laser cartridge training

[bobby_dinn]

Hello,

I'm a fairly new enthusiast and have 2 questions about laser cartridge training systems. First, is it safe for the life and operation of the firearm to use laser cartridges? In other words, do these laser cartridges exhibit any type of unnecessary wear and tear on mechanisms that could cause a malfunction or failure down the road? I'm curious about these systems while stuck at self-isolating at home.

Second, has anyone used these systems and found any improvement or, at a minimum, maintained their proficiency and accuracy when away from live practice for a while?

Respectfully,
BD

 

[10mmLife]

Welcome to the forum @bobby_dinn !

Let me start by saying I'm not an expert in laser training especially for accuracy but I do feel if you are new to firearms shooting the gun at the range will be much more valuable to learn accuracy because of the anticipation of recoil most new and sometimes old shooters encounter from not handling a gun enough.

I mostly use a laser to train new shooter muzzle awareness.

Anticipating recoil is what happens when you shoot a firearm and instinctively your body reacts to the shock and sound of the gun and you dip the muzzle as the trigger is pulled to counteract the recoil. Anticipating recoil happens without even noticing it and sometimes you need to see it actually happening to believe you are doing it. A good drill I use with new shooters is I will mix a spent shell in the mag with live ammo and when the new shooter pulls the trigger on the spent shell they realize that they subconsciously dipped the muzzle. Unless you actually fire the gun a decent amount to get your body over this reaction a laser may not have much benefit.

I cannot see why a training shell would put unnecessary wear and tear on a firearm. There is still a big debate about shooting steel cased ammo out of a gun that it would cause more wear and tear but there are studies out there that people have done by firing thousands of rounds of brass vs steel and found no discernable difference in wear patterns through the same type of guns in different barrels.

This is just my opinion there maybe someone more versed on the subject that could offer more.

 

[djthumper]

First off, welcome to the forums.

Any good quality laser trainer will not cause any excessive wear on any components of your firearm. IF it is proper it the extractor will not catch it, it should be rimless. The primer should have a stiff rubber piece in it for the firing pin to strike to turn the laser on. Hopefully they verified zero on it before shipping. You should verify it against your firearm.

The best part of using a laser cartridge is that you are able to train using your own firearm to get use to it. It will help build up muscle memory so that you know the feel.

The worst part of it is having to rack it in order to reset the firing mechanism. You also don't get to see where you are actually hitting on the target, unless you get a laser training system. Also there is no recoil training.

 

[bobby_dinn]

Welcome to the forum @bobby_dinn !

Let me start by saying I'm not an expert in laser training especially for accuracy but I do feel if you are new to firearms shooting the gun at the range will be much more valuable to learn accuracy because of the anticipation of recoil most new and sometimes old shooters encounter from not handling a gun enough.

I mostly use a laser to train new shooter muzzle awareness.

Anticipating recoil is what happens when you shoot a firearm and instinctively your body reacts to the shock and sound of the gun and you dip the muzzle as the trigger is pulled to counteract the recoil. Anticipating recoil happens without even noticing it and sometimes you need to see it actually happening to believe you are doing it. A good drill I use with new shooters is I will mix a spent shell in the mag with live ammo and when the new shooter pulls the trigger on the spent shell they realize that they subconsciously dipped the muzzle. Unless you actually fire the gun a decent amount to get your body over this reaction a laser may not have much benefit.

I cannot see why a training shell would put unnecessary wear and tear on a firearm. There is still a big debate about shooting steel cased ammo out of a gun that it would cause more wear and tear but there are studies out there that people have done by firing thousands of rounds of brass vs steel and found no discernable difference in wear patterns through the same type of guns in different barrels.

This is just my opinion there maybe someone more versed on the subject that could offer more.

Thank you for the reply! I agree with practice at the range as the best training. I have recently purchased the same model handgun that I rented for an intro class and put a few hundred through it. So, I do have a little understanding (not sure about I'm actually used to it yet) about the recoil of the pistol and know that I tend to hit slightly down and left. When I left the range, I still had improved on it a little but did not fully correct it. Thanks again for your informative response!

 

[bobby_dinn]

First off, welcome to the forums.

Any good quality laser trainer will not cause any excessive wear on any components of your firearm. IF it is proper it the extractor will not catch it, it should be rimless. The primer should have a stiff rubber piece in it for the firing pin to strike to turn the laser on. Hopefully they verified zero on it before shipping. You should verify it against your firearm.

The best part of using a laser cartridge is that you are able to train using your own firearm to get use to it. It will help build up muscle memory so that you know the feel.

The worst part of it is having to rack it in order to reset the firing mechanism. You also don't get to see where you are actually hitting on the target, unless you get a laser training system. Also there is no recoil training.

Thanks for replying. I'm interested in developing the proper muscle memory and safety actions. I've seen videos of some fancy systems that have a smart phone app and shows you where you're hitting and your speed. I'm not looking to replace range time, but to supplement it a little bit. Thank you and take care!

 

[10mmLife]

Thank you for the reply! I agree with practice at the range as the best training. I have recently purchased the same model handgun that I rented for an intro class and put a few hundred through it. So, I do have a little understanding (not sure about I'm actually used to it yet) about the recoil of the pistol and know that I tend to hit slightly down and left. When I left the range, I still had improved on it a little but did not fully correct it. Thanks again for your informative response!

You'll find a lot of awesome people in this forum willing to help out or go off topic in good taste for a few laughs!

Beware of Annihilator and BET7 though these guys are nothing but trouble and a little soft in the head!

 

[Sigma4506]

Hello,

I'm a fairly new enthusiast and have 2 questions about laser cartridge training systems. First, is it safe for the life and operation of the firearm to use laser cartridges? In other words, do these laser cartridges exhibit any type of unnecessary wear and tear on mechanisms that could cause a malfunction or failure down the road? I'm curious about these systems while stuck at self-isolating at home.

Second, has anyone used these systems and found any improvement or, at a minimum, maintained their proficiency and accuracy when away from live practice for a while?

Respectfully,
BD

Hi Bob i use https://www.itargetpro.com but not crazy about their software its ok , But i also bought Lazerhit software for 9 or 10 $ i have an Iphone that i hook up to my 65 inch tv so i see my hits close up - as my target setup is about 25 ft away, i have over 5,000 rounds on the lazer bullet no problems as it has a rubber primer where the hammer hits , give you my opinion - buy the lazer bullet from itarget and software from lazerhit -you have to print out you own targets from lazerhit -free - as far as i go it help my trigger pull immensely , Bad part -you have to Rack the slide each trigger pull , I am no where near expert on training just giving you some imput -But their are a lot of Qualified gentleman here ,Good-luck

 

[SMSgtRod]

Welcome to the funny farm! Great bunch of folks here. I of course am the most helpful,
friendliest and best lookin' as you'll find out over time.

I'll dry fire at home.....(an awful lot of late! ) But it's a whole different ball of wax
when you have the cartridge firing slamming the gun around in your hand.
My thoughts all these years has always been, practice with the round you will carry.
Practice as much as your wallet will allow! I try to hit the range each weekday morning.
One day I shoot nothing but my EDC. The rest of the week it's the hand cannons!
Once ammo is back in supply try to visit your range twice a month.

Many of us here are reloaders so we don't have an issue with the ammo shortage.
If you have questions this is the place to find the answers. Again, great to have you with us.

 

[KillerFord1977]

Welcome to the funny farm! Great bunch of folks here. I of course am the most helpful,
friendliest and best lookin' as you'll find out over time.

I'll dry fire at home.....(an awful lot of late! ) But it's a whole different ball of wax
when you have the cartridge firing slamming the gun around in your hand.
My thoughts all these years has always been, practice with the round you will carry.
Practice as much as your wallet will allow! I try to hit the range each weekday morning.
One day I shoot nothing but my EDC. The rest of the week it's the hand cannons!
Once ammo is back in supply try to visit your range twice a month.

Many of us here are reloaders so we don't have an issue with the ammo shortage.
If you have questions this is the place to find the answers. Again, great to have you with us.

“Life is like a box of Chocolates”
You got “helpful” correct. As for the ret of that sentence... well...