Review of the LaserLyte Trainer Plinking Kit

(Source)

Two days ago, I purchased the LaserLyte Trainer Plinking Kit from Cabelas (MSRP of   $241.95, although I purchased it on sale).

As you can see from the photo at the right, the kit comes with three "cans" that tip over when a light (in this case, the laser beam) hits inside the red circle. It also comes with a trainer gun that supposedly is sized to mimic a compact pistol, and the LT-Pro laser insert. All batteries, including 9-volt batteries for each of the cans, was included in the kit. The insert is designed to fit inside the "barrel" of the training gun, or the barrel of an actual firearm, so long as the barrel is of sufficient length (the manufacturer says at least 2 inches).

The cans worked pretty much as advertised. There is a small plastic rod on the bottom side of the "can" that is spring loaded. When the target area is struck by a bright light, such as a laser beam, the rod is released and tips the "can" over. The cans worked well, but you may have problems if you have a lot of sunlight in the room. I had to close the window blinds and turn the cans slightly away from the window in order to not have the sunlight set them off. A laser pointer was sufficient to activate the light sensor, so any laser sight should be sufficient to activate the cans.

The blue plastic training pistol was disappointing. Although obviously heavy duty plastic, the overall size of the gun and the grips were more like a toy than an actual gun, compact or otherwise. It was sized for use by a child. Unfortunately, unless you are using a double-action handgun (whether pistol or revolver), you would have to rack the slide or manually cock the hammer between each "shot", so some purchasers may be stuck using the training pistol if they want to make a succession of quick shots.

The most important part of the system, and unfortunately the greatest disappointment, is the actual laser insert. Given the price of the kit, I expected something comparable in quality to the LaserLyte bore-sighting tool I own. Instead ... well, read on.

Rather than the O-ring and magnet system used in a bore sight, the adjustment for different barrel sizes is accomplished by a black plastic cap that fits over the rear of the insert--similar in concept to a dry wall anchor. As you screw it down over the end of the insert, the cone-shape forces the arms apart to accommodate larger barrels.

The "sound" detector is perhaps even worse. The idea is that it senses when there is a hammer strike when dry firing the actual gun, or the striker inside the practice pistol. Again, for the cost, you might expect that it was an electronic sensor of some sort. No. Actually, behind the batteries which fit into the tube of the laser insert is a small black plastic or rubber "diaphragm," for lack of a better term. Through a hole in the center of the diaphragm is a small spring. Apparently, the shock from the hammer strike is supposed to be sufficient to compress the diaphragm slightly, enough for the spring to contact the batteries and briefly switch on the laser. So, essentially, about the same level of sophistication as you would expect from a Happy Meal toy. If it had worked, it would have been one thing, but the performance was intermittent. Sometimes I could get through several strings of shots with it working each time (sometimes working too well, as the laser would not only flash when pulling the trigger on the training pistol, but also when the trigger reset). At other times it was only flashing once out of every two or three pulls of the trigger. And then there were times that it would not work at all.

Initially, when it stopped working all together, I could get it to work again by loosening and re-tightening the cap to the battery compartment. I made sure that the device had not worked out of the barrel, as it would sometimes do on the training gun, and even replaced the batteries to see if it made any difference (it didn't). But this evening, nothing could get it to work. So, disgusted, I returned it to Cabelas for a refund, having had it less than 48 hours.

I was excited when I first purchased this because I thought it would make dry fire practice more interesting, and be fun for my kids to use. But it turned out to be a very cheaply made product that would not function reliably. I cannot recommend this product.