Despite lacking any manual safeties or disconnects, Glock pistols are perhaps the world’s most popular duty and defensive pistols. But with the rise of Appendix Inside the Waistband (AIWB) carry, some have wondered how suitable the platform is, especially when holstering in such a sensitive area. The guys with Tau Development Group have developed a simple enhancement that may put those fears to rest.

While this is touted as being especially worthy for those who carry their concealed weapon inside the waistband, The Gadget Striker Control Device (SCD)* is solid bit of kit for those who carry outside the waistband as well. There are numerous stories every year of someone cranking a round off as the shooter re-holsters. In most of these events—including two near-negligent discharges I’ve personally witnessed—either clothing or range debris snagged the trigger and started to depress it as the shooter was putting his gun away with his finger high on the slide as he was supposed to do.

In the first instance an instructor just happened to see shirt tail and was able to shout out a warning that kept the shooter from pushing the gun deep enough to fully depress the trigger and fire the round. If it weren’t for the instructor being very focused and happening to look at that shooter’s holster at that time, we would have likely witnessed a negligent discharge.

The other incident involved a shooter who had The Gadget installed on his G19.

This shooter had his thumb on The Gadget as he re-holstered and felt the resistance of the device as the trigger started to move rearward. He immediately stopped his attempt to reholster, and cautiously removed his pistol. When he looked into the holster, he saw a glob of red clay with a piece of gravel in it that had started to depress the trigger. He passed his G19 to his left hand and removed the obstruction with his right. The clay and mud were introduced to the holster as he had gone prone on that side to shoot under a car. If he had not had The Gadget installed, he may have pushed the pistol into the obstruction far enough to fire a round through the bottom of his holster.

I’ve heard some express doubts about The Gadget, wondering if it would make it more likely for dirt and debris to be introduced to the rear of the gun and causing a malfunction. There were several Glocks in that very same muddy class, and I didn’t see any of them suffer malfunctions, no matter how muddy the guns were. The Gadget has been heavily tested by a number of firearms instructors and high-end shooting enthusiasts in all sorts of environments before it went on the market, and their reactions have universally been positive, at least among those I know who have tested it.

Part of the reason I prefer shooting DA/SA hammer-fired pistols is that I’ve taught myself to place my thumb on the hammer when re-holstering and still feel any resistance and trigger movement that may come from an obstruction in the holster. To me, it offers an extra layer of safety and confidence in my equipment. It’s one of several advantages that cause me to prefer a pistol with an external hammer in an age where striker-fired handguns are dominant. The Gadget striker control device gives Glock shooters a very similar tactile response, and an extra added layer of security when used properly by the shooter.

You can read more about The Gadget at the Tau Development Group Facebook page.

* Bearing Arms is not sponsored by Tau Development Group, nor do we have any personal or financial ties with anyone in the company. We just like to pass along good gear ideas to our readers.