Laserlyte makes laser gunsights, muzzle-mounted laser boresighters and chamber-mounted laser boresighters. I’m currently evaluating their chamber boresighters for .223 and .270 and I’m impressed thus far; I’m sure the .223 version has already saved me almost a box of 5.56 ammo. I’ll post a full review after I can use it in a few more rifles, but I should describe its operation now: it’s a machined-brass cartridge case with a (hopefully) precisely aligned laser inside of it. When you put it in the chamber of your rifle and close the action, the red laser is activated and it shows you exactly where your barrel is pointed. The laser stays on until you remove it from the gun. To zero your new scope, red dot or iron sights, simply adjust them until they line up with the laser dot at 15 yards or so. You’ll know your first shots will already be ‘on the paper.’ SO a good idea then. Yes, well, that’s that. This—Laser Training Cartridges—are something else . . .
In addition to the chamber boresighters, Laserlyte has released what they call their “Laser Training Cartridges” for 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. They’re almost the same as the chamber boresighters, but they’re only for handguns and they’re momentarily activated when you pull the trigger and the firing pin hits a spring-loaded switch. They list at about $100, and advertise that their tiny batteries will last for about 1000 ‘shots.’
To safely practice shooting in your home, the idea is simple enough: you clear your pistol, drop one of these laser cartridges in the chamber,and dry-fire to your heart’s content. Each time the hammer or striker drops, the red laser dot will show you where the bullet would have hit.
They’re only offered in these three semi-auto calibers, (sorry .38/.357 fans) and they work best with traditional DA/SA pistols. XD-istas and Glock jocks will have to partially rack the slide to reset the striker between laser ‘shots.’
I’m not sure if these gadgets are a great training aid or a “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?” candidate. Dry-firing practice is always a compromise between realism and safety, with blue plastic training guns at one end of the spectrum and real (unloaded) firearms at the other. Each compromise has its benefits and disadvantages.
Here’s where I come down on the issue: the idea of aiming and pulling the trigger of my self-defense pistol around the house with anything in the chamber gives me the willies.
I’m not a laser-hater; I sometimes use an external laser as a point-shooting practice aid for my ‘middle of the night’ defensive pistol, which wears a light and laser. Before doing so, I drop the magazine and empty the chamber, rack the slide and check the chamber multiple times, activate the slide-mounted safety (the only time I ever do that) and then lock the magazine and ammo back in the gun safe until playtime’s over.
And then I check the chamber again. And again. I’m a little OCD about that. My finger stays out of the trigger guard, because for me the laser is only for instinctive pointing practice, and not for trigger control.
As I mentioned, I’m evaluating chamber-mounted boresighters, and I like them a lot so far. They don’t set my spidey-senses tingling; they’re not meant to be used for trigger practice. The laser is always on when the boresighter is chambered (instant proof that the gun is not loaded with live ammo).
I believe I’m being as near as possible to 100% safe with the combination of an empty gun (signified by the always-on laser dot), the manual safety on (it’s a rifle) and my finger safely off the trigger.
These training cartridges would be perfect for a basement dry-firing ‘range’ or a private backyard, or any place where you can follow all the rules of gun safety while dry-firing. But I can’t imagine myself aiming them around the house as some in the blogosphere are already suggesting. Learning to load a brass-colored widget into a 9mm, aim it around the house and pull the trigger is not a practice skill I want to acquire.
“the idea of aiming and pulling the trigger of my self-defense pistol around the house with anything in the chamber gives me the willies.”
May I ask then, how do you feel about using snap-caps for dry-fire practice?
Loaded, unloaded, with some crazy laser bullet, no matter what; you should always handle firearms safely.
The only other thing this product needs is a companion target that will keep score. They could use some kind of projector too so you can set up shoot/don’t shoot scenarios and practice a little more realistically. Could basically give you a realistic simulator in your basement for a few hundred dollars.
That would great product for a basement range for someone like me. I live in a residential neighborhood with no space to shoot outside, and it’s about a 40 minute drive to the range. I could spend time practicing drawing from a holster, sighting, and firing with some actual feedback, without ever leaving the house.
-Patrick
Didn’t Nintendo do that in the mid-80’s with Duck Hunt?
US Armed Forces does something similar except blanks are loaded into the weapons. There is a virtual reality version, and also a reality version where trainees where vests that beep when your are “wounded.” The outdoor one is called the MILES system.
Oh, and those things should be painted BRIGHT orange or blue or something that does NOT resemble an actual live cartridge. That’s what we like to call “common sense”
I agree. That’s really all it needs and it’s cheap, simple fix.
When I do dry-fire with snap-caps, I check and recheck (and recheck) that the cartridge in the chamber is bright red. I also agree with the OP: seeing a brass cartridge in there would give me the willies.
Agreed. Just had an ND mistaking the boresights for a (thankfully) critical defense bullet. Followed all 4 safety protocols — not realizing what I just put in my weapon (admittedly very stupid to have not put the bullet away). My first shot is always in an innocuous area so fortunately only fired into the floor, but it gave me a scare enough to not want to own a laser sight at all.
@Bek:
I don’t use snap caps myself, but many shooters love them. I don’t do a lot of dry-firing, and none of my guns have broken so far 🙂
I really like Patrick’s idea of anodizing these training cartridges bright red to match the color of snap caps, or some other conspicuous color that doesn’t resemble a live round. I wish I’d thought of it myself.
I have one of the 45 cal for setting up my crimson trace lasers on my 45’s. It works really well and I can easily set up the laser for what ever distance I want to shoot that day. I don’t use my lasers to often now because it’s more fun to use the iron sights.
Are these assault lasers?
Only if you attach a bayonet. Seriously, I was once a firearms instructor for State Corrections. It use to drive me crazy with the practice of painting “dud” rounds red and using them for dry fire-no, I am NOT joking! One day, I watched the (now former) Range Master dry fire with these as he pointed the revolver towards the FBI agents at the other range. The world stopped as a belated “bing” sounded after the “BANG”. By the luck of the Gods his round hit a dumpster! I wrote the charging document myself…
Snap-Caps and the new laser training cartridge force the user to clear the chamber. I use Snap-Caps as a safety device.
It is still up to the user to not “dry” fire with a live round in the chamber.
It would be a bit more compelling if the target face was a standard size, and if the whole system was cheaper.
Here’s what I do for at home practice:
-Construct a shallow wooden box about 1ft wide and 2 ft tall, (3-4 inches deep), plywood back.
-hang a piece of wire across the inside of the top of the box
-hang an old towel or two from the wire.
-staple a piece of cardboard on the front.
-affix a standard sized target.
-shoot with an inexpensive airgun in your living room daily.
project cost: ~10 bucks for the box, 75 bucks for the airgun
now, if they fired a really powerful heat laser… i’d buy six at any manageable cost and put them in a DA revolver.
I started using a LaserLyte Laser Trainer Target and two of their Laserlyte Laser Trainer Cartridges 1 in 9mm Luger and 1 in .380 ACP or 9 mm Browning. I was having trouble shooting a CZ 75BD with a XS Big Dot and custom Ghost Ring from Cajun Gun works. I was shooting low. I was able to fix that just fine once I realized I was letting my head droop.
I bought Laser Activated Shot Recorder with all the plug-ins and I was able to improve my draw and able to actually see where I hit. The LaserLyte Target just showed one LED when i hit it over and over when set to score.
With a CZ I got lots of double action training or I could cock the hammer for single action. After thousands of simulated round on both a CZ 75 and CZ 83 with target sights I shot better with 72 year old eyes.
The downside is no kick, no noise and I can walk the red dot in on the target shooting with out sights. If you shoot a revolver it costs $500 bucks to buy 6 9 mm laser trainer cartridges and 38 Special adapters.
There is a solution for for walking in the red laser dot by using the Infrared laser cartridge and Infrared camera that Laser Activated Shot Recorder sells.
Of the two I like Laser Activated Shot Recorder the best they seem to be a small outfit off to a good start that has working product that has a history of steady improvement. It can be real handy I use my wife’s grocery list that on a Post-It note on the cabinet as target from my chair across the room or lean up an array of targets stuck to a piece of foam core board.
While I have pulled the trigger at least a couple of hundred thousand times over the last 60 years most 22 shorts at running Jack rabbits these laser cartridges keep my muscle memory trained.
Red
A sword by itself does not slay; it is merely the weapon used by the slayer. -Seneca
https://www.itargetpro.com/
Old thread. Now that 9mm is a bargain at $0.70/rd in 2021 maybe some of you guys should take a rethink. Used with modern simulators, lasers combined with recoil simulation are an indispensable tool for anyone who is serious enough to carry a weapon in public for self defense.
Laser gun training seems to be a pretty good option, I’ve been looking at some different products and have seen a few videos on youtube about mantis, anyone own this? seems pretty cool.
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