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First of all, when I say “long term”, I mean “long term”. I published my first impressions back in June of 2021, 18 months ago, over on my site at the Pro-Gun Millennial. To be clear, I have not been using the CoolFire Trainer (CFT) that entire time, but I’m getting ahead of myself. To be perfectly clear: no one paid me for this review. The following is my own personal opinions and I was not compensated in any way for this work. I purchased my CoolFire Trainer with my own money.
Let’s begin.
What Is a CoolFire Trainer?
The CoolFire Trainer is a device that replaces your barrel and recoil spring assembly with a small, pressurized tank and a proprietary replacement recoil assembly. It small puffs of CO2 gas, triggered by the gun’s striker, which cycles the slide. It replicates your gun’s recoil and resets the trigger, giving you the most realistic dry fire experience possible without using real ammo.
Since it displaces your barrel, it also renders your firearm completely inert as well. The barrel and tank are a nice, bright red color. I really appreciate this detail, as it allows users to quickly tell at a distance what they are holding.
How Do I Use the CoolFire Trainer?
If you can pull your barrel and recoil assembly from your gun, you can use the CFT.
- First, make sure your firearm is clear.
- Next, remove the barrel and recoil assembly like a normal field strip.
- Now install the RED pressure tank as you would your gun’s barrel, and place the CFT’s recoil assembly in just as you would your gun’s recoil assembly.
- Replace the CFT-equipped slide assembly back onto your firearm as you would normally reassemble after cleaning.
- Fill the tank from your CO2 source, and begin practice.
- Using the device is just lining up the sights and pulling the trigger. The device cycles the slide and re-cocks the trigger for you, just let it out and pull again. Just like shooting real ammo, but much quieter and fewer holes in your walls.
- Disassembly is simply field-stripping the gun and then re-assembling with your real barrel and recoil assembly.
In the Pro Column
Realism
It is truly as close to shooting real ammo as you can get without actually shooting real ammo. It’s literally your gun. It’s got your red dot, your light, your magazine, your trigger, any mods you’ve added, and any wear or smoothing that you’ve done because, again, it’s literally your gun. I can personally vouch for this.
The part that gets a little different than normal firing is in the felt recoil. The recoil is not quite as strong as my gun’s normal recoil impulse. It’s a compact 9mm, but with the CFT topped off I’d put it at about a .380ACP. Out of a gun that size, very enjoyable. I would put the kick as higher than my LCR shooting .32 ACP, but still less than the gun’s normal 9mm ammo. It does get softer as the tank’s internal pressure goes down, but that’s to be expected.
Topping off the tank every 10-15 shots is a good habit to stay in. If you did that, you’d never really notice the recoil drop off much at all.
The reason that recoil reproduction is useful, is in the aspect of recoil control and building your grip. When we normally dry fire, we don’t get any feedback from the gun on our grip. With live ammo, that gun is going to tell you immediately that you did not build your grip very well. In dry fire, you can have the sloppiest, loosest grip possible and receive no corrective feedback.
The CoolFire Trainer gives you that corrective feedback, helping to keep the shooter from developing bad habits that can then only be noted with live ammo and corrected after possibly thousands of bad reps. Controlling recoil, and therefore the speed and accuracy of follow-up shots, is determined in large amount by a shooter’s grip.
Safety
Another aspect that I like about the CFT is the safety aspect of it. Even though it is still technically a firearm, you have removed the gun’s ability to fire ammo, or even chamber rounds.
There is absolutely no way a bullet can enter the weapon with a CFT installed. It is, in my opinion, as dead as an airsoft or blue dummy gun for training purposes. That being said, I would never want one pointed at me or my loved ones, but that is born out of an abundance of caution and not a realistic.
The tank that replaces the gun barrel is painted a nice, bright, eye-catching red color. There is no way to mistakenly put your gun in a firing condition if you even glance at the weapon, or keep it un-firable after your practice session is over. The recoil spring assembly is similarly distinct from the OEM parts.
Cost Savings
Another pro of the CFT is the cost savings. After the initial purchase, there is very little cost required to use the CFT. The CO2 is really the only consumable cost, and we’re talking a few thousand trigger pulls for~$35 from a refillable soda maker bottle. You can do other gas options, like standard paintball tanks and one-time-use 90 gram CO2 tanks.
For reference, at time of writing, 1,000 rounds of 9mm costs $295 shipped, before tax. If you get 2,000 trigger pulls from that soda maker, then you’re doing the job of $600 worth of ammo.
Here’s my system’s cost breakdown:
- Barrel, recoil assembly, and bottle adapter: $365
- O2 bottle: $45
- Bottle exchange: $30
- Bottle warmer: $25
- TOTAL COST: $465
If you divide my total system cost by the estimated 4,000 rounds I’ll get out of the two bottles of gas, we’re looking at 11.6 cents per trigger pull. Another bottle of gas gets me +2,000 trigger pulls for +$3, 8.25 cents per pull. It is definitely a case of “The more you use it, the cheaper it becomes.”
You can even get parts for different guns without having to purchase a whole new system, lowering the cost barrier for expanding a person’s collection. The CFT is available for an astonishing array of pistols
If you own a semi-auto, CoolFire makes a system for it. [Note from Matt: Not available my CZ P07, P10F, or PCR…so that’s a bummer].
Accessories
There are quite a few options and upgrades for the CFT, from different CO2 filling options to laser integration for use with systems like Laser Ammo, further increasing the realism and usefulness of the CoolFire Trainer and would be a great match with something like the Mantis Laser Academy.
There are also tank capacity extensions that allow the device to be used for longer periods between top-offs, and quick-fill adapters. I don’t personally see the value in those specific upgrades, but that’s just me.
Now for the Cons
Price
This is probably the biggest thing stopping people from purchasing a CoolFire Trainer, and I think it’s overblown. As mentioned earlier, buying a thousand rounds of 9mm (at time of writing) is $275 +$20 shipping +tax. The exact package I have is $365 +tax & shipping.
It’s real money we’re talking about, and if it doesn’t work it’s going to sting. I went with the soda maker CO2 source, which is another ~$45 or so before the first shot. Averaging out that cost over the estimated 4,000 trigger pulls I’ve put through it drops the cost per round quite a bit, but that initial investment is considerable.
Fickleness
The system isn’t as robust as the gun it’s designed to work with. Now that’s less an indictment of CoolFire as it is a testament to modern handgun design, but it is a change in mindset that the user needs to understand. The system is a little finicky.
The reason this review is 18 months in the making is because of user error. The main issue with normal usage is CO2 temp. When a gas pressure drops, the temperature drops, and if the CFT gets too cold the source gas won’t be able to cycle the slide. You can put workably high pressure gas into the CFT and the trainer will chill that gas to a low enough temperature to keep it from cycling.
The main problem is in the name of the company, lol.
So, just like guns in real life, temperature management is an issue, except here we’re trying to add heat instead of get rid of it.
The best way to add heat to the CFT is to use hot CO2 by using a bottle warmer. CoolFire recommends getting one in their paperwork that comes with the system, but I am telling you that such devices are mandatory. This is the one I have, and it is the single greatest increaser of reliability for my trainer.
I have never gotten mine to run reliably for any amount of time unless I was actively warming my CO2 bottle somehow. In a pinch I would place it in my all-black mailbox in the middle of July, and that worked.Not sure what my neighbors thought of me, walking to my mailbox every 5-8 minutes with what looks like a gun in my hand…
What does not work for warming the bottle is just leaving it outside between sessions. Yes, the summer heat will soak into the bottle, but after leaving my source bottle outside for less than a week the elements had seized some part of the soda maker adapter, and it would no longer pressurize my trainer’s tank. $60 and a week later I received a new soda maker adapter and it worked again.
The problem is that it took me almost a year to break down and buy a new bottle adapter. As I mentioned earlier, this is not an indictment of CoolFire. I just had expected it to be “toss-in-the-dirt-and-go” robust like a Glock or M&P. If you consider it to be a something that isn’t at the admittedly exceptional durability level of a modern handgun design, you can avoid the stupid mistakes I made.
Conclusion
TL;DR: Is it worth it? Yes, with the caveat that you have to actually use it.
The startup cost is a little on the steep side, but will absolutely pay for itself if you use it. The fickleness of it can be frustrating at times, but if you use it regularly it will become a minor annoyance at worst. If you don’t practice regularly, you won’t see the benefits. And you’re already practicing with your carry gun regularly, right?
Right?
The CoolFire is a device that will last for years, and will pay for itself in only a few months if you actually use it. If you dry fire once a week for 20 minutes, the CFT will absolutely allow you to build skill while giving you good, usable feedback on your grip and recoil reduction techniques, something that normal dry practice does not. If you do not use it very often, like I did for a while, its wasted money.
There was a time where ammo was cheap, but those days are gone. The CFT allows you to train with your carry gun for the price of cheap .22lr. Even if you switch to .22lr for all your training instead, you would need to purchase a dedicated .22 trainer or conversion kit, which is going to be a similar startup cost as the CoolFire. The one thing that we cannot overlook is that it provides realistic recoil impulse in the privacy & comfort of your own home.
The setup and breakdown for using a CFT is less than the amount of time you’d spend driving to your local gun range, and you can afford to do this one daily.
Good unbiased write up. Sounds like the ‘gas cooling’ issue is something ‘Cool Fire’ should address itself. That’s a significant problem for an initial cost of almost $400. I’ll stick with dry firing and 6-8 trips to the range (per year) for my purposes. Range fees are getting more significant in the ‘training equation’ also.
And, depending where one lives, time and gas $ to the range as well. 🙂
If the ‘advantage’ of the CFT over dry firing is felt recoil and yet that ‘felt recoil’ is not on par with the caliber and size of your pistol I don’t see an advantage. Don’t get me wrong – squeezing a trigger is always fun! I shoot many calibers from 22LR to 44 magnum. I have both semiauto and revolver handguns in compact, full size and 8 inch barrels on my hunting revolvers. I’ve been ‘dry firing’ for years in between range trips and swear by the methodology even if developed in the days when semiautos were rare. Keeping ‘in touch’ with trigger feel and sight picture is critical for improvement. The trigger reset feature of CFT is a great advantage in training with a semiauto – I get that. It just seems to me if that recoil isn’t ‘exactly’ the typical recoil of that particular handgun using the typical ammunition you use – you lose out on any real advantage. It has always been recommended that you shoot the ammunition you regularly ‘carry’ in your weapon as it may differ not only in poi but in felt recoil than your training or range ammunition. Traditional dryfiring has always been about sight picture and trigger control on a single shot. Since double action revolvers have two distinct trigger pulls dry firing enhances that distinction and control. Recoil control comes into play on follow up shots and is essential for quickly getting back or staying on target. A weak or softer… Read more »
I have had one of these for about a year and have never had any issues with it. I have run about a soda tank a month through it since getting it. I have 3 tanks now, just to not ever be down without gas. And I have never had a bottle heater, and never needed one. I am not sure what the issue with the cold CO2 the author is talking about. I sometimes run mine constantly for 20-30 minutes or more. I have the fill tank at room temp, the gun at room temp, and I can fill and shoot immediately, repeatedly, and never have any issues. It will cycle about 40 times on a fill, but it does start to get a little weak after about 20-25 cycles. So, I usually just refill and go right back to “shooting”. Never a temperature-related non-cycling issue, never. The gun does get cold as you shoot out the tank, and that does create some pressure drop, as any cryogenic fluid will do. But I have never had it not cycle due to temperature. I don’t know if I am lucky, or the author is unlucky. But I have had a completely different experience concerning temperature. Lubrication could be an issue, the system needs to have grease added to maintain sealing functionality. I put a dab of grease in the fill valve every time I start a new bottle. I do have a different pistol, so there may be some issue… Read more »
I have bad experience and unresolved issues with support right after getting the kit.
I got the kit for Canik with rapid fill adapter, and here’s what I have to say:
An awful technical support experience. Purchased a kit. Recoil portion works good, but the laser piece (red) with shock sensor was not working with any of the software programs, nor with the electronic laser targets, that work fine with my other lasers. It took 1.5 weeks to get a reply to my 1st email to tech support about the issue. Spent 1.5 month in lengthy emails communication with support representatives in troubleshooting attempts, and finally they agreed to replace the item. I sent the peace back for replacement along with the filled out and confirmed forms via certified mail and never heard back from them. I sent them USPS tracking confirmation of delivery, but they never replied to my multiple email, never returned the calls and when I call any of the departments listed in the directory, the autoreply from the same Cherry (the last parson I was emailing with) suggests living a message, that is never returned.
I am very pissed and definitely DON’T RECOMMEND HAVING SUCH EXPERIENCE.
“when I say ‘long term’, I mean ‘long term'”. CLEARLY you do not. 18 months is NOT long term, not to mention you went out of your way to “mention” that you didn’t use it the “whole time”, which means you used it a bunch for like a week, then used it again like 2 or 3 times over the course of the next year and a half. You lost me right there. Not bothering to read the rest of the review simply due to the dishonesty.
Not once does this article mention the consumable plastic striker tips that protect the CFT from the firing pin. If you don’t regularly change out the striker tips, it will ruin the CFT. Each tip is good for 50 – 100 trigger pulls before it is destroyed and needs to be replaced. These tiny, 5¢ pieces of plastic cost $1.50 – 2.00 each, plus $10 shipping… A pack of 25 should cost about $3.00 shipped, but they’ll charge you over $50.
Sure, $50 is cheaper than the cost of 2500 rounds, but it’s insulting that they ask that much for such a tiny piece of plastic.
Would it be possible to us compressed air rather than CO2??? I paintball and would rather use that air than buying CO2
They have a paintball fill option, but it says “Paintball CO2”. I’m not familiar enough with paintball to know if this can be used with compressed air or not. It is SKU: CAPBA1 on the website, if you feel like investigating further. Hope this helps.
Short answer is no. They warn you against using anything other than CO2.
But this is like paintball. If a paintball gun / valve can be used with CO2 and another gas, I suspect it could work. However, you’re unlikely to get the right pressure and compressibility, so I would bet against it.
Love the detailed review! Having using it for for years, probably 10k shots but I’m not counting, and close to a dozen soda maker tanks), I can confirm this system requires a lot of attention. I’ve had to change the adapter’s gaskets twice, the (gun) cylinder’s once (that was challenging) and the strike tips more than I can count (less than 50, more than 25). My review would have been the same at 18 months as now, and I agree with almost everything above, so I agree this is a good long-term review. Given the cost of the and short lifespan of the strikers, I disagree with the running cost. I’d say the tiny amount of plastic adds about $0.01 per trigger, which is significant. The price of the strikers the one thing that really bothers me with the CoolFire Trainer. After ~200 “rounds”, it will no longer fire when moving quickly (from holster for example). At that point you have to change the striker (with a crazy shipping cost, and high cost even when you buy 50; I have yet to buy a replacement and heating doesn’t help). You could also switch to slow movement (precision as opposed to speed) and perhaps rotate the tip (adds maybe 50 triggers). I also bought a 40L CO2 tank and refill from that. If you overfill (freeze bottle, warm tank when filling), you can actually get the same recoil as 115gr 9mm. But strong warning: I’ve blown two cylinders (pressure relief) from… Read more »
Thank you sharing your perspective and cost of use estimates. This is very helpful and motivation enough to buy this system. At the moment I budget around $300/ month for ammo and range fees. Typically this lets me shoot every other week. On the off weeks I spend one evening practicing different dry fire drills. It sounds like for a relatively minimal cost I could really improve the quality of my off range week practice.