How to Use a Shot Timer to Become a Better Shooter
A shot timer is one of the most misunderstood training tools in shooting. A lot of people buy one because they saw it on Instagram or watched their favorite shooter run it on the range, but then it lives in a range bag collecting dust.
That’s a mistake.
Used correctly, a shot timer is one of the most powerful tools you can add to your training. It doesn’t just tell you how fast you are. It also tells you where you’re wasting time, where you’re efficient, and what you need to work on next.
Let’s break down how we actually use a shot timer to get better.
What Does a Shot Timer Actually Do?
At its most basic level, a shot timer works like this: you hit the button, it beeps, you shoot a drill. Every shot is recorded, just like a stopwatch... but with far more detail. A quality shot timer gives you:
- Overall drill time
- Time to first shot
- Split times between shots
- Data you can track over weeks and months
That data is what turns random range sessions into structured training.
Step One: Establish Baseline Performance
The best way to use a shot timer is first to establish a baseline. Pick a simple drill... something like the Delorean Drill:
- Slow and smooth, 5 second draw from concealment or holster (using all 5 seconds and then slowly working down to 1)
- One round on target
- Five yards
Hit the button, run the drill and then guess and read the time.
Now do it a few more times.
You’re not chasing speed yet. You’re figuring out what your honest, cold performance looks like. That baseline gives you a standard you can track and improve.
This is where cardboard targets shine. Cardboard gives you instant visual feedback on hits, zones, and consistency. Pairing cardboard with a shot timer lets you track both accuracy and time, which is where real progress happens.
Go Deeper: Breaking Down the Data
Where most shooters get stuck is only looking at the final time. That’s surface-level thinking. A shot timer lets you break a drill into pieces:
- Time to first shot (your draw)
- Split times between shots
- Reload time
- Cadence consistency
This is where steel targets become extremely valuable. Steel gives immediate feedback and allows you to focus on cadence, rhythm, and transitions without constantly walking downrange. Steel paired with shot-timer data is one of the fastest ways to clean up inefficiencies.
Isolate Weak Points to Gain Speed
One of the most powerful uses of a shot timer is isolating components of a drill. Let’s say your reload is sloppy. Instead of running an entire drill, you can:
- Start with the gun up
- Induce a reload
- Time only the reload (ending the timer with a single shot)
Now you’re measuring the problem directly instead of guessing. This kind of focused work is how shooters actually get faster. Not by spraying rounds, but by identifying and fixing specific inefficiencies.
Using Par Times to Push Performance
Once you know your baseline, it’s time to push. Par times allow you to set a second beep, essentially a performance goal. If your draw averages 1.25 seconds, set a par time at 1.15 and train your brain to understand that pace. You won’t hit it every time, and that’s okay.
Misses, charlies, and inconsistency are part of pushing performance. The key is finding where speed starts to break accuracy, then dialing it back to a standard you can hit consistently. That’s how real standards are built.
The Pact Shot Timer Is Just a Tool | Use It Intentionally
At the end of the day, a Pact Club Shot Timer doesn’t make you better. What it does is give you honest information.
If you track that data, write it down, and build your training around it, you’ll progress faster and more efficiently. Pair it with quality cardboard targets for accountability and portable steel targets for feedback and flow, and you’ve got a training setup that actually works.
Train with intent. Measure performance. Improve deliberately.
How To Use A Pact Club Shot Timer