Simunitions and MMA

A shootout game that utilizes real guns with simunitions. Imagine a new sport where gun fighting slams into mixed martial arts. Fighters and opponents shoot at each other with real guns, and when all the ammo is gone, there can be some mano-mano in your face fighting.

In the early years of simunitions development, the military and law enforcements were the only group to enjoy this form of training, until now.

You can use your favorite version in Glocks or Sigs 9mm pistols to shoot it out against your friend. Just like paintball, simunitions comes in red and blue. Getting hit still stings a little more than the traditional paintball. Or, you can go MMA, the fight doesn't stop until the siren goes off. And, just like in the Roman days of Gladiator, the fans (the mob) are there on the other side of the glass to cheer you on as you fight. See the action here.

Late in my Marine Corps career I worked on weapons and ammunition acquisition. We had a presentation from Simunitions to present their training systems and it occurred to me that maybe those paintball-like rounds could also be used as less-than-lethal munitions against rioters, like those we had to deal with in Somalia and elsewhere.

I asked the presenters (Belgians, I think) “how much do those rounds hurt when they hit you?”.

They just shrugged. So while we were doing the live-fire demo at a range at Quantico, I threw a rock down range (to simulate the range rioters would throw rocks) and walked to where the rock landed and said “shoot me”.

The Simunition guys shrugged and handed an MP5 (!) to a Lance Corporal who immediately fired 15 rounds which all hit me.

1. Yes, it hurt.

2. No, I had not expected that they’d use a submachinegun on me.

3. I qualified for an honorable mention in that year’s Darwin Awards.

Dang welts were the size of silver dollars and lasted a week!

In warrant service and location clearing drills, we use simunition. It’s great.

It stings, too. I don’t think it hurts worse than a paintball though... About the same. (I’ve been shot in the neck with both)

I’ve never been hit with mp’s though. I sure as hell wouldn’t volunteer. Awesome.

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