Setting Up a Laser Range

cslinger · August 3, 2017, 07:27 PM

Since I have had a few questions I figured I would post what I had posted over at the SIG forum regarding my own setup of a laser range.

I want to start out by pointing out a couple things about myself.

I am not a gunfighter, super secret squirrel card carrying member, LEO, DELTAOPERATORSEALGSG9BRO, Girl Scout Den Leader nor did I stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night. I do not really want to be or do any of these things.

I am a hobbyist shooter who has been very lucky to shoot an own a VAST number of different firearms. I have no illusions, dreams or desires to use violence of any kind on anybody.

I say the above only to preface the fact that I am only providing my own personal experience here and in no way am I saying you should or shouldn't do X, Y or Z.

Now as I have said I shoot a wide range of guns and as such I am very comfortable with just about anything but have never devoted to one to be fantastic with that single platform. I am a passable shooter.

About a year ago I decided that I needed to do more dry firing, as we all know this is a way more critical component to shooting than most give credit. I then decided I wanted more feedback so I picked up a laser cartridge (Surestrike / Laser Ammo). While this did help and add to my enjoyment it still didn't scratch the itch to make me want to dry fire more. So I started looking into hit spotting software.

I didn't want to pay the big bucks so I tinkered with several different free/low cost versions over the past year and at best they were buggy and at worst they didn't work at all. I recently decided to give it another go and thought to my self. "Self, wait a minute.....there's gotta be an APP for that!!"

So I found an APP. The App, I settled on is called Shot Veryifyer and it is finally what I want in a home laser range. It is portable, reliable, easy to use and gives me just enough versatility at very low cost. But does it work????

So recently over the past week I have been using my laser range to work on some fundamentals that I have problems with. Namely grip. I have always used a "proper" handgun grip either thumb over thumb, thumbs high or thumbs forward. No tea cup or other nonsense. However, many years back I learned that most of my gripping should be coming from my off hand not my primary shooting hand. I think I read something like 70/30. I have played hell with teaching myself this, (mental block)

You see my brain instinctively wants my primary grip to grip tighter and tighter when shooting. Even though I now KNOW this to be wrong I have had a hard time overcoming this and this creates issues with trigger pull and breaking shots (left for me). I exacerbate this with larger calibers, although generally only with semi autos.

So over the last week or so I have done dry fire every night on the "laser range" telling myself to grip differently, use my offhand/wrist more then my grip. I figured I would go to the range to see if the fun I have been having was doing any good or if it was just fun. Much to my surprise I shot markedly better today and in a way that was more natural/easier. I still had moments where I had to say, ease up on the grip, but I was shocked at how much a week of working on the "laser range" on some of my own personal issues worked out in the real world.

So there you have it. Would regular old dry fire work....probably, but I cannot seem to work up the desire to simply dry fire. All I am saying is that for ME personally this little setup has proven to be both LOTS of fun and has paid dividends when things go hot.

A couple of notes after some some time using in different locations and distances.

-If the target is moving it will read false hits. For example if a fan or AC starts blowing and causes the target to flap a bit.

-You cannot use a weapon light to practice. The light itself causes false hits to appear.

-If your trigger pull is sloppy and the laser "drags" too far it could create a second false hit. For example it will show at hit at point of impact and a second "hit" at the end of the drag point.

-I have found this is a great way to practice first shot from draw as well as shooting from the move "get off the X" if you will.

-I have found this is a GREAT way to practice shooting down any actual possible lanes of fire in your house or from odd positions (laying in bad, opening the safe to get gun and then fire etc.)

-I have used the system indoors up to about 50-53 feet or so and laser hits picked up just find with my Surestrike cartridge.

-I believe someone has tested and confirmed it works well with a SIRT pistol as well.

So what have I invested in my little setup.
-Surestrike Laser Cartridge - I bought a set that works on multiple calibers but a single caliber laser module will run about $90.00. The endcap/activator is said to run for at least 5000 shots an can be replaced for $39.00 or so. So far this cartridge seems to be a well made tool.

-Iphone 7, I am not counting this in the cost since damn near everybody has a smart phone/pad/etc. If you do not have one then obviously this makes the cost barrier to entry a bit of an issue.

-Shot Veryifyer APP. I believe this was $14 bucks and allows for free fire at any targets, timed shot drills etc.

-Iphone tripod. About $15 bucks. Not strictly necessary but very helpful.

So all in you are at about $120-$140 bucks for say 3,000-5,000 shots with a maintenance fee of $40-$50 bucks in batteries/endcap etc. for another 3000-5000 shots. (I am guesstimating may be more shots, mine shows no signs of issue)

To me this has been well worth it and a great deal of fun.

I just thought I would share my experiences but once again I am in NO WAY saying YOU NEED TO TRAIN THIS WAY or YOU WOULD BE CRAZY NOT TO DO X, Y OR Z. I have no place nor any illusions about my skills to say that to anybody. I simply wanted to give a little review of something I set up that is both fun and has been practical for me.

As always take care, shoot safe.
Chris

Here is a short movie to show the system in action. This is just a demonstration of free fire at whatever target I put up. So far I have shot up to about 50 feet without issue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz3mWWagQBs

cslinger · August 3, 2017, 07:29 PM

I have also had folks as about the ITarget App. I have used the application but not the tray and cartridge that you get if you buy the full set. The application works fairly well for me. It is actually one of the two apps I have found to work fairly well with the rest comparatively sucking in my use.

So for me I would rank them as....
Shot Veryfier LT
ITarget
All the other crap.

One more thing I just thought of. Using the Iphone's screen capture ability you can technically record/save some of your shooting sessions as images if you like. Itarget actually has a save session function, with date, range etc. watermarked, so this is actually a nice feature of ITarget.

Your mileage may very of course.

I hope this helps interested folks. Its really a lot of fun and seems to pay out in real world skills.

chaim · August 4, 2017, 11:42 AM

Between this and the other thread on a home laser range, timing couldn't have been better. I don't have the time I used to to get to the range, and since ammo prices went way up some years ago I can't afford to shoot like I did 10-15 years ago either. However, I have quite a few guns, always bringing my CCW and home defense guns means I am limited in how many guns I bring just for the fun of it, and only going to the range once a month or so (that is an increase from only a few times a year a couple years ago), some guns see very little use. So, I've been thinking about setting up a home laser training range.

I have been thinking about iTarget and "laser ammo" (lasers, laser targets, and software) and others. I've seen one app that was free for the basic version, with other versions for $5-10 for more than just basic target shooting (things like shot timers were extra), but I can't find that one anymore. I've been wondering about the different lasers that were available, and which are the best if you don't want to spend a small fortune to set up for several different calibers.

This thread is a great start. Thank you.

August 3, 2017, 07:27 PM	#1
cslinger Senior Member Join Date: July 14, 2002 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 2,045	Setting Up a Laser Range Since I have had a few questions I figured I would post what I had posted over at the SIG forum regarding my own setup of a laser range. I want to start out by pointing out a couple things about myself. I am not a gunfighter, super secret squirrel card carrying member, LEO, DELTAOPERATORSEALGSG9BRO, Girl Scout Den Leader nor did I stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night. I do not really want to be or do any of these things. I am a hobbyist shooter who has been very lucky to shoot an own a VAST number of different firearms. I have no illusions, dreams or desires to use violence of any kind on anybody. I say the above only to preface the fact that I am only providing my own personal experience here and in no way am I saying you should or shouldn't do X, Y or Z. Now as I have said I shoot a wide range of guns and as such I am very comfortable with just about anything but have never devoted to one to be fantastic with that single platform. I am a passable shooter. About a year ago I decided that I needed to do more dry firing, as we all know this is a way more critical component to shooting than most give credit. I then decided I wanted more feedback so I picked up a laser cartridge (Surestrike / Laser Ammo). While this did help and add to my enjoyment it still didn't scratch the itch to make me want to dry fire more. So I started looking into hit spotting software. I didn't want to pay the big bucks so I tinkered with several different free/low cost versions over the past year and at best they were buggy and at worst they didn't work at all. I recently decided to give it another go and thought to my self. "Self, wait a minute.....there's gotta be an APP for that!!" So I found an APP. The App, I settled on is called Shot Veryifyer and it is finally what I want in a home laser range. It is portable, reliable, easy to use and gives me just enough versatility at very low cost. But does it work???? So recently over the past week I have been using my laser range to work on some fundamentals that I have problems with. Namely grip. I have always used a "proper" handgun grip either thumb over thumb, thumbs high or thumbs forward. No tea cup or other nonsense. However, many years back I learned that most of my gripping should be coming from my off hand not my primary shooting hand. I think I read something like 70/30. I have played hell with teaching myself this, (mental block) You see my brain instinctively wants my primary grip to grip tighter and tighter when shooting. Even though I now KNOW this to be wrong I have had a hard time overcoming this and this creates issues with trigger pull and breaking shots (left for me). I exacerbate this with larger calibers, although generally only with semi autos. So over the last week or so I have done dry fire every night on the "laser range" telling myself to grip differently, use my offhand/wrist more then my grip. I figured I would go to the range to see if the fun I have been having was doing any good or if it was just fun. Much to my surprise I shot markedly better today and in a way that was more natural/easier. I still had moments where I had to say, ease up on the grip, but I was shocked at how much a week of working on the "laser range" on some of my own personal issues worked out in the real world. So there you have it. Would regular old dry fire work....probably, but I cannot seem to work up the desire to simply dry fire. All I am saying is that for ME personally this little setup has proven to be both LOTS of fun and has paid dividends when things go hot. A couple of notes after some some time using in different locations and distances. -If the target is moving it will read false hits. For example if a fan or AC starts blowing and causes the target to flap a bit. -You cannot use a weapon light to practice. The light itself causes false hits to appear. -If your trigger pull is sloppy and the laser "drags" too far it could create a second false hit. For example it will show at hit at point of impact and a second "hit" at the end of the drag point. -I have found this is a great way to practice first shot from draw as well as shooting from the move "get off the X" if you will. -I have found this is a GREAT way to practice shooting down any actual possible lanes of fire in your house or from odd positions (laying in bad, opening the safe to get gun and then fire etc.) -I have used the system indoors up to about 50-53 feet or so and laser hits picked up just find with my Surestrike cartridge. -I believe someone has tested and confirmed it works well with a SIRT pistol as well. So what have I invested in my little setup. -Surestrike Laser Cartridge - I bought a set that works on multiple calibers but a single caliber laser module will run about $90.00. The endcap/activator is said to run for at least 5000 shots an can be replaced for $39.00 or so. So far this cartridge seems to be a well made tool. -Iphone 7, I am not counting this in the cost since damn near everybody has a smart phone/pad/etc. If you do not have one then obviously this makes the cost barrier to entry a bit of an issue. -Shot Veryifyer APP. I believe this was $14 bucks and allows for free fire at any targets, timed shot drills etc. -Iphone tripod. About $15 bucks. Not strictly necessary but very helpful. So all in you are at about $120-$140 bucks for say 3,000-5,000 shots with a maintenance fee of $40-$50 bucks in batteries/endcap etc. for another 3000-5000 shots. (I am guesstimating may be more shots, mine shows no signs of issue) To me this has been well worth it and a great deal of fun. I just thought I would share my experiences but once again I am in NO WAY saying YOU NEED TO TRAIN THIS WAY or YOU WOULD BE CRAZY NOT TO DO X, Y OR Z. I have no place nor any illusions about my skills to say that to anybody. I simply wanted to give a little review of something I set up that is both fun and has been practical for me. As always take care, shoot safe. Chris Here is a short movie to show the system in action. This is just a demonstration of free fire at whatever target I put up. So far I have shot up to about 50 feet without issue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz3mWWagQBs __________________ "Is there anyway I can write my local gun store off on my taxes as dependents?" Last edited by cslinger; August 3, 2017 at 07:36 PM.

August 3, 2017, 07:29 PM	#2
cslinger Senior Member Join Date: July 14, 2002 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 2,045	I have also had folks as about the ITarget App. I have used the application but not the tray and cartridge that you get if you buy the full set. The application works fairly well for me. It is actually one of the two apps I have found to work fairly well with the rest comparatively sucking in my use. So for me I would rank them as.... Shot Veryfier LT ITarget All the other crap. One more thing I just thought of. Using the Iphone's screen capture ability you can technically record/save some of your shooting sessions as images if you like. Itarget actually has a save session function, with date, range etc. watermarked, so this is actually a nice feature of ITarget. Your mileage may very of course. I hope this helps interested folks. Its really a lot of fun and seems to pay out in real world skills. __________________ "Is there anyway I can write my local gun store off on my taxes as dependents?" Last edited by cslinger; August 3, 2017 at 07:47 PM.

August 4, 2017, 11:42 AM	#3
chaim Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2001 Location: Maryland Posts: 2,095	Between this and the other thread on a home laser range, timing couldn't have been better. I don't have the time I used to to get to the range, and since ammo prices went way up some years ago I can't afford to shoot like I did 10-15 years ago either. However, I have quite a few guns, always bringing my CCW and home defense guns means I am limited in how many guns I bring just for the fun of it, and only going to the range once a month or so (that is an increase from only a few times a year a couple years ago), some guns see very little use. So, I've been thinking about setting up a home laser training range. I have been thinking about iTarget and "laser ammo" (lasers, laser targets, and software) and others. I've seen one app that was free for the basic version, with other versions for $5-10 for more than just basic target shooting (things like shot timers were extra), but I can't find that one anymore. I've been wondering about the different lasers that were available, and which are the best if you don't want to spend a small fortune to set up for several different calibers. This thread is a great start. Thank you.