For those among us who internally cringe at the necessity of counting shots, Radetec has a new and somewhat novel solution -- one which you might have already seen in a video game or a movie.
Making its debut at this year's Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas, NV, the company's new Smart Slide is designed to relay basic though critical informational to a shooter via small highly-readable display.
Similar to what you might have seen in the hugely-successful Halo video game franchise on some of the in-game weapons, the Smart Slide provides shooters with a real-time count of how many rounds are left in their magazines, as well as alerts on whether the gun has a round in the chamber, and when a magazine is or isn't inserted.
Presently designed exclusively for Glock pistols, the Smart Slide conveys this information by way of a small digital display built into its rear, normally where the slide cover plate would sit.
One might wonder how Radetc can generate this information without adding a complex series of sensors inside the pistol itself, and the answer to that really is quite simple. A new follower, electronically synchronized to the display, detects its height within the magazine and continually updates based on its new position after a round is expended.
The follower is compatible with any Glock magazine currently available today, including both OEM and aftermarket mags. When the pistol doesn't have a mag inserted, the follower communicates that information to the display as well.
Radetec's slide is where the rest of the electronic wizardry occurs, featuring a pressure sensor coupled to the extractor. When the pressure sensor is activated, that indicates that the pistol has a round chambered.
Using a clip-on accessory, the Smart Slide can also relay usage information to a phone app, allowing users to keep track of rounds fired, cataloging the information by date in an easily-accessible digital logbook.
While the slide seems fancy and somewhat unnecessary for your run of the mill enthusiast or concealed carrier, law enforcement might especially find such a system useful.
As earlier mentioned, the Smart Slide system is currently only available for Glock pistols, especially since the DAO design (which lacks an external hammer and has a flat rear face) is more conducive towards holding an ergonomically-placed display, so it’s unclear whether or not Radetec will eventually produce Smart Slides for other pistols.
Ian D’Costa is a correspondent with Gear Scout whose work has been featured with We Are The Mighty, The Aviationist, and Business Insider. An avid outdoorsman, Ian is also a guns and gear enthusiast.
