The Mantis X10 Elite is a training device meant to help with trigger press, grip, and fundamentals. It works on pistols, rifles, shotguns, and it works for both dry fire and live fire. It’s small, has an included battery that recharges via USB Micro, and it detects what happens when the trigger breaks. Then it sends that result via Bluetooth to your phone to log and give you feedback on your shooting. My buddy mmatt reviewed the original MantisX and I wanted to try the new one, so I asked them to send me this unit. I’ve also recently reviewed the Mantis Laser Academy if you’re interested in that.
Literally, the X10 Elite is a high speed data collection device. It detects firearm movement at high speed and sends it to your phone so you can see exactly what’s happening at the exact moment when the trigger breaks inside an app that logs shooting sessions, practices, and aggregates data.
The Perfect Trigger Press
The perfect trigger press is such a crucial part of marksmanship. While you can get away with slapping the trigger on a shotgun, when it comes to pistol marksmanship, a perfect trigger press is such a crucial part of getting decent accuracy. You need to combine a deliberate squeeze to the rear, any extra weight beyond the trigger pull weight disturbs the gun, and pulling the trigger with too much or too little trigger finger will pull the gun left or right with the press. And you have to do it without anticipation or flinching while you press the trigger.
And that’s what the Mantis is great at reporting on and giving feedback on: getting that perfect trigger press.
Dry Fire
Using it as an aid in dry fire can help if you need additional feedback on your trigger presses. It’s easy to setup, though you may need a holster with a bit more room, such as holsters that are compatible with gun lights, if you want to use it with a holster. Installation and setup are really easy. I found it faster and easier to use than the GoPro app I was trying to use at a match recently.
Live Fire
Things get interesting in live fire. Because the device can record acceleration and movement in high speed, it’s able to track movement of the gun just before the shot AND the recoil path after the shot. If you’re not sure whether a grip change makes a difference or not, this can be a great way to check what’s changing. You can change your grip firmness, see whether clamping down with that support hand helps or not, try c-clamping with your strong hand, or test out whatever else you want and get some data on the results.
Using the Mantis X10 Elite in live fire is also great to see if you’re anticipating, heeling, or doing any other bad habits just as you’re breaking the shot.
Installation
Installation on a handgun or rifle that has a pic rail or Glock rail is easy. Pull the little lever down, slide it on to position and the lever will spring up and lock the X10 in place.
If you need to get it on the barrel of a shotgun or rifle, there’s an adapter available along with squares of rubber to get it firmly in place for a variety of barrel sizes.
While charging via the micro USB cable, the LED glows red. Once it’s green, it’s fully charged.
Conclusion
At around $300, the X10 Elite is not cheap, but it provides data that is difficult to collect otherwise. It can give you insights into what’s going wrong (or right) with your shots and fine tune your shooting in the constant pursuit of the perfect shot.
