No Training Range Required

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The training weapons used in the past required designated ranges and training areas because they utilized primer-fired ammunition. A new non-lethal, non-weapon that will be the exact copy of the US Army’s M4 carbine will serve as a valuable training tool that can be used anywhere and anytime. 

The US Army’s Special Operations Command has been looking at Unit4, manufactured by Unit Solutions. The system Unit4 Training System is a mil-spec, standalone, M4 training system that uses CO2 to fire 8mm non-lethal projectiles. Classified as a non-weapon by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), the UNIT4 has been specifically engineered to allow police and military users to train safely, affordably, and more frequently.

Former Green Beret Joe Fitterer, who is now a field service representative of Unit Solutions, spoke with Military.com: “You are no longer [required] to go to the range for training,” he said. “You can train off-range.” This means units will be able to do more training and conduct it closer to their base without any risk to troops nearby. The Unit4 system will allow troops to engage in close-range, tactical training.”

The training tool/weapon uses compressed air cartridges and is designed to replicate an actual M-4 with semiautomatic and fully-automatic firing. Its paintball-style, non-marking projectiles shoot at 300 to 350 feet per second, with a maximum range of about 35 meters, Fitterer said. It can’t break the skin or a quarter-inch glass beyond five feet. 

“All the components look very similar to a user’s M4; there is a slight modification in the lower [receiver] and the bolt doesn’t have a firing pin and it’s a smoothbore barrel,” Fitterer added, according to sofrep.com.