July 19th, 2020

​Feeling your shooting skills drain through the quarantine? Introducing the Strikeman Laser Firearm Training System. This system provides a laser cartridge for your specific caliber, which when loaded will shoot a short laser burst every time you pull the trigger. This is coupled with an included target, to be used in conjunction with a downloadable phone app that keeps track of your shots and where they land on the target. The app keeps track of your scores and distances that you input before each session, and creates an intuitive graph based on your averages of the day at various distances shot in the past 14 days. 
From the various calibers they offer, we chose the 9mm laser cartridge to test out. We found the laser cartridge to fit snug in the chamber of both our Sig Saur P226 and HK P2000. The cartridge has no rim on the rear, so even if you rack the slide, it wont eject. This is especially helpful on pistols like Glocks that have no hammer as well as rifles that require the bolt to cycle to reset the trigger. The laser hit exactly where our sights were aligned, and having fired it more than 1500 times so far, we are unsure of when it will run out of battery power. Also included is a very functional and extremely helpful tripod for setting up your phone. After starting the app, you want to position the phone between one and three feet from the supplied target. From there, focusing the camera on the target, it will begin to register the spots that the laser lands when fired from your firearm. The app has a selectable day and night mode to to cater to your light conditions, as they can affect the accuracy of the camera picking up the laser [though, we had no problems when using the proper settings]. The app accurately recorded where the laser landed on the target, and displayed them all as red dots on a picture of the target - all viewable after the “stop session” button is pressed. We’re unsure of the highest number of shots the app will track - we shot over 100 times in one round, and the app recorded every shot. The history tab shows you the average shot score as a graph, as well as some shooting metrics and target score distribution as a pi chart. It also allows you to see the target pictures of previous sessions and makes them available for download or sharing. There are also settings for gun shot audio and voice feedback, which provides the option to make a gunshot noise when the laser lands on the target and read aloud the score of that particular shot.
The Strikeman package is an awesome way to get some dry fire practice in while you’re stuck inside, be it quarantine or any other reason. It’s a very effective way to practice the fundamentals, as the system further enhances your ability to improve by showing you your mistakes. Be sure to check them out on their website at www.strikeman.io and their Instagram @strikemanco. 

UPDATE: The team behind the Strikeman Laser Firearm System is also working hard on some future updates:
1. Multiple user profiles where you can compare scores with others or assign profiles to specific guns and bullet calibers. 
2. Timed Sessions with a multiple-session mode so you don’t have to recalibrate the target. 
3. New target technology with easier/faster target calibration. 
4. Improved laser recognition.
5. In 2021, we will be launching a long distance rifle version with distance chipsets in the laser and target that tell the app exactly how far away you’re shooting from, without the need to enter the distance manually, with long distance reading on shooting accuracy. 
6. We will also be launching a drone calibrated to the app, which holds a mounted target that you can shoot at with a laser specially designed for shotguns, rifles, and handguns. This will allow you to practice moving target shooting in your backyard without live rounds, and extremely accurate feedback for specific skills such as “leading” for bird hunters. 
7. Lastly, we’re going to be launching a community social media technology into the app where you can fire against other users. There will be rankings and shooting competitions with financial rewards for highly skilled shooters.