Category: stupid

Stupid Gun Inventions: Loaded Chamber Indicators

Posted by Mostly Genius – December 11, 2008

CZ 75 B HDRThis is a classic example of a technical solution to a training problem. The loaded chamber indicator was obsolete before it was invented, because Jeff Cooper had already invented RULE #1: “All guns are always loaded.”

If we follow Rule 1, we could call it an “empty chamber indicator” but why would we want to put our faith in a mechanical gadget when we can confirm the state of the weapon with a much more exact manual procedure? (Check condition of readiness or “press-check”) I know that no gun manufacturers were clamoring to add this “feature” to their guns but were forced to either by contract requirements or gun “safety” laws.

This is one of the most dangerous safety features I can think of. By creating a mechanical widget (that can fail) for people to depend upon instead of good gun handling like Rule 1, situations become more dangerous. If Rule 1 is followed the loaded chamber indicator is irrelevant, and if Rule 1 is ignored then we are putting a lot of faith in a spring-loaded little nub.

Stupid Knife Ideas: The Mechanical Safety

Posted by Mostly Genius – November 28, 2008

I guess the thinking is that first you add a spring-assist type of technology so that you can get the knife open quickly, but then you have a problem with the knife opening when you don’t want it to, so somebody comes up with the idea of adding a mechanical safety that locks the blade into the handle. I guess nobody ever decided to just scrap both technologies and go back to manually opening folding knives.

The sad thing is that SOG doesn’t make bad knives, but the marketing department needs to dial it a back a notch. I have never wanted a knife that I absolutely couldn’t open.

Stupid Gun Modifications: Finger-Grip Base Plates

Posted by Mostly Genius – November 25, 2008

grip_extension If you are carrying a sub-compact gun, presumably it is because a compact or full size gun is too large for your application. Adding a finger-grip base plate will in crease the size of the pistol in the most difficult dimension to conceal: the grip length. Adding a base plate to a Glock-26 gets you a Glock-19 with a shorter barrel and sight radius AND lower ammunition capacity.

Probably one of the smarter gun modifications I have seen was a Glock-17 with a grip cut down to Glock-26 size and carried with a standard Glock-26 magazine, and Glock-17 reload. This gives the concealabilty of the smaller gun, but the accuracy of the full size.