Training for Life LLC's Official Weblog

The Glock design has a well-earned reputation for mechanical reliability and dirt tolerance. Just Google “Glock Torture Test”, and you will see what the design is capable of. That does not, however, mean that your particular Glock can’t break or that it never needs to be cleaned. The design may be pure utter genius in its simplicity, but it is still man-made and anything man-made can break. A Glock that has never had an original part break, or that has never malfunctioned due to not being cleaned, just hasn’t been fired enough yet.

For example, I have broken my Glock 19 twice. Both times, the trigger spring broke. Granted, it will still fire if you know what to do, but are you willing to bet your life and the life of your family on you remembering that in time? Read more…

The electronic earmuffs I use as loaner units during classes are on sale at Midway USA until April 30th. 

For the price, they are VERY hard to beat. I bought a pair of inexpensive earmuffs from a local big-box store before I got these. They were twice the price of the Midway product, but I returned them because they worked so poorly.

FTC disclaimer: there is no material connection between me and Midway USA other than me buying their products at the same prices available to all other Midway USA customers.

Overheard at the handgun counter last Tuesday:

Alex: “Can I see the Glock 17 and the 17 RTF?”
Clerk: “Which ones?”
Alex (pointing): “That one and that one.”
Clerk: “That’s a fourth generation.”
Alex (double-checking the large display on the counter describing the Gen4’s features, and noticing the curved slide serrations, different texture, lack of interchangeable backstrap, and lack of reversible mag release on the RTF model): “Are you sure that’s a fourth generation?”
Clerk: “Yes.”
Alex (speechless): ….

Minutes later, at the new shotgun rack:

Alex: “Oh, cool, you’ve got a Saiga.”
Clerk: ignoring Alex
Alex: “Can I please see the Saiga?”
Clerk: “Which one?”
Alex (pointing): “That one.”
Alex: “What is the magazine capacity of the magazines it comes with?”
Clerk: “It doesn’t come with a magazine.”
Alex: “It doesn’t come with a magazine?”
Clerk: “No, if it came with a magazine it would say so on the tag.”
Alex (speechless): ….

Folks, the people working behind the counter at gun stores carry a large amount of authority in their stores. I certainly don’t come to their workplace to make them look bad. I realize perfectly well that at some point in my education I, too, didn’t know the differences between the different Glock generations, or that the Saiga is a magazine-fed semi-automatic shotgun that had better come with one or more magazines to be of any practical use whatsoever.

However, just because the manager thinks someone is trustworthy enough to mind the gun counter for a while, doesn’t necessarily mean that you should believe a word this person says. Are they highly trained instructors, successful competitive shooters or highly knowledgeable hunters, or did they only receive on-the-job training from their colleagues who aren’t any of these things either?

Bottom line: Get some training and do your homework BEFORE parting with any money at your local gun store. And PLEASE double-check any information you may pick up while at your local gun store BEFORE you act on it.