FOG HORN September 2019

Twobirds Flying Publications

MANTIS X10 Shooting Performance System – by

Mantis

Copyright 2019, Towbirds Flying Publications. All Rights Reserved.

 MANTIS X10 Shooting Performance System – by Mantis 2019

MANTIS X10 Shooting Performance approach, technology and innovation earned

the company broad industry recognition1.
System – by Mantis
Mantis didn’t stand still on their success and
By: Sal Palma
since the introduction of MantiX, the Oswego,
IL. Company, developed three additional
models: the Mantis X3; for beginner to advance
handgun and rifle shooters, the Mantis X7; for
competitive shotgun shooters and the Mantis
X10 Elite; for beginners to combat elite
handgun, rifle, and shotgun shooters. In this
review, I introduce their top of the line Mantis
X10 Elite.

I was first introduced to Mantis at Shot Show

2018 where I was given an excellent overview
of a technology with the potential to
revolutionize the way gun owners train. That
product was branded MantisX Shooting
Performance System. It consisted of a rail
attached sensor that tracks muzzle movement
The Mantis X10 comes package with the X10
and communicates those data points, via
Smart Sensor, BR7 shotgun barrel mounting
Bluetooth, to a smart device running the
accessory, a case, micro USB cable that you’ll
MantisX App.
use to charge the sensor and a quick start
I was completely impressed with the original guide, all else such as detailed instructions and
Mantis Shooting Performance System. The a product manual are accessed directly from

1
Mantis X review here

Copyright 2019, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved

 MANTIS X10 Shooting Performance System – by Mantis 2019
the App. Mantis supports both Android and
Apple’s iOS.

In order to appreciate the technical merit of

what Mantis has achieved we need to take a
brief look at an x,y,z, plot. An x,y,z, plot allows
us the define a specific point in space by
assigning it a unique x,y,z, coordinate

The Mantis Smart Sensor attaches to any rifle

Picatinny rail or pistol accessory rail.

When you shoot, the muzzle moves in space;

Using the BR7 shotgun barrel mounting
accessory, the competitive shotgunner can
securely attach the Mantis X10 Smart Sensor to
their gun.
that movement is attributable to any number of
parameters. The Mantis X10 Smart Sensor
captures the muzzle position in space and
assigns it an x,y,z coordinate. That information
is sent to the Mantis App for analysis. The App
records the data and uses it to perform a

Copyright 2019, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved

 MANTIS X10 Shooting Performance System – by Mantis 2019
variety of analytics; for example, plot your The takeaway here is the abundance and
muzzle movement. comprehensive nature of the Mantis training
scenarios.

The company’s engineers also include a detailed

explanation of how the selected training
scenario is to be executed.

This is a simplification but the Mantis App looks

at a dataset consisting of a few milliseconds
before and after each shot fired. Processing
data from that time slice, it is able to identify
shooter deficiencies like using too much trigger
finger, breaking the wrist downward and
anticipating recoil to name just three of many
possible issues. For example, selecting the Timed Benchmark
scenario opens the screen image above. It
MatisX’s software offers the trainee, or
shows me that I am in dry fire mode, shooting
instructor, an à la carte menu of training
right handed and the position of the sensor on
scenarios; I’ll name just a few below:
the weapon. It also establishes my training goal;
 Open training in this case, to maintain marksmanship while
 Shot timer shooting as quickly as I can, and provides me
 MantisX Benchmark with specific instructions:
 Timed Benchmark “When the buzzer sounds, shoot as fast as you can
 Reload, in battery while still maintaining proper trigger control and
 Primary hand only sight picture for each shot. This drill is timed”
 Support hand only
The MantisX software scores your shooting and
 Holster draw analysis
provides feedback to help you improve your
 Recoilmeter shooting. For this shot, I scored an 86.7 and Mantis
suggested that I may have been pushing.

Copyright 2019, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved

 MANTIS X10 Shooting Performance System – by Mantis
Other screens track trigger press movement
and hold movement providing the trainee with
a histogram of that movement. In short, every
shot undergoes a granular analysis.
Throughout the Matis Performance Shooting
System you’ll find one very important feature;
Copyright 2019, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved
2019
nowhere, does Mantis compromise
marksmanship skills for speed. The end result is
improved shooter performance.
It’s beyond the scope of this review to cover
every nuance and detail of the MantisX App and
the Mantis X10 sensor but I continued to be
impressed by the level of technical expertise
and shooting knowledge the Mantis developers
bring to the table.
The Mantis X10 is appropriately named as it is a
10 fold improvement over the award winning
original. Mantis X10 may never replace a live
instructor but instructors would be well served
by incorporating Mantis X10 into their
pedagogy.
The Mantis X10 is a superb training aid with no
fluff; its granular performance analysis along
with trainee feedback will improve your
shooting in short order. Regular usage at the
range or at home delivers measurable and
satisfying results. At a $249.99 MSRP, it is the
best training investment value currently
available. The Mantis X10 is another homerun
for the Mantis Team! -SP