Looking at improving my self as shooter and be more competitive at IDPA. I'm looking at a SIRT pistol to help with draw and dry fire. Recommended or waste of time and effort?

I have a SIRT G17 I use with the LASR training program.  It's pretty cool for what it is.  Wish there was more too it, and it isn't the same as live fire, but it can definitely be useful.

Had one, sold it.  I prefer to dry fire with the real thing.  The feel isn't the same, the trigger isn't the same.....

Also, focusing on the the laser dot instead of the front sight when breaking a shot is not good.

I would save your money, and just get a good book on dry fire training instead (Steve Anderson, Ben Stoeger). There isn't a lot of magic too it - it's all about putting in the time and the repetitions.

You're better off dry firing with the actual gun.

Get the Stoeger book.

Have you seen these Dry Fire Magazines? Dry Fire Mag Website

I haven't used one yet, but I am considering getting one.  From what I understand you insert the mag and then you can do as many dry presses as you'd like without racking the slide.  Pretty slick.  You use your normal weapon, but can now practice doubles and target transitions.

double tap

They look good, but the selection is extremely limited. I was looking for a full size M&P .45 mag. They only have 9 & .40.

Bingo. Buy Steve Anderson’s first and third books and listen to his podcast.

I went from D class (roughly MM) to B class (roughly EX) in a few months.

You’ll be winning your local IDPA matches in no time.

I use mine where a real gun dryfireing would be a liability.  I love it.

I've had a love-meh affair with mine. I've owned the basic model since they came out.

The trigger is very little like a Glock.

Grip angle and weight are GTG.

If you look at the laser, you probably aren't looking at your sights. It keeps you honest on your fundamental grip.

It is very good for shooting on the move and hip shooting. You can safely shoot from bad positions or at moving targets.

You can use it on common laser targets. You can also video your target while you shoot and record the hits. This lets you train to the sights.

There is an App I use called ITarget. It has a timer function that show you your hit placement and time to hit. I think it was 5 bucks.

Overall...long term? Yes. Short term, you might not like it and quit using it.

It in no way replaces dry fire. It is a supplement.

1:1 licensed by GLOCK gas blow back Glock 17 airsoft gun.  

This is of course assuming you are using a G17.  They also make a G19 version.

I've used my sirt pistol a lot and dryfire with my Glock.  I also use them to teach classes for pistol and defensive use scenarios.  The sirt is handy for things a regular firearm can't do.  Practice trigger reset, transitioning between multiple targets, rapid fire, disarm, coaching, etc.

If using it by yourself, adjust the laser down so you can't see it in the sights.

Also use it with the stand alone laser targets or computer based programs.  I've used the free shooting which is good for free.  Lasrapp is a paid app which is more useful for training.  And I was looking into the smokeless range which is $400 to $1000 for scenario practice.

I have one and I like it. I use it mostly when I am teaching new shooters the basics/fundamentals. Also use it around the house for presentation drills

We use one in conjunction with a video simulator and with demonstrating angles and cover.

As a stand alone dry fire tool, its not great.

I only found the pro model to be worth it and it is mostly effective for beginners. Seeing the red laser wiggle while holding on the target, then seeing how the green laser jumps when the trigger is pulled fully. Working on keeping both steady. Combine this with drycfiring and you can significantly improve your shooting skills. The pro model ain’t cheap though, you could buy a Glock for the price of it.

I've never heard of the guy inside my shell. I see he has three books on Amazon. Why the first and third and not all three? Which book would you recommend starting if only buying one?

My dry fire regimen from the draw to final shot has increased dramatically in the past two weeks and I can already tell a difference in how easily my sights line up for me from holster to break. Visualization and dry fire practice in a safe place are excellent tools for most activities.

I bought one (Pro model)  two years ago for the wife and me too. Have not seen it in a year or more, but we used it some and liked it, the wife dryfires her gun in drills about once a month, I do it more, but with different guns.  The SIRT is really a G-17 and that what she has I am a XD40 or XDM9 or a 1911.

I was gonna post something similar so instead of a hijack, I'll add some content here. @OP, if you want me out of your thread, let me know and I'll kill this post  ;)

This might be an alternative:

Also, this thread on 1911forum links to interesting alternatives.

I have 2, and have used them a bunch.  With that said, I haven't used them in about 8 months other than for "blue gun" types of demonstrations in class.

I think it is useful up to a point.  People who aren't used to calling their shots can certainly benefit from it as they are learning.  It is good for verification purposes of what kind of sight picture misalignments cause what kind of hits on a target, for when you can't get to the range.

When you have a decent handle on this, it's probably better to use your actual gun.  Looking at the target for hits is not a good habit to have and it's better to have a solid awareness of where the hits will go based upon your sight alignment and sight picture at the time of working the trigger.

I got one a few months ago.  It is the Glock 17 style with the metal slide.  It helps me to really focus on a clean trigger pull (btw for the snobs, you PULL an object towards you, you PRESS it away from you...IMHO).  I keep it on my kitchen counter and have a silhouette target and a bullseye target taped to my front doors.  When I walk around in the kitchen area, I can grab it and practice for a few minutes.  Being able to practice every day and doing it on a whim are quite nice.  I also got the LASR targeting software for it but haven't used it much since the area of my house where I dry-fire makes the camera freak out due to shadows.

CONS:
I've been thinking about getting a holster specifically for my SIRT since my EDC has a flashlight and it's pain in the ass to remove the light.  If I practice drawing the SIRT from my regular holster, it sometimes doesn't come out cleanly since it doesn't have the WML.

Trigger pull isn't heavy but the break point is really stiff.  Supposedly it can be adjusted but I'm kind of afraid to take it apart.

The sights it comes with are all black.  I daubed a tiny bit of white-out on the front and rear sights to make them stand out.  I believe you can put regular Glock sights on them.

Bottom line, SIRT is good  way to keep sharp by doing daily drills.

I prefer a gas blowback airsoft gun. At least on that I can rack the slide and somewhat simulate recoil.

Have the M & P Pro model, good stuff, use it in conjunction with dryfire training card deck , but also have laser strike dummy rounds for use in my actual pistols. I go back and forth between the two depending on what my goal is or how I feel at the time. I am considering getting a good airsoft though, lost of brand name good models coming out lately.