War HOGG V-Drill: The Fastest Way to Expose Your Fundamentals Under Pressure

Rick Hogg
9 hours ago
6 min read

The War HOGG V-Drill is a simple, repeatable pistol skill builder that tests draw speed, grip, recoil control, and target indexing using a “V” target array. Shoot it cold, record times and hits, build a par-time dry-fire plan, and retest to prove improvement. — During the War HOGG V-Drill, participants refine their draw technique or carbine presentation along with recoil management skills, and foot movement enhancing essential pistol / carbine handling skills in a dynamic setting. Click the image to watch the carbine version of the War HOGG V Drill.

Simple Drills Tell the Truth

Most shooters want complicated. They want a drill with a name, a diagram, and a “secret sauce.” But the drills that actually make you better are usually simple, and that’s exactly why people avoid them. Simple drills don’t give you a place to hide.

The War HOGG V-Drill is one of those drills.

It’s not flashy. It’s not a stage. It’s a repeatable, measurable skill builder that exposes your fundamentals under time, draw efficiency, grip quality, recoil control, movement with shot setup, and your ability to shoot clean while the clock is talking.

If you want to be 1% better every day, you need honest feedback, and the V-Drill is honest.

Why We Built the War HOGG V-Drill

At War HOGG Tactical, we train using a building-block methodology. We start with fundamentals, we measure performance, we isolate weaknesses in dry fire, and then we validate improvements in live fire. That cycle is how you build skill you can trust.

The V-Drill was created to do two things at the same time:

Keep it simple enough that anyone can set it up on most ranges.
Make it demanding enough that it still exposes real problems, especially under a timer.

It’s also built to be easily repeatable while still being real-world relevant for duty, concealed carry, and competition shooters who want repeatable improvement.

What the V-Drill Tests (Whether You Like It or Not)

This drill doesn’t just test “speed.” It tests how you produce speed.

If your grip is inconsistent on the draw, your sights will float and your split times will suffer.

If your recoil control is weak, you’ll chase the dot or the front sight and waste time between shots.

If your foot movement is sloppy, you’ll be slow setting up for the shot, especially when you move between targets.

And if your mental program is loose, the timer will expose your hesitation.

That’s why I like this drill. It forces you to put everything together without turning it into a circus.

Equipment and Setup: Keep It Honest

You don’t need a bunch of props.

Use your normal range and firearms equipment. Bring a shot timer. Bring a way to record video if you can, because video shows you what your ego tries to hide. Track everything in a training notebook so you can build a plan instead of relying on memory.

For targets, keep it simple, uses an index card, 4×6, I like them for the same reason: they create a defined scoring area that punishes sloppy sight pictures.

The War HOGG “V” Cone Array

The drill is built around multiple cones placed so your target-to-target movement forms a “V” shape, with one target positioned down range approximately 10 meters from the front cone. The flank cones are at 45 degrees from the front cone and 5 meters back.

The War HOGG “V” Drill Varient

The drill is built around multiple cones placed so you can incorporate target indexing training as well as movement. The cones forms a “V” shape, two targets separated left and right with one target positioned farther forward/downrange (or vice versa depending on range constraints), creating an angled indexing problem.

The point is not the exact inches. The point is this: you’re forcing your eyes and gun to move off line and back, which is where most shooters get sloppy.

The War HOGG Skill Builder Standard: Shoot It Cold

If you’ve been following our monthly skill builders, you know the rule:

No warm-up. Just shoot the drill.

Why? Because shooting performance on demand matters. In the real world you don’t get to “warm-up” with a few practice reps. The first rep matters.

The V-Drill is shot as a timed run, and you’re going to record your shooting performance data in your copy of The Firearms Training Notebook, this includes, your times, your hits, the target used, and the distance. Then you’re going to write notes about what went wrong, poor grip, bad indexing, over-swing, late support hand, anything that showed up. Those notes become your dry-fire plan.

The Core Rule: Eyes Lead, Gun Follows

I’ve said it in the Target Index skill builder, and I’ll say it again here because it’s the same principle: your eyes lead, the gun follows.

Most people “transition” with the gun first and then let the eyes catch up. That’s backwards. Your eyes should snap to the next aiming point, your brain confirms what you want to hit, and then the pistol drives to where your eyes already are.

The V-Drill punishes people who don’t do this because the angles create overshoot. If your eyes don’t lead, you’ll swing past the target and waste time correcting back.

Pick a specific point on each target. Not “the target.” A point. The smaller and more defined your visual aim point, the cleaner your indexing will be.

The Draw Still Matters: You Can’t “Make Up Time” Later

A lot of shooters try to “win back time” after a bad draw. That usually means they rush transitions and accept sloppy hits.

Don’t do that.

If your grip is wrong, fix it in training. Because a wrong grip on the draw will turn your entire drill into a fight against your own hands. The V-Drill will expose it immediately.

This drill is a perfect diagnostic for whether your draw program is actually solid or just “good enough when I’m calm.”

Recoil Control: The Dot Should Return, Not Wander

If you’re shooting a dot, your goal is simple: see the dot lift, and then see it return to your next acceptable aiming point. If the dot disappears, you’re either gripping wrong or your presentation and visual discipline are off.

If you’re iron-sighted, the same concept applies: your front sight should lift and return.

The V-Drill forces you to do this while also changing direction between targets. That’s where shooters who rely on “muscling the gun” fall apart. The gun doesn’t want to stop on a dime. Your body has to control it.

A firm, consistent grip is what makes recoil predictable, and predictability is what makes speed repeatable.

Common Mistakes the V-Drill Exposes

Over-swinging the angles

When shooters move to an angled target, they tend to blow past it. That’s a vision problem. Eyes lead.

Sloppy sight confirmation

People “send it” because they want the time. Then they miss or clip edges. A fast miss is still a miss.

Late support hand

If your support hand is late joining the gun after the draw, your first shot might be okay, but everything after will wobble. Fix the join-up.

Inconsistent grip pressure

If your grip changes between targets, your dot path changes between targets. You can’t build speed on inconsistency.

Write these down when they happen. Don’t make it emotional. Make it recorded shooting performance data.

Build the Dry-Fire Plan: Par Times and Clean Reps

This is where the War HOGG approach separates itself from “just shooting drills.”

Shoot your V-Drill runs and calculate your average time. Record it in your Firearms Training Notebook. Then set a starting par time by adding 0.50 to 0.75 seconds to your average.

Now dry fire it.

Dry fire lets you build the exact skills the drill exposed, clean draw to grip, eyes-first target indexing, and controlled sight movement, without wasting ammo.

When you can consistently hit the par time with clean mechanics, lower the par in 0.05 to 0.10 second increments until you find your best sustainable performance.

Dry fire safety reminder: no live ammo in your dry-fire area. Period. Control the environment like an adult.

Retest and Prove Improvement

Toward the end of the month, go back and shoot the V-Drill again with the same setup. Compare your results.

If you put the dry-fire work in, you should see improvement.

If you didn’t, don’t panic. It just means your dry-fire work wasn’t targeted correctly, or your reps weren’t honest, or you changed your setup and made the data messy. Fix one variable at a time.

Training is just problem solving with a timer.

Make It Real: Add Accountability

Accountability makes you better faster.

Train with a partner. Record your reps. Share your data. If you don’t have a local tribe, join ours. The On The Range Podcast “CREW” exists for shooters who want standards and structure. Mark Kelley and I do interactive Zoom calls where we break down skill builder work and sometimes review training videos live to give immediate feedback.

You don’t need hype. You need honest eyes and consistent reps.

Bottom Line

The War HOGG V-Drill is the kind of simple drill that makes you better fast, because it doesn’t let you hide. It exposes your draw, your grip, your recoil control, and your ability to index targets at angles under time.

Shoot it cold. Record the shooting performance data. Build a dry-fire plan based on your real weaknesses. Lower your par time in small increments. Then retest and prove the improvement.

Train Hard, Stay Safe, and I’ll see you On The Range - Rick

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