Strikeman

Shooting with the laser cartridge helps focus attention on the grip and trigger control. Feedback is instant in that the laser is visible on the target (depending on the range). Without recoil and muzzle blast, it is easy to feel how grip and trigger pull affect the point of impact. I am not as pleased with the software. I would prefer to select the number of shots in a session to be three or 5 instead of a minimum of 10. Since one is racking the slide of a semi auto for each shot, shorter sessions would be nice. I am glad to see the targets are retrievable through a template’s history. Reviewing and comparing the hits on a target is much more valuable to me than the minimal metrics displayed. If I’m tracking my progress I’d rather know the spread and center location of my groups. Maybe I have to upgrade to get more metrics? Even though I don’t feel comfortable with the software, this is a great tool to practice shooting when you can’t get to the range or can’t afford to shoot. It does not take very many sessions to save enough in ammunition costs to pay for the Strikeman. I find myself “shooting” more often and in shorter time blocks with the Strikeman than when my only option was to disturb my rural neighborhood or drive to the range on a weekend when I was lucky enough to score a box of ammo.

Strikeman fills an important need, allowing the practice of site alignment, target acquisition, stance and grip, and trigger press in the comfort of your home and without ammunition cost or range fees. The app is decent and hopefully enhancements will keep coming. Registration of “shots” appears to be pretty accurate. Different shot templates can be created and stored so that a particular type of training session can be reliably repeated. Scores are calculated, averaged, and plotted for each session and a photo of the target with shot placements is automatically captured at the end of each session. As with any system like this, when using a semi-auto one has to rack the slide in between shots. This can lead to the bad habit of always re-racking between shots due to muscle memory. I noticed a tendency to do this when I shot my gas-powered pellet gun after some Strikeman sessions. I recommend using a practice routine with the Strikeman that does not involve re-racking the pistol immediately after shooting. For me this means shooting more untimed sessions rather than trying to squeeze of multiple shots quickly in a timed session. Lastly, I had an issue initially with my 9mm Glock in which, after loading the laser cartridge, it would light up immediately and remain dimly lit. I contacted Stikeman support and they informed me that other customers solved the same issue by lubricating the cartridge and unscrewing it slightly. I loosened the cartridge a little and now before each session I wet a rag with a couple of drops of gun oil and lubricate the O-rings. Since then the cartridge has worked just fine. It would help if Stikeman added this info to their FAQs. Overall, a very good practice tool.

What an amazingly well thought-out app this turned out to be! It’s polished, easy to use and extremely good at its primary task—to make you a better shooter! And that’s all without having to fire a single live round. Wow, I wish they’d had this technology when I was a lad learning how to shoot, instead of shooting into a box of my mother’s precious magazines and then dealing with the fallout shortly thereafter. Since shooting (with a pistol anyway) is all about pointing properly and learning how to get better at hitting what you’re intending to hit—over and over and over—this app (and the entire Strikeman system for that matter), is a Godsend! Gone is the expense, the hundreds of rounds of wasted ammo (in my case anyway, as I’m a slow learner), and the time needed to actually go to the range. Instead, all one needs is a few minutes, this fantastic app and the requisite Strikeman system, and you’re good to go. And not with a mediocre product, but with a beautifully thought-out system. If you’re a shooter of any kind and want to be better at hitting what you’re actually aiming for, you simply can’t afford not to invest in a Strikeman system for yourself. It really is a game changer!