A safety device for revolvers and pistols I have never heard of ...

[spin]

SAFETY BULLET, LLC
The Safety Bullet saving lives since 2002

http://www.safetybullet.com/home.html

I can see some advantages to this invention and some disadvantages. I posted this to see the opinion of other shooters and also to bring up the important issue of safe gun storage.

edited to update link

[Jackpine Radical]

1. If you have to keep a gun around for self-defense, I think it would be better to

just hide the clip where you can easily find it (but not with the gun). It would be all too easy to effectively disarm yourself by forgetting about the safety bullet in a moment of dire need (and associated panic).

[Callisto32]

33. The self defense weapon should be on your person.

Fewer guns are safer than a holstered sidearm. The problem is that a lot of people (including me) take their gun off at home. We would probably be better off just carrying it.

[yellowcanine]

2. One problem I see is that it undermines the rule "Always assume the gun is loaded and will fire"

if the trigger is pulled. I can see kids pointing a gun at each other as a "trick", assuming incorrectly that the safety bullet is in place and shazzam, they just fired a live round.

Also - if someone does need to fire a gun immediately, are they going to remember that the safety bullet is in place? By the time they remember it may be too late - they may be holding a useless gun and not have time to remove the safety bullet.

[Ian David]

5. The gun isn't useless. It can still be thrown or used as a club.

Not exactly what you paid $300 for, though.

[oneshooter]

14. "It can still be thrown or used as a club." And the goblin will duck down, just like Superman! n/t

[spin]

21. I can buy a Cold Steel Irish Blackthorn Walking Stick ...

from Amazon.com for a mere $35.31.

[Ian David]

6. Telling your kids the safety bullet is in there negates its usefulness.

As would putting a "safety bullet" bumper sticker on your car.

[slackmaster]

3. Disabling the device requires violating the rule of muzzle control

You have to point the muzzle at something you don't intend to destroy.

Other than that, it's a clever, simple idea.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

7. I think that rule, taken to the extreme, is silly.

At some point, a gun must point in an unintended direction because all guns must be pointing in SOME direction at all times. Based on strict interpretation of that rule... either you are ALWAYS in the presence of something you are willing to destroy (and point the gun at it) or you are violating that rule most of the time.

[slackmaster]

8. Let me put it this way - You have to jam something down the barrel of a gun you KNOW is loaded

Not just one that you assume to be loaded because of the "always loaded" rule.

Generally the only time you put something other than a bullet down the barrel is when the weapon is stripped for cleaning.

My dad gave me such religion about muzzle control that I find myself not pointing things like broom handles at people.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

12. I had to stick a cleaning rod down the barrel of a loaded .22lr machinegun this past weekend...

A live rimfire jammed in the chamber of an open-bolt machinegun...
Lot's of fun!

[mikekj]

23. Actually,

You do realize that if the Safety Bullet has locked the gun, at that point the gun is not loaded, right? That's the point of the devise. Also, you can still pull the magazine out.

[slackmaster]

30. It's loaded until you unload it.

You do realize that if the Safety Bullet has locked the gun, at that point the gun is not loaded, right?

That's not the way I was taught to think.

Also, you can still pull the magazine out.

Not on a revolver; and what if you are mistaken in your belief that there is a "safety bullet" in the chamber?

Jamming things down the barrel of an assembled firearm, except when you absolutely must in order to clear a stoppage, is something I was taught never to do.

[mikekj]

36. Just guessing.....

That you don't shoot many competitions.

People have to knock out stuck bullets and stuck cases from the muzzle end all the time.

Go out to the national matches sometime. 250 shooters on the firing line at a time, Stuck bullets happen quite often, and a range officer will come and put a rod down the barrel from the muzzle.

Treating a firearm as if it is always loaded is a good idea hypothetically, but not always practical.

[Endangered Specie]

38. I bet you good money they knock stuck bullets/cases with the action LOCKED BACK.

Big difference.

If I have to clear a gun in this manner I would typically slide the action shut and attempt to fire it out a couple times... then wait several seconds, then lock back the slide, place an object in the slides path (empty mag perhaps) to keep the action from slamming shut, THEN insert cleaning rod... and tap *carefully*

[slackmaster]

46. Did you miss where I wrote "except when you absolutely must in order to clear a stoppage"?

:shrug:

[GKirk]

34. Well, for goodness sake...

...I certainly hope you don't point your broomhandle at people. :)

[spin]

10. I usually point the weapon at something like the baseboard of a wall...

when I'm clearing it or uncocking it. Obviously I don't want to put a hole in the baseboard but that would be better than a hole in my LCD TV.

For those you are unfamiliar with unloading or "clearing" a handgun here's a link to an informative video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9y_FaItcTg

[benEzra]

27. I have always heard that rule applied only to when handling a gun

or carrying a slung rifle or shotgun, not when the gun is sitting inertly in a holster or lockbox, or is sitting on a table.

Side rant: One of my pet peeves is getting muzzle swept by someone with a gun in their hands (or slung on their shoulder) who thinks it's OK because "it's unloaded." That's what Rule Two is aimed at, IMO (pun partially intended).

[Ian David]

4. Four things

1) I would have liked to see the dude aim the gun at his head while demonstrating the safety bullet. But that's just me.

2) It can't be good for your gun when you have to use that rod device to un-jam the safety bullet.

3) If you forget to cycle the safety bullet out of your gun before you fire in an emergency situation, you're screwed.

4) This gives you one less bullet to fire in an emergency.

However, you'd have to look at some statistics and find out:

1) What are the odds of being killed by having your own gun used against you?
2) What are the odds of being killed after firing five rounds and not having a sixth bullet?

[X_Digger]

15. His technique for removing the expanded safety bullet did make me cringe.

At least make it a HDPE plastic rod, rather than a metal one that will scratch the bore.

[spin]

19. Occasionally a reloaded bullet at the range would have no powder ...

The primer had enough power to drive the bullet about 3 inches up the barrel.

I would take the revolver out to the range master who had a brass rod which we used to tap the bullet out. I never noticed any damage to the barrel. Of course if I hadn't noticed the difference in recoil and would have fired another round, I might have caused considerable damage. This problem made me pay close attention while shooting rapid fire.

The company that made the reloads for the range would have bought me a new gun if their reloads had damaged my firearm.

I never had any problems with my own reloads not have enough powder or having a double charge. I used the range reloads because, at the time, they were cheap enough to discourage taking the time to reload. Eventually I just bought the cheap .38 special and .45 acp ammo at Walmart. I would reload my own .357 and .44 magnum ammo.

[X_Digger]

22. Brass would do too.. but it looks / sounds harder than that. n/t

[GreenStormCloud]

9. The "Safety Bullet" makes some bad assumptions.

First, it assumese that you will be able to use both hands in a time of crisis. I know a gun instructor who has been in several real-life gun fights. He says that he has never been able to use a two handed hold in any of his real situations. If one of my hands is busy, then the "Safety Bullet" will have screwed me.

Second, it assumes that I will have the time to cycle the action. I don't want to bet my life on that assumption.

However, in some households, the downside of the safety bullet may be less than the additional safety. Each must make their own decision.

Definately this would be for a home gun, and not for a carry gun.

[pipoman]

25. In one of my range training classes we were required to start

with an empty chamber. The live round in the mag had to be chambered using only one hand. Then a dummy was placed in the mag to represent a misfire. The dummy had to be removed again using only one hand. This was a LEO training class.

[GreenStormCloud]

26. That was a RANGE exercise.

I will even agree that it was a good range exercise. But would you want to be at the start of a gunfight by being handicapped by the need to cycle the action? I will pass on that. I want mine ready to go.

[pipoman]

28. Nobody wants to be in that position

the point is that if one finds oneself in that position, having the training will reduce the chance of panic...in almost any dire situation panic leads to dire results. I know how to do this, I would bet the vast, vast majority of handgun owners have never tried, let alone been tested on their ability to perform it. The key to any form of self defense is practice before the need to defend arises.

Bottom line, there is no way to have 100% unobstructed access to a loaded gun not attached to your person without some risk of accident. That risk is dramatically compounded by the presence of children in the home. Does the inconvenience of some sort of protective barrier outweigh the risk of an accidental shooting? Not in my home..YMMV

[GreenStormCloud]

35. And my mileage does vary.

I agree with everything you said. I respect that your situation is different from mine. In my house we have no children. If someone visits who does have children, we quietly put the guns away before they get here. The rest of the time we keep them ready, and stashed at various places in the house.

[pipoman]

39. We are in the same position

our kids are grown and we too keep guns ready. This product would be useless to me. It may be a good option for someone with kids around, they may be more likely to use it than a safe.

[SteveM]

51. Seems simpler and safer in a revolver. I am used to "stacking"

my .357 Ruger; 3 rounds of magnums followed by 3 rounds of .38s. Therefore, I am used to the notion of "selection."

[shadowrider]

11. Good idea, in theory, but I'd never use it

For several reasons:

1) You need two hands to cycle the action. This assumes you have two hands available
2) Cycling the action isn't a quiet procedure. Some noise will be generated letting the bad guy know you know he's there AND it gives away your location in a general sense
3) Cycling the action would have to be done over a soft surface so the cartridge doesn't hit the floor and go rolling (making noise AND definitely giving away your position)
4) ASSUMING you hear them coming in through a door or window, you MAY have time to do the above, however, if you don't hear them and find them in your bedroom at 2 a.m., you're screwed.

I carry and keep a full magazine with one in the pipe. The safety is on. I can use it with one hand if necessary.

[Atypical Liberal]

13. I like it.

Right now I keep my firearms locked in a safe. I have children in my home. I played with my father's guns when I was a kid, and I expect that mine will try to do so, also.

If you choice is locking up your gun or using one of these safety bullets, I think the safety bullet is a good choice if you think you will need fast access to your firearm.

I'll still be going with the gun safe, because it can't be defeated by my children, whereas any kid who can work the slide on an automatic pistol will be able to defeat the safety bullet.

[rrneck]

16. I'm unconvinced.

Interesting, but I like this safety best:

[RamboLiberal]

17. I think there could easily be an Oh F*ck situation with this

If you're trying to protect yourself from kids using the firearm then a better idea is a quick access gun vault.

If you don't trust yourself with a live round in the chamber then carry with an empty chamber.

I could just see one forgetting in the heat of an attack that you have to rack the slide to eject the safety bullet & exclaiming as you just rendered your gun inoperable "Oh F*ck!"

[spin]

18. Quick access gun vaults are my solution ...

I have one two feet from where I'm sitting with a loaded S&W 940 9mm revolver inside and one in my bedroom with a loaded S&W Model 642 .38 caliber revolver.

[spin]

20. I use a revolver for home defense ...

the reason being that when you wake up in the middle of the night because of a strange noise you apply the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid).

When you first wake up, your mind may not be functioning at normal speed. A revolver doesn't have a safety to remember or a magazine to insert. If you perceive a serious threat, you first make damn sure it is a real threat, you point your weapon and pull the trigger if absolutely necessary. If the revolver doesn't make a very loud noise you repeat the procedure. Very simple.

This device is like a safety on a pistol, it's something to remember in a moment of extreme stress. If you forget to cycle the slide and pull the trigger, the SAFETY BULLET will completely disable the weapon unlike a conventional safety which can be flipped off.

I use a quick access safe or security box to secure my loaded firearms from the hands of curious children.

Still, I would imagine some people would find this safety method useful. It does appear that it would enable you to get the gun into action far faster than many gun locks.

[RSillsbee]

24. Got to be THE dumbest idea I've ever heard

What happens when you forget under stress that "the safety bullet" is there and turn your gun into an instant paper weight when you need it most?

[Euromutt]

29. Like spin said, neat idea in theory...

In practice, you'd have to practice extensively to generate a conditioned response to rack the slide upon drawing the weapon. That's an option if your primary self-defense handgun is a semi-auto kept and carried in "Condition 3" (empty chamber, loaded magazine locked in place) and you're competent in performing an "Israeli draw."

But the fact is that the development of handguns in the course of the 20th century has been geared towards creating handguns that were safe to carry with a round chambered. "Condition 1" (round chambered, hammer/striker cocked back, manual safety engaged) was judged by certain Powers That Were during and after WWI to be too dangerous, in response to which Walther developed the PP (Polizeipistole, "police pistol"), which had a manual safety/decocker which allowed the wielder to safely place the weapon in "Condition 2" (round chambered, hammer uncocked) and to cock and release the hammer on the first shot with one (comparatively heavy) "double-action" pull of the trigger.

But even DA/SA handguns had their issues, potentially discharging if dropped on their hammers, so from 1970 onward, we saw the development of firing pin safeties, which would only disengage if the trigger were actually pulled. From the 1980s onward, with the introduction and proliferation of the striker-fired mechanism popularized by the various models from Glock, we got handguns that would only fire if their triggers were pulled (and were guaranteed to fire if their triggers were pulled).

The handgun manufacturing industry has put a lot of effort over the past 100 years into creating handguns that are mechanically entirely safe to carry with a round in the chamber, and the concept of the "Safety Bullet" in effect ignores that development. Sure, the "Safety Bullet" has an advantage over "Condition 3" in that it will disable the weapon rather than permitting it to be made ready with one more rack of the slide, but how are you supposed to know that somebody has messed with your handgun and activated the "Safety Bullet" except when you rack the slide and discover the gun won't fire?

Spending a smaller amount on shit that doesn't work isn't a savings; myself, I'd rather spend $200 on a quick-access lock box that works within my home defense plan than $25 on a "Safety Bullet" that doesn't work for me.

[RSillsbee]

31. In theory

practice and theory are the same. In practice they're not.

[SteveM]

52. I think Iver-Johnson popularized the "hammer-the-hammer" technology...

which was adopted in some form by other manufacturers. The device on my Ruger must be a quarter inch-thick piece of metal; they didn't want it to go anywhere. The Iver-Johnson exploded view I saw was in a book published in the 1950s. Damned good device from Iver-Johnson Gun and Cycle Works.

[Callisto32]

32. An interesting idea, pros and cons abound.

Sounds like a MAJOR training hurdle, though, especially with the revolver version.


EDIT: This may be a REALLY good idea for firearms in storage, though.

[Straw Man]

40. Firearms in storage?

This may be a REALLY good idea for firearms in storage, though.

Respectfully disagree. Firearms in storage should be unloaded.

[Callisto32]

41. How is putting a dummy that locks it up if messed with a loaded gun?

Not with live ammo behind it, duh.

[Straw Man]

42. Duh?

Why would you need a dummy that locks up if messed with if the gun is empty? The whole purpose of the Safety Bullet it to render a loaded gun unusable to anyone but the person who is "in the know."

Put your gun in the safe unloaded. If that isn't secure enough, put a trigger or cable lock on it. The Safety Bullet lock-up is more easily defeated than a good cable lock anyway: one good rap with a cleaning rod as opposed to wrestling with a hacksaw or bolt cutters. A thief who gets away with your gun will eventually be able to render it operable, regardless of what kind of locking device is used.

Nor would the Safety Bullet guarantee protection against the worst-case scenario of a child who cracks your safe and tries to load the gun; the kid might very well work the action before loading the gun. Presto: operable firearm. It's a crapshoot, and could go either way.

No, I don't see any use for this device.

[Callisto32]

44. Yeah, duh.

As in the non-word we use to express "how dumb do you think I am" to suggest I would tell people to store their firearms (other than the ones kept for self defense) loaded.

It wasn't intended to come off as snarky. Apologies if I was a prick.

[Straw Man]

45. No problem at all.

But do you see why I think it (the Safety Bullet) isn't a good idea?

[Endangered Specie]

37. Good way to tear up your barrel & crown... this is a ridiculously stupid product

If you are scared to death in the middle of the night you just might forget to cycle the slide on your gun (even if you do, you may short stroke it and jam the safety bullet requiring a stoppage clearance. Now you have a non-working gun in an emergency situation!

Also, who is to say an intruder/child wouldn't check to see if the gun is properly loaded by cycling the slide??

Your best bet is a pistol safe, they cost $100-$200 for a good quick open mechanical one.

[aikoaiko]

43. Once a child knows and can physically cycle the slide, I would not trust this as childproofing

And I think its impossible to really know when a child acquires the knowledge and skills to work an action. I brought my son to BassPro and we played a duck hunting video game for the first time when he was 4. Without instruction he picked up the video game shotgun style controller and cycled the action. I asked him where he learned to do that and he said tv.

I'll stick to my amsec pushbutton.

[DWC]

47. You've probably never heard of this one either.

The Pistol Pad alarm system interface.

www.thepistolpad.com

[spin]

48. Nope but it looks like an interesting alternative. (n/t)

[AtheistCrusader]

49. USELESS

Requires you leave the weapon with the action charged, or said bumbler will simply cycle the weapon to charge it.

Do you leave your weapons charged, and loaded, and in a place where curious hands can find it?

[spin]

50. Personally I keep my loaded weapons in quick access gun boxes or safes.

others may employ items such as trigger locks which may take more time to remove than this device.

It's an alternative and the object of the post is to get people to consider how to safely secure their firearms.

But I agree that I would never use this device.