Time on Target: An App That Helps You Hone Shooting Skills

Steve Johnson
by Steve Johnson

Miles Vining Time on Target App ReviewIn this video, Miles Vining takes a look at a recent App store app that has been released and is designed to help shooters work on various training drills either in a group or alone by the use of their iPhones.

The drills are based on realistic qualification procedures from various parts of the Government, but don’t mirror what they actually are. Miles looks at how the app is put together, it’s various advantages and disadvantages before trying out some of the drills, which include stationary and moving, from the holster, etc… The app can be used with both pistols and rifles, in addition to working at a 25 or a 50 meter yard line.

Thanks to our Sponsors Ventura Munitions & Grizzly Targets

Firearms used:
Sig 229 in 9x19mm

The full transcription …

– (sighs) Dammit! I hate being at Lima Five.

Chinos makes us put these shells on strip clips afterwards.

– [Voiceover] Miles.

You’re not at Lima Five.

– What? Where am I? – [Voiceover] Dude, you’re in Indiana.

– Indiana? Oh that’s right I got out last year.

By the way.

Subscribe to TVB TV for more shenanigans such as this.

Today we’re gonna be talking about an app on iPhone store called “Time On Target”.

It’s about five bucks, look it up online.

What it basically is it’s this contracting guy who’s a former marine, obviously.

He made an app where you can take it to a range and you can work a class with it or you can wok on your own with it.

And he’s got a bunch of drills in there.

You can work with a rifle, with a pistol, or with a rifle and a pistol and work on positioning.

Today we’re just gonna work on a pistol.

But you can go on it, you can click on it, and what it’ll show you, it’s got a Safety Brief.

It’s got Shoot and it’s got Shot Timer.

And what this does, if we click on Shoot.

We’ve got Pistol, Rifle, Pistol Rifle.

So we’re just gonna click on Pistol.

Now we’ve got 25 or 50 and we’re at 25 right here so we click on 25.

Now we can choose an opponent and these drills are supposed to mimic the various opponents that they have here.

So you can go up against somebody.

So for instance we got FBI Agent, Marine, Army Scout, CIA Agent, State Trooper, Recon Marine.

They’re taken from various sources, that kind of thing.

They’re not an exact, “Oh this is how recon marines “perform with this qualification.” The drills are tailored for this personal kind of drill.

So even the drills aren’t in the complete format of the people you’re goin’ up against.

But it’s just supposed to give you various options and ideas.

And that’s the important thing here.

We don’t wanna take this app, and we don’t wanna use it as, we don’t wanna abide by the app the whole time.

We think this can be pretty good for training usage and goin’ off it and diversifying from it.

So yeah, you’ve got these various drills but you can incorporate them into your (mumbles) drills.

And you can use stuff with them and develop from them.

So don’t think of this as an end all, be all, get this app, you’ll be perfect at the range, you’ll be shootin’ three guns in seconds.

No, you’re not.

That’s gonna depend on your skill and your training level.

But what this app can help you with is to give you ideas, and give you things to do, and things to work on.

In a tactical mindset, in a three-gun mindset, in a self-defensive mindset, whatever.

So we click on one of these and it says like, FBI Agent, for example.

If we go to Range Essentials it says pistol range, well 25 yards.

Number of targets, one, so we’re only gonna need one target down range.

Magazine of 17, magazine number two, 17, magazine number three 16.

I’ve got a Sig out here that only has a 15 round capacity so I’m workin’ with that.

And like I said, 17 rounds, we’re gonna work with that and I’m gonna work with those, reload more, because I can’t have a 17 round magazine.

I don’t have one with me right now.

So I’m gonna allow that to work in the training regime of it.

So we’ve got all this sorted, now we go “Next”, and it goes to your first drill.

And it goes “Drill number one”, these go up to 20 or 10 or whatever they are.

It tells you “From the Holster”, “Yardline 25”, “Par Time”, you can do the “Par Time” for your par timer.

“Drill”, it tells you right here “standing” and then “three shots”.

So you’re three shots from the standing.

So we click on “Ready” and this is why I’ve included this lanyard here because I thought this was an alright idea to have to have.

Put it around your neck.

You can do whatever you want with the phone, then you can draw and fire and do various drills with the handgun or the rifle, whatever you need.

I bet it could fit in a plate carrier or if you put it on your belt.

But we click “Ready” and the drill starts.

So click “Ready”.

– [iPhone App] Shooter your next drill will be a stationary drill from the 25 yard line.

Ensure you are on the 25.

This will be standing, firing three chest shots.

– Barney Stodd.

– [iPhone App] I say again– – We’re gonna go over this in a second.

– [iPhone App] On the buzzer, shooter ready, standby.

(iPhone beeping) – Beeps tells you that.

And then if we need to stop we can stop it.

But then we can go to the end.

I’m just gonna skip through all these.

“Skip’ on the upper right hand.

Go to number 18.

Alright so we get to the end and it says, “Good shooting”.

It says, “You can score your target “counting two points for every shot in the kill zone.

“One point for every shot outside of the kill zone.

“And minus five off target.” So I guess that’s okay if we wanna print targets But if you’re just workin’ on training, and just need something to help you to think of things and go through things on your own, which this is pretty good for, then this will be great.

It will tell you your drill one, your time, three (mumbles) five, versus your opponent, five seventeen, whatever.

And that’s just kind of an aim to shoot for.

Whether that makes any difference to you or not that’s how it’s (mumbles).

So it’s got a built in shot timer in it.

Now if we go back to the beginning it’s got a Safety Brief and you can have the Safety Brief read out to you I guess, if you’re illiterate or something.

In other words you have the Safety Brief, you can also read it aloud.

What this would be useful for, if this were used in a class or something, you could just click the Safety Brief, and everyone can listen to it and have questions afterwards, that kind of deal.

So let’s try a little course of fire here.

Go to ‘Shoot”, “Pistol”, “25”, let’s choose “SWAT Officer” Cause I’m feeling courageous today.

Go “Next”, alright, so we’re gonna start from here.

We’re gonna, I’m starting in Condition One.

If you wanna build that kind of thing into your drills start at Condition Four, Three, whatever you want.

Put that in there but I’m gonna start at Condition One for the purpose of this.

– [iPhone App] Shooters your next drill is a stationary drill from the 25 yard line.

On the buzzer you’ll fire two shots to the chest or your target.

I say again, on the buzzer, two shots to the chest or target.

Shooter ready, standby.

(iPhone beeping) (gunshots) Ready.

– [iPhone App] Your next drill is a stationary drill from the 25 yard line.

On the buzzer you’ll fire two chest shots from the standing position.

Drop to a knee and fire two more.

I say that’s two chest shots standing.

Two chest shots kneeling.

Shooter ready, standby.

(iPhone beeping) (gunshots) (gunshots) (gunshot) – [iPhone App] Shooters you’re next drill is a moving drill.

From the 25 to the 15 yard line.

On command move you’ll begin walking down range.

On the buzzer you’ll draw and fire two chest shots.

I say again on command move begin walking down range.

Then on the buzzer draw and fire two chest shots.

Shooter standby to move, move.

(iPhone beeping) (gunshots) – So I guess we’re at the 15 now.

– [iPhone App] Shooter you’re next draw’s a stationary draw from the 15 yard line.

Make your way to the 15 if you’re not already there.

On buzzer you’ll fire three chest shots.

I say again, on the buzzer, three chest shots.

Shooter ready, standby.

(iPhone beeping) (gunshots) – I think that the thing that I like the most about it is that it gives me kind of a set person to do all this for me.

Sure I could do all the drills I want all day.

And I could do them to my standard and my level.

But that’s still me, that’s still me, it’s not somebody else calling the commands.

It’s not somebody else sayin’ how to do things.

Alright so lookin’ at the scores right now.

It looks like we have to press “Ready” every single time we’re done.

and that will give us a better estimate of how it goes next.

But this is in Survival Mode.

They’ve got two more apps comin’ out.

You can put your score in as well and it said I’ve won but I don’t know how I won.

Regardless, the drills for themselves are pretty good.

They give you another eyes on.

Another person callin’ up drill commands.

And you can do these on your own.

You can do these with people as well.

Different kinds of things.

And overall I think it’s pretty good.

It’s alright, there’s two more apps that are comin’ out after this.

They’ve got some different names but they’re comin’ out with more of a qualification type thing.

As I said the qualifications in here, Recon Ranger or whatever, those are just, kind of, to give you a general gist of the kind of things.

But either way it’s a pretty good app, pretty good for its purposes.

And I still have a full magazine in here.

Remember to support our sponsors Grizzly Ammunition and Ventura Seal Tire Company.

(gunshots) As always, visually, physically, magazine.

Steve Johnson
Steve Johnson

I founded TFB in 2007 and over 10 years worked tirelessly, with the help of my team, to build it up into the largest gun blog online. I retired as Editor in Chief in 2017. During my decade at TFB I was fortunate to work with the most amazing talented writers and genuinely good people!

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3 of 8 comments
  • Roguetechie Roguetechie on Aug 03, 2015

    This is awesome!!
    Maybe you and I don't want or need something this basic. Though with just a bit of tweaking and the ability for the user to enter things like number of mags you have on hand, capacity of each, and etc while integrating a few other things that wouldn't be hard or expensive to integrate... That would take this from being a great app for newer shooters and large families to a wider range of experienced but only at the range sporadically types which are a massive group. Families with one or more older children that would probably be elated to use the app so the adults can focus more on the young ones.
    I'll definitely be recommending this app to newer shooters I know.

  • Mark C Mark C on Aug 04, 2015

    There is a free Android App that is similar to this called Dry Practice Drill. It can be found on Amazon.com

    • Miles Miles on Aug 04, 2015

      @Mark C That is pretty neat! I wish I had known about it beforehand, I would have included it for comparison.

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