Strikeman Review
Training & Handling

Strikeman Dry Fire Training System Review

Training With the Strikeman Dry Fire System

With ammo and free time in short supply these days, not to mention the crazy cost of ammunition (when you can find it), dry-fire practice IS the ticket. Honestly, dry-fire practice really should be part of your ongoing training. Getting your hands on your gun and “working it” on a regular basis is the only way to stay fine-tuned for your armed self-defense. Unless of course, you have a range in your backyard and a storage room full of ammo!

You can read more about the basics of dry fire practice here

Dry Fire Tools

There are a lot of dry fire training tools out there to choose from and trust me, I have tried many of them. For me, the key is not how high tech it is, but rather how easy it is to set up, use and employ. I’m pretty good on a computer, smartphone, and even Switch, but some of the dry-fire training kits are just too complicated. Me, I like things fast and simple. If it’s not, no matter how great it is, I simply won’t use it. Time is precious.

The beauty of a laser/app system like this is that you can really improve your skills. The app tracks your progress and allows you to see your improvement. The app uses your smartphone camera to track and time every hit on the target. It then can store the data so you are able to really monitor training and improvments as a shooter. The app has both training and competition options, which are a lot of fun. More on the app later.

For me, having the ability to train with my own gun is huge. That is the gun I carry and will depend upon to save my life if necessary. Training, moving, sighting, and pressing the trigger on my gun is the only way I can truly train to be the best self-protector possible.

Not having to use a provided pistol that is nothing like my gun or have to change out the barrel or other components to train is something to really consider when selecting a laser dry-fire system. Some other key points on the overall system are that like any laser cartridge type system, with most semi-automatic handguns, you have to rack the slide to re-set the trigger for each shot.

The Strikeman System

Strikeman Laser Training System comes in two versions, the Strikeman and the Strikeman Pro. The original comes with a single target, a laser cartridge, a smartphone holder, and access to the app. The price is $99 but you can get it now for only $89 using the discount code: AMERICA The Pro version comes with a large target stand, 2 target versions, a laser cartridge, a smartphone tripod, target screw knobs, feet, ropes, and stakes for outdoor use, and access to the upgraded Strikeman Pro app.

Strikeman Original Single Target System

The Pro has a price of $199.00 and an optional app subscription of $9.99/month. You don’t have to do the subscription, but it does allow you to keep and store all of your history. The laser cartridges are available in 9mm, .380. .40 S&W, .45 ACP, .38 Special, .357 Sig, and .223/5.56. The laser cartridges have a rubber “activator button” so it won’t damage your guns’ firing pin. This is an important feature.

Available Calibers
Strikeman Pro Stystem

Packaging and Contents

The Strikeman arrived beautifully packaged. Clean and well-organized, with not a ton of pieces. Just my style!  Most importantly, it had a simple one-sheet, easy-to-read, illustrated instructions, not a novel. This says to me that if a company cares this much about its first impression and how its product is presented, they take the same level of care in the product and its customers.

Getting Set Up

I got it set up literally in minutes. The target stand was incredibly light. I didn’t have a good table to set it on, as I wanted the target up higher off of the ground so I put it on my couch! Worked great. I downloaded the app, upgraded to the “Pro” version. After inserting the batteries into the laser cartridge, I was ready to go. Seriously, the instructions couldn’t have been easier to follow. I just wish everything I bought came with such clear, simple, and illustrated instructions!

Before I began my practice, I removed all ammunition from the room and spent some time on the app to familiarize myself with it. There are a lot of great features, so spending some time exploring them is a good idea.

I chose to buy the subscription, which comes with a 2-week trial. In the open app, at the bottom, there are multiple tabs on the bottom of the screen, Profile, Metrics, Train, Compete and Feed.

The lighting is also important. You don’t want any shadows, or light reflecting on the target that could interfere with the app’s ability to track shots. A big plus is that you can use this indoors or out so you aren’t limited by having to be connected to a TV or computer monitor.

The App

In the Profile tab, you can set all of your personal preferences on how you want to interact with the app. Here you add the firearm you are using and can add as many firearms as you like. You will also find all of the tutorial videos here. There is a video tutorial for just about everything. These are very helpful.

The incredibly versatile Strikeman app is available in the Apple App Store or Google Play and gives you the variety of scenarios and feedback you need to have fun and improve your skills.

Metrics Tab

The Metrics tab holds all of your training history and data. You can view detailed analytics of all of our training sessions. For example, your shot score (where on the target you hit) VS your shot time (how long it took you to fire the shot). You can also view the target to see the percentages of where on the target your shots are hitting.

Train Tab

The Train tab is where the fun happens. Here you create your own training templates that you can reuse at any time.

On this tab, you set all of your preferences for your training session. You can select the following settings:

  • Which gun you will be using
  • What type of drill you want to do
  • Which target. Single, multiple or humanoid
  • The training “game“
  • The built-in shot timer,
  • How many shots you will fire (or how long of a time frame for the session)
  • The distance you will be shooting from
  • If you want to do more than one session
  • And more

It allows you to name and save your templates so you can quickly do the same training again, anytime.

Training Templates

You can create multiple templates, each focusing on different training goals. You can train shooting at a single target, or if you have the Pro you can shoot at multiple targets. The app audibly call out a target and then track where you hit the target and how long it took to get the shot off.

Here, you can also select Critical Thinking in which the app will call out a target by letter, number, or color. It forces you to have to then figure out which target it is, and shoot. Again, the app tracks your shots scores and times. There is also a Rapid Fire option and a Free For All. These “game-like” training setups are great. The app also will allow you to repeat the training session and will prompt you by voice to repeat the session.

Complete Tab

In the Compete tab – you can set up matches with other shooters. You can even set up a complete tournament made up of multiple matches. Again, the app will track everything for you. What a great way to train and have fun with friends and family members. You can set up the matches with any of the single or multi-target “games” like in the Train tab. The four game modes that are available on the Strikeman’s app are a great way to improve your shot times, practice drills, and develop critical thinking skills all while having fun.

Feed Tab

The Feed tab is a place to share your results and share photos of your training with friends. And.. get some kudos and encouragement! The app defaults to automatically posting your results. You can change this setting in the privacy settings of the Profile Tab.

Start Training

Before you start – you need to sight the laser. In fact, each time you put the laser cartridge into your gun to begin training, you will sight the laser. This is done in the Profile tab and the sight laser button shows on each gun you have entered. It is a critical step as it will give you more accurate shot detection. This process is very quick and for me, worked every time.

Safety First

When beginning a training session, the app will prompt you with a safety prompt, to help you ensure you follow proper safety protocols. I think this is a good thing. Making sure you are taking the steps to stay safe and be in the proper dryfire mindset is a very smart thing.

Calibration

The app uses your phone camera to automatically calibrate the target. This will “connect the dots” so to speak so that the app can accurately track your shots on the target. The phone, in the provided tripod, should be at least  3-8 feet and squarely facing the target. The distance really depends on your phone’s camera.  I found around 3 ½ to 4 feet worked best with my particular phone and I also learned it works quickly and best when you “start” the process of calibrating by fitting the target into the phone screen with no zoom. Then make any necessary zoom adjustments.

The tutorials found in the Profile tab guide you through everything. There are also some helpful videos on the Strikeman website.

IMPORTANT TIP: remove the batteries from the cartridge when not in use to preserve battery life.

My Personal Thoughts

I really enjoy training with the Strikeman. It is easy to use and I love being able to see all of my analytics and see my progress. The laser cartridge worked flawlessly and I had no issues inserting or removing it from my gun.

Outside of the app missing and not registering just a few shots, (likely due to some shadows on the target) and some difficulty in seeing the differences in the target color labeling (likely due to my “slightly older” eyes) I found the entire system worked extremely well.

The app, which is really the heart of this system, worked really well. It was fairly intuitive and easy to move around. The sound effects and voice prompt during training are really helpful and useful. It was very fun to use. Although I am training for something really serious, if you’re not enjoying your training, it is much, much harder to stick with it.

With the smaller, single target system, storing and keeping it readily available would be so easy. But,  I can easily store the assembled larger target in the back of my closet. This way, getting my regular dry-fire practice in will be even easier.

Check out the Strikeman’s Laser Firearm Training System here and give yourself a fun and cost-effective way to work on your skills as conveniently and as often as you want. The system is only $89 using discount code: AMERICA.  

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17 thoughts on “Strikeman Dry Fire Training System Review

  1. Tom Davis says:

    System works well. But monthly payments for the app at $10 is extremely high in my opinion and that is why I will be canceling.

  2. Cindy says:

    I’ve had the original Strikeman system for about 8 months and bought one for my son and another for my sister-in-law. Just got the pro version and was debating about getting the subscription but it does look worthwhile.
    Thank you for your review!

  3. John Maldaner says:

    Can you explain how the Rapid Fire option works? I’m a bit confused due to needing to manually rack the slide between shots. Thank you!

    1. Carrie Lightfoot says:

      Hi John, Rapid-fire option works with a double-action pistol where you won’t need to rack the slide every time you pull the trigger, or with an AR.
      But Rapid fire is generally useful as a mode because it lets you “freestyle” train with the target- no shot timer and no prompt so its just the laser and the app recording your accuracy. You are right, though, having to manually rack the slide every time limits rapid-fire training.

  4. Lorraine says:

    I really want this but I found that racking the slide after each shot is such negative training.

  5. Donna M Lins says:

    Do you have to rack the slide after every shot? I find that with all of these systems you have to do that.

    1. Carrie Lightfoot says:

      Hi Donna, yes, you do 🙂

      1. Donna says:

        That’s a bummer. Mantis sells a magazine you can use so that you can repeat fire without racking the gun with their system.

  6. Margot Aspen says:

    So excited—just ordered mine. I’ve wanted a dry fire system forever, but they’re either too expensive, too complicated, or both. Got the single target—don’t care about the tracking, etc. Again, too complex. Can’t wait to get it. Thanks for reviewing it, Carrie.

  7. Donna Serlin says:

    My question is about balance and natural point of aim.
    Obviously, safety is critical, but for my Ruger LC9s, without the magazine base extension to rest my pinky on, my natural point of aim shifts dramatically. Also, without the weight of any ammo, the pistol handles and points differently.
    Is there any way to use an empty but somehow weighted spare magazine in the pistol with a system like this, so that it handles more like my EDC piece?

    1. Carrie Lightfoot says:

      Hi Donna, nothing can replace the effectiveness of training live fire or simulate it perfectly with dry-fire tools. Make sure you are balancing your training live fire time with your dry-fire time. Although not perfect, dry-fire training should be a part of your training and can really help improve your skills.

    2. Tom says:

      Strip a spare magazine of the spring and follower.
      I can only generalize bc of the myriad of mags out there.
      Be creative and concoct, jury rig, you get the idea, a weighted sleeve. Orrrr Fill it w projectiles your gun would use or smaller. Some will take an old mag and pour it full w lead.

  8. Khadijah Ashanti says:

    Can I order the dry fire system from your site. I’m only asking because I don’t see it.

    1. Carrie Lightfoot says:

      There is a link in the article to their site. But here is the link. I think you will really like it! https://www.strikeman.io/TWAWPRO

      1. Khadijah Ashanti says:

        Wow, thank you. I kept looking for the link but did not see it. But once I read your reply, I went back and then I saw the word was highlighted. I did not know that was the link. Again thank you.

  9. Aleeya says:

    That’s pretty cool. I’ve been wanting to practice drawing from concealed but I either have to go to the range or drive up to my place in the country. Either way I’m having to pay fees and buy ammo. Plus I can’t fire from a concealed carry holster at the range.

    1. Carrie Lightfoot says:

      This is perfect for that. Most ranges don’t allow for drawing and it makes it so difficult to get the needed practice.

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