New optical shooting technology will greatly help the training of professional marksmen, according to Oulu company Noptel. 

 

"Shooting skills should be taught and verified before one bullet is actually fired," argues SFC Rand D. Bentson, US National Record setting ‘Hi-power’ shooter and coach.

“It would be incredibly advantageous for the US Army to widely adopt the optical shooting system, which has already benefited the US Army and other elements of the US Department of Defence. Using the Noptel system soldiers can receive quality marksmanship training before one live round is fired, which is especially beneficial in the initial or basic training environment,” he claims.

 

 

The Noptel system can display graphically the entire shooting process and how each part interacts with the other. The result is a process of the shooting factors hold, aim, and trigger control, which interact with and are dependant on one another for success. If you know what the soldier is doing during the process, timely corrections can be made.

 

Bentson, also a Distinguished Rifleman and member of the President's Hundred, has trained thousands of soldiers with Noptel, from basic training to Special Operations soldiers in the US Army.  

"I have seen the success that the Noptel training system helped to bring my own Army team. After the first full year of training with the system we went on to win 47 individual titles, 21 team championships, and set 4 National Records. I have seen the system help everyone from the new recruit in basic to experienced US Special Operations snipers to improve their shooting skills; many dramatically," Bentson remarks.
 

 Most shooting programs don't teach soldiers how to shoot before they are really shooting. Bentson however declares that, ideally, fundamentals should be taught and verified before "live-fire" training. If the prospective trainer can see and know what the soldier is doing while initial training is taking place, he can fix a potential problem or challenge before it becomes a bad habit. This saves valuable time and resources: with optical shooting, quality marksmanship training can occur almost anywhere.
 

 Even a small, initial investment in optical shooting systems would pay off dividends, says Bentson. A device like the ST2000 Marksman, he continues, could revolutionize basic training instruction,  replace every other training device currently in the Army system, and create a uniform, logical training standard.
 
Bentson's favorite device is the ST 2000 Miltrainer, which can be used indoors or outdoors and for actual live fire out to 300 meters.
 
From a military standpoint it is very important that training can take place everywhere; ranges and ammunition may not always be readily available. With the optical system you can train ‘right where you are’; no transportation or special facilities need be arranged.

 

With the system’s comprehensive capabilities and flexibility, the military instructor is only limited by his skill level and imagination, Bentson concludes.