Early thoughts, Mantis X3

daved20319 · Jan 1, 2020

I have a difficult time getting out shooting as often as I'd like, and regular dry fire practice doesn't offer any feedback. I know I have a tendency to shoot low right with my pistols, but none of my attempts to correct that have been consistently effective. I'd seen the Mantis X before, but the price was kind of scary, I figured spending the money on ammo would be a better choice. But I stumbled across another review of the latest version, the X3, started looking at it seriously again, and finally ordered one last week.

For those that have never heard of the Mantis X, it's a sensor that attaches to your pistol or rifle with a picatinny rail. If you don't have a rail, they sell adapters that attach via a strong adhesive tape, I ordered a couple, one for my CZ 75D PCR, the other for my CZ 97 BD, neither of which has a rail. What the sensor does is track movement, in real time, just before, during, and just after breaking a shot, and offers analysis and coaching for possible issues. The sensor itself is quite small and light, I have mine on the bottom of a mag on the PCR, and I don't even notice it when "shooting". I put shooting in quotes because this thing works for both live and dry fire, and will also work on CO2 powered guns (Airsoft). Interface is via Bluetooth and a smart phone app, I'm using my iPhone 6S, so far, it's worked flawlessly. The app is pretty intuitive, and it offers a variety of training courses, as well as all the tracking and analysis already mentioned. It scores each shot in a session, as well as keeping a constant record of all shots fired in all sessions, so you can go back and review, as well as keep track of your (hopefully) progress. Each shot is scored based on movement, perfect is 100, but you'll probably never see that unless you have the gun in a Ransom Rest. That said, I did have several in the high 99's, which was kind of surprising, but more on that later.

Mine showed up yesterday, so I got started with it last night. There's an Introductory program that gets you familiar with the system and it's features, I was happily surprised that my shooting was consistently in the low to mid 90's, and my usual low right wasn't showing up. That tells me that my basic technique is good, but I have either an issue with my sights, or my sight alignment. I'll address that the next time I get to do live fire, and yes, I'll be using the Mantis then, too. And in case anyone was wondering, yes, it will ding you if you really suck. I had a couple of shots I did weak hand only that were in the 60's, and a couple of DA shots that weren't much better. But the Mantis was able to quantify what I did wrong, and offered suggestions on how to fix it.

I could probably ramble on, but for now, I'll close this by saying so far, so good. If you're looking for a training tool that will help you actually see what you're doing as you pull the trigger, this is definitely worth a look. Yeah, at close to $200 it's not cheap, but it makes dry fire practice a fun challenge instead of a chore, with the added advantage of also being able to track just what's going on during that practice. And being able to follow up with live fire can only add to its value. I'll post more later if I think it's warranted.

daved20319 · Jan 10, 2020

So after using this for awhile, I'm becoming aware of the major flaw with this system. At first, my scores were looking pretty good, and I was starting to think that maybe I didn't suck quite as much as I thought I did

. But as I've continued to work with it, my scores are actually going DOWN, with my most common mistake being breaking my wrists down, also known as anticipating recoil. Problem is, I'm only dry firing at this point, so I KNOW there's not going to be any recoil to anticipate. This is further exacerbated by me being sure I'm NOT anticipating, which means the real problem is something else, and so I come to the flaw. Without having more shooting experience, or a qualified trainer, I really don't know how to diagnose this issue and fix it. Which means that instead of practice makes perfect, I'm just practicing the same mistakes.

So here's my current take away. I'll continue using the Mantis X for a couple of reasons. First, it still makes dry fire a fun challenge, and that means I'll keep doing it, even at risk of developing a "training scar". Second, I think the issue in this case is actually trigger press, if I switch from my PCR to my 97, that has a much lighter trigger pull, my scores improve immediately. Of course, the 97 is also a much larger pistol, with a longer sight radius, so that could be a factor as well. I'm hoping to pick up my Sig P220 soon, I'll be interested to see what kind of scores I can manage with that. It's about the same weight as the PCR, but closer to the 97 in how it fits my hand. Plus, it has the worst trigger of the three IIRC, hopefully, between the three of them, I'll be able to zero in on the actual problem. I'll keep you posted, later.

Geardo · Jan 10, 2020

Maybe it isn't working correctly?

I firnly believe that 10:1 dry:live fire, coupled with stepping down to an appropriate catridge for your body and skill level, will 99.5% eliminate flinch.

daved20319 · Jan 11, 2020

Yeah, that thought has occurred to me, but then there's that old saying, it's a poor workman that blames his tools

. I need to see if there's a system reset or recalibrate, one of the early vids I watched said there's supposed to be a calibration period when you first set it up, mine never did that. If nothing else, this has forced me to be really aware of my technique, although I think it's lying about my wrist breaking, I'm focusing on that and it seems to be getting better. I like to mix it up, in a typical session, I'll do 10 shots SA and then DA, and another 10 strong hand only, sometimes SA and sometimes DA. Other times, I'll play around with some of the other built in drills like the Compressed Surprise Break or the Hostage Taker. And as the app is on my phone, if I forget to do my practice, it'll gently nag me about it. All in all, even if it's not working perfectly, I still think it's a good system. Later.

daved20319 · Jan 14, 2020

So I think I may have figured out the issue. When I mounted the adapter to one of my PCR mags, I had it fairly far forward, and also mounted the sensor backwards. Not an issue in itself, the app allows for just about any mounting orientation, but because of how far forward it was, I think I was pressing on the sensor as I was gripping the pistol. By turning the sensor around, it sits farther back, and suddenly, it's not saying I'm breaking my wrist down all the time

. Whether that was actually the problem or not, I don't know, but at least I'm not directing as much profanity at this thing as I was before

. What's even better, my scores are looking better AND more consistent, so I'm back to being a happy camper

. Later.

MantisStephen · Jan 30, 2020

Daved20319,

I am glad to see you found the cause of the confusing diagnosis in Dry Practice!

I'll forward your experience to our team. Perhaps we can make a change that would clarify the error for Dry Practice. I agree that it is unlikely a user will flinch when they know for sure there is not a live cartridge in the chamber and giving the diagnoses for that type of movement may be confusing.

Calibration happens automatically just after connecting the app. Calibration may also occur just after clicking on a drill. If the pistol is on a table and perfectly still, the screen will usually not display because the calibration happens in a split second. However, if the pistol is not steady (you are holding it in one hand or it is in your holster) then you will usually see the screen prompting you to put the pistol on a steady surface.

As usual, I do not monitor these forums closely. I rely on notifications to be delivered to my inbox. If I am not responding, please shoot an email to [email protected] and I'll be sure to respond.

Thank you,
Stephen Jensen
Mantis Customer Service

daved20319 · Jan 31, 2020

MantisStephen said:
Daved20319,

I am glad to see you found the cause of the confusing diagnosis in Dry Practice!

I'll forward your experience to our team. Perhaps we can make a change that would clarify the error for Dry Practice. I agree that it is unlikely a user will flinch when they know for sure there is not a live cartridge in the chamber and giving the diagnoses for that type of movement may be confusing.

Calibration happens automatically just after connecting the app. Calibration may also occur just after clicking on a drill. If the pistol is on a table and perfectly still, the screen will usually not display because the calibration happens in a split second. However, if the pistol is not steady (you are holding it in one hand or it is in your holster) then you will usually see the screen prompting you to put the pistol on a steady surface.

As usual, I do not monitor these forums closely. I rely on notifications to be delivered to my inbox. If I am not responding, please shoot an email to [email protected] and I'll be sure to respond.

Thank you,
Stephen Jensen
Mantis Customer Service

Thanks, @MantisStephen, the calibration clarification makes sense. I normally do have whatever pistol I'm shooting sitting on the bench when I fire up the app, so that explains why I never got a calibration screen. Also glad to know you guys are monitoring the forums, even if it's not a regular thing.

Still using my Mantis regularly, and if my last range trip is any indication, it's making a difference, although it had been so long since the last time I actually shot live fire that the rust was showing badly

. Still, all things considered, it was a good session, and although I didn't have the Mantis with me, I was still catching my mistakes and was able to correct. Will be taking the Mantis next time, for sure. Later, and thanks again.

Dave