Shooting is a perishable skill, to maintain our performance and improve, we have to practice. Conventional wisdom is that dry fire practice is the answer. This is definitely beneficial, but what if you were still making mistakes on the range? Sometimes just learning how to fire your gun dry is not enough. Perhaps what you need is to see exactly how your sight picture is affecting your hits, or if you are moving at all when you break the shot. That is something that dry fire can’t help you with, and in fact, dry firing can reinforce bad habits. This is where Laser Ammo comes in to help.
COMPANY
Laser Ammo is a veteran owned and operated company that specializes in laser training products for LE, Military, and civilian shooters. They make lasers for virtually every caliber and weapon system for you to practice with. They also make lasers and recoil blowback systems for airsoft training, which can assist with force on force training. They have years of experience based on actual field testing done in Israel where they conduct their R&D based on the needs of the units on the front lines of the action. With offices in Europe and Israel, as well as New York, they have a vast range of experienced people in their R&D teams, who are constantly finding new ways to help improve your training and make it as realistic, effective, and safe as possible. They have a vast catalog, and their products can help you train and become proficient in almost every imaginable way when it comes to using a firearm.
My favorite Laser Ammo product is the laser training pistols. These pistols are bright orange, and are designed to be compatible with the S&W M&P holsters and accessories. The pistol itself is a hollow pistol that holds its weight at the top, in the slide. This is where the CR123 batteries and the software for all the pistols’ functions are housed. In my pistol, the top of the line Pro package, you are set up to use this pistol for all types and stages of training. This pistol is loaded to accommodate you to safely train for everything from practicing reloads, practicing shooting, and training new shooters to prevent negligent discharges.
The Pro package hosts a decent list of features that make this system well worth the investment. It is delivered in a polymer case similar to the ones you get real guns in, but when you look inside, you only have the pistol and an accessory pack. The accessory pack has an Allen key to adjust the sights and the laser system in the muzzle, a spare set of laser batteries, and a spare Allen screw for the laser in the muzzle.
The pistol is your entire kit in this package that you order. It includes your choice of a red or IR laser. You can unscrew the laser from the front in order to replace the battery or replace it with another laser of your choice, such as an IR laser.
LED indicators on each side which flash amber to visually alert the shooter.
a shot alarm indicating when the shot breaks. It isn’t too loud, but it will get your attention when it goes off.
Night Sights, which are dovetailed and easily adjustable. The sights are not quite like traditional night sights, but more photo-luminescent.
a magazine that mimics the weight of a full magazine, helping balance out the feel of the pistol and add that realism when practicing reloads.
a negligent discharge sensor, which we will discuss later.
With this package, the pistol also has the ability to switch between different modes such as “simulator” and “shot only” mode, making it capable of being combined with a wide range of other products that will help you further your training and add more realism into it as well.
One of the coolest things about this system is the fact that it hosts a smart system that detects when the user is about to have a negligent discharge, as mentioned and shown above. The system will sound a sharp and rapid ringing/beeping sound when it detects an unintentional entry into the trigger guard for longer than 1 second. The 2 LED indicators forward of the trigger guard will also flash Amber for 9 seconds after this alarm sounds. This feature undoubtedly is well suited to help teach shooters not to get complacent with their gun safety, no matter what their experience level is.
The trigger on the training pistol is not quite like the trigger on the M&P. It is rated at 3.5 pounds, which was verified to be spot on with my two trigger gauges. Also I found that the trigger doesn’t require the full stroke for the laser to shoot.
I found the trigger to be a fun challenge to shoot fast and accurately. The trigger basically is a 3.5 pound DAO trigger with no reset and does not simulate the “break” that people cling to. The funny thing that I noticed about this is the fact that this kind of trigger actually challenged me and made me have to concentrate more on moving my trigger finger independently or risk throwing my follow-up shots due to the constant tension. This, with the fact that I had to learn to apply pressure to the trigger quickly without disturbing the sights, made this an unintended training value that this pistol provided. I found this to actually improve my shooting almost overnight once I got used to the fact that the focus shouldn’t be on the “wall” and the “break”, but on the complete pull/press of the trigger without disturbing the sight picture and ignoring the wall and the reset.
See below for my full review on this product:
https://youtu.be/xZV9GKqinI0
TARGETS
The Interactive Multi Target Training System is an innovative way to train with the laser training pistol system. The 3-pack target system is a good addition to any laser training system from Laser Ammo. In the 3-pack target kit, I received three target systems with 3 AAA batteries included for each, and 4Â different target cards for each target system.
The cool thing about these target systems is the fact that no matter how many of these targets you buy, they will all talk to each other and operate as a group. As long as the targets are within 12 to 15 feet of each other, they can talk. This still means that you can have them throughout the house and come up with new and fun ways to challenge yourself.
The 5 settings on the targets are the biggest value that makes them worth the investment, especially if range time is not easy to come by for you. The first setting is the standard, which automatically starts when you turn on the targets, and it pings when you hit it. The first mode you can select is what they call the “steel plate” mode where all the targets light up white until you hit them. As soon as you hit them all, they will then relight at the same time. The second mode is what they call “chase the ball” where a random target will be lit up green until you hit it, at which point it will then move on to another random target repeating the pattern at random. The third mode is called “shoot or no-shoot” where you have random targets pop up for two or three seconds at a time. They will either be lit up green for shoot, or red for no shoot. This can be a test indeed if you are not paying attention. The last mode is basically the “shoot or no-shoot” but sped up to where you only have one second to react to the randomly lit up target. Just don’t hit the target when it is red or all the targets will light up and deliver an abrupt and rapid blinking and chirping to let you know that you just failed.
This pistol and target combo can satisfy any type of training, if you ask me. The coolest thing about these products is the fact that they do not limit you by system combination. As long as you are using Laser Ammo lasers, the targets are sure to work reliably. Pretty cool little setup for shooters of all skill levels, if I may say so myself. In my opinion, these tools are worth the price when you consider that it is a one time purchase that will last years and will immediately improve your range performance by showing you every little flaw you have. Invest in yourself by investing in quality training products from Laser Ammo.
Get your own Laser Ammo products at laser-ammo.com
David served in the USMC for a few years. Deployed twice and got wounded. Retired and moved to Alaska. Has a passion for reviewing and testing guns and gear of all kinds. Enjoys working to dispel myths and show that you can train and practice in a realistic, safe, and practical way.
