Hey, how do I unload this thing?

Laughing? It may sound funny to some but to me its pretty scary to hear. Unless you live under a rock you’ve probably heard that gun sales are at all time highs. Who can blame the average law abiding American for wanting one. You listen to the news each night and think this world has gone insane. Worse, there are people, citizens right in our country that are using violence as a means to drive change. Regardless of your agreement with the changes, violence isn’t the answer and when it becomes the answer, the average American with something to lose – including their life, are going to take precautions to protect themselves and their loved ones. And, they are! In record numbers as I’ve mentioned. That includes some that already own firearms and know how to use them, but many who are first time firearm owners and aren’t really sure about how to keep, use and store safely.

So the question, ‘how do I unload this thing’ is one that dealers do get. It’s usually on the phone, and it’s usually someone who just bought a firearm and was ‘getting to know it’ themselves. The response to that question is usually, “do you have it loaded with REAL AMMO”?. Yup. That’s what I was afraid of.

Lets take a step back. How do you get experience without putting yourself, or someone else in danger. Well first I’d recommend DON’T LOAD THE GUN! Give a call to your local dealer and ask a different question; “Where can I get some lessons from a professional”? That’s the BEST place to start. On our website we have a link directly to a certified NRA instructor. We ask all of our customers to consider taking lessons. By the way, we don’t make money off of the instruction, so don’t think it’s about another revenue stream for us. It’s not. It’s about safe, responsible gun ownership. Those playing politics always say “common sense gun control”… I say common sense gun ownership and that starts with being informed, trained and safe.

Back to the live ammo point… I’d strongly recommend that in addition to training, gun owners purchase fake ammunition. Commonly known as Snap Caps, the fake ammunition is perfectly safe to practice with. Practice loading, unloading, hang-fire drills, topping off, making safe and even emergency drills. What do I mean by practice emergency drills? For most they are buying the firearm for home protection. Home protection is an emergency situation and you need to be prepared for it. Will you be keeping the gun unloaded and then loading up when you hear the bump in the night? Practice that situation. Will you keep it low ready and chamber the first round when you hear the dog start barking? Practice that. What about when you realize it was nothing? Just the cat knocking something over and you’re standing there, now with a loaded, ready to shoot firearm. How do you unload it? Practice that! But practice ALL OF IT with SNAP CAPS! That’s SAFE!

76255157 EB3F 406C 942C 2A5CFF32231A
0357FC85 A52B 4554 A247 50016FF1022F

Snap Caps come in a number of styles and calibers. Buy whatever matches your firearm. They are a safe way to practice and get familiar with your firearm and all of the actions related to loading, unloading and handling. They are also designed to make it safe to pull the trigger. On some firearms ‘dry fire’ is bad as it can fracture or damage the firing pin. Using a Snap Cap makes it safe to dry fire. They are inert, meaning they won’t fire, nothing will come out, there will be no bang. But, you can practice the key functions of safe firearms use and do so without worrying about an accidental discharge as you could get with live ammunition. Have kids that you want to train to handle the firearm? You wouldn’t want to have them do it with live ammo I’m sure. Again, this is a great safe approach and one you should absolutely consider.

We still recommend the training, thats invaluable. Regardless, invest in some Snap Caps. Use the Advanced Search option on the website, search for Snap Caps and select the ones that match your caliber firearm. They will ship directly to you. Then practice practice practice.

Caller: How do I unload this thing?

Dealer: Is it loaded with live ammo?

Caller: Are you kidding! Hell NO. I have Snap Caps to practice with!

Dealer: Nicely done!