ICT Silver Bullet Explained: The Three One-Hour Windows (With IST Times)

The Silver Bullet is a fair value gap entry taken only inside one of three one-hour windows. Here are the rules as I understand them and the IST conversion.

By Hiron Pegu Published October 8, 2026 3 min read

ICT Silver Bullet Explained: The Three One-Hour Windows (With IST Times) (featured illustration)

Quick answer

The ICT Silver Bullet is a time-boxed setup: inside one of three one-hour New York windows (3–4 AM, 10–11 AM, 2–3 PM), I wait for a liquidity sweep or structure shift, then consider only a fair value gap that formed inside that hour, with a stop beyond the sweep and a target at the opposite liquidity. If no valid gap forms, the answer is no trade. I make no claim that it works.

Key takeaways

There are three one-hour windows in New York time: 3–4 AM, 10–11 AM and 2–3 PM.
Only a fair value gap formed inside the window counts.
If no valid gap forms before the hour ends, the answer is no trade.
In IST the windows shift by one hour when US daylight saving changes.

No claims, no guarantees. These are my personal study notes, written for education. I am not claiming that this model works, that it is profitable or that it will work for you. Nothing here is financial advice, a signal or a recommendation to trade. Trading carries a substantial risk of loss, and most retail traders lose money. See the full disclaimer.

What is the ICT Silver Bullet?

The Silver Bullet is the model I find easiest to audit, because the clock does half the work. It is a fair value gap entry that I am only allowed to take inside one of three one-hour windows. It is one of the twelve models in my ICT research notes, and a time-boxed cousin of the 2022 Model.

When are the three windows?

All three are in New York time: 3–4 AM (London), 10–11 AM (New York morning) and 2–3 PM (New York afternoon). Because the US changes its clocks, the IST equivalent moves by an hour twice a year.

Table of the three Silver Bullet windows in New York time with IST equivalents in US daylight and standard time — The three windows converted to IST.

Silver Bullet windows converted to IST
New York time	IST (EDT)	IST (EST)
3:00–4:00 AM	12:30–1:30 PM	1:30–2:30 PM
10:00–11:00 AM	7:30–8:30 PM	8:30–9:30 PM
2:00–3:00 PM	11:30 PM–12:30 AM	12:30–1:30 AM

What are the rules, step by step?

Before the window: mark untapped session highs and lows and any unfilled imbalances on both sides.
Inside the window: wait for a sweep of one marked level, or a clear structure shift.
Look for the gap: I only consider a fair value gap created by displacement inside the window.
Plan the trade: entry on the retest of the gap, stop beyond the sweep, target the opposite liquidity, and at least two to one on paper.
If nothing valid forms, I log “no trade” and move on.

Flow chart: window opens, sweep or shift, fair value gap forms inside the window, enter on retest, otherwise no trade — The decision flow I would use inside a window.

Why do I like the no-trade rule?

It protects me from forcing a trade because the hour is ticking. It also makes the model easy to test: a trade either met every condition inside the window or it did not. That is much cleaner than a model where “close enough” can be argued afterwards.

What do I worry about?

Time-zone mistakes: daylight-saving dates differ, so I check the conversion on the day.
Window mining: if I test many windows and keep the one that looks best, I am overfitting (see types of trading strategies).
Costs and slippage: the windows coincide with fast markets, where fills can be worse than planned.
NSE traders: the windows do not match Indian market hours, so any Nifty version is a new hypothesis.

How would I journal it?

For each window I log: date, window, whether a sweep happened, whether a gap formed, the entry, stop, target, result in R, and a “no trade” entry when nothing qualified. Counting the no-trade windows matters, because it shows how often the setup actually appears. Compare with the Judas Swing, which uses session opens instead of fixed hours, and read risk management before sizing anything.

Reminder: I make no claim or guarantee of profit or success from anything described here. Examples are invented or illustrative and real results will differ. If you choose to trade, you are responsible for your own decisions and risk.

Key terms

Window: A fixed one-hour period in which the setup may be taken.
FVG: Fair value gap formed by displacement inside the window.
No trade: The correct log entry when no valid gap forms in time.

Frequently asked questions

What are the ICT Silver Bullet times?

The three windows are 3:00–4:00 AM, 10:00–11:00 AM and 2:00–3:00 PM New York time. They are usually described as the London window, the New York morning window and the New York afternoon window.

What are the Silver Bullet times in IST?

In US daylight time (EDT) they are 12:30–1:30 PM, 7:30–8:30 PM and 11:30 PM–12:30 AM IST. In US standard time (EST) they are one hour later in IST: 1:30–2:30 PM, 8:30–9:30 PM and 12:30–1:30 AM. Always check the date, because daylight-saving dates differ between regions.

How many trades can I take per window?

In the descriptions I found it is one trade per window. If a valid gap does not form inside the hour, the window produces no trade.

What risk to reward does the Silver Bullet use?

Educators commonly suggest planning at least two to one before entry, with the stop beyond the sweep and the target at the opposite liquidity. That is a planning rule, not a promise that the target will be reached.

Can I use the Silver Bullet on Nifty?

The windows were built around forex and US index sessions, so they do not line up with NSE hours (9:15 AM–3:30 PM IST). You would have to define your own windows and test them as new hypotheses.

Sources and further reading

External links open in a new tab. They are provided for reference and are not endorsements.

The ICT models series

My research notes on twelve ICT models. Each guide stands alone and links to its neighbours.

Last reviewed: October 8, 2026. Written by the PropFlagger editor for education. Diagrams use invented prices. Nothing here is financial advice or a recommendation to trade.

Tags: fair value gap ICT Silver Bullet ICT time windows killzone New York session silver bullet strategy silver bullet times IST

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