10–50 yd
Distance
10
Rounds
2
Reps
20
Total Rounds
The Z-Drill is a Tactical Games two-gun stage that rewards shooters who can move aggressively while keeping the gun honest. Ten shooting boxes form two Z patterns on the same lane, both feeding one 8-inch (20 cm) square steel plate downrange. The rifle Z sits at 50, 45, and 40 yd (46, 41, and 37 m), and the pistol Z sits at 20, 15, and 10 yd (18, 14, and 9 m). You clear all five rifle boxes, sling the rifle, then repeat the same Z with pistol on the closer array.
Start in box B4 with a loaded rifle (one magazine of 5) and pistol holstered (one magazine of 5). On the beep, engage the steel plate from box B4, then move through the Z in order: B4 → B5 → B3 → B2 → B1. Steel has to ring — the RO calls the hit before you advance. After the last rifle box, show clear and sling, then advance to pistol box B4 at 20 yd (18 m) and run the same B4 → B5 → B3 → B2 → B1 order through the pistol array down to 10 yd (9 m). Ten rounds clean, ten hits total.
Score on total time (raw time plus miss penalties — 5 seconds each). The drill punishes shooters who bail out of positions early or rush the rifle-to-pistol transition. Track your rifle split, pistol split, and total misses separately — they tell you whether your weakness is long-gun accuracy under movement, handgun speed up close, or the gun change itself. This one lives or dies on calling your shots while you’re already leaving the box.
Range Setup
Setup
One 8-inch (20 cm) square steel plate downrange, centered on the lane — same target engaged from every shooting box.
10 shooting boxes total — 5 for rifle, 5 for pistol, both in a Z pattern.
Rifle boxes:
- B4 and B5: rear pair at 50 yd (46 m), 10 yd (9 m) apart laterally. B4 left, B5 right.
- B3: center box at 45 yd (41 m).
- B1 and B2: front pair at 40 yd (37 m), 10 yd (9 m) apart laterally. B1 left, B2 right.
Pistol boxes follow the same labeling and Z shape: B4 and B5 at 20 yd (18 m), B3 at 15 yd (14 m), B1 and B2 at 10 yd (9 m).
Rifle loaded with 1 magazine of 5, pistol holstered loaded with 1 magazine of 5.
Start position: standing in rifle box B4 (rear-left, 50 yd / 46 m), rifle in ready position.
Scoring
Total time = raw time + (misses × 5 seconds).
RO confirms each steel hit before the shooter can advance.
No advance to the next box without a registered hit.
Lowest total time wins.
Optional splits to track: rifle time, transition time (show clear + sling), pistol time, total misses.
Tips
Call each shot before you leave the box — if you step off without confirming, the 5-second penalty beats you faster than the sprint saves you.
Progression
Tighten a par time once raw runs are consistent.
Replace the 1-mag-of-5 load with a mandatory reload mid-stage (rifle or pistol).
Shrink the steel plate to 6" (15 cm) to force tighter shots from 50 yd (46 m).
Mirror the Z start side each rep (start in B5 instead of B4) to train both lead legs.
Add a no-shoot steel between boxes to punish trigger discipline on the move.