The Best Dryfire Tools for Glock Handguns - Quit Slide Racking

An advantage of the striker fired design is a very safe firearm action that generally speaking cannot go off unless you pull the trigger. Glock was the OG manufacturer of this design, differing from hammer based single action and double action triggers of predecessor designs. However, because the trigger’s main function is to release the internal safety mechanisms of the weapon, as well as to release the striker itself, the trigger does not actually reset the striker, meaning that these designs can have very light trigger pulls.

The result is a design that is similar to single action pistols like the 1911. The recipriocating action of the slide is what actually resets all of the fire control components.

So if you dryfire train with a laser cartridge, which does not mechanically reciprocate the slide, the trigger on the pistol will not reset between dryfire shots. This then requires an outside force to cycle the firearms action, which usually involves a user dryfiring, racking the slide, and firing again.

This is at best, barely helpful, as training this won’t actually help you with the vast majority of training drills that you might want to run. It is at worst introducing weird behaviors that might confuse you in an actually high stress situation. I don’t know of any empiracle or even anecdotal evidence of the latter happening in a self defense situation, but I can say from my own experience, I’ve had it happen twice where I did not chamber a round fully when making ready during a class because I got used to pulling the slide back 1/4 of the way from dryfiring constantly with this method.

So its for this reason that I’ve largely discontinued the usage of laser dryfire cartridges and have adopted tooling for dryfire training with my striker fired handguns.

There are two main solutions that I use for dryfire training with glock. The first is a SIRT 110 which I’ve reviewed in detail in a previous video. The SIRT110 is a replica of the glock 17 in both size and similar weight. It features a two stage resetting trigger, similar to the stock glock trigger. If you’re interested in this product I have a detailed video where I previously reviewed this, but the SIRT110 is a really solid alternative as it essentially replicates a full size glock 17. I use this over dryfire training with my actual Glock handguns primarily because it is convenient for daily dryfire as I don’t need to reconfigure my other pistols constantly just to get my reps in every day. It’s also the safest way to dryfire train as there is absolutely no risk of a negligent discharge.

My second method is to use my actual Glock pistols with a tool called the dryfire mag. When using this method, you need to be absolutely certain that your firearm chamber is empty. You must not have any ammunition in the dryfire training area, either in magazines or even loose ammunition. You also must be extra careful to still follow every universal firearm safety rule, meaning that the SIRT110 is a better choice for practicing more dynamic home defense training since its impossible to have a negligent discharge being that it is a replica.

I have a full video review of the dryfire mag if you’re more interested in this product, so I recommend you check that video out.

However, specific to laser dryfire with glock, I’ll go into the dryfire mag features at a high level. The dryfire mag works by placing pressure on the glock trigger bar, pushing it forward. The dryfire mag itself has an internal disconnect to create a wall, very similar to the glock wall prior to releasing the striker. Then, the dryfire mag will break just like a glock trigger and reset. This breaking action makes a loud enough noise that it will trigger a sound activated dryfire laser, thus you can use the dryfire mag in conjunction with a dryfire laser to have a similar feature set as the SIRT 110. This will allow you to train with your actual pistol configuration, with the only shortcoming being that you cannot practice reloads with this setup. Its also important to note that the rail mounted sound activated laser lyte is the only product I have successfully been able to pair with the dryfire mag. The barrel insert sound activated laser by laser lyte does not work with this product.

Ultimately, the Dryfire mag in conjunction with a dryfire laser is the better solution, but it is a bit of a pain as you’ll have to reconfigure your pistol with the rail mounted laser every time you want to dryfire. Which option is best for you will ultimately depend on your personal needs. I’d say that both the dryfire mag with sound activated laser and the SIRT110 are excellent options, and there is a case to be made for owning both so that you can get the best of both worlds. Safety and convenience with the SIRT 110. Most practical training with your actual firearm with the dryfire mag plus laser.