The MantisX connects to the accessory rail of any firearm. It’s sensors report the movement of the firearm, describe your trigger pull and coach you for better performance. Works with rifles or pistols in live fire, dry fire, airsoft, and even CO2 powered airguns. MantisX let’s you evaluate shooting performance, identify areas of improvement and track your progress over time.
Trainers tell you dry fire is critical. Shooters will tell you dry fire is boring. I am here to tell you that dry fire with the MantisX is fun, computer game addictive and one of the best ways to improve your shooting.
I have shot the MantisX a thousand times or so. I have used CO2 airguns (you don’t need to shot the pellets, the CO2 cycles the gun and gives you some movement to handle) as well as dry fire and live fire with real guns. Guns without resetting triggers take a little more effort. I cannot say enough good about the MantisX.
The guys in the Mantis booth at trade shows do demonstrations. They let people use the system and put tens of thousands of repetitions on their systems and their guns. They use Sig airguns cycling with CO2 cartridges. No pellets. I did the same thing, the featured photo is my Sig 320 airgun.
Warning: if you let your non-shooting significant other or children from any source shoot MantisX with you for more than a few shoots, you will soon find that you are struggling to keep up with their scores. They will quickly learn to pull the trigger without moving the gun. You can too, but you may have to overcome some previous training.
My favorite way to shoot the Mantis is to run the app on my iPad and prop it up six feet away using it as an aiming point. I shoot my Sig airgun with CO2 to get the distraction of the slide reciprocating. My scores pop up right in front of me. I am much more careful with real guns, but it works with them too. All dry fire safety rules apply.
No matter what level you are shooting, trigger pull is the biggest challenge. As an instructor or a shooter, if you can tell how the gun is moving, you can identify and fix a problem. Live fire is a good source of data. When everything works, you see good hits. The trouble comes when recoil is anticipated and a startle flinch moves the gun. This happens fast and at the subconscious level. With the blast and noise of shooting, there is often no perception of the flinch, it comes and goes, leaving wild shots and mystery in its wake.
MantisX is a tiny computer surrounded by gyroscopes and accelerometers. It talks to the computer in your phone or tablet and tells you a story about your shooting. After it tells you what you shot, a coaching feature tells you how to shoot better. Rinse and repeat.
If you have a student who needs help, throw MantisX on their gun and have them shoot five rounds. Then you have a place to start working. MantisX has a whole collection of adapters which attach to the magazine base pad. All you need to do is have them load the magazine with MantisX on the bottom. You could check a whole class in minutes.
There are training modes for marksmanship, compressed trigger break, speed shooting, reloads and one handed shooting. Throwing the MantisX on your gun is like shooting with a flashlight. It even fits in most flashlight holsters.
The guys at Mantis are shooters. They regular update the App and add features. They will even take requests for new capabilities. I got to talk to them for quite awhile at TriggerCon. There are new capabilities coming that will be amazing.
How to get started? Install the free MantisX smartphone application, turn it on and follow the prompts to pair the device with a phone via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE or Bluetooth 4.0).
Settings establishes what and how you are shooting with menu choices. Then you pick a training mode and go to work. Each shot is scored depending on how much you moved away from your sighted position during the trigger pull. The perfect score is 100 (I shot several 99’s but they say it is impossible to shoot 100 unless the gun locked in a rest).
On each shot, MantisX detects the direction of the barrel movement during the trigger pull. If you tend to shoot left, left sector will light up on the wheel. After a few shots, the training device shows the pattern of your movement. MantisX analyzes a single shot or a group and provides you with suggestions that could improve your shooting mechanics. The app provides coaching tips to guide your training focus.
The MantisX Training Bundle includes:
- one MantisX smart sensor. No accessory rail? They have adapters.
- smartphone application (iOS and Android that supports Bluetooth 4.0)
- micro-USB charging cable
- 1-year limited warranty
Get your very own MantisX for just $149.99
Every MantisX comes with a 45-day money back guarantee. For questions, please contact us through Their contact page.
About Mantis in their own words:
We’re gun nuts, with some heavy geek seasoning and a deep passion for our families and our future.
Like you, we want to shoot better.
Like you, we recognize that shooting is a perishable skill. Â We want more options for effective, efficient training.
Like you, we believe that when performance is measured, performance improves.
Like you, we want to take the guesswork out, and replace it with cold, hard data.
So we made Mantis – for us. Â And it turns out that a whole bunch of other people felt the same way.
This is only the beginning for Mantis.  We work tirelessly to improve algorithms, give actionable data, and help shooters at every skill level – to shoot better.
Direction & Magnitude
Track the movement of your handgun’s barrel during the trigger pull. Shots are grouped according to movement pattern similarity.
Shot-by-Shot analysis
Track score of each shot individually. Analyze trends.
Detailed Trace
Green: hold/sighting. Â Yellow: trigger pull. Â Red: Shot breaking and recoil pattern.
