Technology is at the forefront of the innovative shift of every discipline in the world, and marksmanship is no different. Dry-fire training has been around for as long as guns have existed, but over the years, the form and mechanism used have morphed depending on the kind of technology available at the time.
Today, a new era of firearms practice has begun with the rapid adoption of laser dry-fire systems in firearms training facilities worldwide.
In this article, we explore laser dry-fire training and the advantages of adopting laser dry-fire training systems into your firearms training routine.
Let’s begin!
What Is Laser Dry-Fire Training?
Dry-fire training (without the laser part) is the process of stimulating a live shooting experience but without the use of live ammunition using live firearms. This basically means shooting a regular gun without any live bullets in it.
The purpose of dry-fire training is to allow shooters to focus solely on the fundamentals of marksmanship and worry less about the dangers of shooting a live gun.
Dry-fire training used to be done with live firearms using snap caps – a cartridge-shaped device designed to prevent the firing pin of a rimfire gun from damage. This kind of dry-fire training was effective as a tool for teaching the fundamentals of shooting, but it provided little to zero feedback to the shooter.
Laser dry-fire training is the evolved version of the standard dry-fire training. Laser dry-fire training systems make use of a laser training cartridge or dummy firearms that produce precise laser beams when the trigger is depressed and are capable of providing performance feedback to the shooter.
Common examples of laser dry-fire training systems are the Strikeman Pro Advanced Laser Dry-Fire Training System and Shot Indicating Resetting Trigger (SIRT) guns.
A major advantage that laser dry-fire training provides is the possibility for precise feedback and shot tracking.
The Evolution of Dry-Fire Training
Laser dry-fire training is often regarded as the natural evolution of standard dry-fire training.
Two major features of laser dry-fire training not found in standard dry-fire training are:
Precision
The old way of performing dry-fire training was not precise. It simply focused on helping you acclimate to the mechanics of shooting a gun. However, laser dry-fire training brought about a paradigm shift in precision training.
The integration of lasers in dry-fire training systems ensured that shooters got visual cues of their shot placements and precise performance data. This level of precision takes dry-fire training to the next level, putting it on par with live-fire training.
Realistic Simulation
Advanced laser dry-fire training systems like the ones offered by Strikeman come equipped with multi-targets, a laser cartridge, and a tracking system to provide shooters with realistic simulation of live-fire scenarios.
The laser technology provides a simulation of pulling the trigger and receiving immediate visual feedback on your virtual laser targets, therefore creating an immersive training experience.
Some new laser SIRT guns have been developed to simulate the recoil of a live firearm, taking the immersive another step further.
Advantages of Laser Dry-Fire Training
Perhaps you might be a die-hard fan of live-fire training and are still skeptical about the practical benefits that laser dry-fire training offers, especially to anyone training to shoot firearms like a pro.
Below are five advantages of using laser dry-fire training for your shooting practice:
Precise Target Acquisition
The most significant advantage of using a laser dry-fire training system is the improvement in target acquisition skills that it offers over standard dry-fire training methods.
The laser is great for accurately pinpointing the point of impact on your virtual target. This feature makes it a useful tool for anyone looking to improve shooting skills like shot cluster, target acquisition, shot accuracy, aim, and trigger discipline.
Plus, since the feedback is immediate, the learning process is accelerated and can be less tiring.
Time Efficiency
Time is a big deal for any kind of training since it takes quite a bit of time for aspiring pro shooters to see any improvements in their shooting skills after they begin training.
However, laser dry-fire training systems offer one critical advantage over traditional live-fire practice – the ability to be used in almost any scenario.
Live-fire training requires you to be at a shooting range or somewhere where you are far from humans and animals. Laser dry-fire training does not have this constraint. You can simply train whenever you want.
This advantage of flexibility with a laser trainer helps you spend less time setting up and more time training to be a better shooter and refining your shooting skill.
Cost-Effective Repetition
Consistency and repetition are two critical factors required for the mastery of any skill, and marksmanship is no different.
The skyrocketing prices of firearms and ammunition continue to make it difficult to practice shooting drills with live ammunition, especially since this means making a mistake would be very costly (pun intended).
Laser dry-fire training systems offer you the opportunity to practice as many times as you need since they do not require live ammunition to operate and can be performed anytime and anywhere. Laser dry-fire training is a cost-effective approach to consistent and repetitive practice.
Safe and Controlled Environment
Safety is a big deal in the world of firearms. There are firearms training schools that would not let you touch a live firearm until you have completed a week of firearms safety training.
This is because many lives have been lost due to the negligence or ignorance of firearms operators while carrying out shooting drills.
Laser dry-fire training removes the risk of hurting someone during training and lets you focus on performing your shooting drill as perfectly as possible. Laser dry-fire systems like the Strikeman laser dry-fire training systems prioritize safety in every shooting scenario.
Risk Aversion for Advanced Firearms Training Drills
When using live-fire training to advance your skills as a marksman, it can take a while before your instructor allows you to start practicing advanced shooting drills.
This is because advanced and tactical shooting drills require more skills and expertise to perform, and they are typically more dangerous to perform as well.
Laser dry-fire training systems offer the opportunity to start practicing advanced shooting drills and push your shooting skills beyond their current limit. This means the risk of practicing these advanced skills is significantly reduced since no live ammunition is involved.
Strikeman’s Advanced Laser Dry-Fire Training Systems
Strikeman is a leading manufacturer of advanced laser dry-fire training systems in the United States, and our dry-fire training systems have been adopted and trusted by many to help elevate their shooting skills to burgeoning heights.
Below are three features our dry-fire systems offer:
Cutting-Edge Precision Laser Technology
At Strikeman, we always strive to be at the forefront of technological innovation in the firearms training industry, which is why we developed the cutting-edge laser technology used in our laser dry-fire training systems.
Our systems can accurately pinpoint your shot placements, provide feedback on trigger pull, instant feedback on every shot, and visual confirmation for every shot fired.
Plus, our dry-fire training systems come with a cartridge that works with almost any gun except a selected few.
Customizable Training Modules
The beauty of technology is the level of customization that it offers. Our dry-fire training systems offer customizable training modules that help to simulate live-fire training drills designed to improve accuracy, speed, or any other specific skills.
This personalized approach to training is sure to help improve your shooting skills faster and reveals parts of your shooting mechanics that need work.
Real-Time Performance Analytics
Our laser training system doesn’t just stop at providing you with top-notch feedback and visual cues.
Our systems take it a step further, providing you with real-time performance metrics that allow you to track how well you are doing, set goals and benchmarks, as well as make data-driven decisions on the best ways to proceed with your training.
Our dry-fire systems come with an accompanying app that works on any phone, and it provides users with various live-shooting scenarios that can be emulated using dry-fire training, shot analysis, instant feedback, suggestions on how to improve, and more.
Conclusion
The landscape of firearms training continues to change as new weapons and technology come into play. The best way to keep up is to practice more efficiently using modern technology and tools.
Laser dry-fire training systems are the latest way to level the playing field in firearms training among beginner shooters and experienced shooters.
Laser dry-fire training offers several advantages, including time efficiency, precise target acquisition, risk aversion while engaging in advanced shooting drills, and improved safety for shooters during training.
Strikeman offers some of the best laser dry-fire training systems on the market, and we continue to improve our systems to keep up with the technological landscape of firearms training.
Contact us today to learn more about our laser dry-fire training systems.