Don’t you wish the stock market would stay as strong as ammo prices? Ammo goes up and rarely ever goes down. You can almost see the dollar signs floating up like balloons every time you squeeze the trigger. But a good alternative to buying more ammo for training is the Mantis BlackbeardX training system.
The truth is, high ammo costs have turned a lot of us into ammo hoarders. Okay, maybe it’s not just ammo prices that have cause so many of us to accumulate rounds, but it’s a contributing factor. We’ll happily stack another case in the basement, whispering, “I’ll need it someday.” Meanwhile, that “someday” never comes because ammo doesn’t really go down in price much, and we don’t want to waste any of it.
While I try to put in training time at the range, I never feel like it’s enough. Because of that, I’ve been using several alternative methods of keeping my skills sharp. The Mantis BlackbeardX system is the one I use the most.
What is the BlackbeardX System?
The Mantis BlackbeardX is a dry-fire system that resets the trigger on your AR-15 and sends a one-second laser burst down the barrel so you can see where you’re hitting. This system won’t replace training on the range with live ammo, but it compliments it very nicely. During those rainy days or when something else comes up that keeps me away from the range, I try and get in a few minutes with the BlackbeardX.
There are two parts to the BlackbeardX system. One is the magazine and the other replaces your AR’s bolt carrier group. The laser is built into the replacement BCG and this part also resets the trigger. A battery is built into the magazine which is rechargeable using a micro-USB cable.
All that’s needed to get this system up and running is to pop open the upper receiver and pull the standard BCG and charging handle out. Than slide in the Blackbeard BCG and close it. Now insert the BlackbeardX magazine and it’s ready to go.
When you pull the trigger, your hammer doesn’t move, but the system provide the same trigger weight, break, and reset as it does when you fire your rifle. That’s when the laser fires to give you a visible location of where your bullet would have hit.
You’re now ready to run the same drills you do on the range, practice clearing your house, whatever. The training benefits and options are just about endless.
Pair it with the MantisX app
If you have the BlackbeardX system, you can pair it with the MantisX app. That allows you to track data from each shot. The app will give you feedback as well. Inside the app’s settings, select the rifle icon, then select your style of rifle, caliber, right or left hand, and how the small Mantis X10 unit is mounted to the rifle.
My light keeps me from mounting the X10 on the end of the Picatinny rail, so I use a mount riser to attach it behind the light. The closer you can get the X10 unit to the end of your barrel, the better the results will be.
The app is full of training exercises and drills, and it will time you just as a shot-timer does. Each user can create their own log-in to create a history of their shooting scores.
Training with the BlackbeardX
As I said before, the BlackbeardX won’t replace the need for live-fire training on the range, but it’s a great way to substitute some of it and save on ammo. You can simulate just about any range drill without firing live rounds. This is, of course, beneficial for training at home when you can’t use live rounds, but it’s also great when you’re training on a team.
The BlackbeardX is used by the Army, Marines, and several special forces units. When a team is training, this gives them a safe way to practice new methods or to train new members. I’ve found it helpful when walking people through a new range course before they use live ammo. They can get a feel for the course and still “fire” at the targets.
For those practicing weapon transition, you can use the DryFireMag system in a handgun which provides trigger reset and laser confirmation as well. Besides the DryfireMag, Manits is about to release their new TitanX pistol (I’m thinking sometime in April 2025, but that’s just a guess). The pistol is a GLOCK-style training gun that has a functioning trigger and laser built into the chamber.
By combining the BlackbeardX and one of the other two systems, you can work on transition drills between your AR-15 and your handgun.
At the moment the MantisX app will only work with one firearm at a time. When training with both a pistol and a rifle, I rotate putting the X10 unit on my pistol and then my AR. Maybe someday they’ll update the app to work with two X10s at the same time.
New Mantis products in the works
Mantis isn’t stopping with the BlackbeardX. They’ve announced several new products that will expand their training ecosystem. Besides the TitanX training pistol, they will also be releasing two other products:
- Blackbeard AK-47 – Mantis is bringing their popular AR-15 training system to the AK platform. The Blackbeard AK-47 promises realistic trigger reset and laser functionality for AK rifle users. Other popular rifles are also in the works.
- Raven System – This new projector-based system will focus on tactical movement and room-clearing drills. The Raven System is expected to introduce advanced tracking features, allowing you to assess body positioning, footwork, and target engagement during complex drills. It also has a zombie map which is kind of cool. This will allow you to shoot at zombies with your actual AR-15 in your living room.
Multiple systems that all work together
Between the Blackbeard, X10 and the MantisX app, you can do just about any kind of training any time, anywhere. For those worriers-at-heart people, this is a great way to train with all that gear you keep ready to go in the closest. Put it all on and get in some reps whenever you have some time.
Because of all the new products coming out work with the MantisX app, I would highly recommend downloading the app and familiarizing yourself with it. From what I understand, Blackbeard will work with the new Raven system when it comes out. It’s an awesome system that is worth trying out for any gun owner.
“That’s when the laser fires to give you a visible location of where your bullet would have hit.”
Hmmmm. yes and no.
A laser beam travels in a straight line, bullets don’t. What you are seeing is where the laser beam hit, an actual bullet may not hit the same spot – but there are variables involved such as distance and ballistics to determine where the bullet would have hit in relation to where the laser beam hits and in some cases it may be the same place (or very close) depending on distance to target and the round ballistics.
But that being said, the Mantis BlackbeardX System is a good training tool. I have one myself, and use it for the very rare times (like on extremely hot or cold or rainy days) I don’t want to go to the range. Heck, with a little math for the ballistics of the round you will use most frequently in your AR you can even use it to bore sight optics, especially red dots, and either be right on under actual live round fire conditions or within a click (depending on how you set up to do this.).