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Colorado Springs, Colo., April 30, 2013 – OutWest Systems, Inc. today announced the addition of a programmable shot timer to its Optical Computer- Aided Training (OCAT) System. The timer helps sportsmen, professionals and competitive shooters improve their firearm reaction time.

OutWest Systems, Inc. is located in scenic Colorado Springs, Colorado. The company develops and brings to market unique, innovative and fun products for sportsmen and avid shooters. Information about OutWest Systems is available on the Web at www.OutWestSystems.com.

The OCAT System is developed and supported in the United States.

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 NOTE TO EDITORS: Further company, product and partner information is available at www.OCATS.com.

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Colorado Springs, Colo., April 2, 2013 – OutWest Systems, Inc. today announced it will demonstrate the new Optical Computer-Aided Training (OCAT) System at the Colorado Springs Gun Show, April 6–7, at the Freedom Financial  Services Expo Center.

At shooting ranges throughout the United States, sportsmen and avid shooters are frustrated with the high price and poor availability of ammunition. The OCAT System solves this problem with its unique dry fire (laser) mode, which uses a laser bullet instead of live ammunition.

“The OCAT System addresses the ammunition shortage head on with its advanced laser mode”, said Paul Weissler, President and CEO of OutWest Systems.“ The laser mode works with pistols and rifles and supports all of the most popular calibers.”

The OCAT System is an affordable marksmanship training system that helps shooters quickly improve their marksmanship skills. The system, which works in laser mode and live fire mode, provides instant feedback and in-depth analysis of every shot fired. It’s like having a spotter and a coach available at any time and at any place.

Shooters can use the system indoors, outdoors or at a firing range. It’s lightweight, sets up in seconds, and doesn’t require any external power sources. With the OCAT System, there is no need to walk down range or look through a scope to verify your hits. The system provides real-time audio and visual feedback and analysis to help sportsmen and avid shooters become better marksmen.

The OCAT System:

• continuously monitors and shows the target in real time on the laptop display;
• automatically compensates for changing conditions, such as camera and target movement; and changes in lighting, such as sun, clouds, shade, etc.;
• is sensitive enough to detect hits as small as .177 caliber and laser pulses as short as 60 milliseconds (laser mode);
• works with any firearm, pellet gun, or Airsoft gun—virtually anything that punches a hole in the target;
• provides real-time video and audio feedback so the shooter can keep looking downrange while listening as hits are reported; and
• records all of the hits in a database so the shooters can compare results and identify common shooting mistakes.

The OCAT System is available in four standard configurations—the Basic System Kit, Standard System Kit, Deluxe System Kit and Laser System Kit. The systems are available online at www.OCATS.com and through OutWest System partners at www.OCATS.com/partners.

Additional information about OutWest Systems’ new Optical Computer-Aided Training System is available at www.OCATS.com. An OCAT System backgrounder and system product images are available at www.OCATS.com/press-room. Friend us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/OCATSystem. Follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/OCATSystem and subscribe to us on YouTube at YouTube.com/ OutWestSystems.

About OutWest Systems

OutWest Systems, Inc. is located in scenic Colorado Springs, Colorado. The company develops and brings to market unique, innovative and fun products for sportsmen and avid shooters. Information about OutWest Systems is available on the Web at www.OutWestSystems.com.

The OCAT System is developed and supported in the United States.

# # #

NOTE TO EDITORS: Further company, product and partner information is available at www.OCATS.com.

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Getting any firearm practice at a time when a box (if you can find any) of ammunition is expensive and hard to locate is difficult. Well, now shooters can fire tens of thousands of inexpensive rounds and get real training and feedback

Timing is everything they say, and this is a great time to debut an all new shooting system you can practice with inside your house that will not only show and record your hits but analyze your movement during each shot and even give you shot to shot rapid fire timing!     

When it comes to firearm training and practice for new or young shooters the OCAT System LASER will provide safe basic and advanced training far in advance of live fire training. The OCAT System provides a very real way to train sight picture, hold and trigger control without the distractions of an actual shot going off.  And of course this basic training is safe and secure, right in your own home if so desired.

Professional Instructors and shooting schools will benefit from this system immediately. Without the distraction of ear muffs, safety glasses, gun fire and recoil the ability to safely teach the basics of sight alignment, hold and trigger control is greatly accelerated with the OCAT System–we have seen that first hand.  Within just 50 shots new shooters will shrink their groups dramatically and experienced shooters will smooth out their trigger control beyond anything live fire can train. This all makes the OCAT System ideal for professional trainers, shooting schools and firearm training at any level.

And the beauty of this new and improved computer supported LASER system is it is affordably upgradable to live fire rifle and hand gun and even the OCAT long-range (up to miles) firearm training system.

While recommended for use with the OCAT preferred LASER system, if the shooter already has a snap cap type laser this unit will work with most other brands of LASER training units.

Advantages of the OCAT LASER System:

• Nearly unlimited practice shots
• Produces same basic practice feedback as live fire
• Provides firearm/trigger movement during the shot that live fire cannot provide

LASER Kit: (Shown in the image)

• OCAT Software Package (LASER version)
• Camera
• Camera mount
• Target package
• LASER Unit (with 9mm, .40, .45 and .223/5.56mm calibers included)
• MSRP $495.00 including the OCAT System supplied LASER Unit
• MSRP $295.00 without the OCAT system LASER (requires a compatible snap cap LASER)

Optional Components:

• Laptop Computer (upgrades available)
• Spotting Scope (Celestron as above)
• Tripod

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The OCAT System Advanced Long Range Marksmanship System is a truly revolutionary firearm training tool that will work inside a residence (laser mode) or at the rifle/pistol range with live ammunition and at ranges in excess of a mile if so desired!

NOW Shooters can:

• Set targets almost anywhere in any scenario (assuming safety is the first consideration)
• Use with any type of target (steel swingers, pop cans, prairie dogs, etc.) and see your hits live on the computer screen..
• Place targets a mile distant if so desired and view them as if they are ten yards away.
• Eliminates the need for spotters (you can see hits on the actual target by yourself)
• Eliminates the need for specialized ranges (you set up anywhere where safe and legal)
• Now accurately and instantly learn how to read the effects of wind and mirage on your last shot fired, this is especially important at ranges over 200 yards.
• Track and record all shots fired for immediate or later review
• Track both firearm and ammunition performance

Basics of operation–with live ammunition.  Reel out the fiber optic cable and attach to the camera and shooter’s spotting scope near the target (25-75-yards). The Celestron Ultima 80 variable power spotting scope is recommended due to superior clarity. Attach the  cable to the supplied fiber optic conversion box and to the laptop’s USB port at the firing line. Start the OCAT System program and begin firing. Hits appear on the screen and are saved for later analysis. The computer can be set to ignore bullet holes and plot new hits so it is not necessary to travel down range to patch the existing holes unless you keep shooting through the same bullet hole.

It gets better! The system be used to run several targets though the included pan and tilt mechanism that fits between the tripod and scope and allows camera and scope movement. Using the computer at the firing line through the optic cord thee shooter can slew (pan) the scope up to 140 degrees with 15 degrees of elevation or depression.  The shooter can set up several targets at the same range.

The program immediately analyzes the last shot fired and provides instant verbal and visual feedback including location, order of shot and even the timing of each shot. The OCAT System may also be set to give additional feedback and target analysis of shots depending on your needs and request of the system.  After firing is completed the system can calculate the last group fired or all of the groups fired if so desired and more. When you leave the range all target information and images are automatically saved for later analysis at the click of a button.

The OCAT System Advanced Long Range Marksmanship Unit turns any expanse of earth into a long range shooting facility that will accomplish what a pit pulled paper target range can do and more because the range with this system is nearly unlimited and can be set up anywhere from a barren desert to a tree packed forest and function with an near unlimited variety of targets..

The MSRP for the basic one range system which includes the program, camera, computer, conversion box, 1100 yards (for this example) of fiber optic cord and the recommended Celestron scope is $6,500 or $6,000 (without the laptop computer). Obviously less fiber optic cord is cheaper and more is more expensive. If the highly recommended Celestron scope is deleted and the shooter uses their own scope this reduces the price by $100.00. The company markets these units at as custom package and will meet the buyer’s specific needs (number of shooters and range specifications and distances) by calling 855-697-6228 or emailing sales@outwestsystems.com.

For more detailed information beyond the press release please see the following media details below.

OutWest Systems, Inc.
5037 List Drive
Colorado Springs
CO 80919-3321
www.ocats.com
>855-697-6228
info@outwestsystems.com

Addtional Information:

Fiber optic cord and conversion box costs are directly related to the shooter’s range needs which may include several distances and several shooters.

About the fiber optic cord.  The basic fiber optic core is 3/8 in diameter and available in whatever length the buyer dictates and cost is based on the buyer’s needs (1100 yards or 1000 meters for this example will weigh about 80-pounds). The fiber optic filaments are contained within a strong protective sheath.

The basic unit has three sets of (2) filaments in the fiber optic cord which can support up to three different targets or three different ranges or both. For each shooter or range you must have a tripod, camera, spotting scope, electronic image conversion box and computer. BUT, when set up for one single range it can support more shooters with one spotting scope and camera by using the tilt and pan system to view other targets at that given range.

The variables for use are many and the OCAT Systems staff can fit up a (larger) cable that can simultaneously handle up to 12 shooters or ranges.

While not a low cost unit it is not a high-cost unit either and is certainly cheaper than a pro-built shooting range facility, and even there it can deliver superior results since no pit crew is necessary to work the targets.  Additionally it affords shooters the incredible advantage of long range shooting and instant plotting of hits.

Many different optional ranges and usages are available. If the purchaser were to want 1,600 yards of range they could purchase that length and it can be used for shorter ranges right down to 100 yards for example.

Multiple use. For example, 1,000 yards of cord could set up one range at 1,000 yards. Then with factory couplings one could create (for this example) 800-yard and say 400-yard ranges simultaneously. But for each of these distances if used simultaneously without traveling down range to move the camera and scope assembly it is necessary to have a separate camera, scope, conversion box, and computer -unless the scope and camera equipment is moved the cord is left in place as a semi-or permanent fixture. You could also have one shooter at each of these ranges or all three at the same range.

Range Expansion: If you were to purchase the unit for say 800 yards and want to use it at shorter distances that is no problem, just deploy that much less cord from the reel.  If you were to purchase say 800 yards of cord and later wanted to extend to say 1,200 yards you can purchase extra cord with connectors to expand the range for this example.

Team shooting and mirage/wind training: When coupled with an observer at the firing line or just the shooter him/herself  and reading mirage and wind from the firing line through a separate spotting scope focused 1/3 of the distance to the target to observe what the mirage looks like (this is a separate scope from the scope that is hooked up to the camera) the shooter and/or spotter watching the computer screen with the computer plotting the hits a shooter can quickly learn the very real effects of the mirage and wind on bullet strike. This is incredible feedback of the kind that can generally only be done on target ranges that have pit pulled targets. This is the type of hi-value informational training that highly-trained snipers and advanced competitors must learn to make accurate long range shots.

The OCAT System Advanced Marksmanship Unit is not primarily designed for a single individual to deploy for one time couple of hours use to then retrieve–but it can do that. Generally, this system will be used in a permanent, semi-permanent mode, or multiple day mode.

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For the past few weeks, I’ve been experimenting with a computer-based system designed to record and analyze shooting results for everything from range sessions with long-range rifles to dryfire in the home or office. It’s the OCATS (Optical Computer-Aided Training System) from Out West Systems of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Yesterday’s Outdoor Wire (http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/story/1352964665hujasfmn4ww) carried a release about Out West’s newest system – a dryfire only rig priced under $500.

Since getting a test unit from Out West Operations Manager Jim Cline, OCAT offerings have been announced in configurations that offer options that are affordable for almost any shooter’s budget. The add-on design of the system allows you to start small and expand the system.

The OCATS SYSTEM Indoor in the dryfire mode (top) Outdoor on the range (middle) and the results (bottom). OWDN photos.

The OCAT unit I have is an ingenious blending of computer, software, web cam and spotting scope to create a system that allows you to shoot (live or dry-fire) record and then analyze your results. Using the camera as a stand alone, I used the included laser cartridge to record dry fire. Coupling the camera to the spotting scope, I was able to shoot and measure live-fire results out to 125 yards (the maximum length on the range I was using).

The biggest benefit for live fire is spending more time at the shooting bench and virtually no time walking to/from targets. I also got instant results on the computer screen that made it possible to do real-time analysis on everything from breathing and trigger control to choosing the best ammo for my rifle.

The system uses proprietary software (PC-based) and computer referenced targets. Simply connect the system components, calibrate the computer to the OCAT target you choose (adjustments on the camera and software is simple and fairly intuitive) and start recording your data.

The ability to make small adjustments to the web camera coupled to the included spotting scope allowed me to quickly center up the target and get a calibrated image. At that point, shooting and measuring was as simple as making a shot and glancing over at the computer screen to see the results. If you don’t want to come off your rifle or pistol, you also have the option of having the computer “announce” the shot result (“hit” or “.75 left, .25 high”) via the computer speaker or use a mini-plug audio cord and hear the shot announcements in your digital shooting muffs.

That ability is not only very cool at the range, it allowed me to practice dryfire at home without disturbing anyone.

The OCAT sytem I’ve used arrived completely equipped and ready to go: targets, laptop computer, software, web camera, image adapter/coupler for the spotting scope, a tripod for the spotting scope and a sunscreen for your computer monitor was fitted -comfortably- into a single range bag. The included tripod even velcroed on top.

OCATS has been in development for just over three years. Cline tells me he and his business partner didn’t want to call attention to the system until it was reliable and ready to go.

I haven’t seen anything they’ve missed. The one issue I had was navigating the PC based computer system (I’m a longtime Mac user). Once I had the common sense to use the manual, the process of setting up, calibrating and recording information was virtually goof-proof.

This is a system that does much more than record your shooting systems. It allows you to build a database of information, generate diagnostic reports and work on your shooting fundamentals with immediate feedback.

One of the information options I found most helpful is the OCAT’s line-tracing function.

You see your shot (live fire or laser) and a line tracing showing the direction of movement of the gun as the shot was fired.

Using my copy of the Army Marksmanship Unit’s Training Target, I could compare that the line tracing and diagnose virtually some basic flaws impacting my accuracy.

The USAMU’s Training Guide image. Unfortunately, sportshooter.com is no longer online, but their version of the training guide lives on.

A few quick notes about using the diagnostic chart. It assumes three key things: you are using the correct chart (left or right-hand), firing one-handed, and have a perfect sight picture.

It isn’t designed for rapid fire and can’t diagnose multiple problems (is your low left a trigger jerk/slap or the combination of a push forward and too-little finger on the trigger).

But it can help establish the essential basics of a good sight picture and solid trigger control. If your training has plateaued, here’s the advice that moved me from awful to mediocre: get a qualified instructor to watch you shoot and diagnose your problem(s).

There is absolutely no substitute for solid coaching.

But the data you collect with OCAT can help your instructor focus on your unique problem(s). In fact, the OCAT system might be just the thing for an instructor or a range to offer its customers to enable them to maximize their practice time.

With the ability to create and save individual shooter profiles, OCAT could be an affordable equivalent to the video coaching and measurement that is an accepted tool in golf, tennis and other sports.

But when it comes to getting better as a shooter, there’s just no substitute for spending time on a trigger.

With OCATS you can dryfire using the included laser and establish good trigger control and sight picture.

As legendary competition shooter Rob Leatham is quick to point out, dryfire is an essential part of his practice, but there is no substitute for live-fire training. That’s because nothing (at least nothing available today) simulates recoil.

That’s true for rifles, pistols or shotguns.

OCAT is the first affordable system I’ve seen that allows me to record and compare all my practice sessions- live or dry fire.

The Analyzer function allows you record shot strings that not only measure the distance from the target center, but the times between shots. If you’re shooting competitions like Steel Challenge, time between shots is one area where you can leak fractions of a second. If you’re a hunter, the ability to quickly make an accurate followup shot is equally essential.

If you prefer precision shooting, you know it’s virtually impossible to tell where individual shots hit the target. OCATS accurately plots and numbers each shot. No guesswork and no arguments about what shot went where in your “single ragged hole.”

OCATS also has a two-shooter competition mode, but I didn’t use it. I did use the OCAT system lock-on symbol so I could use my preferred 25-yard smallbore rifle target. A bundle of special OCAT targets is supplied for dry or live fire. They can be photocopied, so you should never run out of targets.

I like the fact that system components aren’t proprietary, only the software. The included notebook computer (ASUS A53) and spotting scope (Celestron Ultima) can both be used as stand-alones. Ditto the tripod. The laser cartridge was the “Ultimate” from Laser Ammo Training Technologies and can also be used with its (included) reflective targets if you can’t setup the full system. You can also buy additional components that convert the laser cartridge to a boresight. It requires no modifications to guns, and there’s no chance of leaving it in your gun and accidentally loading a live round.

As tested this full OCAT System is priced around $1500. Not inexpensive, but with the ability to practice and record the results of live or dry-fire sessions and analyze those sessions individually or collectively, you might find it quickly paying for itself.

–Jim Shepherd

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