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I was fortunate to attend a unique event recently, the LMT Owner’s Experience. LMT Defense hosts an event that allows LMT enthusiasts to train like the Defense users that employ their weapon systems. This was a two-day event at the Tier 1 Training group outside of Memphis. This facility has over a 700-acre footprint which translates to many specialized training facilities with some amazing training opportunities. While this isn’t specifically a training event, participants still get to walk away with knowledge from one another and the LMT Defense Staff.

The day started and ended in barracks-style lodging on the facilities campus. Chow was served at 07:00 AM, and we joined current military units training as we all got our first meal in for the day. It was a very cool experience knowing that while we were enjoying this weekend’s getaway of shooting, service members were training for their mission sets on the same ranges we were on. It added a “realness” to some of the drills and training exercises we got to experience.

Day 1

Flat Range

Our first block of shooting was on a series of standard flat-range bays with many steel targets and barriers. Some participants had to zero their weapon systems, so we had free time to warm up and check out one another’s gear. I really enjoyed this portion because you got to be hands-on with many different LMT products and optics that people chose for their setups. Shooting my direct impingement SPECWAR next to a piston SPECWAR was eye-opening in reducing recoil. Although my gun has less felt recoil than many, the piston system reduced it even further.

After racing on plate racks and beating the timer, we moved to more structured drills hosted by Zack Sisco, the International Sales Manager for LMT. We paired off and formed a firing line. We went through some “up-drills” where we started at low or high ready. On Zack’s command, we brought the guns up, found our sights, and broke the shot. We then moved to some reload drills that utilized LMT Ambidxrious bolt release.

Once everyone was warmed up and ready for more dynamic training, LMT added some movement into the mix. We first worked on moving laterally across the range while engaging targets that were called out randomly by one of the instructors. This tests your reflexes and cognitive ability to identify the correct target and then engage promptly.

The flat range block concluded with a partner communication exercise. We were positioned with our partners on a 100-yard bay with barricades scattered every 20-25 yards in two rows. While communicating with your partner, one person would lay down suppressive fire, and the other partner would advance to the next position. This is repeated until you hit the 25-yard mark, and both partners engage the targets simultaneously. There are few places where you get to try this type of training. Everyone was pumped by the end of this block.

MOUT Training

MOUT stands for Modern Operations in Urban Terrain. There was a mock city on the complex where we got to use our personal LMT rifles with chalk rounds and practice clearing buildings individually and as a team. This was some of the most fun because the structures were very complex, with connecting rooms, long hallways, and a control room to operate the lights, sound system, and a series of distractions when moving through the building. This really put the flat range work to the test because by this point, our stress levels were heightened, and we had to identify the threats and the hostages while communicating as a team with people we met the night prior.

Nightvision Flat Range

After some chow, the sun started to set, and we headed back out to the range. It was time to shoot in the dark and utilize night vision. Some people brought their night vision, but a lot of people did not have their own. TNVC & Opscore were sponsors of the event and provided some rental units that participants could borrow for this portion. For some, this was the first time they ever used night vision. I love it when companies provide these types of opportunities for people. Night vision and suppressors go hand in hand; you only realize how well they work once you have them in your hands.

We spent most of the time on a firing line engaging different steel targets. There were a couple of VTAC barriers that we started to utilize mid-way through the night. It was great to get hands-on with a handful of full-power lasers and see how different-size rifles perform under NODs. I have had my own set of NODs for four years, so I was very excited to see how TNVC’s lineup compared. Night vision can be anywhere from three to five thousand for a monocular and seven to sixteen thousand for a set of binos. This means that testing night vision out becomes few and far between. I really appreciated the opportunity to try out the different night vision and also shoot with them!

Day 2

Unknown Distance Range

We kicked off day two at the Unknown Distance Tange at T1G. This range had targets all the way out to 1,000 yards at undisclosed distances. Having an environment that allows you to estimate ranges and then confirm with a rifle was very gratifying. I shot my 12.5″ 5.56 LMT out to 750 yards with accountable hits. Some of the larger caliber LMT MRGG 6.5 Creedmoor easily made 950 and 1,000-yard shots. The guns did most of the work for you!

For fun, I even took out a couple of the pistols I had brought, and I got confirmed hits at 200 yards. The freedom for us to explore on different platforms was a great experience and something you rarely get to do on a 1,000-yard range. This quickly built up our appetite for lunch, so we headed to the chow hall to refuel for the next adventure.

Machine Guns & 40MMs

We returned to the same range with a fresh arsenal. Being that LMT produces machine guns, it was only fitting that we got to shoot some full autos. LMT is also known for manufacturing 40MM grenade launchers. They brought a few cases of chalk rounds for us to launch. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Most people will never have the opportunity to shoot 40MM grenades, let alone go through cases of them with newly made friends. We all tried taking some pop shots with a standalone 40MM launcher at the 200-yard silhouette. When the chalk rounds hit the target or the ground, it explodes with orange Cheeto dust that leaves a lasting mark. And, of course, machine guns are always fun. I will never not shoot a machine gun. LMT had a variety of calibers ranging from 5.56 to 6.5 Creedmoor. Why do you need a 6.5 Creedmoor machine gun? Because this is America, and we can! We enjoyed spending a couple of hours shooting LMT’s ammo and recreating our favorite action movie scenes.

Vehicle Training

The final course of fire for the weekend was vehicle combatants. Tier 1 Group has an entire driving course with rifle-rated berms that allowed us to shoot from a moving vehicle. Again, LMT is bringing the average shooter the opportunities they cannot find commonly at local ranges or training. A small loop was created with a few steel targets and some paper targets we got to shoot at as we drove by. After a few reps of this, we got to experience “ambush” training where we had to shoot our way out of the situation, and it ended with an aggressive J-turn style 180°.

Overview

This two-day event felt like it was a week long, with each day packed to the brim with activities. Thank you to Joe Hajny and the other LMT staff who helped make this happen. If you are an LMT enjoyer, keep an eye out for this event so you can experience similar training and opportunities. The pistol ammunition used for the 200-yard shots was from GunMag Warehouse. Pick some up for yourself! To see some of this event’s videos, stop by my YouTube channel: Hunter Constantine.

VR Practical Shooting, what is it? Well, it’s a work in progress. VR Practical Shooting is a VR game aimed at communities who enjoy USPSA, Steel Challenge, 3-Gun, etc. It aims to provide a fun but also training-based approach to practical shooting. I played it on the Oculus Quest 2, and it’s available on the Oculus Lab, which is a section for games in progress. The Oculus Lab gives you a warning about the Lab games being incomplete, but I still plunked down my $20 and hit the download button. I was pleasantly surprised at less than half a gig download size.

The game fires up, and immediately, I suggest clicking the training button. You need to learn the controls, and they aren’t obvious at first. This is the first game I’ve played that uses one controller but two hands. Do both the basics and competition training to learn how everything works and dive deep into the controls and how the game works. Also, read the FAQ. Once that’s done, then try your hand at the various modes. Speaking of, let’s break those down.

Modes on Modes

We covered the training mode, but the game also has Free Ranges where you can just shoot for fun. The Jank Wick is my favorite, followed by a steel-style range clearly inspired by Hickock45’s home range. This is where you can get familiar with the numerous targets and how they function. There are steel, paper, and versatile targets that move and groove.

It also has competition stages with various classifiers you can shoot and enjoy. They mimic real classifiers and explain each one before you shoot it. It’s interesting, fun, and easy to get into. They have several classifiers for several different shooting sports, so you can learn how they work and rehearse them in VR, at home, basically for free.

The game is clever in how it starts matches. You have to load, make ready, and holster. Then you’ll get already and start signal automatically. Remember to put the safety on if applicable before reholstering.

There is also a custom gun mode that allows you to attach optics, lights, change sights, etc. Different guns have different customization options. For example, the decked-out race guns have a lot more options than the revolver.

Finally, we have a stage-building mode. You can design your own stages with tons of various targets, as well as obstacles and custom cover designs you can implement. You can place them, rotate them, raise and lower them, and so on and so forth. It’s really cool how much work went into this mode. You can save and share your custom stages with friends.

The Controls

The controls are really cool and make the most out of the Oculus controller. For handguns, you use a single controller. Racking the slide and working the safety is done with the flicks of a joystick. Dropping the magazine and releasing the slide are tied to buttons. A grab button allows you to draw the gun, and you can guess what the trigger does.

To reload, you simply make the reloading motion, and your gun picks up on the movement. It’s seamless, mostly, until it occasionally misses your reload. It’s seemingly rare, but it happens. You have to align sights and aim or use a dot, which is my preferred option. This delivers a good deal of satisfaction and realism.

What about long guns? Good question. I’m fairly clueless. I do know that you need to switch to two-controller mode. Other than that, the FAQ and training don’t address it. My short time spent trying to use a shotgun resulted in frustration. I couldn’t figure out how to load, cock, or even how to properly hold and aim the thing. A training mode needs to be implemented for long gun use.

I checked out the Discord for the game, where the developer answers questions. Someone asked how to use long guns, and he referred them to the FAQ, which doesn’t tell you much more than switch to two-handed controls.

The revolver is also tricky to reload. Specifically, how to get ammo into the gun seems odd and doesn’t function well. Maybe a revolver training mode could be added?

Training Value

Admittedly off the bat, a VR game is tough to sell as a training aid. You might ask, what about recoil, malfunctions, muzzle rise, etc.? Well, we do get muzzle rise, and you can learn to track your sights. We don’t get real recoil, obviously. The training value to me comes from shooting and learning the stages, as well as the rules of practical shooting.

You can shoot through all of the common Steel Challenge stages, the USPSA Qualifiers, and more. Here you can learn how the stages work and mentally rehearse them with actual visual feedback. You can learn to lean out from cover and even sprint between obstacles if you have the room to do so, but that can be tricky outside of a warehouse.

There is also something to be said for finding the dot or aligning sights on the fly, and you can do that here. It’s almost like a very intense dry-fire session. There could be some training value in drawing your gun or at least working through the motions. Sadly, the holster placement mechanism is wonky.

You can basically set your holster where you want it inside a bubble that surrounds your body. Every time I put it on my hip in a realistic place, it would float and disorient and basically be between my legs in the game. This makes it very difficult to play the game properly. I had to set the gun about a foot away from my hip and in the bubble to get this stop, so my draw isn’t quite realistic.

Weapons and Gear

You can play with quite a few guns and gadgets. This includes a Glock, a 1911, a CZ Shadow 2, some tricked-out race guns, A S&W 929, a Laugo Alien, a Benelli M2, an MPX, a Dissident Arms Saiga, and many more. The gadgets include red dots, lights, and more. I mostly played with the handguns since I couldn’t get the long guns to work.

Dots include realistic representations of your favorite models. This includes the Aimpoint Acro, the Trijicon RMR, the Trijicon SRO, Shield Sights, and even a Holosun with the Vulcan reticle. You get tons of customization options with varying weapons, so it’s easy to just sit and tinker in the game’s made-up little shed.

The Jank

As an unfinished Oculus Lab game, VR Practical Shooting has some jank. As I mentioned, it’s not intuitive with long guns. The holster zips around after being locked, and sometimes you can’t leave a mode. Something happens where your hand is stuck in ‘gun’ mode even after you’ve holstered. The only way to leave the stage is to menu quit the game and start over. VR Practical Shooting certainly has some bugs, and $20 feels like a lot to ask for an unfinished game. However, it seems like the developer is quite active with fans and buyers on their Discord.

This gives me hope we’ll see more and more updates. I also need to find someone to 3D print one of the gun-shaped controllers for me. That would make this an absolute blast. VR Practical Shooting has some jank, but I really enjoy playing, especially since I can make the excuse that it’s training.