The Hex Drill — A Guardian Pistol Curriculum Favorite

The Hex Drill is one of those training tools that keeps showing up in my weekly practice because it forces you to do a handful of high-value things at once: shoot while moving, manage target transitions, change cadence between precise and gross shots, and maintain situational awareness while your brain is taxed. It’s simple to set up, brutally revealing about weak fundamentals, and scalable for beginners up to advanced shooters.

Watch the demo

What you’ll train

• Shooting while moving (or moving and shooting)
• Target transitions and indexing numbered target zones
• Cadence control — move between very precise A-zone hits and larger, faster strings
• Cognitive awareness: tracking position, reloads, and calling hits/misses under stress

Minimum ammo & equipment

• Minimum 27 rounds (this drill can use far more depending on how you perform)
• Shot timer (beep start, this is a timed drill)
• 6 cones or markers
• Target with numbered command target zones + a standard center/body (we recommend the Pistol Intelligence Target)

Range setup — the hexagon

Place six shooting positions on the ground arranged in the rough shape of a hexagon in front of a single target line. Use cones or similar markers. The distances are staggered so you get both close and farther shooting positions:

• Two cones at 3 yards from the target; those two cones are 3 yards apart from each other.
• Two cones at 5 yards from the target; those cones are 5 yards apart from each other.
• Two cones at 7 yards from the target; those cones are 3 yards apart from each other.

Target & numbering

You’ll need a target that has an “A” zone (center/body) and six numbered command target zones (1–6). The drill requires you to put strings into the A zone and then one shot into the commanded numbered zone in sequence. Again, we recommend the Pistol Intelligence Target)

Course of fire

Timer beep — start the sequence. Follow this exact shot sequence for each numbered target zone in order (1 → 6):

1. 1 shot into the A zone, then 1 shot into target zone #1
2. 2 shots into the A zone, then 1 shot into target zone #2
3. 3 shots into the A zone, then 1 shot into target zone #3
4. 4 shots into the A zone, then 1 shot into target zone #4
5. 5 shots into the A zone, then 1 shot into target zone #5
6. 6 shots into the A zone, then 1 shot into target zone #6

Minimum rounds fired: 1+1 + 2+1 + 3+1 + 4+1 + 5+1 + 6+1 = 27 rounds

Movement rules

• Begin at any cone and move either clockwise or counterclockwise — you must keep the same direction for the entire drill.
• Each time you hit a numbered target zone you must move to the next shooting position (next cone).
• Any time you perform a reload you must also move to the next shooting position. If you reload mid-string, finish the remainder of that string after the reload.
• You may shoot while moving if you wish.

Misses & progression rules

• If you miss an A-zone shot you may continue on — but misses have penalties (see scoring).
• You cannot advance to the next numbered stage until you have taken your numbered target zone shot for the current stage (i.e., you must take your #n shot before moving on).

Scoring & penalties

Final time = raw time + penalty time.

• Missed A-zone shots that still land inside the D zone = 0.2 seconds penalty each.
• Misses outside the D zone, or any missed numbered target zone shots = 1.0 second penalty each.
• Any shot you fail to take (e.g., procedural omission) = 1.0 second penalty per omitted shot.

Example scoring formula: Final Time = Timer Time + (0.2 × A-zone D-zone misses) + (1.0 × out-of-D misses + missed numbered zone shots + omitted shots)

Simplified Hex Drill (indoor / new shooter option)

If you’re working indoors or aren't ready for the movement elements of the Hex Drill, try the Simplified Hex Drill: exact same course of fire and target sequence, but remove all movement and cones. Stand at 5 yards and perform the same strings of fire. This preserves the cadence and transition practice while removing the complexity of movement.

Final notes

The Hex Drill is a compact, repeatable stress-test that reveals small breakdowns in movement, cadence control, and target transitions — exactly the kind of deficiencies you want to find in the dry-fire dojo or the range, not in a real incident. Run it, log it, analyze it, and then fix the weak link that shows up most often.

Meta description: The Hex Drill from ConcealedCarry.com’s Guardian Pistol Curriculum — a 6-position hexagon drill to train shooting on the move, target transitions, cadence control, and cognitive awareness. Minimum 27 rounds; simplified indoor option included.

Meta keywords: Hex Drill, ConcealedCarry, Guardian Pistol Curriculum, pistol drill, shooting while moving, target transitions, Pistol Intelligence Target, defensive handgun training