Daily Defense 1-34: How Much Ammo Do I Need for Training?

If you want to shoot a firearm well, you have to go to the range and practice regularly! But it's not just about lobbing a lot of lead downrange. You'll want to identify your firearm proficiency goals, then develop a long-term training plan around your trips to the range. Every practice round you shoot has to contribute to achieving your goal. For that you'll need practice ammo. But.... how much? Jeff recommends making plans based on how much ammo you'd like to expend each year. A "1K Plan" (1,000 rounds per year) is pretty affordable and helps you learn the basics of developing your grip, sight management, trigger pull, follow-through, and the like. A 2K Plan (2,000 rounds) lets you go to the range more often OR shoot more during each session. What if you really, REALLY want to hone your shooting skills? Then you probably need a 5K Plan, which lets you maximize both quantity and quality of range visits. Aside from shooting your economical practice ammunition, you'll also want to train with the actual self-defense load you carry in your gun every day. You don't need to shoot a lot of it. Jeff recommends about 4 magazines' worth, enough to make sure it's functioning properly in your gun and for you to get comfortable with how it shoots.