Examining the Pros and Cons of Virtual Ranges

By Eric Jezierski

A man tests out a virtual range at the NRA Annual Meeting in Dallas, Texas in 2018. (Photo: Guns.com)
As technology and the shooting sports evolve it’s inevitable that the two paths cross in the form of virtual ranges. Once only available to military, law enforcement and well-funded shooting professionals, virtual ranges continue to push towards accessibility to the masses, but the question remains, are they valuable and worth the rental time? I headed to a local virtual range to find out.
What is a Virtual Range?
A virtual range acts much like a regular range in the sense that it provides gun owners the tools to practice. However, virtual ranges are unique in that they typically don’t require the use of live fire ammo or ears or eye protection. A virtual range simply projects an image from a computer onto a large screen that shooters interact with. Equipped with specially formatted weapons, shooters aim and shoot at the screen that registers projectile hits.
The software provides real-time data to shooters in order to assess performance and ultimately allows shooters to improve. The feedback on the virtual range is satisfying and realistic. The virtual range creates an auditory alert when the pseudo-weapon fires and

Source: Guns.com