CoolFire Trainer is a company in Tulsa, Oklahoma that makes products that allow you to dryfire your guns indoors, with recoil for realistic effect.
There is a ton of value in an American-made product that allows you to basically shoot your firearm anywhere, for a fraction of what live-fire practice would cost!
New at SHOT Show this year, CoolFire Trainer showed me their Sidekick CO2 recoil system that fits any milspec AR-15.
What Is It?
The Sidekick features a laser within the bolt that activates when the trigger is pulled, a piston that operates off of CO2 to reset your trigger and provide recoil for a realistic feel, and a large reservoir that provides around 50-80 shots before needing recharging.
When you do eventually run low on charge, the Sidekick can be recharged with a 20-ounce paintball tank or a SodaStream-style tank. This recharge takes about 5 seconds is all!
Availability
At its launch, the Sidekick will be available in a red laser, but IR variants and other laser colors will be coming soon. The price of the Sidekick is going to be between $400 and $600 retail. What is included in this package is the carrier group assembly, tank, and fill device.
This device also comes with a 1-year warranty. You can expect to see the Sidekick available for purchase and shipping within the next 30-60 days. Once live, you can order it from the CoolFire Trainer website.
Utility And Money Savings
Inserting the Sidekick into an AR is very simple. There are a few parts that you have to insert in a specific order, but doing this is hassle-free and does not modify your AR in any way. If you wish to go from practice to live fire, removing the Sidekick is equally as easy.
For those who don’t know (I didn’t), a SodaStream tank will provide about 1,000 shots. The first SodaStream tank you buy will cost around $30. This means if you only bought new tanks, you can practice shooting nearly anywhere, at any time, for about $0.03 per “round”.
Though, once you have a SodaStream tank, you can exchange the empty one for a full one for about $15-$20, basically cutting your practice cost in half again!
Coming from somebody who wants to practice with their rifle, but doesn’t necessarily want to spend all day at a range that is about an hour away in weather that is spotty and temperatures that are well below freezing (Montana is lovely in the winter, I swear…), I see the utility in this product.
Learn more on CoolFire Trainer’s website.
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I can’t imagine that’s going to give you anything close to an actual recoil impulse as shooting live so you’re better off with something like a Mantis X Blackbeard that offers much more for much less money. I’m always rooting for companies like this so hopefully they do well but I’m struggling to see how they will.
Why not just buy a Mantis X Blackbeard for $320 and get a whole lot more information on your training while saving money. . . not to mention not having to refill a CO2 reservoir?
It would be a lot more attractive if they could get the price to down around $200 otherwise it’s a great idea