Learn CQB Drills to Shoot Like the Marines

By Travis Pike
Posted in #Skills
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Learn CQB Drills to Shoot Like the Marines

June 2nd, 2024

3:38 runtime

Want to do CQB shooting drills like the United States Marine Corps does? Want to do it with minimal gear and ammo requirements? Then let’s talk about Tables. 

In the U.S.M.C., we have several different shooting qualifications that many people are unaware of. These are called Tables. Table 1 and 2 are shot every year by every Marine. Table 1 is the completely non-tactical 200- to 500-yard rifle range that’s focused on accuracy and fundamentals. Table 2 is our intro into close-range tactical shooting.

Additional Marine Corps Tables – Enhancing Combat Readiness

From there we have Tables 3 through 6 that are tactical quals that focus on close- to mid-range drills for combat marksmanship. These CQB training drills incorporate a ton of different shooting skills and situations including night shoots. Today we are looking at Table 5, Short Range Day.

Why Table 5? Because as far as these quals are concerned, Table 5 requires the least amount of logistics to complete in terms of range use. It also requires very little ammo or supplies to complete.

Here is all you need to make magic:

  • a semi-automatic rifle (I used a SAINT Victor)
  • two magazines
  • two human-shaped targets set one yard apart
  • 60 rounds of ammo
  • a shot timer (you can download one for free on your phone)
  • 25-yard rifle shooting range
In this photo, the author demonstrates CQB drills that he believes will help you to shoot like United States Marines. He teaches something called Table 5, which is a shooting drill taught by the USMC. CQB drill CQB training practice movement stack weapon angle clear step maximize pistol procedure expose enter the room shoot house for advanced cqb training special tactics man in the stack refine scenario
Close-quarters combat drills, like those taught by the Marines, can improve your ability to survive a home invasion or other violent attack on your family.

That’s it, that’s all you need. You can go full Marine and wear a plate carrier and helmet as well, but it’s not necessary for a little fun and skill-building. And the techniques are the same regardless if you practice these tactics in body armor not. Not everyone is on a special operations entry team conducting dynamic entries through doorways to engage terrorists or hostage takers.

The Table 5 course of fire is shown here:

DistanceDrillTimeIterations
25mControlled Pair5 seconds2
25mBox Drill5 seconds1
25mFailure to Stop, Pelvic5 seconds1
movement 25m to 10mBox Drilln/a1
15mHammer Pair5 seconds2
15mBox Drill5 seconds1
15mFailure to Stop, Pelvic5 seconds1
movement 15m to 10mFailure to Stopn/a1
10mHammer Pair5 seconds2
10mHead Shot5 seconds1
10mBox Drill5 seconds1
10mFailure to Stop, Head5 seconds1
movement 10m to 5mFailure to Stop, Headn/a1
5mHammer Pair5 seconds2
5mHead Shot5 seconds1
5mFailure to Stop, Head5 seconds1

The course of fire takes place from 25 to 5 Meters, with multiple movement drills between each firing line.

In this photo, we see two targets on a shooting range. The author used these paper targets when practicing his rifle shooting. practice movement clear self-assessment execute rear breach encounter dry-fire teammate proximity during live-fire or non-lethal engagement with impact munitions
The U.S.M.C. Table 5 is a straightforward method of improving your CQB skills. Using a shot timer can help you improve the efficiency of your techniques.

My Thoughts on CQB Techniques

As a Marine – back when I was a cool guy – I remember doing the Table 5 CQB drill multiple times, and doing it at night as well with NVGs and PEQ 15s and feeling like Ghost Recon. There is nothing complicated in these drills. There is no use of cover and you only shoot from the standing position. There is only one reload the entire time.

The weapon handling techniques are simple – and that’s not a bad thing, especially for new shooters. You can conduct the drill safely without accelerating past your own level of skill. New shooters should work with a qualified instructor and will be taught shot placement, quick engagement, and a variety of close-quarters engagement techniques.

In this digital photograph, the author shoots a Springfield SAINT Victor rifle chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO rimless cartridge. The 5.56 NATO is a rimless bottlenecked intermediate cartridge family developed in the late 1970s in Belgium by FN Herstal. It consists of the SS109, L110, and SS111 cartridges.
Travis Pike demonstrates how to shoot the Table 5 training course using a Springfield Armory SAINT Victor rifle.

It’s also a fun drill, and I used a scorecard to write down my times. Now I keep chasing time, getting a little faster and a little more precise. For new shooters, this could be a great way to practice and enhance the close quarter battle techniques once they have established a good set of basic marksmanship fundamentals. It’s more exciting than shooting a standard paper target and gives new shooters a new challenge. You do not need an AR-15-style rifle, and you can even use a rimfire rifle chambered for .22 Long Rifle if you so choose.

I will admit I cheated a hair by using the SAINT Victor. I had an advantage as it has a few features the U.S.M.C. M4 carbines and M16 rifles don’t. This includes a muzzle brake that reduces recoil and a single-stage nickel boron-coated flat-faced trigger. It outclasses the issued guns by quite a bit. However, the U.S.M.C. does issue its guns with the Trijicon ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight), and I was using the iron sights.

Regardless of the gun setup you use, you’ll be getting some solid, awesome training with minimal time, ammo requirements, and difficulty. If it works for the Marines, it works for me.

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Travis Pike

Travis Pike

Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine gunner who served with 2nd Bn 2nd Marines for 5 years. He deployed in 2009 to Afghanistan and again in 2011 with the 22nd MEU(SOC) during a record-setting 11 months at sea. He’s trained with the Romanian Army, the Spanish Marines, the Emirate Marines, and the Afghan National Army. He serves as an NRA certified pistol instructor and pursues a variety of firearms based hobbies.

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