.45 Service Pistol

Adapted from the U.S. Marine Corps Pistol Team (Modified) Program Workbook, Chapter 3 (Service Pistol). Self-paced: master each phase’s difficulty level before moving to the next. Print the phase checklist for a quick check-off sheet, the detailed range log for full shooter’s notes per stage, or the target masters — L-8, L-9, Large Training Target, Small Training Target — extracted verbatim from the source workbook so ring diameters print at correct scale.

Principles

• Perfect practice makes perfect — sloppy reps groove sloppy habits.
• Most early drills fire on blank or plain-black training targets (no scoring rings). This forces total focus onto sight alignment and trigger control instead of chasing points — group size and centering come first, score follows automatically.
• Two-thirds of pistol shooting happens at 25 yards. Master the 25-yard line (slow, timed, and rapid fire) before spending real time on 50-yard slow fire.
• Progress is goal-oriented and self-paced — repeat a phase until its difficulty level is genuinely mastered before advancing.

Mental program template

Write your own mental checklist and run it before every string. Example:

1. Visualize a perfect run of the upcoming stage.
2. Load, verify natural point of aim.
3. Restate the stage to yourself (e.g. “rapid fire”).
4. Start your breathing cycle.
5. Raise the gun — image of perfect sight alignment, continue breathing cycle.
6. Let the gun/body settle — image of a centered shot group.
7. Start trigger pressure, focus on the sights, be patient.
8. Let the first shot break, recover, continue the string.

900 Aggregate benchmarks

The final test after all five phases below are mastered:

The five phases