BEAMHIT & SafeShot Barrel: The more realistic the training, the better!

Using a light in place of a bullet for firearms training is not a new idea. As a matter of fact, I recently came across a copy of an old gun magazine while my wife was browsing for antiques in a local shop. The book was Hunting and Guns
Illustrated from Popular Publications, Inc., issue date "Winter 1979."

On page 31, I found an advertisement for the "Light Load," proclaiming that the Light Load was the "most effective handgun shooting aid ever designed!" For $39.99, you could get all the conversion components, a regulation scale target and instruction brochure to convert your Smith & Wesson or Ruger revolver (no pistols were listed) to fire a beam of light.

To use the Light Load you replaced your gun's cylinder with an electronic cylinder (the unit used "N" batteries), then
inserted what was called a "lens tube" into the bore. With your handgun so converted you could dry-fire at a target and see the quick burst of white light as the hammer ropped.

Today, some 26 years later, this concept remains much the same. Replace the projectile with a light beam for dry-fire
practice. What has changed is the technology. A more powerful red laser light has replaced the relatively weak white light. We now have targets that detect the impact of the laser and give us instant feedback. Realistic video scenarios can be acted out allowing a person to react and shoot, or not shoot, as the situation dictates.

SafeShot

Previously in this column we have examined the basic BEAMHIT Model 110. The Model 110 is similar in concept and
application to the "Light Load," though you don't need to remove and replace your gun's cylinder.

Here we'll consider another product line from BEAMHIT: SafeShot barrels and the LT-300 laser inserts for them. The
SafeShot barrels completely replaces the existing barrels for the Beretta and Taurus pistols. SafeShot barrels are
chambered to accept specifically manufactured lead-free blanks. The barrels are plugged to prevent gas from escaping from the muzzle.

The beauty of the SafeShot barrels is that there is no firearm modification necessary. Simply swap out the barrel and you are ready to go. The blank barrels will not chamber live ammunition. For this particular review I had the Beretta 92 barrel. This barrel will also fit in the Taurus PT92 9mm. Into the barrel you will thread an LT-300 laser. The LT-300 is specifically made to fit the SafeShot barrels.

Combining the realistic feel of a blank-firing gun and the benefits of a laser projector, the SafeShot barrels give the firearms trainer the best of both worlds. BEAMHIT offers the 390 Series, video scenarios that perceive and react to the laser hits.

Realistic video simulations can be tremendous training aids for armed personnel. Training with "Shoot/No-Shoot" scenarios is imperative for anyone who would carry a gun amongst the public, not only for tactical reasons but for liability as well. Learning how to shoot is not enough. We must also know when to shoot, and when not.

Until recently, the guns used in video simulations were either double-action handguns that fired a laser via the
dry-firing mode or specially converted guns with pneumatic hoses to cycle the slide for each shot. The pneumatic guns
feel realistic, but the set-up can be a bit expensive.

One of the biggest benefits of the SafeShot barrels is that they can be inserted into one's own pistol. The manual of
arms does not change. Insert magazine, rack slide, press trigger, repeat as needed. The specially designed blanks will feed from the gun's proprietary magazines.

Practice

Swapping out a live barrel for one that's blank-firing sounded good on paper, but would it actually work in practice? For this review I installed a Beretta 92 SafeShot barrel into a Taurus PT92 AR (accessory rail) pistol. The 9mm SafeShot blank ammunition has an identical case head dimension to live 9mm ammo. This would ensure proper extraction and ejection.

Out on the training range I filled a couple of the PT92 magazines with blank ammo. The first round chambered just fine and the DA trigger press resulted in a resounding report, nearly identical to the real thing. (Of course, there is not a super-sonic boom, as you would have with live 9mm.)

With the first magazine empty, the pistol's slide locked open just like it should have. The gun digested a second magazine worth of blank ammo without a hitch. Round after round, the PT92 functioned just as it had with live ammunition.

Zero malfunctions or stoppages occurred. The expended blank cases ejected free and clear a few yards away from the shooter.

I could feel the puff of burning propellant gas as the pistol cycled. The barrel is completely plugged, so all gas is vented back and out to the sides. It should be obvious, but always remember eye and ear protection. When conducting
force-on-force scenarios, electronic muffs such as those from AHP (Advanced Hearing Products) or Peltor should be used.

Close Range Training

More and more law enforcement instructors are gearing their tactical training toward real world gun fighting, extreme
close quarters. Virtually 100 percent of all police gunfights occur within 20 feet. Also, nearly half of those happen when the attacker is within one or two steps of the defender.

Progressive instructors are spending more time on tactics and less on target shooting. After all, standing back in a
comfortable stance at 10 yards while slow firing at paper is target practice, not fight practice. For decades we have
given ourselves a comfortable distance from our paper targets because the expended gases would tear them up after a couple of shots. The closest we would get was a yard or two, and we would never grab on to the target and push into it.

Unfortunately, the ugly truth is that we may very well be in a hand-to-hand struggle with our attacker when the situation calls for deadly force. As a practical matter, I would venture to say that only a small percentage of gun carriers have ever trained to employ their handgun at such extreme close ranges.

For an instructor who is tasked with teaching extreme close-quarters handgun shooting, it might be worth their while to
consider a blank-firing pistol. Shooters who have never fired at contact range can be instructed and observed while they use SafeShot converted guns against some kind of 3-D target. After the instructor is satisfied that everyone is
competent, live rounds can be introduced. Yes, you can practice contact shooting by drying firing. However, I would offer that the more realistic the practice, the better.

Final Notes

I think that BEAMHIT is really onto something with their SafeShot barrels and ammunition. While they are planning to have them for a number of service pistols, they have complete upper conversion kits for the M16 and M4 rifles.

Again, I believe that we have shown that there is a lot of high quality training gear available to those who have the
desire to use it. The bottom line still comes down to you. How valuable is your life or the lives of your troops? Are you willing to invest the time and effort needed? Keep on shooting straight and shooting safe.

Copyrighted (c) 2006 Combat Handguns. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Reprinted courtesy of Combat Handguns. http://www.combathandguns.com

-- Posted on Thursday, April 6 2006