• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Loadout Room

The Loadout Room

Professional Gear Reviews

Hardcore Gear and Adventure

Menu
  • Shooting
        • Pistol
        • Pistol Accessories
        • Rifle
        • Rifle Accessories
        • Shotgun
        • Machine Guns
        • Air Guns
        • Ammunition
        • Optics and Sights
        • Weapon Lights
        • Tips & How-To
        • Concealed Carry
        • Holsters
        • Suppressors
        • Precision Rifle Shooting
        • Firearms Training
        • m243The M24: America’s Headhunter
        • skorpFull-Auto Fun — Shooting the full-Auto vz. 61 Škorpion
        • p320-full-leftSIG Sauer M17/M18/P320 Pistol Just Can’t Seem to Escape Safety Controversies
        • TISAS_10100520_1__98179Tisas 1911A1 U.S. Army Review: Best Budget .45 ACP WW2 1911 Clone?
    • Close
  • Gear Reviews
      • Mission Gear
      • Camping Gear
      • Survival Gear
      • Medical Gear
      • Adventure & Travel
      • Knives & Tools
      • Overland
      • Disaster Preparedness
      • Footwear
      • Womens Gear & Clothing
        • Viking-Bags Logo 2Pic of the Day, Viking Motorcycle Bags 45L Tactical XL Bag
        • Hunting in TexasThese 5 ATV Dealers Will Get You Ready For Hunting Season in Texas
        • ac65a540-2ef3-4598-8d11-afdf53f46e94.__CR0,0,970,600_PT0_SX970_V1___Streamlight ProTac Rail Mount HL-X: A Thoroughly Bright Review
        • Bluetti 2 handsfree power backpackBluetti Handsfree 2 Review: The Ultimate Power Backpack for Off-Grid Adventurers
    • Close
  • Men’s Lifestyle
      • Fitness
      • EDC
      • Eyewear
      • Watches
      • Electronics & Technology
      • Downtime
      • Mens Clothing & Accessories
      • Manly Skills
      • Style & Grooming
      • Gentleman Drinks
      • Crate Club
        • Viking-Bags Logo 2Pic of the Day, Viking Motorcycle Bags 45L Tactical XL Bag
        • Tom and Blake Sell TeaHow Sasquatch Tea Is Revitalizing a Stagnant Tea Market With Veterans and Outdoorsmen in Mind
        • redcat-blackwidow-articleheaderWar of Words: In the Ultra-Competitive Defense Tech Industry, Storytelling is a Secret Weapon
        • Photoroom_20250525_074933Juggernaut Tactical Frame Review: The Best Upgrade for Your 365
    • Close
  • News
  • Video Demo
  • Buying Guides
  • Shop
  • Advertise
Shooting Tips & How-To

Reaper Tips: Get Off the X

February 2, 2017 by Nick Irving 6 Comments

Reaper Tips: Get Off the X

I am a firm believer in muscle memory. When or if you find yourself on a two-way gun range, you’ll find that your training and muscle memory will take over and things will just seem to happen without much thought behind it. Let’s talk about getting off the X.

One of the downsides of training on many public ranges is their prohibition of movement. Not being able to move from side to side, forward and backward, can reduce the effectiveness of our training. While serving in 75th Ranger Regiment, I spent countless hours in a shoot-house with live ammo pre-deployment. I recall one of my team leaders getting after me for simply being stagnant while conducting a reload inside a room. He shouted, “Anyone can hit a target that’s standing still. Move, and get back into the fight!”

Dry-fire practice in your home: Get Off the X

Dry-fire practice conducted over countless hours, repetition after repetition, is the framework for building muscle memory. You can never have enough practice, and it doesn’t always have to be done with live ammo. Here’s my advice for an effective and safe dry-fire practice routine:

  • Make sure the weapon is completely unloaded!
  • In a room of your home, tape up a small target against the wall a few feet away. The target can be anything. A one-inch pasty, silhouette, etc.
  • With an empty magazine in the weapon and an empty magazine on your person, lock the slide back to simulate that the weapon is dry.
  • Aim in on the target as if you are engaging it.
  • Now, realizing that the weapon is dry (click), get off of the X.
  • As the empty magazine is released, you should be moving, preferably laterally, or behind some cover.
  • Within the first step or two, the new magazine should be in and the slide sent forward.
  • Engage (still dry-firing, obviously), and repeat getting off the X.

 

Share This

About the Author

Nick Irving is a former U.S. Army Ranger with multiple combat deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan. During his service within the 75th Ranger Regiment, Nicholas served as an Assaulter, Heavy and Light Machine Gunner, and Designated Marksman.

See All Nick Irving Articles

More From The Loadout Room

Comments

About Nick Irving

is a former U.S. Army Ranger with multiple combat deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan. During his service within the 75th Ranger Regiment, Nicholas served as an Assaulter, Heavy and Light Machine Gunner, and Designated Marksman.

Primary Sidebar

Most Read

  • Vakarian Plate Carrier Review: Elite Comfort and Modularity for Under $300
    Vakarian Plate Carrier Review: Elite Comfort and Modularity for Under $300
  • Breek Arms Sledgehammer: The AR-15 Charging Handle That Gas Can’t Touch
    Breek Arms Sledgehammer: The AR-15 Charging Handle That Gas Can’t Touch
  • Honoring John Taffin and Mike “Duke” Venturino with Some Big-Bore Magnum Revolver Blastin'
    Honoring John Taffin and Mike “Duke” Venturino with Some Big-Bore Magnum Revolver Blastin'
  • M4A1 Block I: The Special Operations Origins of an American Icon
    M4A1 Block I: The Special Operations Origins of an American Icon
  • Bluetti Handsfree 2 Review: The Ultimate Power Backpack for Off-Grid Adventurers
    Bluetti Handsfree 2 Review: The Ultimate Power Backpack for Off-Grid Adventurers

Find Us on Facebook

Recent Comments

  • Stepvenlau on Honoring John Taffin and Mike “Duke” Venturino with Some Big-Bore Magnum Revolver Blastin’
  • Military Update on M4A1 Block I: The Special Operations Origins of an American Icon
  • Ajita Sherer on Streamlight ProTac Rail Mount HL-X: A Thoroughly Bright Review

Latest From SOFREP

Firearms

Why My Favorite Gun Wasn’t a Sniper Rifle — It Was a Belt-Fed Beast That Made Grown Men Cry

News

Morning Brief: China Travel Crackdown, Russia Not Impressed with Trump’s Submarine Moves

Op-Ed

The Bolduc Brief: Navigating Future Leadership Appointments

Expert Analysis

The VA’s Chemical Straitjacket: How Polypharmacy Is Drugging Veterans into Silence and Suicide

Military Content Group

© Copyright 2025 Military Content Group · All Rights Reserved.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Advertisers