Clearpost.online It's your post, so post it!

The Best Dry Fire Training Systems of 2022

October 28, 2022, 02:11:04 PM

The Best Dry Fire Training Systems of 2022

[html]

                   

Scott Einsmann

These training tools are USPSA grand master approved

The post The Best Dry Fire Training Systems of 2022 appeared first on Outdoor Life.

                              

                   

Scott Einsmann

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn More ›

 

   
     
                                          class="ProductTable-product">
         
         
                   
         
                                class="ProductTable-viewMore"
                      >
           

LEARN MORE

           

             
           

         
                               
                                       
       
                                          class="ProductTable-product">
         
         
                   
         
                                class="ProductTable-viewMore"
                      >
           

LEARN MORE

           

             
           

         
                               
                                       
       
                                          class="ProductTable-product">
         
         
                   
         
                                class="ProductTable-viewMore"
                      >
           

LEARN MORE

           

             
           

         
                               
                                       
       
           
   

Best for Improving Trigger Control	alt="Mantis X Elite"                  width="250" />	Mantis X	Check Price	Summary               Easy and fun to use with precise, real-time data.
Best for New Shooters	alt="The SIRT"                  width="250" />	The SIRT	Check Price	Summary               A great way for new shooters to beco*e acquainted with handguns.
Best for Simulating Recoil	alt="CoolFire Trainer"                  width="250" />	CoolFire Trainer	Check Price	Summary               Provides the recoil that’s usually missing from other dry fire systems.

 

Dry fire training systems help with two elements needed to fire an accurate handgun shot: an acceptable sight picture and a trigger press that maintains an acceptable sight picture until the gun fires. This can be learned in live fire, but it’s easier learned and practiced in dry fire.

I’ve written several books on dry fire training and I’m a USPSA grand master, so dry fire is a large part of my life. I tested some of the best dry fire training systems to help you determine which is the best for you.

• Best for Improving Trigger Control: Mantis X
• Best Budget: Your Own Gun
• Best for New Shooters: The SIRT
• Best For Simulating Recoil: CoolFire Trainer
• Best Book: Refinement and Repetition: Dry Fire Drills for Dramatic Improvement

Things To Consider When Buying A Dry Fire Training System

In the beginning, the problem with accuracy is usually a trigger pull that disturbs the sight picture. As a shooter gets better, the issue is more likely to be that the shot has been fired without an acceptable sight picture. These are both easy fixes if you know which problem you need to solve. A poor shot can always be corrected by a better sight picture or a less disruptive trigger press. Grip can be a factor, but only to the extent that it contributes to either of our primary co*ponents. Regardless of grip, a good sight picture and a good trigger press will always produce a good shot. A better grip simply makes the trigger more forgiving, in that a less precise trigger press is less likely to disturb the sight picture as the gun fires.

It’s crucial to understand that the quality of the shot is dictated by the quality of sight and trigger as the gun fires. Many shooters think that the shot goes where you aim when you decide to press the trigger. This is only true if the trigger press doesn’t disturb the sight picture. If anything happens as you press the trigger to disturb the alignment of the sights, the shot will follow the direction of the disturbance. This can be very frustrating because you might clearly see the target prior to firing a shot. However, what you didn’t see was the movement of the gun as it fired. Ideally, you’ll be able to see this yourself. But until you learn to do this, you may benefit from a little help, and that’s where the best dry fire training systems can help.

If you’re wanting improve your accuracy or beco*e more co*fortable with your own gun, here’s a few things to consider if you’re wondering whether or not you need a dry fire training system to help you in these areas.

Cost
co*pare the cost of live fire with a dry fire training system. Dry fire might initially cost more, but live fire has always been expensive and seems to be getting more expensive all the time, especially with the current ammo shortage. It’s nothing to run through a couple boxes at the range. A few more trips, and you’ve already spent as much as you would on most dry fire systems. There is also the time and expense of getting to range to consider when you evaluate the cost of any dry fire system.

Goals
What are you seeking to Improve with your shooting? When choosing a dry fire system, you’ll need to ask yourself what you’re getting that you can’t do with your own gun. Most of these systems all do something that your own gun cannot do in dry fire, and you’ll need to determine which of these is most beneficial to you.

Best for Improving Trigger Control: Mantis X

    class="ProductCardSimple"
  data-id="ProductCardSimple"
>
 

                         
                   

           
                     

                 
           

 

         

       

Mantis

     

             

                 target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener noreferrer">Check Price
     

     

Why It Made the Cut
The Mantis made the cut because of its ease of use and presentation of data about how well a shooter can manipulate the trigger without disturbing the gun. It’s also the most fun to use of the items I tested, especially for anyone who likes technology and/or gadgets.

Key Features

• Fits any firearm with a standard accessory rail
• Several different models with different functionality
• Connects to smartphone or other device

Pros 

• Instant data about the quality of your trigger press
• Addictively fun
• Allows you to use your own gun and gear

Cons

• None

Product Description
The Mantis X is a small square cube that attaches to the accessory rail of your handgun. A sensor inside it measures the quality of your trigger pull and reports the results to a smartphone or other device.  Because I recently injured my trigger hand in an accident with a lawn mower, I enlisted the help of my good friend Pieter Smith to look at the Mantis at his home in South Africa, as I had a day off between teaching classes for South African IPSC shooters.

Neither I or Pieter are particularly tech-savvy, and it only took us about six minutes to install the Mantis on his CZ Shadow 2. Setup was extremely easy, and we just followed the phone’s prompts to get the app connected to the gun. The Mantis app is extremely easy to navigate and understand.

The CZ Shadow 2 is a double action handgun, which means that the shooter must master two different trigger presses—the more difficult hammer down and easier hammer back. We used to the Mantis to train these two trigger pulls.

In the app, I started with the Open Practice mode. In this mode, the Mantis measures your ability to activate the trigger without disturbing the gun and reports your success rate to you on the screen of your phone or provides audio reporting so you don’t have to look at the screen. Pieter is a top IPSC shooter in South Africa, so he was keen to find out how well he could score as the Mantis judged his performance. The Mantis made helpful suggestions on the screen anytime Pieter’s score dropped below a certain point, and all of this allowed him to identify the difference between a good or great trigger press with the immediate feedback of the app.

After this we used the Cadence Drills setting, which ask you to press the trigger more quickly, with your choice of 2 seconds, 1 second, or half a second in between shots.

Pieter began on a close target on his patio and had great fun seeing how his perceived performance measured up against the judgment of the Mantis. When he got it right, he reinforced what he did well. When his trigger pull needed an adjustment, he made the change, and the Mantis confirmed the improvement.

Next, I selected the Mantis Benchmark mode. This mode requires you to fire 10 shots with no time co*ponent. This lack of a time co*ponent means that Pieter had time to cock the hammer in between each shot to measure the quality of his trigger press in the gun’s single action mode. The single best trigger press he did was a 99.4, and I have no doubt he would have been able to get to 100. The Mantis keeps track of every shot in the app, and you can see your average for each session and for the entire day.

Best Budget: Your Own Gun

Why It Made the Cut 
The gun you already own is the most obvious choice for dry fire and is where most people start. It doesn’t require any extra equipment if you understand the limitations and can already fire an accurate shot.

Key Features

• Nothing to buy except a shot timer
• Your gun beco*es an extension of your body
• You gain massive amounts of subconscious skill

Pros

• You’re already familiar with it
• It’s the same equipment you’ll be using in co*petition or self-defense
• Develops performance under stress
• Budget friendly

Cons

• Requires you to handle a firearm in your home
• Semi-auto triggers will not reset when dry firing multiple shots

Product Description

The best thing about the gun you already own is that you already own it. You don’t need to buy anything except a shot timer, or you can use a smartphone shot timer app. You will also need some dummy rounds and/or snap caps. The dummy rounds are inert cartridges that simulate the weight of real ammo, and snap caps may protect the firing pin of your gun if that’s a concern. Most centerfire guns will not be damaged by dry fire with an empty chamber, but many rimfire guns can be damaged by dry fire without snap caps.

Whichever timer you use must have a par time function. This is a second tone that occurs after the start tone to tell you how much time has passed since the start tone and is the easiest way to use a shot timer in dry fire. Once you can fire an accurate shot, you need to figure out what you need to do quicker, and many of these things don’t require you to fire a shot.

Anything that you need to do with a handgun can be improved by using par times. If you need a quicker draw, set your par time at two seconds, and see if you can co*plete the draw before the par tone sounds. If you can do that, reduce the par time and see if you can do that. If you can’t, look at every motion you are performing, and see if you can do anything sooner and/or faster. How long does it take you to reload your gun after it goes to slide lock? Would you like to be able to do it faster? Dry firing that skill with a par time will absolutely make you quicker, and repetition will make that reload a subconscious skill. If you need a quick reload in co*petition or self-defense, it should be subconscious act.

Dry fire practice with your own gun is a cheap, easy way to get better and faster. The gun beco*es an extension of your body, and all these better, faster skills can be used under stress without active thought. Things like draws, aiming, reloads, and transitions between targets simply happen to the best of your ability if and/or when your conscious mind is thinking about something else, such as, sight picture or a potential threat. However, improving these gun handling skills is only useful after you can fire acceptable shots on demand. Until that happens, you might need a little more help with accuracy.

Best for New Shooters: The SIRT

    id="the-sirt"
    class="ProductCardSimple"
  data-id="ProductCardSimple"
>
 

                         
                   

           
                     

                 
           

 

         

       

NextLevel Training

     

             

                 target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener noreferrer">Check Price