“Smooth is fast” that is what they always told me. I have learned that fast is fast. If you want to hit fast, at some point in your training, you have to shoot fast. The military has long known the value of simulator training. Simulators let you learn dangerous and expensive skills with a variety and complexity not practical on ranges. Laser Ammo USA Inc has now made this technology affordable and available to everyone.
There are a lot of things going on when you shoot and you can’t forgo the basics to go fast. There is a plateau effect when you figure out how to line up the sights and smoothly pull the trigger. Conscious competence is slow – you have to shoot a lot, and at an uncomfortable pace to gain the speed of unconscious competence. That takes a lot of shots and a lot of range time. When you are paying by the round and by the hour, training can get expensive fast.
Computer driven firearms simulators have been around for decades, but the original models cost thousands of dollars, so their use was largely limited to governmental agencies. The guys at Laser Ammo ammo have leveraged advances in computers and software to rival these government systems for less than the cost of an AR-15.
With the Smokeless Range, you can turn any wall into a range with a projector. If space is tight, an LCD TV or laptop screen works too. There are a variety of skills you can train so it grows with your ability. The Open Range add-on package features an After Action Review (AAR) of each stage which shows split times and totals.
Any gun that can shoot a red or infrared laser will work with the Smokeless Range. There are lasers for handguns, rifles and shotguns, so you can work on a lot of different skills. Presentation, shot assessment, target transition, target identification, tracking and moving targets can all be practiced at home with no set up or clean up time. Got ten minutes? You get 10 minutes of pure training.
I have been training with the Smokeless Range and Open Range for three weeks. The availability of shooting for brief periods through out the day gives you the chance to do intense drills and take a break. I have seen my speed and tracking sharply improve.
The physical skills needed to manipulate the trigger quickly and track across multiple targets integrating body, eyes and hands require hours of practice. I can practice manipulation and visual skills at home and then go to the range and hone movement and recoil management.
There is no replacement for live fire, but you can get a lot more bang for your buck at the range if you practice at home and refine at the range. You can get those first awkward repetitions of a new drill out of the way using cheap environmentally friendly laser beams, then go crush that skill at the range with expensive and satisfying bullet holes.
No matter what your sport, shotgun, rifle, 3 gun, IPSC, or IPDA, there are skills you can develop. Practical uses like home defense or hunting skills are supported too. Laser Ammo has Red or IR SureStrike lasers and AirSoft lasers like the Recoil Enabled AirSoft Laser (R.E.A.L) Conversion Kit to match your application, or try something new.
The concept is very simple. When you press the trigger, the firing pin activates an eye-safe laser pulse which simulates the point of impact where a bullet fired from the weapon would have struck. The Smokeless Range has 10 different shooting scenarios, and you can download and use any of the thousands free FLASH shooting games from the internet.
The Open Range expansion pack is a very powerful training tool for competitive shooters and law enforcement training. With the included course editor, Open Range allows you to create and design your own courses of fire. Shoot scenarios inside or outside, with any combination of metal or paper targets.
You can place and size over 20 pre-loaded targets and put them in motion to pop-up or knock down. They include the sounds of gunshots and the clang of steel targets to help make the training even better. The After Action Review feature allows you to see your shot placement along with reaction and split times.
The Smokeless Range is priced at $399 and includes a high speed camera for IR and Red Lasers, 5 different marksmanship drills, and 5 additional recreational drills, including:
Marksmanship drills:
Transitional Drills
Tracking Drills
Speed Drills
Moving Targets
Matching Drill
Recreational training drills:
Dueling Tree
Trap Shooting
Target Shooting
Can Toss
Bomb Blast
The Open Range expansion pack is $250.00
The guys at Laser Ammo are so sure you are going to like their simulators, you can try them for free.
You can click HERE for a free demonstration of the Smokeless Range software. The demo is for use with your computer mouse.
Open Range will give you a free 15 days demo of the software HERE. This demo works with your computer mouse unless you already own the Smokeless Range.
Smokless Range features:
Affordable price
Simple installation
Portable
Use any IR or Red laser
Use with your own firearm, or with AirSoft.
Compatable with any projector screen or LCD television / laptop screen
Computer minimum requirements:
Windows 7 or 8 PC that meets minimum spec.
Processor: 2GHz Dual Core or better (AMD or Intel)
Graphics: Intel HD or better (Must support 1280×720 resolution)
Disk Space: 500MB or more
USB 2.0 port
HDMI or VGA port for TV or projector connection
Projector capable of 1280×720 resolution and minimum 2000 lumens
The Smokeless Range and Open Range let you train at home with amazing variety for the cost of a couple of cases of ammo. If you want to hit fast, you have to train fast. Buy your Smokeless Range HERE.
(Featured Image Courtesy of Laser Ammo)
