Weird question.

[bdickens]

This may seem like a weird question, but is there any cheap, substandard aftermarket magazine for Glocks that is unreliable like some of the cheaper 1911 magazines? The reason I'd want one is for practicing malfunction drills at the range.

[WildBill]

This may seem like a weird question, but is there any cheap, substandard aftermarket magazine for Glocks that is unreliable like some of the cheaper 1911 magazines? The reason I'd want one is for practicing malfunction drills at the range.

Why not try some snap caps in your good magazines?

[LittleGun]

I suggest snap caps, too. In my training classes, we have other students load our magazines with snap caps and then return the magazines. Since we don't know where the snap caps are placed, and we don't know how many there are, the malfunction is a surprise. It's good practice.

Another malfunction drill we use is this: Students place their guns on a table. Students turn their backs while the instructor sabotages each pistol with some kind of malfunction. A student steps forward, picks up each gun and fires. If it doesn't fire, he must fix the malfunction and get it to fire.

[couzin]

You don't want snap caps - you need 'dummy rounds' - full dimension rounds that mimic a complete cartridge. A-Zoom makes em - I get mine from Cheaper than Dirt because they are just down the road but I think just about any place that sells shooting sports equipment has them.

[Skiprr]

You don't want snap caps - you need 'dummy rounds' - full dimension rounds that mimic a complete cartridge. A-Zoom makes em...

Just FYI, Snap Caps are full-sized dummy rounds. A-Zoom makes a good product, but that's just one brand.

AFAIK, Armsport was the first company to manufacture and sell a full-sized dummy round and called it a Snap Cap; this was in the early- to mid-'90s and the product was molded plastic with a spring-loaded plastic "primer." It was that somewhat inferior plastic primer that caused a bad rep initially, because it tended to break into small pieces...which sometimes fouled the gun's mechanism and had to be cleaned out, sometimes tediously.

Other manufacturers recognized the excellent idea, and applied better production materials and craftsmanship to it. One brand that is today closely associated with the term Snap Cap is Tipton, a company most of us know as a firearm cleaning products supplier. Tipton is part of Battenfeld Technologies. Here is their Snap Cap product line.

Pretty much everybody, though, from Beretta to A-Zoom themselves refer to the items as "Snap Caps."

A-Zoom was acquired a few years by Lyman--a direct competitor to Tipton in the cleaning products biz--from what was A-Zoom's parent, Ready Products. Interestingly, Lyman also owns Pachmayr, who continues to produce their own line of Snap Caps.

I personally think that Snaps Caps are an absolute necessity for any gun owner. I have 'em in every caliber for which I own firearms, including shotguns. There's simply no other good way to practice gun handling procedures in a dry-fire environment: everything from malfunction drills to reloads to chamber checks to clearing and unloading. Choosing and using any well-manufactured brand is a small but important investment.

[jbirds1210]

I agree that snap caps are a wonderful solution. All of the magazines outside of factory are pretty unreliable. There are supposedly some aftermarket mags coming out of Korea that work, but I am already hearing horror stories.

Here is some great instruction from Clint Smith on malfunction drills:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfyULpEhmug" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Enjoy and good for you practicing malfunction drills!

Jason

[WildBill]

I agree that snap caps are a wonderful solution. All of the magazines outside of factory are pretty unreliable. There are supposedly some aftermarket mags coming out of Korea that work, but I am already hearing horror stories.

Here is some great instruction from Clint Smith on malfunction drills:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfyULpEhmug" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Enjoy and good for you practicing malfunction drills!

Jason

During every post-CHL class I have taken, the instructor has asked the students if during their normal target practice they routinely "practice malfunction drills." Hardly a hand goes up in the crowd. I am guilty too, but promise to work on them.

[Skiprr]

Another malfunction drill we use is this: Students place their guns on a table. Students turn their backs while the instructor sabotages each pistol with some kind of malfunction. A student steps forward, picks up each gun and fires. If it doesn't fire, he must fix the malfunction and get it to fire.

Just a quick sidebar story. John Farnam uses a variant of this drill in his advanced course. I've run it with him several times, and I hate it.

John conducts this after dark, as part of the night session that includes flashlight work. At least six guns are placed on the table (usually two tables going simultaneously). The handguns are selected mainly on type of action, to get as broad a mix as possible (we typically see revolvers in the class only as BUGs, so they've never been in the mix in my experience). The instructors "sabotage" most of the guns in some way; I say "most" because every once in a while one is left properly functioning to keep us on our toes.

The kicker is that it's dark; not dusk, dark. Starlight and, if you're very lucky, some moonlight. A steel target (so we can tell when a hit is achieved; did I mention it's dark?) is set up at a modest distance, probably 20 feet, but it isn't easy to see...nor are the guns even after you walk up to the table for your turn.

The simple mission is to pick up the first gun, move off the "X" to the side of the table, achieve two hits on target (gotta get the hits), move back, replace the gun and pick up the next. Repeat. The only other rule is that you have to attempt to fire the gun as is; in other words, you can't perform a preemptive tap-rack without first attempting to fire. To apply additional pressure, you're on the clock from first round fired until two hits are achieved from all the guns on the table.

To get a decent time, you have to concentrate on the hits. I've seen one instance where a 92FS was set up with two good-to-go rounds, but when the student had a miss and had to try a make-up shot, he found that the next few rounds were all Snap Caps and required remediation. And until you run this, you may think you have a decent knowledge of major types of auto-loading pistols, but when you have to work at speed and mostly by feel because you can't stop to bring the gun up close to your face in the dark to see what kind it is...well, it's humbling.

The most amazing run I've seen was by Gregg Garrett, of Comp-Tac. He was assisting with the class and Farman "volunteered" him to show how it should be done. He stayed back with us, chatting, as the table was set up, so I know he didn't have any advanced info about what guns were on the table or in what condition; and he wasn't wearing nightvision goggles. But it may as well have been under bright noonday sun, the guns may as well have all come from Gregg's personal collection, and he may as well have set-up the malfunctions in each pistol himself. Several seconds, it was all over. The class was silent for a moment before an appreciative round of applause. I remain very impressed.

[fm2]

S T action pro also makes some nice dummy rounds.

[aardwolf]

Wolf ammo is good for malfunction drills.

[USA1]

Wolf ammo is good for malfunction drills.

[cbunt1]

If you have access to a reloading press, why not make your own dummy rounds? Advantages include using the same bullet weight, etc. that you always do.

Simply seat a bullet on an empty case, with no primer or powder. Be sure and mark it with a sharpie so you'll know it's a dummy round.

I don't worry about a dry-fire on most of my pistols, so I don't bother with a spent primer, or a plug (I think a dab of hi-temp hot glue in the primer pocket would work nicely), but you could if you were so inclined.

[bdickens]

I was thinking along the lines of Failures to Feed.

[Skiprr]

I was thinking along the lines of Failures to Feed.

There are only two basic techniques of stoppage remediation for an auto-loading pistol. Doing live-fire with a random Snap Cap introduced somewhere in the mag would replicate the same functional situation as encountering a run-of-the-mill failure to feed. If you're wanting replicate the nastier double-feed, MHO is that wouldn't be safe to try to rig live-fire.

Maybe I'm missing something...

[fm2]

.... (I think a dab of hi-temp hot glue in the primer pocket would work nicely), but you could if you were so inclined.

Some silicone sealant in place of the primer also works.