Dry firing, it’s something we all know we should do, but is oftentimes neglected. Even if it’s not completely neglected, who wants to spend money on dry fire items. Ammo, range fees, shooting classes, that’s all expensive as it is. If you’re short on cash is there no way to enhance your practice without spending hundreds on a trainer pistol? Fortunately, GlockETrainer.com sympathizes with tighter wallets and sells a product that will allow for practice without needing to rack the slide after every press of the trigger. Well, those of us that own Glocks that is.
Before this goes any further let me clarify a few things. First this product will allow for multiple trigger presses, however it will not give you the same solid break as normal. If you want an idea of what the trigger pull will feel like, unload your pistol, pull the slide back about an 1/8” so it is just out of battery, and work the trigger. Some people solve this by adding a “New York” trigger bar, increasing the trigger pull weight to give it a more realistic feel when out of battery. I personally haven’t tried this, but it is an option to create a better experience with this product.
There are also simple, nearly free tricks that you can use to get the same result, using a zip tie or other object to wedge the slide back just enough will allow for the same result. This was the method I was using before I heard about the Glock E-Trainer. It works, but the E-Trainer does offer some specific advantages which will be addressed later.
The product itself is an extremely simple design. It features 3 metal prongs, the middle one prevents the firing pin from fully engaging, thus allowing for repeated trigger presses. The outer two are designed to grasp the rear cocking serrations of the slide to hold the Trainer in place. The outer metal prongs are covered by rubber tabs to prevent the metal from scratching your slide. I had several moments of ignorance trying to remove them, they’re not picturing on the small instruction card, so I figured they must come off. They’re glued on, learn from my ignorance and leave the tabs alone.
The E-Trainer comes in two variations, Type-1 and Type-2. Type-1 is for the “small-framed” Glocks, 17,’s 19’s, etc. The Type-2 is for the “Large-Framed” Glocks, such as the Glock 20, 21, and so on. Neither system is compatible with single-stack Glocks, so anyone wishing to practice with a 42, 43, or 36 you’re out of luck. Neither Type is compatible with Gill serrations as it does not give the outer prongs a place to grasp the slide.
Now once you install the E-Trainer, an extremely simple process that is covered on a small instructional card pictured above, you begin to see the advantages this set up has over the zip tie trick or any other methods you might use. The greatest advantage I have found is that holster work with the E-Trainer is much more enjoyable than with the zip tie. My zip tie often caught on my holster, and some holsters didn’t even allow for proper holstering with the zip tie in place.
The E-Trainer also prevents any potential damage from dry firing your Glock repeatedly. Now I have dry fired my Glock tens of thousands of times without anything breaking, and I’m sure there are others out there that have dry fired even more without issue. However, Glock does state on their website that with enough dry firing damage can occur. I’m not about to tell anyone that this is a serious problem, but I understand some shooters want to take every step out there to avoid the risk of damage.
I’ve had this tool for a few weeks now, and in that small stretch I’ve gotten a few thousand draw-strokes with it and over ten-thousand trigger presses. Not once did the system have any issues, it remained firmly in place, and the trigger never broke. The instructions advice carefully closing the slide when installing the system and do not mention working the slide at all with it in place. I wanted to try a few reload drills involving working the slide, and the system didn’t move at all. Now I didn’t exhaust the possibility of it failing after racking the slide repeatedly, but it did stay in place for the few times I tried it.
After all that, what’s the point of buying a product that allows repeated trigger work but doesn’t give you the same feel. Well the two biggest points that I have seen is that it allows me to work on my transitions between targets, as well as an improved cadence of fire. If you don’t know what a good cadence is, or even why it matters, look up Jon Dufresne. I believe he has an article here on SpotterUp, or check out his Instagram. It’s where I learned the zip-tie trick and about cadence shooting. I could drone on about what it improves, but that isn’t what this article is about and watching Jon’s video will show what a good cadence accomplishes far better than I can articulate.
Do you need this product for dry fire practice? No, you don’t, but it can add some more depth to your practice, and that can pay dividends at the range. I shot for many years without dry firing, I only committed to weekly practice a year ago. In that year I have seen my abilities leap forward far more than in all that other time of pure range practice. I can only imagine that this trainer will increase that growth even further. My last note, it’s $25, that’s barely two boxes of 9mm. There is no reason not to spend that negligible amount of money to improve your shooting abilities.
Cost: 5/5 It’s one of the most inexpensive products you can add into your practice.
Comfort: 5/5 Worked flawlessly in multiple holsters.
Durability: 5/5 Held up through all practice, even when I tried ripping the rubber tabs off they held up.
Functionality: 4/5 The only complaint I have is that they insinuate that it will not remain in place for repeated slide racks.
Weight: 5/5 I challenge anyone to know the difference in weight with the trainer attached from one that doesn’t have it.
Overall: 24/25 Great product, one of the best items I have for my daily practice.
[amazon_link asins=’B0763CZZZD’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’spoup-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’8c4836ca-c406-11e7-b10e-23eedf37df0c’]
Material Disclosure
I received this product as a courtesy from the manufacturer via Spotter Up so I could test it and give my honest feedback. I am not bound by any written, verbal, or implied contract to give this product a good review. All opinions are my own and are based off my personal experience with the product.
*The views and opinions expressed on this website are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Spotter Up Magazine, the administrative staff, and/or any/all contributors to this site.