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Contents

  • Why You Should Buy a Laser Training Pistol with Recoil

About the Author

Dan T.

Daniel Terrill has written about the gun industry and shooting world for more than a decade. He learned about guns in the Marine Corps and more about gear during his time as a police officer. His work has appeared in a variety of publications.

Tags

  • training guns
  • Concealed Carry
  • Blueguns
  • gun range
  • Holsters
  • laser trainer

Why You Should Buy a Laser Training Pistol with Recoil

laser trainer with recoilimage

A laser training pistol with recoil is the most realistic dry fire training tool you can get. Of course, they tend to cost a little more than other training guns, but they are the closest you can get to the real thing without actually firing live rounds. This article will cover the reasons why you might want to invest in a laser training pistol with recoil. 

Different Types of Dry Fire Training Tools

In general, a laser training pistol with recoil is a type of dummy gun that has the look and feel of the real thing. From construction materials to design to operation, a laser training pistol with recoil simulates every aspect of a real gun.

Other dry fire training tools are effective for specific training tasks, but they are unable to deliver an overall realistic experience. For instance, your first option: your own handgun – unloaded, of course. Using it to practice your draw and trigger pull is great, but there are three main drawbacks using it for dry fire training. 

dry fire laser trainer

First, you will have to re-cycle the action everytime you pull the trigger. Second, you would have to modify it with a laser cartridge for accuracy training. And, lastly, it’s generally frowned upon to use a real gun for force-on-force training. You could damage it and there’s always the risk that you forget to unload it. 

Next, you could buy a glorified dummy gun. There are a number of training guns that will allow you to work on drawing, aiming, handling, and force-on-force training. The downside, though, is the gun doesn’t feel real. You pull the trigger and a light flashes and/or it might make a "bang" noise. 

If you’re serious about firearms training, the best option is a laser training pistol with recoil. There are some models that are designed from top to bottom for recoil, and then there are gas-powered airsoft pistols modified with a laser cartridge. 

Some people – an elusive and occasionally infamous group – have called the Laser Ammo ATP one of the best, if not the best, laser trainer pistol with recoil out there. They say it feels like the real thing. That they couldn’t tell the difference. They say sometimes they even forget it was a simulator. 

KWA ATP

KWA designed the ATP, or Advanced Training Pistol, with law enforcement training in mind. Although it looks like a cross between a Glock and a Smith & Wesson M&P (or maybe an HK VP9), it will fit in most duty holsters. Either way, it’s constructed to feel like an actual duty gun. 

By the numbers, the ATP measures in at 8 inches in length, 5.7 inches in height, and weighs about 25 ounces. It features an accessory rail for a light or laser, three-dot sights, and interchangeable back straps. As an airsoft gun, it’ll hold 23 or 19 pellets depending on the size. It’s available with either a full-size or compact frame.

Laser Ammo training pistol

Then, Laser Ammo takes the design a step further by adding in the REAL barrel. It’s a replacement drop-in barrel designed to convert airsoft pistols into dry-fire trainers that simulate recoil. In other words, the ATP recoils while the REAL barrel simulates the shot. 

REAL barrels are designed to emit either a visible laser or an infrared (IR) laser depending on the model. The former will show a point of impact while the latter will give you a more realistic experience when you’re using smokeless range shooting simulators. 

The ATP's recoil is actuated by green gas pumped into the magazine. Green gas is propane, so it is still flammable but doesn’t smell like propane. Unlike CO2, which comes in individual cylinders, green gas comes in a pressurized bottle with a nozzle that you plug into the magazine to refill it. 

ATP Performance

Since KWA introduced the ATP in 2011, airsoft fans have had nothing but good things to say about it. The design is fairly rugged, it’s easy to find extra parts, and it’s compatible with most Glock or M&P holsters. With green gas, you can squeeze out about 2,500 shots from a single bottle. 

advanced training pistol

The only negative is something you can address immediately. Out of the box, the internal components are dry, so they need to be lubed. However, green gas contains a small amount of silicon lubricant just for that purpose. So, the more you shoot, the more you lube the gun. 

The ATP operates like most striker-fired duty pistols. The trigger is equipped with a passive safety, so there’s no thumb or manual safety. The other controls – the magazine release and slide release – are designed for right-handed shooters and can be manipulated without removing your hand from the grip. 

Field stripping an ATP is like taking apart a Glock. You just pull on the takedown lever and remove the slide. Inside also looks a lot like a Glock. It breaks down into four main groups: the frame, a slide, a guide rod and spring, and a barrel. 

The REAL barrel is the most complicated part, but it’s still fairly intuitive. You install the battery by removing the cartridge retainer – what you would normally just call the muzzle – and inserting the battery. Then, you can adjust for elevation and windage by using an allen key. 

Laser Ammo training barrel

To use the REAL barrel, you simply insert it into the slide (it’ll work with any gas blowback airsoft pistol.) When you set it up with interactive targets, you can work on a variety of drills to improve things like speed, shoot or no shoot situations, marksmanship, and more. 

Parting Shots

If you’re serious about firearms training, there’s virtually no downside to buying a dedicated dry fire trainer like the ATP. So, if you want to improve your shooting skills, pick up a laser training pistol with recoil like the ATP or any airsoft pistol and a REAL barrel today!

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