Primer Peak is no stranger to the folks at CoolFire. Back in 2022 veteran writer Sean B. had the opportunity to give us a long-term evaluation of his CoolFire Trainer, and spoke very highly of the device. This year CoolFire is bringing us a new product line, the Sidekick, and long gun enthusiasts will be pleased.
New from CoolFire is the Sidekick. This is the first kit from CoolFire to bring their dry practice capability to the AR-15 ecosystem. Much like with the original CoolFire, shooters use their gun, as the Sidekick is compatible with virtually all AR-15s. This means you get your sights, your grips, and all the reps on your gun.
The kit consists of a replacement bolt carrier group, a CO2 reservoir, along with the tools necessary to operate and maintain the system. Using standard soda bottle CO2 cannisters, shooters can expect to have approximately 50-60 “shots” per full load of CO2.
I had the opportunity to try the Sidekick at the CoolFire booth during SHOT Show 2025. This version was installed in the owner’s personal AR, which featured a suppressor, white light, and all the other modern fixings. I’m not the fastest on the AR, but quarter-second splits were easy, and presented no issues for the Sidekick. As a few of us passed the rifle around, the system showed no signs of slowing or hiccups as the CO2 was discharged.
As an addition, this sample of the Sidekick was equipped with an IR and visible laser. This allowed us to visually confirm our hits once zero on the laser was adjusted to match the optic atop the rifle. Another “shooter” had the opportunity to use the Sidekick in a simulator shoothouse scenario, with the IR laser interacting directly with the projection.
The CoolFire Sidekick is expected to release in Q2 of 2025. MSRP is projected to sit between $400-600 depending on configuration.
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