A couple of weeks ago I started a series where I look at different paper targets and test them out at the range. There are a massive amount of free targets online anyone can print off and head to the range with to better themselves. This week I decided to take a look at the Baer Solutions Standards Target. This paper target has become fairly popular with trainers and experienced shooters because of its difficulty and time constraints.

What is the Standards Target?

The Baer Solutions Standards Target is a warm up drill that’s meant to be shot cold. This is typically right at the beginning and end of range sessions to judge progression overtime. At the buzzer, shooters will fire five rounds into the left rectangular box then transition to the right rectangle and fire another five rounds. Once the shooter gets here, they will need to perform a slide lock reload and fire three rounds into the smaller circle target to finish the drill.

One benefit of this drill is it can be tailored to various levels of experience with the shooter’s distance from their target. Beginners can start at 3 yards and work on throttle control and shooting cadence at a close distance. My shooting partner and I both did our opening drills at 7 yards. At that distance, it was the furthest recommended distance with pistols for the drill. The Standards Target drill can also be shot with a rifle from 5,7 and 10 yards.

Range Sessions

So I have shot the Baer Solutions Standards Target for probably 2-3 years but usually stuck to 3 or 5 yards. Typically, my times were 7.5-8.25 seconds depending on if it was 3 or 5 yards. My shooting buddy and I decided a few weeks ago to try our hand at 7 yards to push ourselves. We started on June 22nd using the Standards Target as our cold start drill.

I shot the Standards target at the start of every range session. I would also shoot again as the last drill of each range session. From June 22nd to July 27th, my times went from 10,34 seconds at 7 yards to 8.23. With consistent tracking and self-evaluation, it’s fairly easy to see what areas are most beneficial to you. Then once you see these trends, make improvements to bring your time down. I was really impressed with how I could track my progress over time.

I could also see where I was proficient within the time limits and where I was rushing to try and get a better time. The great thing about paper targets is they never lie. Sometimes, steel targets can give shooters too much confidence from simply hitting the target and making a noise. When training, paper targets tell you exactly what you’re doing wrong and can give more feedback than steel typically.

Overall Impressions

The Baer Solutions Standards Target is one of those drills that can continually be useful. Whether you’re a beginner starting at 3 yards to get an overall evaluation of your skills or an advanced shooter chasing that 9 second pass time at 7 yards, it will always be a challenge. I looked at this drill for my second target review because I keep coming back to it so I can self evaluate and begin to work on bettering my skills.

I would recommend this drill to all skill levels and encourage people to track your progression on each range session. This drill is great for cadence control and it does a great job with throttle control. Try it out and let me know how you guys do in the comments below. If you have any questions feel free to send me a message on my Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there!

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