Another addition to the PGM Standards for you guys this week. I was introduced to this drill by the criminally underrated Will Andrews in OKC. This is less a standard and more of a drill, even though there is a definite standard that can be derived from it. …and we will do that. Let’s go
The Drill
This is a play on the term of the Fibonacci Sequence, which is a fun mathematical party trick for nerds. Its a way to add numbers together in a repeating pattern that seems to show up organically in the natural world.
The Willonacci Sequence is a drill for handguns that requires only a range to shoot at, a paper to shoot at, and a gun. Take a piece of 8.5″x11″ paper, and attach it to your target holder. Starting at 3 yards, shoot 2 rounds. Add ~50% to the distance and shoot two more rounds. Add ~ 50% the distance, and shoot two more rounds. Repeat till you either run out of range or don’t stay on the paper.
One big pro of this drill is that you don’t need a timer, a special target, or even a holster, any of that stuff. Just a plain piece of paper and a way to move your target away from yourself easily, such as walking away from it. Very simple setup.
A typical run would look like this: 2 rounds at 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 23 yards, for a total of 12 rounds. I would accept 20 & 25 yards instead of 23 if you’re limited to 25. Or maybe just 25 instead of 23? You do you, friends.
The beauty of this drill is that there is no upper limit. If you can keep the rounds on paper at 23, draw a 4″ square to keep them inside of. If that’s no problem, try to make them touch. Then make the group the same diameter as the projectile. Then put them all in a group smaller than the diameter of the projectile. Or just keep pushing it out further.
The Standard
So, I do believe there is a level of pass/fail. Whatever distance you can push it to and still cover the whole group with your hand is what I’ll consider your maximum effective distance with that handgun. If you can keep them in a hand-sized group as 35 with your main carry gun, but only at 15 with your snub nose revolver, then that’s good info on your different capabilities with those different guns.
My Results
What kind of anonymous pontificator would I be if I didn’t put my own results up for you, Dear Reader?
I shot 12 rounds, at 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, and 25. I used my LCR in .327 Federal, but shooting .32 S&W Long wadcutters, because it’s the only ammo I could find for my gun. I dropped the last two rounds outside my preferred “rule of hand” group size. I think I could keep them in there if I shot the last 2 at 20y instead, but I’ll have to go back to confirm. With this knowledge, I would consider myself proficient enough for self defense purposes out to a confirmed 15 yards, but probably further.
Why should we train for so-called ‘defensive’ shooting out to such distances? Because if we can’t perform to a certain skill level with near-zero pressure, how can we expect to perform when everything is on the line? If you can stack rounds at 25 all day, how easy is a 15-yard justified shoot? If that sounds silly, remind yourself of one Elijah Dickens, a 22-year old Indiana man who smoked an would-be mass shooter at 40 yards in a shopping mall.
Final Thoughts
This drill/test, in conjunction with the first installment [here], I believe to create a legitimate way to test and practice skills that will be useful in real-world gunfights. I don’t know what your gunfight is going to look like, but it will probably utilize the skills we’re testing for in the PGM Standards. Just remember the first rule of gunfighting: have a gun.
Stay strapped, stay sharp, and we’ll see you next Friday.
-S_S
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Pro-Gun Millennial 
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