Interesting Training System from the NRA Convention in Dallas

[JohnKSa]

This system has been on the market for awhile but this was my first opportunity to look at and try out the MantisX training system in person.

The system consists of a small device that attaches to a pistol rail (no modification to the pistol is required) and a mobile device such as a tablet or a smartphone. The devices are paired via Bluetooth and some settings are selected. The system can be used in live fire, dryfire, or with a CO2 air pistol.

The shooter then fires a string of shots which the system grades.

The grading is based EXCLUSIVELY on how much the gun moves in the brief interval before the trigger breaks. The presumption (and it's a good one) is that the shooter intends for the gun to be stationary during that period.

This means that there's no need for there to be a target component for the system. It doesn't matter what you're aiming at, or even if you're aiming at all. The grading is merely a reflection of whether the gun is moving when it should be still, and how much movement is taking place.

In addition to the grading, the shooter may view the movement of the gun for each trigger pull as a graph on the screen of the mobile device.

The attachment on the pistol runs on a rechargeable battery and should last for 8 hours or so on a charge.

It seems to work very well--I saw it demoed both by Mantis and by a gun company in another part of the show that was using it as some sort of a contest to see who could score the best grade. I can see this being a very useful tool for people who are having anticipation issues.

 

[JONWILL]

The only problem I see with it is that a shooter will know there is no recoil when firing.

I usually use two methods to see if shooter is anticipating the shot

I load a fired/dummy round in the gun without telling them. It will show quickly if they are anticipating the shot.

I use is on myself also. I just close my eyes and load the magazine or the cylinder with the dummy round.

If the gun is already equipped with a laser the dot will show the flinch by flying off the target right before the shot.

 

[Kilrb]

I tried one and I really did not like it, sold it after a couple of months.

 

[ClickClickD'oh]

The only problem I see with it is that a shooter will know there is no recoil when firing.

The guys at the Mantis booth had it set up on a CO2 powered gun, that while not representing the full recoil of live ammunition, was providing a fair simulacrum.

I was very impressed with the system. I currently use SIRT pistols to train brand new shooters on trigger control, but will likely be picking up this system too.

 

[JohnKSa]

The only problem I see with it is that a shooter will know there is no recoil when firing.

It can be used with live fire to prevent this issue, however, based on what I saw during the demos using a pellet pistol loaded with CO2 but no pellets the 'pop' of the CO2 discharge was enough to generate some shot anticipation in the shooters who were so inclined.

In addition, even when used purely for dryfire, where anticipation should not be an issue at all, the system is very sensitive to movement and can therefore be used to develop trigger technique. That is, learning to pull the trigger consistently without moving the muzzle around at all.

I usually use two methods to see if shooter is anticipating the shot

I load a fired/dummy round in the gun without telling them. It will show quickly if they are anticipating the shot.

I use is on myself also. I just close my eyes and load the magazine or the cylinder with the dummy round.

If the gun is already equipped with a laser the dot will show the flinch by flying off the target right before the shot.

This system is not the only way to detect and deal with anticipation, the methods you list are also effective. Obviously people learned how to shoot properly before this system was invented. One nice thing about this system is that it can be used effectively without help from a coach or instructor. In addition, because the muzzle movement can be displayed on the screen, the shooter not only knows that anticipation/poor trigger technique is causing problems, but they can see exactly how the muzzle is moving. The system also provides tips and hints related to the specific pattern of movement detected.

It's not for everyone, I won't be buying one, for example. But I do think, based on what I see at the range when I visit, that many shooters could benefit from this system.

I tried one and I really did not like it...

What did you not like about the system?

 

[Odd Job]

I also want to know what he didn't like about it.

JohnKSa do you know if they are making a version with a shot counter? Seems it would be easy to do if they already have the accelerometer in place.
I want such a thing for my .22 rifle.

 

[JohnKSa]

I don't know if that feature is available or not. It did count the shots, but I don't recall it providing interval information or overall time for the shots. I agree that it does seem like that would be an easy feature to add, if it's not already available but I don't see that feature mentioned on their website. They do mention that they update the app every 1-2 months and that if there's a desired feature that's not included to let them know about it.

 

[Hasaf]

I have one and I feel it helped me with my Glock 42, which is my EDC. initially I had the sighs drifted all the way to the right in order to try to correct a "shooting left" issue. With the Mantis I was able to work with a couple of different grip postures until I was hitting at point of aim. I now have the sights back in the centere position.

In all I like it.

 

[JohnKSa]

I contacted Mantis with the question about the shot timer/counter feature and received a prompt reply from Austin Allgaier.

He states that the MantisX will function as a shot timer/counter but does have the limitation of not being able to deal with rates of fire greater than approximately 4 shots a second.