Chris Raper — Retired North Carolina law enforcement (40+ years) · U.S. Air Force Security Police · NRA-certified Pistol, Rifle & Shotgun Instructor · NC DOJ-certified Concealed Carry Instructor · Founder, Concealed Handgun Carry, Inc. (Elm City, NC, 2006)This guide draws on my own research and what my students bring into the Concealed Handgun Carry class every week. The method line at the end of the article says exactly how this guide was built.
The best dry fire training system for most concealed carriers is the MantisX X10 Elite: it clips to the rail of the gun you actually carry, tells you what your muzzle did as the trigger broke, and grades your draw from the holster, in dry fire and later at the range. If you want a target to shoot at in the living room, the Mantis Laser Academy kit turns a laser cartridge and your phone into a scored target system. If you never want live ammunition in the same room as your practice, a dedicated training pistol like the SIRT 110 or Mantis TitanX is the safest way to train.
I tell every concealed carry class the same thing: the permit course is the legal minimum, not training, and most of the skill you will ever need is built at home with an empty gun. Ten focused minutes a few times a week does more than a box of ammunition once a month. The tools below make that practice measurable. Each pick was chosen from manufacturer documentation and retailer listings; none of these companies paid for placement.
FYI, product features and compatibility are accurate as of time of writing. Check the maker’s current fit list for your pistol before you order.
Dry fire training systems compared
| Product | Type | Works with your own gun | Resets the trigger | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MantisX X10 Elite | Rail-mounted motion sensor + app | Yes | No (rack between presses) | Trigger control, draw and recoil analysis, dry and live |
| Mantis Laser Academy | Laser cartridge + smart targets + app | Yes (check incompatible list) | No | Scored target drills at home |
| SIRT 110 | Inert training pistol with laser | No, separate pistol | Yes | Safest high-volume practice |
| Mantis TitanX | Inert training pistol + laser + sensor | No, separate pistol | Yes | Training pistol with built-in analysis |
| DryFireMag | Trigger-reset magazine | Yes (listed models) | Yes | Realistic trigger reps in your carry gun |
| Strikeman | Laser cartridge + target + app | Yes | No | Budget laser practice |
| MantisX X2 | Rail-mounted sensor, dry fire only | Yes | No | Lowest-cost feedback on trigger control |
| CoolFire Trainer | CO2 barrel replacement | Yes (listed models) | Slide moves | Recoil and follow-up practice |
How we chose
Each pick had to fix a problem I see often in students (a trigger press that moves the muzzle, a slow draw, or practice with no measurement), work with common carry guns, and fit a living room. Descriptions come from makers’ documentation and published reviews, not lab testing.
1. MantisX X10 Elite – Best Overall Dry Fire Training System
HIGHLIGHT:
Measures what your gun did at the moment the shot broke, in your own gun, dry or live.
HOW IT WORKS:
The X10 Elite is a small motion sensor that clamps to your pistol’s accessory rail (or to a magazine-baseplate adapter on guns without a rail) and talks to the MantisX app on your phone. Every time you press the trigger, the app shows a trace of how the muzzle moved before, during and after the break, and scores the shot. MantisX lists it as compatible with handguns, rifles and shotguns, plus archery through a separate free app.
WHAT THE ELITE ADDS:
The Elite adds holster draw analysis and recoil analysis, so you can grade your draw from concealment at home and then take the same unit to the range for live fire. MantisX lists roughly 20 hours of battery life.
LIMITS:
It does not reset a striker-fired trigger, so you rack the slide between presses, and it does not give you a target to hit. Pair it with a laser system or a simple paper target on the wall if you want both. The sensor also adds a little bulk to the rail, so it will not fit most carry holsters while mounted.
Pros: works in your own carry gun; dry and live fire; draw and recoil analysis; long battery life. Cons: no trigger reset; no target; sensor will not fit most holsters while mounted.
Check today’s price on Amazon · MantisX product page
2. Mantis Laser Academy Training Kit – Best Laser Target System
HIGHLIGHT:
A full home target range in a case: laser cartridge, smart targets, stands and phone tripods.
WHAT’S IN THE KIT:
The standard kit includes a Pink Rhino laser cartridge in the caliber you choose, sets of 5 x 7 and 8 x 11 inch Laser Academy smart targets, target stands, a mini and a large tripod with phone holders, an extraction stick and a carry case. The cartridge sits in your chamber and sends a short laser pulse when the firing pin strikes it. Your phone camera watches the targets and scores each hit.
DRILLS:
The free version of the app offers four basic modes. The full-access code in the kit unlocks timed and multi-target drills, including holster draw drills with a par time, shots from low ready, and close-contact work. For a carrier that structure is the point: it turns “pulling the trigger at the wall” into a score you can try to beat.
CHECK YOUR GUN FIRST:
Mantis lists firearms the laser cartridge does not work with, including the SIG P365, Ruger LCP, Ruger SR series and LCR, Walther CCP and AR-15 pattern rifles, and notes it is not compatible with DryFireMag. Read the current list before you order, because several popular carry guns are on it.
Pros: complete kit; scored drills including draw; uses your own gun. Cons: rack between shots on striker guns; incompatible with some popular carry pistols; needs good lighting and setup.
Check today’s price on Amazon · Mantis Laser Academy kit page
3. SIRT 110 Training Pistol – Best Dedicated Training Pistol
HIGHLIGHT:
An inert pistol that cannot fire a cartridge, with a trigger that resets itself.
WHY A SEPARATE PISTOL:
SIRT stands for Shot Indicating Resetting Trigger. Next Level Training’s SIRT 110 is shaped on the outline of a Glock 17 or 22 and cannot be loaded with live ammunition. The trigger resets on its own after every press, so you can run a hundred trigger presses or a full draw-and-fire string without racking a slide, and a laser shows where each shot would have gone. Retail listings put it at about two pounds.
WHO IT SUITS:
This is the tool I point families toward when there are children in the house, or anyone who wants zero chance of a live round in the practice room. Its Glock-pattern shape fits many holsters made for that pattern, which keeps draw practice realistic.
LIMITS:
It is not your gun. The grip angle and trigger feel are close to a Glock but not identical to everything, and owners of other platforms should weigh that. Check the current listing for the green or red laser version and the options it includes.
Pros: cannot be loaded; self-resetting trigger; laser feedback; fits common Glock-pattern holsters. Cons: not your carry gun; Glock-pattern only.
Check today’s price on Amazon · SIRT 110 retailer listing
4. Mantis TitanX – Best Training Pistol With Built-In Analysis
HIGHLIGHT:
A resetting-trigger training pistol and a MantisX sensor in one.
HOW IT WORKS:
The TitanX is an inert training pistol in Glock 17, 19 and 45 form factors. Mantis describes its resetting trigger as having nearly the same weight, break and reset as a stock trigger, and it fires a red laser at the moment the trigger breaks, with no slide to rack. It connects to the MantisX app over Bluetooth, which unlocks drills and courses covering trigger control, holster draw analysis and magazine-change analysis. It comes with two weighted magazines and is cut for RMR-pattern optics.
WHO IT SUITS:
Glock carriers who want the safety of a separate training pistol and the measurement of a MantisX. The weighted magazines make reload practice realistic, which most dry fire setups skip.
Pros: resetting trigger; laser plus app analysis; weighted magazines; optic-ready. Cons: Glock form factors only at launch; separate gun to buy and store.
Check today’s price on Amazon · TitanX product page
5. DryFireMag – Best Trigger Reset for Your Own Pistol
HIGHLIGHT:
Lets your real carry gun’s trigger reset between presses without racking the slide.
HOW IT WORKS:
The DryFireMag takes the place of your magazine. A spring-and-lever mechanism inside resists the trigger and resets it when you let it out, so you can practice trigger press and reset in your own pistol. The first press, which releases the striker, is heavier than the rest. The maker lists versions for double-stack Glocks and other popular striker guns such as the Springfield XD and SIG P320.
HOW TO USE IT SAFELY:
Unload the pistol and remove all ammunition from the room, rack the slide to set the striker, then insert the DryFireMag. Do not rack the slide with it installed. It can take a firm tap to seat and a tug to remove.
Pros: your own gun and trigger; true reset feel. Cons: limited model list; no shot feedback on its own; not compatible with the Laser Academy cartridge.
Check today’s price on Amazon · Confirm your model on the maker’s fit list
6. Strikeman Dry Fire Training System – Best Budget Laser Kit
HIGHLIGHT:
The cheapest way to get a laser cartridge, a target and an app that tracks where and how fast you hit.
WHAT YOU GET:
Strikeman kits include a laser cartridge, a paper target and stand, and a phone tripod, and work with a free app that uses your phone camera to record hit location and time, with session history. Cartridges are offered in common calibers including .380 ACP, 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, .38 Special, .357 SIG and .223/5.56.
LIMITS:
Like any chamber laser, it does not reset a striker trigger, so you rack between shots. Double-action revolvers and double-action pistols run it most naturally.
Pros: low cost; many calibers; simple app. Cons: fewer structured drills than the Laser Academy; rack between shots on striker guns.
Check today’s price on Amazon · Choose the cartridge for your caliber
7. MantisX X2 – Best Budget Sensor
HIGHLIGHT:
Muzzle-trace and trigger-control feedback at the lowest MantisX price.
WHAT IT DOES:
The X2 is built for dry fire only. It mounts to the rail like the X10 Elite and gives you muzzle trace, trigger-control analysis and a shot timer, with roughly 20 hours of battery life. It skips live-fire use and the draw and recoil analysis of the Elite.
Pros: lowest-cost MantisX; same core trigger feedback. Cons: dry fire only; no draw analysis.
Check today’s price on Amazon · MantisX model comparison
8. CoolFire Trainer – Best Recoil Simulation
HIGHLIGHT:
Puts a recoil impulse and a moving slide back into dry practice.
HOW IT WORKS:
The CoolFire Trainer replaces your pistol’s barrel and recoil spring with a CO2-charged unit. When the striker hits it, it releases a small charge of gas that moves the slide and produces a recoil impulse you can see and track. Supported models listed in published reviews include Glock 17, 19, 43, 43X and 45, several SIG Sauer, Smith & Wesson M&P and Shield models, the Springfield Hellcat and Walther PDP.
LIMITS:
It takes more setup than any other pick here: you disassemble the pistol, install the unit and keep CO2 on hand. Treat installation and removal with the same care as any other field-strip.
Pros: realistic recoil and follow-up shots; works in your own gun. Cons: requires disassembly; ongoing CO2 cost; model-specific.
Check today’s price on Amazon · Order the kit for your exact pistol
How to choose a dry fire training system
START WITH WHAT YOU WANT TO FIX:
If your shots land low and left, you need trigger feedback: a MantisX. If you are slow from the holster, you need a timer and a draw drill: the X10 Elite’s draw analysis, the Laser Academy’s par-timed draw drills, or a training pistol. If you want to practice with no chance of a live round, buy a training pistol.
YOUR GUN OR A TRAINING GUN:
Training in your own carry gun builds the exact grip, trigger and holster habits you will use. A separate training pistol removes live-ammunition risk from the practice room. Many households end up with both.
TRIGGER RESET:
Striker-fired pistols need the slide racked between dry presses. That is fine for slow trigger work but breaks up draw and multi-shot drills. Training pistols and the DryFireMag solve that.
WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
Snap caps or dummy rounds for malfunction-clearance and reload practice, a safe backstop, a simple timer (most of these apps include one) and the holster and belt you actually carry with. See our drawing from concealment practice drills for a ten-minute routine and our gun belt guide if your holster shifts on the draw.
Dry fire safety rules I teach
- No ammunition in the practice room. Unload every gun and magazine and take the ammunition to another room.
- Check twice. Look and feel the chamber and magazine well, then have someone else check, or check again after a pause.
- Pick a backstop that would stop a bullet. Train as if the gun were loaded, toward a wall or object that would stop a round.
- Set an end time and say it out loud. Most dry fire accidents happen with “one more rep” after the gun has been reloaded. When you stop, you stop.
- Reload in a different room and do not go back to the practice area afterward.
Store the gun properly when you finish. Our best quick-access gun safe and holster safety rules pages cover the rest.
Key takeaway: the best dry fire training system is the one that measures the problem you actually have, used ten minutes at a time, several times a week, with no ammunition in the room.
Dry fire training FAQ
Is dry firing bad for my gun?
Most modern centerfire pistols tolerate dry firing, but check your owner’s manual. Rimfire guns generally should not be dry fired without snap caps because the firing pin can strike the chamber edge.
How often should I dry fire?
Short, frequent sessions work best: about ten focused minutes several times a week beats one long session a month.
Can dry fire replace live fire?
No. Dry fire builds the draw, grip, sight picture and trigger press. You still need regular live fire to manage recoil and confirm your hits.
Do laser cartridges work in striker-fired pistols?
Yes, but you must rack the slide to reset the trigger between shots. Some pistols are on makers’ incompatible lists, so check before buying.
What is the safest dry fire setup for a home with children?
A dedicated training pistol that cannot be loaded, used in a room with no ammunition, with your carry gun locked in a safe during practice.
Chris Raper
Chris Raper is the founder and lead reviewer of Conceal & Carry Network. A retired North Carolina law-enforcement officer with more than 40 years of service and a U.S. Air Force Security Police veteran, he founded Concealed Handgun Carry, Inc. in Elm City, NC in 2006 and has taught the state-approved NC Concealed Handgun Carry class there ever since. He is an NC Department of Justice certified Firearms Safety Instructor, an NRA Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun Instructor, an NRA Range Safety Officer and a graduate of Massad Ayoob's Lethal Force Institute. He reviews the carry guns, holsters, safes and sight tools his students ask about every week.