Shotgun Drills & Skills

Shotgun Drills and Skills is a fast-paced, one-day program designed for shooters already proficient with the shotgun who wish to test their skills. Rather than teaching fundamentals, this course immerses participants in a curated lineup of drills, standards, and qualifications drawn from across the shotgun world—ranging from unique industry-developed tests to benchmark quals used by top agencies.
Students will run a wide variety of timed, scored, and performance-driven exercises that challenge accuracy, recoil management, manipulations, and problem-solving under pressure. The goal is simple: give you a fun, demanding day on the range that shows exactly where your skills stand—and where to go next.
Prerequisites: ALL attendees are expected to have a solid level of proficiency with their defensive shotgun and at minimum have completed Gunset Shotgun Essentials. This will be a faster paced course designed to measure your skillset across the expected standards of the leading shotgun instructors in the community. If you have any questions, please reach out to Jonathan Willis for guidance. A great opportunity for shooters who enjoy measuring progress, exploring new drills, and pushing hard with like-minded peers.
Required Equipment
- Reliable pump-action or semi-automatic shotgun
(No shotgun? No problem—rentals are available.) - Eye and ear protection (electronic hearing protection strongly recommended)
- Weather-appropriate clothing
- Sunscreen
- Brimmed hat
- Hydration, snacks, and lunch
- (Restaurants are available nearby)
- Shotgun-mounted shell carrier (sidesaddle required)
- All drills are based on ammunition carried on the shotgun
Ammunition Requirements
Please bring the following minimum round counts:
- 30 slugs
- Lower-velocity defensive slugs recommended
- (1100–1400 FPS)
- 50 rounds of buckshot
- Defensive-grade preferred
- Fiocchi is a cost-effective option
- 125 rounds of birdshot
- Lead only
