Want to improve your shooting? Dry fire! What is dry fire exactly? Well, it is shooting your firearm without any ammunition in the chamber. Dry fire enhances your trigger control and your sight acquisition. It works, but it can be a pain with ARs. With ARs you have to run the charging handle. It can lead to improper muscle memory. However, Mantis Blackbeard has changed the dry fire game.
Mantis Blackbeard
Dry-fire practice with your AR has just gotten so much better, also. The Mantis Blackbeard is an auto-resetting trigger that does not involve replacing your trigger. This is a drop-in bolt carrier group and magazine that will work with your current trigger. It will have the same weight, break and reset. There’s no need to run the charging handle after each trigger pull. Plus, it will work with both direct impingement and piston-driven ARs.
Blackbeard allows you to take up to 10 shots per second, quickly resetting the hammer between each shot. The magazine battery pack is good for 100,000 shots per charge and has a battery level indicator on it. The Blackbeard bolt carrier is offered with an optional laser that allows you to see where your shots go.
Rapid Dry Fire
It took less than two minutes to break open a Bravo AR, remove the bolt carrier group, drop in the Blackbeard (make sure the trigger hammer is down), close it up and insert the battery magazine in place. I then had a chance to really feel the trigger without any live ammo. Much to my wife’s disdain, I started doing home clearing drills. There is an audible “click” after each trigger pull, but I was surprised how quickly the trigger reset itself.
Blackbeard is a great system that requires no modifications to your AR. It is available without a laser or with a red, green or infrared laser. I plan on using Mantis’ Laser Academy with Blackbeard that adds practice modes and targets, which require movement, timing and scoring for a much-improved training session. Do yourself a favor and go get a Blackbeard. You won’t regret it. Find yours at mantisx.com.
