Anyone here use the Mantis X to refine your grip etc? Thoughts on it

[kmanick]

I was at the range yesterday with a friend of mine and he had this gizmo with him (actually a bunch of the guys at the
steel plate practice I went to on friday night had it as well). It hooks up to an app on your phone and shows you movement while
pulling the trigger. I found it interesting that it showed I was breaking my wrist or anticipating recoil and jerking the trigger
......but my shots weren't going low? so I may be doing some compensating sight alignments to stay on target.
I'm going to go out again later on today and really focus on my trigger pull and grip with some real slow accuracy shooting at close range.
Any of you guys/gals use this thing? thought on it?
thanks
Nick

[octagon]

I don't use one and have not but the most recent Pro Arms podcast had a piece on the Mantis X that was quite positive. Most of the reviews I have seen on You Tube or elsewhere have been positive.

[LOKNLOD]

There have been a few threads here in the past (even with some developer involvement, iirc) that'll come up if you search "mantis"

[P.E. Kelley]

I had some dialog with the developers of this unit and helped them to understand that future software upgrades should include real time "trace data"...the latest units...do!

My review is a year old.

https://youtu.be/3xj0WQJFrII

[kmanick]

well I did go out again today and this thing actually gave me some good feedback. at 32 feet today using 124 grain on my 9L
(I took off the red dot and just went with the iron sights). It was telling my I was anticipating recoil and breaking down.
I am left handed , if you look closely you can see I have blacked out a couple of the earlier shots where I was actually doing this.
(a couple of high flyers got away from me early on , too lazy to change the target.)
this picture should be rotated to the left. With the suggested adjustments I was much much better groups. I'm off to the left a bit and high but I'm not used to the suppressor sights so I 'm feeling those out. I'm looking more for consistency in shot placement for now.
Looks like I may have to buy one of these suckers :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/kmanick/124%20blazer%20at%2030%20ft%20Iron%20sights_zpsrrz i73n8.jpg

[45dotACP]

It's a pretty handy gizmo tbh. Especially if you need to correct some obvious trigger control issues. I'd suggest it. My only issue with mine is now I'm shooting a lot of guns without pic rails. Womp Womp.

[Drang]

My only issue with mine is now I'm shooting a lot of guns without pic rails. Womp Womp.

They sell a mag baseplate adapter.

[45dotACP]

Well then, gonna have to grab one of those. Thanks Drang!

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[Sal Picante]

Patrick's information is excellent, really.

Another interesting take on it is this guy JoeMustang99 on Youtube that has been using the MantisX to get some dry fire and live fire feedback.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8VRYxVasGQ


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgTzQh-E6Ko

[Sal Picante]

I checked out 45dotACP's unit ... wait that didn't sound right...

I played with 45dotACP's mantis... wait that's not better...

45dotACP brought his MantisX computer to the range and let me evaluate it while shooting groups while back. I thought it was pretty cool, though some of the tracking info was a bit "too much".

Neat stuff, really...

[EricM]

45dotACP brought his MantisX computer to the range and let me evaluate it while shooting groups while back. I thought it was pretty cool, though some of the tracking info was a bit "too much".

I assume its feedback matched your shot calling? How fine of feedback does it provide? One application I'm curious about is detecting how much deviation from the intended POI is due to sight alignment vs. minor grip/trigger issues. Did it seem sensitive/accurate enough to detect, say, when a shot would go into the 9 ring at 25 yards?

Knowing that the developers are committed to implementing real enhancements (and have actually done so) makes me a lot more interested in this.

[Sal Picante]

I assume its feedback matched your shot calling? How fine of feedback does it provide? One application I'm curious about is detecting how much deviation from the intended POI is due to sight alignment vs. minor grip/trigger issues. Did it seem sensitive/accurate enough to detect, say, when a shot would go into the 9 ring at 25 yards?

Knowing that the developers are committed to implementing real enhancements (and have actually done so) makes me a lot more interested in this.

So for that, you're really looking at the trace data. It was almost too much information without really actionable material. E.g. After the shot, the trace doesn't matter ... It is everything before the shot that really matters. This data is almost too unspecific.

I'm curious what changes they've made and what I could learn about it again, tho. I think I'd like to take a second look.

My biggest issue is that I'm not sure where it would really fit in when learning to shoot groups: I.e. Assuming I wanted to shoot Bianchi Cup again, I'd need to understand how to fit the data into my training. If I can accomplish that by shooting 25 yard groups, dry fire, etc. I'm not sure where the output of this device would go when trying to figure things out...

[beenalongtime]

Today was my seventh or eight time shooting ever, so I would probably still be considered a newbie. Due to not being able to make it to the range (work/OT), I ordered this a while back (and a cell phone) to see if it made a difference. I have not taken the MantisX to the range, nor have I used it by itself (use it in conjunction with a laser training device). I feel the MantisX made my trigger pulls more consistent, the laser gave me feedback on aiming/sights as well as pulling, etc, and EL's hammer, eliminated my hammer bite issues.
First time to the range since May, and my groupings were markedly better.

[EricM]

My biggest issue is that I'm not sure where it would really fit in when learning to shoot groups: I.e. Assuming I wanted to shoot Bianchi Cup again, I'd need to understand how to fit the data into my training. If I can accomplish that by shooting 25 yard groups, dry fire, etc. I'm not sure where the output of this device would go when trying to figure things out...

Yeah, that really is the question...what does it tell you that the target and your sights do not. I'm curious enough to give it a shot, and the $20 off Cabelas coupon that just came in the mail doesn't hurt either. I'll report back in a few weeks.

[Qaz98]

Reviving an old thread. I just got one of these. I've only seen positive reviews, both from YouTube (I know, grain of salt) but also from some people here. I definitely need help, and for the cost of a couple hundred rounds of ammo and range time (ok, bit more, but not a lot), I thought I'd give it a try. I like that I can mount it to different railed pistols, as well as dry and live fire. And, way cheaper than Laserlyte or Sirt.

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[orionz06]

Yeah, that really is the question...what does it tell you that the target and your sights do not.

That's kinda my issue. At some level a new shooter isn't good enough to read their sights after the shot.

I would think this paired with the LASR software and a SIRT might be better as all relevant data, other than recoil and what the shooter saw, is accounted for.

[Failure2Stop]

I have been working with one for about a month. Will post a review and my thoughts in a couple weeks after I get a chance to live-fire with it on.

[NevadaBob]

Whatever happened? Most recent posters have not got back to us. Anyone else buy this device?

[GyroF-16]

I just heard about it on a P&S Modcast, and am interested as well...

[NevadaBob]

Recent short article on it in Feb 2018 NRA Rifleman magazine.

[octagon]

I picked up a Mantis X back in March and have a few thousand dry fires with it. I have had some minor issues with it not detecting shots on my P10C but these happened less with setting the sensitivity to high. I also have some issues with a shot being detected when racking the slide which are not a lot but a few times very annoying. Racing the slide pointing down helps but is not foolproof. It really sucks when you have a great run going in the benchmark drill and have it happen as they cannot be deleted.

I am finding it sensitive to transitions and not always picking up shots without time stabilizing.

Overall I like it for giving feedback, graphing movement, documenting sessions and progress and general fun comparing sessions to each other and to others in dry fire group. I think once Mantis allows for the recording of muzzle movement as Patrick suggests it will be even better for more stuff and in live fire. They have playback now with new version but I haven't shot it live fire yet since the update.

[orionz06]

I'm still curious how one resolves the hit/miss vs what one saw with their sights. Holding the gun super still is awesome but I wonder what one of these would look like if Rob Leathem used one for a bit.

Perhaps the info is out there and I've missed it.

[beenalongtime]

I'm still curious how one resolves the hit/miss vs what one saw with their sights. Holding the gun super still is awesome but I wonder what one of these would look like if Rob Leathem used one for a bit.

Perhaps the info is out there and I've missed it.


The MantisX as far as my experiences take me (I haven't taken it to the range, just use it for dry fire due to a lot of work hours), it is more for trigger control. The laser I use with it is more for the sights.
I received an inexpensive webcam to be able to set up some open source shooting software, which I think would be better on the visual end.

[45dotACP]

I'm still curious how one resolves the hit/miss vs what one saw with their sights. Holding the gun super still is awesome but I wonder what one of these would look like if Rob Leathem used one for a bit.

Perhaps the info is out there and I've missed it.The mantis basically assigns a percentage value to your shot. When Les was trying mine out it was rarely below 95% and he was shooting tiny groups.

Granted he has a background in bullseye, is a GM in USPSA and shoots PPC matches and such, but I suspect if someone like Rob Leatham used one, it would look similar.

I look at it is a way to refine shot calling and trigger press above all else. The app has a set of timed drills, which would be interesting to try out on the range this summer, but I still pretty much only break it out when I'm trying to refine my trigger control.

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[theJanitor]

I've been using the Mantis to help me learn how to aim the RMR/1911. There's so much happening in the window of the RMR, that it's unnerving and distracting. the Mantis has helped me to determine what visual clues I should be paying attention to, and what I should be discarding. For example, It's taught me so far, that a brighter dot produced better scores. It's also the "stenographer" of the dry-fire session, as I can go back to any shot, and compare what I remember seeing to what was actually happening using the graphs playback feature.

[theJanitor]

Also, I had some problems with the unit missing shots, or recording me taking the safety off, and "reported" it, through the app. The app had me go through a diagnostic series of reps, and a developer emailed me the next day to discuss what he thought was happening. That tells me they are really trying to improve the product. And since the unit is only a sensor, they can keep updating the app for better accuracy, or more functionality

[einherjarvalk]

The MantisX has definitely been getting more accurate over time, I've noticed. I used to have at least one false positive per string, but now I rarely ever get them.

Additionally, a friend of mine bought one to practice with his G43 and decided to make his own floorplate adapter rather than paying $20 from the company to get one. He ended up having some minor issues with getting it to register, and despite the fact that he rolled his own adapter instead of buying theirs, Mantis helped him sort through the issues and it works great now. Personally, that was a huge plus in my book - my experience has always been that situations like that usually end with the manufacturer going "buy our authorized part instead, then we'll help you."

[spinmove_]

I bought a MantisX a couple months or so ago. It’s definitely something that’s great for really wringing out trigger control in dry practice. It’s also helped me close the gap on “prototyping” grip or trigger finger changes. Before I’d change something with my grip or whatever, practice that for a bit, then test in live fire. Now I just make the change and see if it’s worth sticking with or not.

It’s definitely handy for getting feedback with irons. I see way more movement in the graph than I do the front sight. It’s also particularly handy for it’s Compressed Time Drill. Helps with understanding how much wobble you can get away with and still get a clean trigger press.


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[TGS]

Our last issued gun was the SIG P229, and everyone who sucked at shooting complained and said it was a shitty gun and that Glocks were the answer.

We transitioned to the Glock 19, and the same people are complaining that the Glock 19 is a shitty gun. They still suck at shooting, but obviously the gun is the issue.

Enter the Mantis. Hook it up and have them dry fire, then show the results after you dry fire. Compare the movement and consistency. WOW. What an amusingly great way to break someone's spirit and make them shut the fuck up, permanently, about the gun being the reason they suck at shooting. No....you just suck.

I have virtually nothing to contribute otherwise regarding the Mantis. There's probably some really productive use, but this is more amusing.

[theJanitor]

There's probably some really productive use, but this is more amusing.

Saw one for sale on another forum. Seller said it was only two weeks old. He probably couldn't handle the truth

[Sasage]

Keep an eye out on eBay. That's where I picked mine up. So far so good. No issues.

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[MGW]

Bump. Is this thing useful or not? If you've been using one how have you been using it and what are your results? Has anyone tried the baseplate adapter and worked one-shot draws with it? Or is it mostly just useful for low ready or bullseye mode only?

[rodralig]

Bump. Is this thing useful or not? If you've been using one how have you been using it and what are your results? Has anyone tried the baseplate adapter and worked one-shot draws with it? Or is it mostly just useful for low ready or bullseye mode only?

Personally...

Useful when one is a beginner starting out or a novice. Once you get to the intermediate and above levels, not much benefit. And their diagnostics is based on that "classical" diagnostic target - which I don't subscribe to...

One can achieve the same benefits by using more traditional dry practice methods, ie., "White Wall Drill" from Stoeger's books, etc.

I got one when it first came out. I was just started into firearms then. Albeit, the bugs (it was the early stages of the product), it was useful... But only for a few months. After which I switched to more traditional dry practice. It is now lying in one of my boxes for around a year and a half now.