It’s the 21st century, and the gun industry is seeing technology advancements for the enthusiast that go beyond re-engineering. Recently, at SHOT Show 2019, RADETEC unveiled a new accessory for the Glock 17 that makes it safer, provides more data, and dare we say is just darn cool.
The Smart Slide for the Glock replaces the existing slide and provides a digital display for the user. Displaying a number of data points depending on the situation, the Smart Slide evolves your standard Glock into something more like a weapon from a futuristic video game. And the on-weapon display is only the start.
What the Smart Slide Offers
A digital display sounds great, but only if it offers useful information. The RADETEC team clearly understood this, providing exactly the data that you want to see.
First, the display has safety indicators that will tell you if there is a magazine in the gun, and if there is a round in the chamber. Being able to see, at a glance, these two pieces of information provides obvious benefits.
Second, the Smart Slide shows the number of rounds left in the magazine. Just like that video game weapon mentioned above, the number of rounds remaining displays right on the back of the weapon, where the dust cover or slide end plate is normally located.
In addition to the Smart Slide, RADETEC offers an app for your smartphone that will keep a shot log for you, automatically. The Universal Logbook will keep track of your rounds fired as well as the date and time of the rounds. This is invaluable information for ranges and police departments, helping to keep track of throughput for maintenance and a myriad of other applications.
The app also allows you to store information on multiple weapons, giving you easy access to logs for all of your weapons. And, you can set up alerts to let you know when it’s time to perform maintenance on your gun.
How it Works
The Smart Slide comes with three components – the replacement slide, a new back strap, and two magazine followers. The followers will fit in any Glock magazine, and provide the real magic to the technology.
Using a set of magnets, the followers talk to the slide, providing information to the display. This includes if the magazine is in place and keeps track of positioning to report how many rounds remain.
The Smart Slide is not yet available to the public, but RADETEC believes that the accessory will be on the market in Q4 of 2019, just in time for Christmas. Although the final price has not yet been set in stone, the setup is expected to cost around $1000 when it becomes available.
As of right now, it would not be compatible with Clipdraw, but we will keep you updated in the future.
