If you’ve ever looked at a product being advertised to gun owners and immediately thought it was nothing but a gimmick, you’re not alone. The market is flooded with aftermarket accessories and cool gadgets and gizmos, and it can be hard to tell what’s useful and what’s a waste. Don’t worry; we’re here to help. Check out our list of top five items you might have thought were gimmicks, but they’re not. These products are useful items you’d be smart to consider adding to your collection of gun gear.
1. Glock Striker Control Device (SCD)
Originally marketed by the Tau Development Group as The Gadget, the Glock Striker Control Device (SCD) is now being manufactured by Langdon Tactical (Tau is no longer in business). This is a component bound to make people glance over, then stare, asking if your Glock is broken. That or it’s going to start an argument on the firing line as to whether or not it’s useful. What it is, is a passive safety part specifically made for Glocks.
If you’ve run guns with hammers you’re probably familiar with the practice of placing your thumb on the back of your pistol, on the hammer, as you holster it. That safety measure is ineffective on a striker-fired gun like a Glock, though, unless you use the SCD. This gadget replaces the factory slide backplate, turning into a part that is no longer constantly flush and fully attached to the back of the gun. With the SCD, you can place your thumb firmly on the back of the Glock’s slide, on the SCD, while holstering. That gives you an additional layer of safety. During live fire, just ignore the SCD and shoot like normal. Installation is quick and easy and involves replacing the factory backplate with the SCD.
2. Uplula Magazine Loader
`We know what you’re thinking: “Why do you need help loading mags? It isn’t like loading a magazine is that difficult, generally speaking, right?”
Here’s the thing. If you have a lot of loading to do, like in a high-round count class, the Uplula Magazine Loader comes in incredibly handy. Using it can not only speed the process along but save your fingers from some wear and tear. It’s also useful for loading new, super-stiff mags. And if you get it in a bright, random color, it’s way less likely to vanish from your range bag.
Uplula makes these loading tools in numerous calibers, so whether you’re loading handguns or long guns, you’re covered. The pictured universal loader is capable of assisting with handgun magazines for 9mm, 45 ACP, 10mm Auto, 40 Smith & Wesson, and 357 SIG. If your caliber isn’t listed, don’t worry; there are others available as well. This model works for most single-stack and double-stack magazines. To use the Uplula you simply put it over the top of your magazine and press down. It makes it possible to load the mag without constantly pressing down with your thumb. Using one can really speed things up and simplify your life. Your thumbs will thank you.
3. Brass Goat AR-15 Brass Catcher
Yes, you’ve seen brass catchers before. Typically, they’re bags made of some sort of heat-resistant netting that hang off the side of your rifle. Their usefulness tends to be hit-or-miss, not to mention issues of weight, swinging brass, and other frustrations. Enter the Brass Goat AR-15 Brass Catcher. This is a gadget that’s going to appeal to people interested in policing their brass without going through the process of crawling along the ground to retrieve it. It’s solidly built, easy to use, and eliminates the annoyances associated with bag-like brass catchers.
The Brass Goat AR-15 Brass Catcher is actually a two-part system. It has a deflecting shield and a hopper for collecting spent brass. They can be used together or separately if you’d prefer to simply deflect brass away from your face, not collect it. It’s specifically made to funnel spent brass into the hopper, not ricochet it back into the ejection port. It holds around thirty pieces of spent brass and you’d be wise to dump it when it’s full, to avoid potential issues with brass piling against your gun.
Brass Goat created this device to look like part of the gun and it does fit the AR-15 aesthetic reasonably well. It’s extremely easy to snap onto your rifle and just as easy to take off when not in use. If you want to collect AR-15 brass, this is a nice way to do it.
4. A-Zoom Orange Snap Caps
Even if you use dummy rounds for dryfire practice with your handgun, odds are high that you don’t do the same with your shotgun. If you really want to up your gun handling with your 12-gauge shotgun, though, you want some snap caps. Products like the A-Zoom Orange Snap Caps are a fantastic way to practice palming multiple shotshells for faster loading, among other things. What we’re saying is, don’t neglect your shotgun skills.
Dummy rounds for 12-gauge shotguns are often marketed for function testing, and they can certainly be used for that. However, if there’s one platform we’ve seen people struggle to manipulate quickly, it’s the shotgun. Shotguns have long been billed as simplistic point-and-shoot platforms, but in reality, they require training.
Add some 12 gauge snap caps to your gear to hone your shotgun skills. This is especially handy for duck hunters and others with capacity restrictions during hunting season. Think how much faster you could run your gun if you weren’t loading a single shotshell at a time. The possibilities are endless.
5. PHLster Enigma
This one’s for all of you who want a new, awesome holster or who have seen an Enigma in the wild online and wondered what on earth it is, and how it works. The PHLster Enigma is a holster system that allows the wearer to conceal their handgun with no need for a bulky gun belt or extra fussing over printing concerns. We’re not saying it’s impossible to print with an Enigma, only that it’s way easier to avoid it with this setup.
The PHLster Enigma was originally designed as a sort of inside-baseball holster for fans of AIWB (appendix inside the waistband). It took no time at all for the concept to take off, and it’s really no surprise. Thanks to the way this holster is worn under the clothes rather than attached to them, you can wear just about anything from dress slacks to dresses to leggings or gym shorts and still carry your gun. If you want greater versatility and carry options in the summer months or just want to be able to carry your gun and wear your leggings, too, the Enigma is well worth checking out. It’s not a gimmick at all, it’s an excellent design that enables untold numbers of gun owners to concealed carry safely and effectively.
What’s your favorite so-called gun gimmick? Tell us in the comments section.
