This web site is under construction and contains details of products that will become available in 2024. Details of current DryFire products may be found at: www.dryfire.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Please let us know if you have a question not answered here.
Comparing DLS and DPS
Please also see our Comparison between DLS and DPS.
Top questions
- Is it for home or club use?
- How do I set it up for use with friends?
- What size room do I need?
- How does it compare with other systems?
- You mean all it does is ... ?
- How do I know it will work?
- What do I need at home to make it work?
- How EXACTLY do you use the system?
- What's the warranty?
- Why don't you offer credit?
Other questions
- Can it teach me to shoot and will it make me a better shooter?
- Can it handle overhead shots above my head?
- Can it handle specialist chokes?
- Can it handle different types of clays?
- Can it deal with clays at different angles?
- Do rabbits bounce?
- Do I need a PC? If so, what sort?
- Which versions of operating systems does it support?
- Does the target change size with distance?
- Does the target jiggle when changing direction?
- What's the downside, what are its drawbacks, what can't it do?
- Who needs DryFire?
- Do you shoot at the target - like using a rifle?
- What variables does it take into consideration for targets and shots?
- How quickly does it cycle targets?
- Can I design my own layouts?
- Which bits do I need?
- Do I need a special gun or do you provide a "toy" one?
- Is the simulator exactly the same as the real thing?
- How accurate are the targets?
- Can it handle simultaneous doubles?
- Is a laser dangerous?
- Do I need a darkened room?
- Why doesn't it work outdoors or in a brightly lit room like laser clays?
- Does it work with a release ("set") trigger?
- Does it work with American Trap targets?
- Does it handle Browning B425, Kolar, and Krieghoff shotguns?
- Does it handle American shotgun shells?
- Where's the hold point and what about target speed?
- Is DryFire suitable for disabled shooters in wheel chairs?
- Where's the price list and do you take XXX cards?
- How much lead do I need and how curved are the trajectories?
- Does a simulator take business away from the shooting range?
Is it for home or club use?
DryFire was designed for home use by individual shooters but has found its way into shooting grounds and clubs worldwide.
How do I set it up for use with friends?
DryFire was originally designed to provide intensive practice for an individual shooter.
Obviously you can share your gun with friends, run an informal competition and keep your own scores.
If your friends have their own guns they may like to purchase an additional Standard Gun Assembly (SGA) so they can be ready to shoot when their turn comes. Again, you can keep your own scores.
If you want to have several different guns defined to the system (with their own chokes etc.) you will need either the Friends or Troop pack to add additional users to the system.
If you want to run a real competition, including squadding like outdoors, you may like the Competition software option.
Everything for up to six shooters
- One DPS or DLS system.
- One additional SGA for each gun being used. The TS22 trigger switch is an option.
- One Friends pack.
- One Competition software option.
What size room do I need?
Our "Room and other requirements" article covers this in detail.
How does it compare with other systems?
We are not aware of any other system that provides the sort of cost effective practice offered by DryFire.
Please let us know if you become aware of an alternative system - we will find out more and let you know what we think.
You mean all it does is ... ?
Heard at the local shooting ground from a visitor who knows nothing about clay shooting:
"You mean all it does is throw a coloured disk into the air and you shoot at it? That sounds easy."
As we all know, it is easy! (Cough, splutter!)
We often get the same thing said about DryFire:
"You mean all it does is move a spot of laser light, or a computer-generated clay image, across a wall and you shoot at it? That sounds easy."
Yes, that's all it does - move a spot of red laser light, or an image of a clay, across the wall in front of you and you shoot at it.
The trouble is, that spot of laser light, or projected clay, is following exactly the same angular path as a clay fired from a trap and it is moving at exactly the same angular speed. You have to do exactly the same things you would do on the stand to hit it: take up position, wind back, look back toward the trap, acquire the target, mount, swing, allow for lead, fire and follow through.
To hit a target generated by DryFire, your technique and body movements must be exactly the same as when shooting at a real clay - if you get it wrong with DryFire you will miss - just as you would miss a real clay. That's what makes it such a powerful training aid.
Of course it's easy - to someone who has never done it!
How do I know it will work?
Thousands of DryFire users world-wide say it works - including world champions.
Try this with your own shotgun:
- Stand about 6 feet to 8 feet from the middle of a wall.
- Close your eyes. Imagine your are on Skeet Stand 4.
- Mount your shotgun.
- Swing to the left where the high house trap would be
- Open your eyes and note where you are looking
- Close your eyes again and swing to your right as if following a high house clay
- Open your eyes and note where you are looking
You have just followed a very wide crosser from the trap to the ground - you have probably gone from the left hand side of the wall to the right hand side. In angular terms you have swung from -55 degrees to +55 degrees relative to your straight ahead position.
That's exactly what DryFire does.
For Stand 4 High House skeet it puts a moving target spot on the wall that follows exactly the path you have just followed and at exactly the same speed as a real clay. That's why it is so good for practising and for building up muscle memory.
What do I need at home to make it work?
Our "Room and other requirements" article covers this in detail.
What is the warranty?
Details of the warranty are provided in our Terms of Sale.
Why don't you offer credit?
Credit is debt. Credit is a loan. Klarna is a loan, Klarna is a debt.
Debt is a bad thing - it rolls forward and accumulates - you start owing X and you end up paying multiples of X. Debt causes stress, it reduces concentration, it is a downer on life. In the long run debt is not a fun thing and can result in the bailiffs knocking on your door and seizing your assets.
Credit can be justified (after careful thought and planning) when buying a home - a mortgage is credit, a loan.
A credit card is an interest-free loan - if you pay it off every month.
Other than that, the best thing is to save and pay up-front
How EXACTLY do you use the system?
Our "How it works" article covers this in detail.
Can it teach me to shoot and will it make me a better shooter?
No, it can't teach you to shoot - you need a club and instructor for that.
To become a better shooter you need:
- a properly fitted gun,
- a good instructor,
- a willingness to learn
- a willingness to stop playing with gizmos (chokes, beads, adjustable this, adjustable that etc.)
- a perfect technique - that's why you need an instructor,
- lots of practice,
- some natural ability.
DryFire helps enormously with lots of practice.
Can it handle overhead shots above my head?
Yes for the DLS laser version. The simulator can put laser targets beyond the vertical so you will have to lean backwards to take an incoming overhead shot if you wait too long..
Word of caution:
Your ceiling must be high enough to do this. If you try this in a "normal" room (with a ceiling height of about 2.4m) your gun barrel will strike the ceiling. We have some shooters who practice overhead shots while kneeling!
Can it handle specialist chokes?
Yes. The system supports all standard types of choke by default but you can define your own if you wish.
The information about chokes is used to determine the spread of shot at different distances and to decide how many pellets, if any, will strike the clay.
Can it handle different types of clay?
Yes. The system supports all types of clay (standard, midi, mini, battue, rabbit) but you can experiment with changes to the clay definitions if you wish.
During the development of the system we took videos of various clays in flight and we created a mathematical model that defines the way the clay "flies". A clay does not follow a ballistic trajectory (it is not a bullet!) but it tends to rise on leaving the trap and then float when it reaches to the top its trajectory. Different types of clay have different shapes and this determines how they fly.
Can it deal with clays at different angles?
Yes. The system knows the angle the clay is presenting to the shooter at any point during its flight. A clay is harder to break when it is edge-on compared with belly-on and obviously an edge-on clay will present a much smaller surface area to the shooter then a belly on one.
The system supports normal clay release (with the clay horizontal to the ground) and "chandelle" type release (with the clay at right angles to the ground.)
DryFire knows the energy required to break any type of clay at any angle to the shooter. It also knows the energy remaining in any pellets that strike the clay. If the energy remaining in those pellets exceeds the energy required to break the clay you get a "hit". It is therefore possible to have the clay right in the middle of the shot string and to get a "miss" - if the clay is far enough away and the remaining energy in the pellets is insufficient to break it.
Do rabbits bounce?
Yes - bunnies bounce beautifully.
Do I need a PC? If so, what sort?
Our "Room and other requirements" article covers this in detail.
Which versions of operating systems does it support?
Our "Room and other requirements" article covers this in detail.
Does the target change size with distance?
Yes with the projection option, no for the laser version.
For the laser version we provide distance information in a number of ways:
- for trap and skeet disciplines you know the distance anyway - because they are repetitive;
- for all targets we show the distance from the shooter to the trap(s);
- the optional Doppler effect produces a rising tone if the clay is approaching you, falling if it is going away.
Does the target jiggle when changing direction?
No for the projected version, slightly for the laser version.
All motors suffer from backlash - the movement within a gear chain as the motor changes direction.
Servo motors have a "deadband", they have to be instructed to move a certain amount before they get going. This shows up when the motor reverses direction.
We have investigated different types of motors and different brands/models of servo motors. The HiTec servos we use have a very small deadband and is used to control expensive model jet aircraft at over 200mph - so they are as accurate and reliable as possible.
DryFire laser targets show a slight jerk when the target changes direction - for example, when an upward moving target reaches the top of its flight and begins to fall to the ground.
This effect is minimal with fast targets that have a large amount of angular movement - such as sporting crossers or targets on skeet station 4. The effect is slightly more on going away targets which rise very little and which have very little movement across the shooter's angle of view - trap shots for example.
What's the downside?
Nothing is ever as good as it claims so what are the weaknesses of DryFire - warts and all?
No recoil
There is no recoil when you press the trigger with DryFire. You hear the "bang" on your PC speaker, and you can turn that up as loud as you wish, but you get no recoil.
Recoil can bring about its own problems - flinch (the anticipation of recoil) being the main one. Watch a shooter the very first time he uses DryFire and 9 times out of 10 you will see him move slightly backwards when he presses the trigger - he is anticipating the recoil and it shows that more people suffer from flinch than realise it.
We don't claim that DryFire is a cure for flinch but it does do two things:
- It identifies if you flinch when pressing the trigger.
- It allows you to practice with no recoil until there is absolutely no movement of your shoulder when you press the trigger.
Two dimensional targets
DryFire targets are accurate - they fly at the same speed and angles as clays on the range. Because DryFire displays the target on a two dimensional surface (a wall) you don't get the same impression of distance as you do on the range.
The projection option adds more reality because the image of the clay changes size as it moves away.
Take a look at the answer to Is the simulator exactly the same as the real thing? to see what we have done to overcome this.
Who needs DryFire?
Newcomers to clay shooting.
DryFire is the ideal way to get a lot of practice when learning the skills of clay shooting. If you are sensible you will book a series of lessons with the club instructor then you need all the practice you can get. DryFire allows you to practise any time, anywhere; at home or at work and it helps you to develop the skills that will rapidly get you ready for competition shooting.
You've bought the gun, the jacket, the ear defenders, the safety glasses, the cap and the ammo, you've joined the club and had the lessons - now's the time to practise so that you can pulverise those clays!
Competition shooters.
Shooting under competition conditions is stressful - no matter how easy the guy standing next to you makes it look (that's just gamesmanship!) Competitions are not the place to practise - they are the place where you want to be 100% confident that your technique is perfect. Between competitions you need to build on your existing skills as you improve your average and move up through the classes. DryFire allows you to chose the time and place for practice and lets you shoot one round or fifty rounds without worrying about the weather or traveling to the club. You may want to try a new technique - follow through instead of maintained lead for example - DryFire allows you to give a new technique a fair chance without risking your competition scores.
Experts.
An expert is the first one to recognise that practice makes perfect. Without practice, skills begin to erode, muscle learning begins to decay and the mind begins to wander because the art of 100% concentration is lost. Experts know that beginners can quickly improve their skills because they are starting from a low base, but keeping high scores, and improving on them, is a serious problem. DryFire can provide you with better practice than the club because you will have to maintain a high level of concentration for a longer period of time. With DryFire in front of you, every time you call "Pull" you get a target. There is no moving between stands, no waiting for someone else on the squad to shoot - just 100% dedicated full-time practice. If you have the concentration skills to maintain high scores for half an hour with DryFire then you will have the skills to build your scores in competition.
Instructors
Newcomers and experienced shooters benefit from instruction sessions and an instructor can quickly spot bad habits that have crept in over time.
DryFire provides intensive prectice between sessions so the intructor can see if new skills have become firmly embedded in the shooter's style.
Shooting grounds and clubs.
DryFire allows you to extend the services you offer to your members. It allows people to shoot at any time of the day, no matter what the weather outside and it is perfect for those corporate days where you want to give people some instruction and practice before they start shooting at real clays - 5 minutes with DryFire overcomes all initial problems and boosts initial scores - a certain way to get your corporate clients to return again and again. It can also provide you with an additional source of revenue!
Those who enjoy some fun.
DryFire is a serious training aid but it is also fantastic FUN!
Do you shoot at the target - like using a rifle?
Absolutely not! No way! Never! Not in a month of Sundays!Rifles shooters have it easy - they just point the rifle at the target and squeeze the trigger. This is said by an experienced small-bore/full-bore rifle shooter with apologies to all other rifle shooters - we do know it is a totally different skill in its own right but we hope you understand what we mean. Those who have shot competition prone small-bore or full-bore will know that one of the primary skills is muscle relaxation - absolutely no movement and no muscle twitches.
Clay shooting is not like that and we rarely aim directly at the target. Clay shooting is about accurate and smooth body movement and the key word is "lead". Aim at a crossing bird, squeeze the trigger and you will miss several feet or yards behind because the clay will have moved on by the time your shot arrives. The speed of the target, its distance away from you and its angle of flight determine how much lead you have to allow.
DryFire takes all this into consideration.DryFire is NOT like "laser clay" shooting where a reflective clay is fired into the air and the shooter fires a beam of infra red (IR) light directly at it from a special gun. IR light travels at the speed of light but cartridge pellets don't! The laser clay system relies on reflection to detect hit or miss so you must aim directly at the target - great sport in itself but nothing to do with the hardest part of clay shooting - judging the right lead.
What variables does it take into consideration for targets and shots?
Targets
- Starting point and height of clay
- Landing point of clay
- Intermediate height of clay (eg: 4m high at 10m from the trap)
- Type of clay: standard, rabbit, rocket, battue etc.
- Wind direction and speed
- Orientation of clay: edge-on clays (crossers) are much harder to break than face-on clays (driven etc.)
- The drag factor that will slow down the clay over distance (this will change with orientation during the flight)
- The effect of gravity
- Amount of energy required to break the clay (this will depend on the orientation of the clay to the shot string)
Shots
- Barrel length
- Chokes in each barrel
- Muzzle velocity of the cartridge
- Size of shot (pellets) in cartridges
- Number of pellets in the cartridge
- Amount of energy in each pellet as it leaves the muzzle
- The drag factor that will slow down the pellets over distance
- The effect of gravity
- The amount of angular lead required - this will depend on the trajectory and speed of the clay
- The position of the clay in relation to the centre of the shot string at the time the shot string and clay are at their closest
- Total number of pellets that strike the clay - depends on distance and distribution of pellets within the shot string
- Amount of energy remaining in each pellet when it strikes the clay (distance dependent)
If the clay is within the shot string, and the total amount of energy remaining in the pellets that strike the clay exceeds the amount of energy required to break the clay, then the shot is recorded as a hit.
Note: at long distances it is quite possible for the clay to be within the shot string but to be struck by insufficient pellets to break it - especially for edge-on clays.
How quickly does it cycle targets?
Interesting question. DryFire provides singles, simultaneous doubles and on-report doubles so in theory the cycle time is zero - simultaneous means that the simulator is processing data for two targets at the same time.
However, the question probably means "what is the time between calling 'Pull' for one target and then for the next?" The software allows you to fire two shots at a target (assuming two barrels or two cartridges in a semi-auto). It then sets up ready for the next target (or the same one again if that is what you have selected) and off you go again.
We do not recommend keeping your shotgun at the shoulder and just called "Pull" repetitively - that's not genuine practice and the gun will soon get very heavy! Lower your gun between targets and take your time before calling "Pull" again - that's far more realistic.
Can I design my own layouts?
Yes.
Designer is a software option
Which bits do I need?
DPS and DLS contain everything you need.
The products page contains details of hardware and software options.
Our "Room and other requirements" article also covers this in detail.
Do I need a special gun or do you provide a "toy" one?
It is absolutely essential you use your own gun - anything else would get you into bad habits and indoor practice would not translate to outdoors.
Is the simulator exactly the same as the real thing?
Pretty close! There is no recoil but, other than that, what you do indoors is exactly the same as outdoors.
Many first time DryFire users are shocked at how realistic it feels - despite being in the warm and dry, facing a blank wall only 6 feet away and tracking a moving laser spot!
How accurate are the targets?
Very accurate. The path and speed of the target, the amount of angular lead you must allow, the moment when you first see the target, the moment it disappears (a rabbit between bushes for example), the moment it goes out of range, the effect of a strong wind blowing the target towards you or away from you - all these are programmed into the software.
DryFire works with angles - when standing on station 4 of a skeet range the angular distance from the high house to the low house is about 105 degrees. When you are standing behind your DryFire simulator the angular distance from the high house to the low house is about 105 degrees - you are standing fairly close to the wall the target is projected on so the movement from left to right, or right to left, requires EXACTLY the same swing as on the range.
The skills required to hit the moving spot of light are exactly the skills needed to pulverise clays on the range - that's what makes the DryFire simulators the perfect way to improve your clay shooting skills.
Can it handle simultaneous doubles?
Yes. The system supports simultaneous doubles and on-report doubles.
For simultaneous doubles the system shows both targets at the same time.
When you have taken both shots (or failed to take both shots!) DryFire will show you the shot location for both targets.
Is a laser dangerous?
Lasers are part of our every day lives - your CD player, DVD player and PC laser printer contain lasers. Looking directly at the bright midday sun is a very dangerous thing to do - don't do it unless you wish to risk blindness. The same rule applies to a laser light source - never look directly into a laser.
The DryFire Laser System (DLS) directs a beam of light in front of you for projection against a wall or building. The beam is switched on only while the target is moving - thus minimising the time it is in any one position. The beam and the spot it projects on a wall are certainly not dangerous - you can safely put you hand in the way of the light beam.
The laser source used by DLS is very low power and is the same as that used by laser pointers so it meets all the requirements for the safety regulations defined for them.
The pulse of invisible light sent from the Standard Gun Assembly (SGA) when you press the trigger has a very short duration (a few thousandths of a second) and is very low power, but you should never point the SGAat anyone and press the trigger switch. The same rule as for guns in general.
Never stare at the sun, never stare into a laser - both can damage your eyes.
Do I need a darkened room?
No and maybe.
DryFire works best in subdued light. This is because the pulse of invisible light fired from the SGA is in the infra-red part of the spectrum. Direct sunlight also contains infra-red so it is best to ensure that sunlight is not directly falling onto the wall you are using for target projection.
In most cases DryFire will work perfectly well during normal daylight though you may have to close the curtains (drapes, blinds) slightly to avoid direct sunlight.
DryFire has an auto-exposure function and will tell you if there are stray sources of bright light in the room.
Why doesn't to work outdoors like Laser Clays?
Sorry, but this has to be a little technical.
Laser clays
Laser clays involves using a special shotgun to shoot directly at special reflective clays. When you squeeze the trigger the shotgun sends out a powerful beam of invisible infrared light and this bounces off the reflective clay (assuming that you are aiming directly at it) and is picked up by a special receiver on the ground.
The beam of infrared light is "modulated" - this means that it is switched on and off several thousand time a second. The receiver picks up ALL infrared light, including that produced by the sun and by lights, but it ignores these until it sees some infrared light flashing on and off at the right frequency. It therefore knows when it has received a reflection from the special clay - therefore it knows that you have hit it. Each shotgun uses a different modulation frequency so the system can tell which shooter has hit the clay.
DryFire
DryFire also uses an infrared laser in the SGA but it is of low power (for safety reasons) and it is not modulated. The reason for this is simple - with DryFire you do not have to aim directly at the target - you have to allow the same amount of angular lead as when shooting at a real clay. The cameras in the DryFire simulator have to do two jobs:
- Tell when you have fired
- Tell where you have fired
There are infrared filters over the cameras so they are only sensitive to infrared light and will "see" a bright spot when you press the trigger. DryFire uses the location of the spot to calculate whether or not you have a hit - taking into account the trajectory and speed of the clay, the muzzle velocity of your cartridge, the type of cartridge, your barrel length and the chokes in use.
Lead
Lead is critical in shotgun shooting and is the key feature that makes DryFire such a valuable training aid. Normal levels of domestic background lighting are fine with DryFire because the exposure level of the camera can be adjusted so that it does not respond to the levels of infrared light in the room. However, if direct sunlight is coming into the room, or spotlights are trained directly on to the wall being used for shooting, the camera will not be able to differentiate between those sources of infrared light and the reflection of the infrared laser when you press the trigger - the camera will be swamped with infrared light.
DryFire does not modulate the infrared laser because it is using a camera to detect exactly where you fired and a camera "sees" the world at about 30 frames a second - far slower than the frequency of modulated light. With laser clays the receiver does not care where the modulated signal comes from so it does not use a camera but a simple photo-sensitive device which just knows that somewhere in front of it, anywhere in front of it, is a source of modulated infrared light.
Swings and roundabouts
Laser clays can be used outdoors but requires that you shoot directly at the clay with no allowance for lead. DryFire requires exactly the same angular lead as on the shooting station and it provides very detailed feedback as to exactly where you fired and where your shot string is in relation to the clay. The downside is that it must be used in a normal domestic environment with normal domestic levels of background lighting - no direct sunlight or spotlights.
Marketing problem
Unfortunately the very accuracy of DryFire creates a marketing problem for us and our dealers. Most major shooting competitions and country shows have trade stands where exhibitors display their goods in tents outdoors. On a bright day this makes it impossible to demonstrate DryFire because the levels of infrared light coming through the tent fabric are much to high for the system to work.
Does it work with a release ("set") trigger?
Yes.
The system can be set to use either normal trigger (fire on press) or set trigger (fire on release) - details are in the User Guide.
Does it work with American Trap targets?
It certainly does!
Our US distributors are experts on American trap so the best we can do is refer you to their their web site.
Does it handle Browning B425, Kolar, and Krieghoff shotguns?
You use your own gun with DryFire so the weight and swingability are exactly the same as normal. The manufacturer of the gun does not matter to the software.
It is worth remembering that George Digweed using a $500 Baikal would knock spots off most (all?) of us even if we were using $10,000 Krieghoffs!
Things that are vitally important for our calculations are the chokes in each barrel and the barrel length.
Does it handle American shotgun shells?
This question broke down into two parts:
- Can you define a shotshell performance i.e. velocity, hardness of shot (such as trap, or tungsten, or hevishot for waterfowlers), amount of shot?
- How about a Ruger Red Label 28 gauge configuration for my son, could this be modelled?
We supply a sample set of cartridge data and you can add as many more as you wish. Normally you specify the cartridge by weight (24g in the UK for example), shot size (7.5 for example) and muzzle velocity. If you want to get very technical you can set the percentage of the pellet energy available to break the clay - the lower the percentage, the softer the pellet. We treat clays in a similar way - the amount of energy required to break the clay at a specific angle towards you - it takes more energy to break an edge-on clay than to break a face-on one for example.
Where's the hold point and what about target speed?
Michael Hurst of Moline, Il, USA asks: "I am a competitive skeet shooter and I have specific hold points (where I hold the gun just prior to calling "pull") and these are mostly found by comparing the barrel to the skeet house, using it as a reference point. For example I hold at 1/3 of the distance out from the high house to the center stake, and as high or higher than the top of the high house when I am about to call for High 4. Can I see the simulated high house on the wall to use as a reference?"
DryFire displays the path of the clay not the actual trap or trap house. It is of course a simple matter to mark the start of the target's flight on the wall with something like a Post-It note but this is usually not necessary since getting to the right hold point quickly becomes instinctive - just as it does on the range. In fact, it is a good idea to practice closing your eyes, taking up position and winding back to the hold point before opening your eyes and calling "Pull". This way muscle memory does most of the work for you and you can focus 100% on the target.
Note: DryFire can use its laser to show trap, hold point and stake (hoop). You can program in your own hold point percentages.
Michael also asks: "the web site says it duplicates target speed. Does this mean the target slows down the further it gets across the field, as does a real target?"
It certainly does. Watch a skeet target - it hurtles out of the trap house, rises to its highest point (it rises because the shape of a clay resembles an aerofoil) then begins to float down to the ground (the undercamber of the clay acts like a parachute.)
DryFire accurately represents the speed and angular trajectory of the target as seen by the shooter on the stand. If you want to simulate wind conditions by entering wind direction and speed it will also show the effects of wind on the target.
Is DryFire suitable for disabled shooters in wheel chairs?
Edward Dickson of Coram, NY, USA raised a number of very interesting issues one of which concerned the suitability of DryFire for use by shooters in wheelchairs.
This was taken into consideration when the system was designed and it is possible to locate the simulator to the side of the shooter rather than directly in front of the shooter. Once you have set the system up it is a simple matter to tell the DryFire software exactly where the simulator is in relation to the shooter - from then on the software does all the calculations necessary to display the correct target path as seen by the shooter.
Where's the price list and do you take XXX cards?
The price list and payment details are in the Store.
How much lead do I need and how curved are the trajectories?
Remember that DryFire provides two things:
- Accurate angular speed
- Accurate angular target trajectories
To hit a DryFire target you need the same angular lead as on the range. If we talk about lead in terms of yards or metres we all know that this will depend on a number of factors:
- The speed of the clay
- The angle of the clay's path to the shooter - crossers require maximum horizontal lead, driven targets require no horizontal lead
- The distance the clay is away - it takes time for you to squeeze the trigger, for the gun to fire and for the shot string to reach the clay's distance.
A close-in target will require you to swing much faster but the lead required will be less than for a target further away when you will be swinging much slower.
It is tempting to think that many of the clays we shoot at perform a large graceful arc in flight. In most cases this is not the case for two reasons:
- Clays are not missiles - their shape means that they actually "fly" through the air. At the start of their flight, when they are edge-on to the direction of flight, they perform like missiles but as their energy decays and they reach the top of their flight they begin to slow down and fall as they become belly-on to the direction of flight.
- Many of the clays we shoot at (particularly Trap and Skeet) do not reach great heights - 4m or so for trap and 4.57, for skeet. If our eye position is about 1.75m then it is obvious that we do not have to look up much to see the clay at the top of its flight path.
Does a simulator take business away from the shooting range?
No - the opposite is true! This question is covered in our coaches and shooting grounds article.