Everyone knows that dry-firing helps shooters improve. But what if you’re doing it wrong? That’s where the Mantis X Elite comes in. Not only will this system provide you feedback during dry-fire sessions, but it can also do so during live-fire and CO₂-fire training.

Mantis X Elite Trainer System

The Mantis X Elite is a small device that attaches to your Picatinny rail. The Mantis works with pistols, rifles, shotguns, and even bows. If your gun doesn’t have a Picatinny rail, the Mantis X can be attached to the bottom of the magazine or via the included BR6 Barrel Mount Picatinny rail. Simply download the Mantis X Pistol/Rifle app to your phone, connect the phone to the Mantis X via Bluetooth, and then you are on your way.

Versatility

The nice thing with the aforementioned app is that you can save different profiles for different guns and keep track of your shooting progress. The app offers numerous drills including an introduction which I found very helpful. Note, the Shotgun and Archery apps are separate programs that require separate downloads. While I haven’t tried the Archery app yet, the Shotgun app focuses more on shooting clays. It is wonderful that you can practice without ammo or clay and have the Mantis evaluate your performance.

Feedback

In a nutshell, the system gives you a score between 0 and 100—100 being the best. If you score below 90, the Mantis system will help diagnose your shooting issues and help you resolve said issues. My early results showed that I was gripping the gun too hard, which caused muscle tremors. By working at having a firm yet relaxed grip, I was definitely able to improve my scores and overall shooting ability.

During the live-fire drills, the Mantis X tracks your hold/sighting, trigger pull, and shot-breaking with recoil pattern. After shooting some groups it will track the score of each shot individually and analyze trends. You can also use the shot timer to add some stress to your training.

The Mantis X Elite and its various modes and courses will definitely insert fun to your shooting-fundamentals training at home or on the range. I love that it gives you a measurable performance, which you can self-diagnose problems and work to improve on them no matter if you’re a newbie or pro. For more information, visit mantisx.com.