Description of the DryFire system

DryFire is unique

There is no other system in the world that allows you to practice every clay shooting discipline in your own home, using your own shotgun and with an accuracy exactly the same as the real thing. The skills you already have transfer immediately to DryFire, and the skills you practice with DryFire transfer immediately to the outside range.

The DryFire simulator, connected to a PC, displays a moving laser spot (the clay) on the wall in front of you.

You stand in front of the wall with your shotgun and you call "Pull" to release the target.

The laser spot follows the same angular trajectory as a real clay and moves at the same angular speed as a real clay. Your hold point, your target acquisition, your mount, your swing, your firing point and your follow-through are exactly the same as the real thing.

DryFire shows you exactly where your shot pattern went in relation to the clay and provides "behind","in front", "above" and "below" information accurate to the nearest centimeter. It also tells you exactly how far the clay was away from you when the shot pattern reached it and how long you took to fire after the target was released - critical information for trap shooters.

Please click here for a diagram which explains why DryFire works using the same angular lead indoors as you use outdoors.

What DryFire isn't

DryFire projects a moving laser target on the wall - and you focus on the three most important things in clay shooting: the target, the target and the target!

DryFire does not:

• project an image of the layout on your wall - or on a projection screen,

  The layout images shown on this site are on the PC screen - not on your wall.

  You could use a PC data projector with DryFire to display the PC image on a screen - but we don't recommend it - we would prefer that you focused on the target only.

• show a visible spot from the barrel of your gun.

  When you press the trigger a pulse of invisible Infra Red laser light is sent out by the muzzle insert, strikes the wall and is picked up by the camera on the simulator. Feedback from every shot is provided on the PC screen - accurate to the nearest centimetre.

DryFire is not:

• limited to a projection screen (but see note below) - how would you get a wide crosser (e.g. skeet 4) or a tower shot on a projection screen?
• a game - you do not shoot at a PC screen - you shoot at a laser spot representing the clay and moving in front of you just as a real clay moves across the sky at the shooting ground.
• a shoot-'em-up.
• loads of fancy graphics - simple PC graphics is all that is required (See the images on the layouts page.)

Note about using a screen rather than a wall

You can use a screen if you do not have a wall 10 feet or more wide. If you are shooting correctly you should be taking most (all!) targets roughly in front of you. (If you are taking targets too early or too late you will be twisting your body, inducing muscle tension and spoiling your swing.)

So the break point will always fit on the screen in front of you. Certainly this is fine for all Trap shots (DTL, ABT, Olympic, American etc.) and it is only wide crossers, wide quartering targets and tower shots that will not fit on the screen - you will see the central part of the trajectory only - the part you need to shoot at!

Please see the "Room requirements" and "What you need" pages for DryFire requirements.

What DryFire is

DryFire is a training aid for shooters who want to improve their skills - and scores! Serious practice require serious concentration - it is hard work - just like the real thing.

DryFire gives you total feedback on where your shot-string goes in relation to the clay - you see it on the PC screen accurate to the nearest centimeter. It lets you practice with your own gun and with your own choice of cartridges and chokes. With it you can practice any clay shooting discipline - in your own home.
 

DryFire system components

• Simulator.

  The dual-head system shows both clays for simultaneous doubles at the same time - exactly like the real thing. This is the ultimate in realism and allows you to track the second clay while shooting at the first.

  The single head system shows the first clay of a simultaneous pair and, when you hit it, continues with the remaining path of the second clay. We have World Champions at Olympic doubles who have practised with the single head system - even though it does not show both clays at the same time.

• Gun assembly: trigger switch, muzzle insert, control box (see photo on right).

  There is no physical connection between the shotgun and the PC or simulator - you have total freedom of gun movement.

• Universal power supply for the simulator - ready for world-wide use.
• USB cable to connect the simulator to your PC.
• DryFire software to run under Microsoft Windows.

With DryFire you shoot at a laser target moving across your wall. You will miss if you do not allow the right amount of lead.

DryFire brings the targets to you

The DryFire software knows where the simulator is, where you are standing and what target or layout you have selected.

So, Skeet 1 high bird will start over you left shoulder and travel away and down in front of you - just like the real thing.

With DryFire you don't need to move from stand to stand - you stay in one place and DryFire provides the target trajectories exactly as you would see them in real life.

The glass wall idea

DryFire treats your wall as if it was transparent and you were looking through it at a real clay layout. The best way to explain this is to show an imaginary shooting stand and an imaginary trap. (Note: the wall shown in the images below is for illustration only - your own wall may be of different length and height and DryFire does not show an image of a wall on the PC screen.)

Image 1: the trap is launching a crosser about 40m in front of the shooter. About 3m in front of the shooter is a translucent wall (4m long and 2.4m high) representing the wall in your room.

 

Image 2: as we zoom in we see that part of the trajectory of the clay is now visible through the translucent wall

 

Image 3: even closer and we can see the trap and much of the trajectory through the wall.

 

Image 4: now we are looking through the shooter's eyes and the whole of the trajectory can be seen through the wall.

So, if the shooter points his gun at the start of the trajectory (the trap) he would be pointing at exactly the same angle towards his left as he would outdoors. Again, if he then points at the landing point of the clay he will be pointing at exactly the same angle as outdoors.

By treating your wall as a translucent window, DryFire is able to show you complete trajectories on the wall while you swing through exactly the same angles as you do outdoors.

The result of shot

This image shows the result of a shot where the shooter failed to allow the correct amount of lead. The red line joins the shooter to the clay and the yellow line joins him to the centre of the shot pattern which is over 2.5m behind the clay.

 

An animation of the first four images

How do you know it works?

Simple. Please do the following exactly as listed.

1. Find a wall 10 feet long (or more) anywhere in your house.
2. Put a post-it note half way along the wall and at the same height as your eyes.
3. Close your shotgun, put it on "Safe" and stand about 8 feet back from the wall - in front of the post-it note.
4. Mount your shotgun and aim (yes, "aim" - like a rifle) at the post-it note. That's your reference point.
5. Close your eyes - and keep them closed.
6. Imagine you are on Skeet stand 4 with the high house about 55 degrees to your left and the low house about 55 degrees to your right.
7. You are going to take an imaginary bird crossing from the high house.
8. Keep your eyes closed and swing back to your hold point (half to two thirds of the way back to the high house).
9. Keep your eyes closed, call "Pull", acquire the target (in your imagination!), swing, lead, fire, follow through - keep your gun up.
10. Open your eyes. Your should have swung at least as far as the post-it note - probably further if you remembered not to stop the gun!
11. Your muzzle should be slightly higher than the post-it note - Skeet 4 crossers are about 8 degrees above the horizontal.
12. Now, repeat the whole exercise with you eyes open. You are following an imaginary clay and taking it just above the post-it note.

DryFire does exactly that - except that you do not have to imagine the target because the DryFire laser target will follow exactly the same trajectory, at exactly the same swing speed, as a real clay - just as you imagined it.

Of course, with DryFire you can select any possible target, you really do shoot and you really do get detailed feedback after every shot.

Total feedback

If you have a sharp-eyed instructor, and the sky is right, he can call the position of your shot pattern.

DryFire does this for you - on every shot. DryFire shows you the exact shot pattern (choke, cartridge and distance dependent) in relation to the clay.

The PC screen tells you exactly how far you were above, below, ahead, behind the clay - to the nearest centimeter.

How DryFire works

• You install the DryFire software on your Windows PC. (98, ME, 2000, NT, XP)
• You connect the DryFire simulator to a PC USB port.
• You place the simulator on a tripod about 1.5m in front of a wall in your own home.
• You push the soft plastic muzzle insert into one barrel of your shotgun.
• You clip the trigger switch to your trigger.

  Note: you have total freedom of movement - there is no connection between your gun and the PC/simulator.

• You run the software and select the discipline and/or target you want (Skeet 4 high for example).
• You stand behind the simulator and take up position to break the clay immediately in front of you.
• You look back to your hold point (pre-mount if you wish).
• You call "Pull" - DryFire has a built-in acoustic release microphone.
• The simulator generates a laser target travelling across the wall in front of you.
• The laser target follows exactly the same angular trajectory, and at exactly the same angular speed, as a real clay.
• You use your preferred style: maintained lead, follow through, move-mount-shoot etc.
• You acquire, mount, swing, shoot and follow through exactly as you do outside.
• You hear the sound of your shot and the target disappears if you hit it.
• You check your shot on the PC screen then call "Pull" for the next target.

Technical

• The camera/laser head contains a visible red laser which moves to represent the clay.
• The camera/laser head also contains a digital camera - the camera is looking at the area around the visible laser dot ready to spot the pulse of invisible laser light that comes from the muzzle insert when you shoot.
• Moving the laser and the camera together is what makes the system work - and is a key feature of DryFire's patent.
• When you shoot, the camera picks up the spot of invisible laser light "fired" from the muzzle insert in your shotgun.
• The DryFire software now does the complicated maths to work out if you had a hit or a miss.

Hit or miss? Factors taken into account by DryFire

• the chokes you are using (different chokes in each barrel if you wish);
• the cartridge you are using (shot size, weight, muzzle velocity);
• the point of impact for each barrel (very important for trap shooters);
• the type of clay (standard, mini, rabbit etc);
• the trajectory (allowing for wind), speed and angle-of-presentation of the clay (side-on requires more energy to break than flat-on);
• the distance when the shot pattern reaches the clay;
• the amount of lead ("leed") required given the above factors;
• the energy required to break the clay and the energy remaining in each pellet.
• the number, and energy, of the pellets hitting the clay (if any).