Dry fire training has the potential to empower firearm-owners to train in highly-efficient manners. With dry fire training, shooters can train effectively, inexpensively, and at their convenience. For the sake of this text, “dry fire training” generally refers to any form of firearm training that does not involve the use of live ammunition. The most obvious benefit to dry fire training is its inexpensiveness. It costs money every time you send a round downrange, especially in the recent ammo drought. Luckily, pulling the trigger doesn’t cost anything if your gun doesn’t go ‘bang.’ Perhaps, a firearm-owner wants to practice their holster draw. With conventional techniques, they can draw their gun and fire it repeatedly. While it is not the most costly endeavor, it certainly adds up if they shoot often enough. However, dry firing enables our shooter to shoot without emptying their wallet. The second benefit is convenience. Firearm-owners can train at any time they please. There’s no need for a pesky commute to the range, which for some can take a significant amount of time—time that could be used training. If a shooter pleases, they’re able to shoot from the comfort of their own bedroom. Consistent training is integral in maintaining firearms skills. Unfortunately, many of us are unable to find the time to get to the range as often as we should. Dry fire training allows us to utilize our spare time to reinforce and build upon important firearms skills. Furthermore, there are a plethora of options available for those interested in dry firing. A shooter can dry fire traditionally (with an empty, safe weapon), with a laser system, with airsoft guns, or using simulation rounds. The wide array of available options means shooters can tailor their training to fit their situation. While dry firing will never be the real deal, it offers some benefits not available through traditional training; at the top of the list is force-on-force training. For obvious reasons, a shooter utilizing live ammunition is fairly limited in how realistic their targets can be. The depth of the tactics you can employ is fairly limited as your target cannot react realistically. But when utilizing airsoft, shooting simulator or even laser systems, shooters can face real people. This means that a shooter can face an adversary who acts unpredictably and in ways that emulate real-life tactics. At the end of the day, training with live ammunition will always be invaluable. But, dry fire training allows shooters to pursue new training which is more convenient and efficient. There’s no telling where dry fire training will go with technological advances, but one thing is for certain: it’s a tool you are going to want to use.
