Which MantisX Product is right for you?

Have you been looking on mantisx.com trying to figure out which product would help you the most with your training? Depending on how you train, you can find value in each of our products. But the one you start with first depends on what you’re looking for. We have three main product lines: MantisX, Laser Academy, and BlackBeardX. We will go over the products in that order and explain the process of working with each system.

MantisX 

The Mantis X is a shooting performance system that goes on the Picatinny rail of your firearm. The Mantis X systems are best described as an in-pocket coach and are connected to the MantisX Pistol/Rifle App. Depending on the model, it will work on pistols, rifles, shotguns, and bows. (Mantis Archery and Mantis Shotgun have separate apps.) The MantisX tracks the movement of your trigger press to tell you the direction your shot would have impacted on the target, why, and how to correct it. There are four models of the Mantis X. We have the Mantis X2, X3, X10, and the X8. 

The Mantis X2 is a dry-fire-only unit for rifles and pistols. This device is only for at-home use without real ammo. It is considered a static trainer and can easily be integrated into your at-home firearm training regimen. The X2 has all of the marksmanship drills. These drills include but are not limited to shoot-no-shoot, compressed surprise break, primary hand, shot timer, and the Mantis X Benchmark.

The Mantis X3 has all the abilities of the X2 but the X3 does add in the ability to use your unit on your gun during live fire training. There are also other options in the settings like CO2 practice. With the X3, you can take it to the range and save ammo with the correction it supplies. Again the Mantis X units look at the movement throughout your trigger press to track where you pulled your shot, to tell you why you pulled it in that direction, and give you the corrective instructions on how to fix it for your next shot. Like the X2, the in-app drills focus on your marksmanship. 

The Mantis X10 is a top-of-the-line unit. This one can be used with dry fire, and live-fire practice. The X10 has all the drills from the previous two units however, whereas the X3 in the X2 were static training devices, the X10 adds in dynamic training. This includes shooting with more movement. With a pistol, you can use the Holster-Draw Analysis drill. This drill breaks up your draw stroke into five segments of time. It tells you how long it takes from the beep to get a grip on your gun, pull it from the holster, get the gun horizontal, punch out to the target, and press the shot off. Because you have those five segments of time, you can diagnose your holster draw and determine where you can clean it up to get the best time from in the holster to on target. 

One of the drills you can use with a pistol or rifle is called Recoilmeter. This drill tells you how long it takes from breaking the shot off, on target, to the next shot breaking back on target. It also tracks the degree of muzzle rise during the shot, and the degree of muzzle width between the shots to help you determine how fast you can recover from the recoil.

The Mantis X10 does work with pistols, rifles, shotguns or bows so keep that in mind as you look at the other products. The X10 overall is our universal tool and can be integrated into any of your firearm or bow training. The shotgun portion of the X10 is designed specifically for trap and skeet. It has a built-in scorecard for those sports.

The Mantis X8 is an archery-only unit. This one breaks down the entire draw process to help you understand your inconsistencies. And this section looks like the Holster Draw Analysis because it breaks down each section of the movement to tell you how long it takes and where your bow was moving during that process. The archery section does have a piece that tells you what some potential errors could be based on where you pulled your bow. The goal of the archery section is to understand what you do and to make it consistent.

Laser Academy

The Laser Academy Kit is like bringing a range home to you. The Standard/ Portable kit comes with a Pink Rhino laser that you select the caliber for. 

• Full Access Code
• 5”x7”  and *8”x11” Laser Academy Smart Targets
• Mini tripod and *Large tripod with Smart Phone Holder
• Laser Cartridge extraction kit
• Portable carrying case
• Blue adhesive putty
• *Set of target stand holders (5)

*Only included in the Standard Kit

Once you have the Standard or Portable Laser Academy kit, you take the full access code and type it into the app. The access code gives you access to all of the drills within the Laser Academy app. Then you can get started! Take the laser cartridge that you selected and put it into your firearm, now when you drive fire, rack the slide to reset the firing pin or hammer, and pull the trigger, you will see one red laser emitted on target. 

You will place your phone into the tripod of your choice whether it’s the small or large tripod with the smartphone holder. (Portable kits only have the smaller tripod.) Then open the app and choose a drill. Once you choose a drill, a screen will pop up and ask if you have the targets, kits, or lasers. Since you should already have the portable or standard kit at this point, you will be able to run a drill. The phone will show you the camera image of what it is picking up and you will have your targets placed on the screen. When the camera is picking it up there will be a blue outline around your target and then the green go button can be pressed to start your session.

Laser Academy will then show you all of the shots that you’ve taken and show you the point of impact. It will tally up the score, total shots, and total time. If you have multiple people using the kit you can run duels while practicing holster draws and have timed competitions with the hunt drill. The duel hunt drill will call out the shape, color, and number in the hardest level. The first person on target wins that round. 

Blackbeard

The Blackbeard is the trigger reset system that currently works in the A.R. 15 platforms. If you want to do dry fire without having to break form and reset the trigger on your rifle, this is the tool for you. We have two levels of this product. The original Blackbeard just resets the trigger, but the BlackbeardX tracks the movement of the firearm to tell you where you pulled your shot, why, and how to correct it like MantisX. The BlackbeardX is additionally available in the Sig MCX variation. 

This product helps you dry fire like you live fire.  It does all that tedious dry fire work for you while keeping the same trigger weight, break, and reset. You get to run approximately 75,000 shots per magazine charge. (The magazine is the battery.) The laser integrated into the bolt carrier group shows you the point of impact for each shot you take. 

The Blackbeard X also tracks your transitions. It will break down each transition from target to target, to show you the time on the previous target, transition time, time on the current target, and any delayed/wasted time before the shot. This feature is great if you would like to track transitions for a competition stage, practice clearing your house, and have more training time with your rifle while saving ammo.

Wrapping Up

All of the Mantis systems can bring value to your firearm training. If you are looking for a Coach/ immediate feedback the MantisX systems are for you. Mantis X users love the data and the ability to use the X10 on everything. If you want to bring a range home and use targets, the Laser Academy System is for you. Laser Academy is great if you are addicted to seeing your paper groups during live fire. If you train with your AR-15 at all, then the Blackbeard is a must-have item.

Pick up the Mantis system for you today!