mean, have a pic?
I downloaded that target from the old website years ago. Can’t find the specific target anywhere on the revamped site. But it’s basically just the big circle from the target in this drill centered on the page. I held it up to a B8 and they’re pretty much the same.
https://pistol-training.com/shooting-drills/26662-drill/
Oh, that one. Yup, pretty close. I was thinking of the larger silhouette target.
I tried this this afternoon AWIB from under a hoodie and open front jacket.
Didn’t make the PAR (or hits) cold, but after a few reps I was able to get two goods hits under PAR.
You will improve as you do it more, but the fastest way to improve is a lot of dryfire reps. Thanks for trying it out and thanks for the honesty! You also didn’t make it easy for yourself with the two garments, but if that’s how you are carrying then that is the way to do it!
5 shots, 1.97 from concealment, appendix. I’ve been training to do the bill drill (at Gabe White’s standards) which requires 6 shots in under 2 seconds at 7 yards. So slowing it down ever so slightly so as to not miss, netted me 5, yes it was done cold. I will be repeating this test nonetheless a week from now to see if I can repeat these standards. This was done with a Beretta M9A1
Great shooting, congratulations!
Beretta 92dxr(dao vertec), beretta g10 wraparound grips, Langdon RDO slide, holosun 509t, streamlight tlr1
Under a sweatershirt and tshirt
From a Phlster Floodlight attached to a Phlster Enigma chassis/belt system
2 in 1.98
I fired a third shot because I didn’t hear the par beep(2.40). First live fire since November. I have a known bad habit of slacking on dry practice in winter when I’m not shooting live and this year was no exception. I started hitting it again regularly last week but still didn’t have a strong draw with a 1.54. I can whittle that down a fair amount now that I’m getting back into a regular routine. I’m going to use this as my cold drill for a while. I’m confident 3 will be fairly low hangin fruit once I get back in the rhythm.
Here’s the video –
https://youtu.be/2_xE4Kj6sCk
Looks good and was very accurate! Thanks for trying it and for posting the video.
Looks like a good drill. I typically start my training session with the 5 Yard Roundup, run cold.
For Cold Heat, do the hits need to the in the black, or just inside the 7 ring?
5 yard Roundup is a good drill and thanks for asking. Only hits in the black count.
Shots need to be in the black
I did this drill today, I love it because it is very challenging, I was able to get 2 shots in the 8” circle ?
That’s great! Sorry for the delay in responding, some of my notifications don’t make it to my inbox for some reason. What were you using?
Sig P320 the 3.9” barrel version from Milt Sparks SS2 covered by polo shirt.
Genuinely curious on this; only thing I did on indoor range at end of work day.
Switched up on myself as I was carrying IWB under a golf shirt(a pullover-I usually carry under an open front).
G19MOS w/ACRO. Possibly predictable result=1 round in 2.27 by fumbling garment.
I took your advice, SLG, and did 10 straight singles(“warming”), getting down to 1.7 with one fumble over 2 again. That tells me:
A)Don’t try a “new” garment if ya wanna look cool first time out…
B)more dry for me on this basic skill…
C)I’m looking at 1-3 hits with a little work.
Question: 2-3 times a week, I’ll do 5to10 dry draws/snaps before leaving for the day. Is that “cheating” if I went to range later?
Best to Miz JAG!
Great that you gave it a shot! Even for experienced shotists, its surprising how little has to go wrong to not make the time. As you noted, a little practice will go a long way with it. I certainly don’t consider some dry runs in the morning to be cheating…I do it every day. If you went to the range and then did some dry runs right before shooting, then I would consider that a warmed up run. Let us know how it goes.
Pleased to report a 1.82 “10” hit at lunch today, with a G19MOS and ACRO P-2. Came out of a JMCK IWB from under a vest on an indoor illuminated range. A little dry practice can go a long way-duh!
I immediately tried for two hits and was awarded with a 2.32. I *think* I was just trying to be too precise…so that’s the next objective: 2in2
This is a good skills check for me every week or two, and for various setups-irons, etc.
And congratulations on your placement at the Cup!
I think that’s great! I’m so glad to hear that the dry fire has paid off and that you are shooting Cold Heat. Definitely sounds like you are over confirming the dot and can go faster with less confirmation. After your cold “record run”, a magazine or two of practice should quickly show you how loose you can be on the dot and still get the hits you want.
Thanks for the encouragement and advice. Curious, I switched top ends on my trusty 19, and made a run this morning. 1.77 with an “X” ring hit, so apparently I remember how to shoot irons(for at least one round).
SLG, dry practice nerd question, if you will: do you use a timer for all your dry work?
Your efforts appreciated!
I use a timer for most of my practice, but if I’m just working on a technique, trying to learn something, or if I just want to feel the trigger or something like that, then I skip the timer.
Thank you. A timer is certainly helpful for setting a dry par time and working on that. I’m moving toward upgrading my timer to an AMG or something similar that can actually hear the “click” of the trigger pull. I’m thinking that might help me push. Of course it’s almost mandatory for any sort of drill/eval/qual shooting.
One other “Heat” note: 1.82 with a “10” hit by a G43X MOS w/a Holosun optic mounted. Concealed JM Custom IWB from under a shirt.
I was glad I had done a few dry presentations in the morning, as the 43X presents a little different than the larger guns for me. It’s something for me to remember if I change guns, as occasionally happens.
FWIW, I don’t generally press the trigger on much of my dry practice at speed, so a timer that records the dry click is not something I need. If you try to press the trigger while going at full speed, you will often compromise your technique, in some way, in order to get the “click” in under the time. Instead, I want a fully prepped trigger and an acceptable sight picture under the par time.
Of course I do press the trigger on some drills, but only a couple of them are done at speed. In order to get the benefit of speed draw practice without pressing the trigger, I simply use a faster par time. If I want to be able to break a shot at .8 on the range, my par time is set to .7 for dry practice. That assumes a sight picture/prepped trigger goal at or under the par time.