2011 Bull Barrel CoolFire Trainer Silver Elite Review

The 2011 Bull Barrel CoolFire Trainer adds believable CO2 recoil and auto reset to dry fire, turning living room reps into full-speed practice that feels dangerously close to live fire.

Turn Dry Fire Into Real Recoil At Home

The best, most cost-effective way to train with a handgun is dry fire training. Dry fire training is essential in building muscle memory and learning efficient weapon manipulation. This applies to the responsible gun owner who wants to properly defend their family if the need arises, the competition shooter who wants to refine their skills, or a new shooter who is trying to familiarize themselves with something foreign to them. Dry fire training is simply weapon manipulation (specifically including the trigger pull) with an empty and safe firearm. This is often done in the comfort of your own home. This practice is essential, but not perfect. CoolFire made practicing with your firearm much more fun, realistic, and accessible with their 2011 Bull Barrel CoolFire Trainer.

The 2011 Bull Barrel CoolFire Trainer is a CO2-powered, piston-operated dry fire device that simulates recoil and resets the firearm’s trigger for subsequent shots. By swapping out a couple of parts in your gun, you can add a more realistic feel to your dry fire practice that will make the experience more valuable and enjoyable. This builds better habits with a realistic feel. I also found that I was extending my practice sessions because it’s now more enjoyable.

Purchasing Options For The CoolFire Trainer

When you choose to buy a CoolFire Trainer barrel, there are several different options available to choose from. The most affordable option is to purchase just the barrel kit. This does not come with a laser, fill device, or spare O-rings. All barrel kits have a cost of $299.00. Other options are different package deals. These are the Brass Package and Silver Elite Package.

The first of these is the Brass Package, which includes the barrel kit, Muzzle Laser, and a Soda Maker 14-oz CO2 tank. The Silver Elite Package adds a 5-pack of Striker Tips, Rapid Fill Adapter Laser, and a few retroreflective targets. Finally, the CoolFire Trainer MantisX Package has everything the Silver Elite Package has, plus a Mantis X10 Elite – Performance Shooting System. Though it increases the price, the Mantis X10 Elite is a strong training feedback tool that allows the shooter to monitor their gun-handling skills and fine-tune their training to address areas that need improvement.

When purchasing CO2 cannisters, you can either buy a whole new canister (~$30) or you can exchange your empty canister for a new one for about half the price. This allows you to get even more shots for your dollar. This comes in at less than a cent per round fired when you get up to 2,000 rounds of CoolFire practice per tank. Incredible value when you consider the current 9mm ammo price is around 18 cents per round on the lowest end.

2011 Bull Barrel Silver Elite Package: What You Get

CoolFire Trainer has over 100 different CO2-powered training barrels to choose from, including Glock 17, SIG P365, Canik TP9, and 2011 options. The product I tested for this review is the 2011 Bull Barrel Silver Elite Package. This kit includes a CoolFire 2011 bull barrel that is compatible with many bull-barreled, bushingless 2011s. It also features a Rapid Fill Adapter Laser, Soda Maker CO2 Fill Device, 14-ounce Soda Maker CO2 bottle, 5-pack of Striker Tips, and a few retroreflective targets. I used this kit on my Kimber 2K11 Target (OR), Springfield Prodigy, and Girsan Match X with great results.

The Striker Tips are polymer caps that the firing pin of the gun strikes when the trigger is pulled. This prevents damage to the Coolfire unit, but also makes it a consumable part. These last about 500 rounds before they need to be replaced.

Dry Fire vs CoolFire: What Actually Changes

I touched on the difference between dryfire training and CoolFire training earlier, but I want to elaborate a bit more. Training with a handgun outside of live fire practice is essential for building your weapon manipulation skills, whether that be in reloads, different draw styles, presentation, draw to shot times, split times, and many other areas to improve. Some of these can be covered during dryfire. But it’s very hard to practice other aspects, such as recoil control, split times, transitions, and more, without the added challenge of realistic recoil. This is where CoolFire barrels excel, leveling up your training and skill.

The 2011 that I use in USPSA has a loaded capacity of 25 rounds, which is basically half as many shots as I can get out of the CoolFire barrel before it needs charged. This means that I can simulate a full course of fire (maximum 32 rounds in USPSA), while including any number of planned reloads, at full speed, with realistic recoil. And I can do this inside my living room! Dryfire practice is limited in application and benefit, while CoolFire training is all-encompassing.

Silver Elite Package Specifications

Pros & Cons: The Good And The Gotchas

• Pros: Realistic CO2 recoil and trigger reset on your own gun, extended session length because practice is fun, sub-cent cost per trigger press with exchanges, Rapid Fill Adapter Laser adds about 40 shots per charge, easy swap between live and CoolFire setups.
• Cons: Striker Tips and seals are consumables, periodic grease and part swaps are required, compatibility is limited to supported models, initial kit price is higher than basic dry fire tools.

My 2025 CoolFire Journey: From Setbacks To Gains

I received my CoolFire Silver Elite Package for the 2011 at the end of June in 2025. At this time, I was a mid B-class (66%) shooter in the Limited Optics division of USPSA. My goal is to break out of B-class and into A-class by the end of the season. Here in Montana, we have to take a break from outdoor competitions during the snowy months, so I don’t get to shoot competitions year-round like some of you. The goal was to be A-class when the snow hit the ground at the start of winter. The CoolFire system is the tool I needed.

I started this journey with a highly modified Springfield Prodigy as my LO gun. I just purchased a steel Cheeley grip for this gun and had to send it off to the gunsmith for installation right after getting the CoolFire system. Luckily, I had a Kimber 2K11 (fantastic factory gun for USPSA) that I was able to use in the months where my 2011 was away for work. As luck would have it, the CoolFire 2011 Bull Barrel kit was also compatible with this Kimber. Now that I had changed EVERYTHING that I was comfortable with, I got to practicing with this CO2-powered dryfire system. I got comfortable and confident with the Kimber quickly and went on to do very well in several local matches.

As soon as I got comfortable with this gun, my Springfield Prodigy showed back up in the mail. It also weighs an extra pound or more now with the steel grip installed. Fantastic, I had to relearn a totally new gun. Again, the CoolFire system allowed me to practice easily and conveniently at home, helping me grow comfortable and proficient with this new and strange firearm.

At this point, I had crept toward the upper side of B-class. I felt like a better, more proficient, and confident shooter, and just knew I would be making A-class with my old LO gun in my hands. However, I’d be thrown a curveball.

Now it’s August, and we’re nearing the end of the season. Mere days after my modified Prodigy arrived back in my hands, I had a classifier match in a neighboring town. The weather? 100% chance of rain and 40 degrees. I performed terribly. Well below my average. This pulled my classifier percentage way down. I’ve tried to forget that match, but I can still remember the feeling of my wet magazines slipping through my hands on unloaded table starts. Trying to pull the trigger, but my cold fingers were stuck dragging through molasses… It was a fever dream that I fully blame on the weather. No, a nightmare.

I performed so badly at that match, and it happened to be six classifier stages. This single event totally reset me at the bottom half of B-class, with nowhere to go but up. However, I still felt like my skill level was above what this number showed. I used this as motivation and put in extra time with the CoolFire Trainer system and quickly gained the ground I lost. Well, as quickly as you can replace 6 poor classifier scores with new ones when you shoot two to three matches a month, each has 1 classifier.

The next few months introduced a new challenge: malfunctions. This new modification to my prodigy opened the door for magazine over-insertion issues. I was breaking brand-new ejectors after one single match of use. Soon enough, I also started experiencing intermittent failures to feed that I later determined were caused by the magazine lips actually smashing into the feed ramp. This new issue took a long time to troubleshoot, resulting in great scores with terrible scores sprinkled in randomly.

Now we are at present day. My Prodigy is again back at the gunsmith, and I am waiting for 3D printed baseplate extensions to prevent magazine over insertion. I still feel like my skill level is above what is shown on paper. Regardless, I went from a 66% to a 71% average in LO classifiers in one season. I attribute this success on my use of the CoolFire Trainer Silver Elite Package. This training aid allowed me to practice with my actual guns, with realistic recoil, at my home. I am very confident that I can step into the spring USPSA season in a few months and immediately break over the 75% barrier to A-class.

Maintenance That Keeps It Snappy

The CoolFire Trainer system is not maintenance-free. The Silver Elite kit comes with extra seals, striker tips, and grease for a reason. First, to keep the seal fresh and functional, you must grease the fill tip. This is the piece that goes into the CO2 fill device. Greasing this part keeps this O-ring fresh and functional. The other high-maintenance part is the Striker Tip. The firing pin strikes the polymer caps to activate the device. Repeated impacts damage the striker tip over time, eventually preventing proper recoil activation. Just swap this out and go back to practicing. These replacement parts are very cheap and relatively easy to replace, so it’s good to have a stock of them on hand.

For other maintenance or troubleshooting issues that may arise, CoolFire Trainer has a ton of how-to videos on YouTube that are easily found with a simple search. I highly recommend watching these videos for any issues that arise before taking any other action.

Closing Thoughts

You only get better at shooting by practicing, and this can be expensive when you consider ammunition costs. CoolFire Trainer’s products allow the end user to practice shooting with their actual firearm while experiencing realistic recoil without using live ammunition. This alternative to live fire is a fraction of the cost with many of the benefits. I really enjoyed my time with the Silver Elite Package with 2011 Bull Barrel CoolFire Trainer.

I used this system on my Springfield Prodigy, Kimber 2K11, and Girsan Match X to practice at home. This practice improved my skills in a high-stress competition setting. Unrelated mechanical issues with my gun held me back from my end of year goal to class up in USPSA. However, I have been able to improve many of my shooting fundamentals beyond what I’ve been able to achieve in the sport. I’m sure your experience would be similar. Practice makes perfect in the world of firearms, and this device makes practice affordable and effective.

Learn more about the CoolFire Trainer Silver Elite Package here!