Video game for practice

[mcgiiver]

Does anyone know of a video game that actually provides realistic practice for cowboy shooting and steel shooting? The Wii game, which project a red dot on the screen is counterproductive as it reinforces the bad habit of looking at the target rather than the front sight.

[0351A]

No, not at all. I enjoy some video games as much as the next guy, but there is absolutely no substitute for the real thing. There are simply too many conditions that you would have to replicate for it to be accurate. I can't imagine how a video game could leave you without some sort of bad habit as a result of there being no atmospheric conditions, no recoil, difficulty simulating proper sight picture, and it being unlikely that anyone makes or would make a properly weighted replica that would also lose weight as you shoot it. Granted, the last one is a minor difference, but in shooting, minor differences are major. I know that the idea of something you can practice with that doesn't involve range fees or ammunition costs is tantalising, but I just don't think it would ever be worth it, except for pure entertainment value. And the real thing is more entertaining anyway. Sorry.

[Perturbed Panda]

Your best bet would honestly be airsoft. It's been used by LE and military as a training aid. The benefits are it's relatively cheap, they make a lot of handgun replicas (1911, Glock, Sig, Beretta, Springfield XD and more), you can practice force on force scenarios and they operate with the same battery of arms as their real counterparts. Most are equipped with a gas blow back mechanism, which simulates a small amount of recoil.

My only suggestion is that you usually get what you pay for with these things, so don't cheap out. Be sure to use full seal eye pro for force on force training, you don't want to shoot your eye out.

[1stmar]

Laserlyte makes a laser training system that looks ok. I'd be looking for something where you could practice w your gun, any video game will use some controller, will not simulate trigger control.

[sfmedic]

I dont know what your financial situation is but a FATS system is pretty good for scenario and judgement training. I think all of them come with marksmanship ranges loaded into the program and that has steel scenarios on them

I had one for years but once the novelty wore off I rarely used it and sold it just to get it out of my house - but then Im pretty much A.D.D. and tend to loose interest if i see another shiney toy.

[Smit]

I second the airsoft idea. It can be quite fun and also as closer to the real thing than any video game out there. You need to build on the physical muscle memory, and video games cannot help you in that department.

[Nanuk]

So much for the fallacy of violent video games training killers. Used properly they are a good method to work on tactics though.

[g.willikers]

If you can find the Namco brand Point Blank video games for Playstation, they have a bunch of very good target games in them.
The light gun that comes with them is very accurate, too.
Too bad Namco no longer makes those types of games, but there's used ones around.

As for airsoft, check out the Umarex blow back pellet pistols, instead.
Far more accurate, thanks to rifled barrels and aerodynamic pellets.
Quite a bit more recoil, too - more like a .22 in some of their models.
But definitely not for force on force.
They will put a hole in you, for sure.

[ltc444]

Just a point on the effectiveness of video games in training shooters. The Paducha Kentucky Heath School shooting

Michael Carneal opened fire on a group of students at Heath High School with a Ruger MKII pistol. "He fired eight rounds in fast succession at a youth prayer group. Three girls died while hospitalized and five others were wounded." All eight shots were at moving targets. One source indicated they were head shots.

Carneal had minimal actual shooting experience. What he did have was a lot of time playing video shooting games.

this incident and the fact that the Army has installed video games in Unit day rooms indicates that these games do have value in training shooters.

[rayway]

I have experience with three very highly realistic video games, I would reccomend for tactical simulation training purposes the first one is Soldier of Fortune II Double Helix Gold Edition designed in 2003 a very Visceral and violent Soldier shooter PC game with a genius dismemberment engine at every body joint to be shot off yes it is very cool and utterly realistic with built in aim drift intergrate factors on each weapon if you chose the options all very realistic and all the basic principals are very real-oriented simulated fierce combat don't believe me buy it and yes its very challenging and hard and I loved that game to death, I hope I didn't mess up my eyesight playing it. And for xbox 360 operation flashpoint dragon rising release 2009 is very realistic and very hard also. And Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Xbox 360 relased 2006 hard too. I would say they help stimulate your creative thoughts on practical shooting so I don't see a downside to it at all. And have patience playing these games they are time consuming fine motor skills video games.

[9mm]

No, No, No........... I play video games a lot, like Battlefield 3, Arma II (dayz mod ^^ ) They are no means a trainning tool, maybe to see realistic style of reloading but not to train to shoot. Thats why I go to the "gun range" on a monthly bases. That's one reason of a gun range to learn to shoot better. Video games are not ranges. You feel no recoil, you don't have deafening sounds nor do you smell gun powered when you play a video game.


Try a BB gun.

[rayway]

Yeah bb guns are pretty good trainers to a extent Im just in general a good shot when I practice at a range I seem to sleep on it and come back many times better. And playing these certain first person shooters which are fun too can help you think alot about stuff you forget to do and cant do at the range so making you more open to other ideas.

[Loronzo]

F.A.T.S. simulator