Mantis X10 Elite for Dry Fire Practice
Dry Fire Practice. It is something we all can be doing to improve on our firearms fundamentals. I should be doing it more often than I do. It doesn’t cost you any money in terms of ammunition and with the current market prices of ammunition, dry fire sounds much appealing than sending expensive rounds downrange. There are different methods to make dry firing even more effective, such as placing an empty casing on top of your slide with the goal of keeping it steady through your trigger press. There is also a multitude of products to help enhance dry fire practice. I have tried and used a few over the years and Mantis X is one of my favorite ones to use.
Mantis X
Mantis X is one of the higher-tech options available on the market. It uses a small electronic device that attaches to your rail on your pistol or rifle that tracks the slightest movement during your dry fire practice and instantly sends the information through Bluetooth technology to your smartphone. Downloading the application is free through the play store and it is very easy to use. Not only does it track your dry fire practice, but it can also do live-fire practice and give you tips on how to improve, depending on your results.
In the past, I used one of Mantis X’s first models and it worked well. The only downside to it was the hardware. When it came to mounting it to your rail, it used a cross-bolt very similar to some weapon lights. It was very secure. However, it required tools to install and made it a little inconvenient to have to install and remove for every practice session.
Mantis X10 Elite
The X10 Elite is the latest model from Mantis X and it improves upon the earlier model in many ways. From outward appearances, it is noticeably smaller and slimmer than its predecessor. It has a different method for mounting — a spring-loaded catch that makes attaching to the rail a quick, simple task that requires no tools. The easier it is to get going, the more training you’ll do with fewer excuses for not training.
Getting Started with the X10 Elite
Once you open the box, attach it with the charging cable and get it fully charged. While it’s charging, download the app and create a new account or sign in if you already have one.
When it is fully charged, it is time to attach it to your cleared and safe pistol. Attaching it to the frame is easy, just pull down the lever and slide it on until it is lined up with the slot, then let go. That locks it in place. It’s really that easy!
To turn it on, hold the button at the bottom until it lights up green. Now you open the app on your phone and hit the connect button. It may need to calibrate so just set the pistol down until it is complete. Then go down the menu and choose whichever program you want to run. You can choose the make and model, whether you’re practicing dry or live, left or right-handed, etc. through the drop-down menus.
Now you can start to practice. Make sure your pistol is safe, clear and that you have no live ammunition near you. Depending on the type of dry fire practice you are doing, it may be easier to not use any magazines at all so you can cycle the slide without worrying about it locking to the rear. I know there are magazine plugs for that but if you’re just focusing on trigger control, you just don’t need it. Also, make sure you have a safe spot to focus and target for your training. You can never be too safe when working with actual firearms.
The Mantis X app tracks and saves everything so you can see your progress.
You can see live as you are practicing, regardless if you’re doing dry fire or live fire. I got to do both dry and live fire practice over the past few months. I wish I could’ve practiced a lot more than I did for the purposes of this article. I found the Mantis X10 Elite to be easy to use, accurate, and very helpful with the tips in response to how I was doing.
The X10 Elite MSRP of $249.99 is well worth it. It really is like having an instructor watch what you are doing while practicing so that you actually can make improvements to your shooting performance. The quick detach feature is simple to use as well as the app. Being able to do dry and live fire practice is also an added bonus. You really need to do both, I know ammunition is expensive but live-fire practice is a must.
Of all the products that I have had experience with over my years of using firearms, the X10 Elite is by far one of the most effective available. What I found out about myself from using this over the past few months is that I need to practice even more. I highly recommend it to everyone from all levels of experience.
