POLICE EQUIPMENT NEWS ADVERTISER INDEX PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
SafeTacMag Training Magazines
A truly safe tactical magazine for training
www.safetacmag.com
In 2006, a Marine died from multiple gunshots during an urban combat training exercise. The individuals responsible were experienced, well- trained Marines. The incident caused a major safety stand-down base-wide. It was this incident that prompted SafeTacMag to rethink the way the military trains with blanks. Problems were identifi ed with the current training and a way was developed to save lives, improve blank fi re training, and provide a tool to assist the small unit leaders. The mixing of live and blank ammunition is caused by human error and it will happen again. Since 2002, at least 10 military personnel have been killed by mixing live ammo and blanks. The safety com- munity uses the Bird Model, which is a pyramid graph that shows how one major incident relates to injury, prop- erty damage, and near misses. The model shows that with 10 deaths (major incidents) in the military there were a hundred injuries, 300 rifles dam- aged (property dam- age), and 6,000 near misses. Not to mention the time and financial loss due to downtime caused by an incident. One incident has nu- merous effects on lost man hours, valuable
training time, as well as time spent on an investigation. The second problem facing blank fi re training is the mag- azine itself. The standard magazine in use with the military today was not designed to effectively fi re the blank round; spe- cifi cally the M200 blank. The magazine allows blank rounds to shift forward causing double feeds and malfunctions. These actions cause unnecessary wear and tear on the bolt and chamber of the service rifl e. The reliability problem caused by the current magazine decreases the effectiveness of train- ing evolutions. The constant malfunctions cause a decrease in confi dence in an individual’s service rifl e.
The solution was to develop a safe tactical magazine de- 64 LAW and ORDER I January 2016 By Matt Harding
signed specifically for M200 blanks. SafeTacMag has devel- oped an innovative, yet simple, M16/M4 training magazine designed specifically to prevent the use of live ammunition during military and police training exercises, thus protect- ing lives, preventing injuries, and saving the government millions of dollars.
Unlike conventional magazines currently in use, which accept live and blank ammunition inter- changeably, SafeTacMag’s magazine is an innovative, patented device that re- stricts the insertion of live ammunition. SafeTacMag has three distinct advan- tages: cost, reliability, and design to assist small unit leaders. The cost of a Safe- TacMag magazine is compa- rable to the military standard 5.56mm 30-round magazines. The advantage of cost makes it an effective product to miti- gate any live and blank am- munition mix-up.
As for reliability, the Safe- TacMag has a unique design, which allows the M200 blank
round to fit snug and doesn’t allow movement in the maga- zine. This allows for proper feeding of ammunition. Uti- lizing a magazine specifically designed to fire blanks will decrease malfunctions and increase the value of blank fire training evolutions.
The final advantage is the design and color scheme of the magazine. The magazine is not designed to replace proper range procedures but is a tool to assist the small unit lead- ers with their duties. The magazine provides a visual and physical safety check. With its unique color scheme and ability to mitigate the use of live ammunition, the magazine will ensure a safe and effective training environment.
Matt Harding is the President of SafeTacMag and may be reached at
mattharding@safetacmag.com.
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