The Gun Counter

Saw the ad for this in American Handgunner and thought comments should be fun.

They actually spent time developing that? What... they can't count to seven?

My handguns already have binary indicators on them:

- Slide forward: still have ammo
- Slide locked back: reload

But...but....but....the pulse rifles in "Aliens" had them and they were sooooo cool.

PawPaw wrote:They actually spent time developing that? What... they can't count to seven?

It's absurdly common for people to underestimate how many rounds they've fired in a defensive situation. They're a little distracted with the whole business of trying not to be murdered to keep count of their expended ammo. Usually it's considered good practice to just reload when you can stop shooting for a second, no matter how many times you think you've pulled the trigger. Short of counting out loud every time you fire at the range, I don't really see human-side way of making sure an accurate count can be kept under stress.

Hey, maybe that can be the new goofy drill that becomes a YouTube fad after "search and assess!" "ONETWOTHREEFOURFIVE! SIX! SEVEN-EIGHT!"

This range session brought to you by the letter B.

Weetabix wrote:My handguns already have binary indicators on them:

- Slide forward: still have ammo
- Slide locked back: reload

Pretty much.

I think these counters would be much more useful if they were about $220 less expensive and were integrated into the magazine. It's less about knowing how many rounds are in your gun at the time, and more about how much your partials are holding.

Gunnuts wrote:But...but....but....the pulse rifles in "Aliens" had them and they were sooooo cool.

Actually, digital round counters are pretty common in sci-fi. Especially first-person shooters.

The idea that it's any problem is mainly a fantasy of screen- and fiction-writers, and hyper-theoretical mall ninjas.
The utility is roughly equivalent to bayonet studs on underbarrel Glock rails.
Thinking that anyone will ever benefit is as fallacious as presuming that guys would stop and ask for directions.

Jericho941 wrote:It's absurdly common for people to underestimate how many rounds they've fired in a defensive situation. They're a little distracted with the whole business of trying not to be murdered to keep count of their expended ammo.

I want to say I read somewhere long ago that the average number of rounds fired in a non-police self-defense gunfight was either 2.8 or 3.8. At the time, I was researching what to carry when I first got my permit. The round counts seemed to indicate that even a "carry" revolver with 5 rounds was enough based on statistics.

If you wanted a semiautomatic, the reasoning went that you should carry a semiautomatic and a spare magazine, but the spare magazine was because the primary magazine was more likely to malfunction than you were likely to need all the rounds you had on you.

Weetabix wrote:If you wanted a semiautomatic, the reasoning went that you should carry a semiautomatic and a spare magazine, but the spare magazine was because the primary magazine was more likely to malfunction than you were likely to need all the rounds you had on you.

That, even if the magazine is not at fault, several immediate action drills require dumping the mag and it's quicker and easier to pull a spare from the belt or wherever than trying to catch/pick up the dropped one.

I usually carry 2 spares as "2 is 1 and 1 is none", and the only times you can have too much ammo on you is if you're swimming or on fire.

The ammo counter is one small part of a "gun HUD" I would some day like to see built into a pair of glasses. The HUD would basically include all the stuff you would find in a FPS hud including a crosshair, ammo counter, map, and compass. Weaponized augmented reality, coming soon to your local merchant of death.

Also, they seem to have cracked shock-proof circuitry