Dry-Fire Training Lane in Tampa

Academy now runs a supervised dry-fire training lane inside the Tampa lounge. Laser trainers, real trigger presses, and live scoring through the MantisX app — so you can try the gear before you spend money on it. Same building as the sim lounge, open Friday and Saturday.

→ Reserve the lane

Try before you buy

Most people buy a trainer, a sensor or a dry-fire system off a spec sheet and hope it fits how they actually shoot. The lane exists so you don't have to guess. Put an hour on a Glock-pattern trainer or a Blackbeard-equipped AR, see your own data on the app, and then decide what — if anything — you want to take home.

What's on the lane

• Glock 17, 19 and 45-pattern laser trainers — the three most common carry and duty frames, so you can feel the difference in grip and sight picture side by side.
• Short-barrel AR-15 with a red dot and BlackbeardX — auto-resetting trigger and laser, no cycling the charging handle between shots.
• MantisX tracking on every press — the app records each shot, shows you what your muzzle actually did, and gives you a score to beat.
• Staff on the lane the whole hour — coaching as you go, not just a key and a timer.
• A leaderboard — because everything at Academy ends up being a competition eventually.

Pricing and hours

• $40 per hour for the lane, shared by up to two shooters
• Friday and Saturday, 2:00–8:00 PM — last session starts at 7:00 PM
• Walk-ins welcome when the lane is open; a reservation holds your time
• Pay by card at the lane

The lane keeps shorter hours than the sim lounge while we get it dialed in — the lounge stays open later, but the lane closes at 8.

Check availability and reserve →

New gun owner? Start here.

If you've just bought your first firearm, or you're still deciding, the lane is a low-pressure place to build the fundamentals without ammunition, range fees or noise. We also publish two free resources that answer the questions new owners actually ask:

• Gun owner education — the four safety rules, safe storage, background checks and Florida's waiting period, dry-fire practice at home, and the rules for minors
• Florida concealed carry guide — what the process involves in this state

We don't teach concealed carry classes. These are reference material, not legal advice.

Train at home

Academy Simulation is an authorized Mantis dealer. If the lane sells you on a system, you can buy it from us rather than hunting for it online:

• Laser trainers in Glock-compatible patterns
• BlackbeardX AR-15 auto-reset system
• MantisX X10 shot-tracking sensor

Shop all gear →

Why a sim lounge runs a dry-fire lane

Same principle that makes a racing simulator work. Repetition without consequence, instrumented so you can see what you actually did rather than what you think you did. A driver reviews telemetry; a shooter reviews trigger-press data. The feedback loop is the point — the hardware is just how you get to it.

Lane rules

• Everyone signs a waiver before shooting — sign it ahead of time and save yourself the paperwork at the door
• No live firearms and no live ammunition in the building, ever
• The trainers fire lasers only; they are not capable of firing a cartridge
• Staff direction is followed at all times

Find us

The lane is inside Academy Sim Racing at 1421 Massaro Blvd, Tampa, FL 33619 — the same building as the simulator lounge. Call (813) 355-9071, email dryfire@academysim.com, or contact us with questions.

Reserve the lane →

Academy Simulation is an authorized Mantis dealer and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or licensed by GLOCK, Inc. All trainers on the lane fire lasers only. Information on this page is general education, not legal advice.