I’ve been a firearms instructor for a lot of years. I attended the US Army Marksmanship Unit, Rifle Instructor and Coaches Clinic way back in 1970, and I’ve been an NRA Certified Rifle, Handgun and Person Protection In The Home, instructor for about 20 years now. It’s safe to say, I’ve trained numerous people over the years in firearm use and safety.
More than anything, before I’m done with one of my firearms students, they have to demonstrate firearms safety to me – marksmanship skills are secondary in my class. However, everyone walks away from my class being a better shot than when they started. No, I’m not some magical instructor or anything like that. I just present sound instruction in the safe and effective use of firearms to my students – tried and proven methods.
We do a lot of gun handling in my classes, as well as plenty of lecturing. One thing I’m always short on are, dummy guns for students to handle. Yeah, I have a few of those “blue guns” that are made out of rubber, but I never have enough to go around during a class. And, firearms safety is my number one priority – a person must prove to me that they can safely handle a firearm. I’m happy to report, that in all the years I’ve been instructing folks in firearms use and safety, we’ve never had an negligent discharge (ND) or any other safety concerns in my classes.
I was contacted by Train Safe and they wanted to send me some samples of their Train Safe barrel blocks, that they manufacture for a number of semiauto pistols, as well as some shotguns and rifles. The Train Safe firearm block (plug) is a simple piece of orange plastic that fits inside the barrel of your firearm. With the block installed, you can NOT load a live round into the chamber. So there’s no fear of leaving the block in the barrel, forgetting about it, and then loading a live round into the firearm, pulling the trigger and causing a ND.
The Train Safe block easily installs into your firearm, if you know how to disassemble your firearm, you can install the block in a minute or two. The orange-colored block sticks out the front of the barrel of your firearm, just enough, so that you can see the plug, and instantly know that the firearm is not loaded with a live round. The orange-colored block really catches your attention, too – you can’t miss it – so you know the gun isn’t loaded. A great visual indicator!
The Train Safe block is a great idea when dry-firing your guns, for practice in trigger control, and sight picture. It also allows you to manipulate the action during dry-fire practice. This is also a great idea for gun shops for displaying their firearms in their display cases – the gun shop and the customer know that the gun is not loaded and safe to handle. I think the block would be a great thing for gun shops to sell with each gun – the customer wouldn’t mind paying the $5.00 (retail cost) of the Train Safe plug, so they have a tool to use when dry-firing and working the action of their newly purchased firearm.
So, what we have with the Train Safe block is another one of those “Gee, why didn’t I think of that…” inventions, that is inexpensive, and can be a real lifesaver when handling a firearm. It makes for a great training aid, too. Train Safe is a small (father and son team – John and Steve Carlin) company, who are producing an American-made product (always a plus in my book). They saw a need, and filled that need. They deserve your business, since they have a great little product. Check out their web site for a list of firearms they are making the block for, and if they don’t have a block for your particular firearm, contact them and see if they can help you out.
Gun safety is our responsibility – one we must take seriously!
Pat’s Product Review: Train Safe Barrel Block
