This is a product review by Overwatch Designs for a “Safe Chamber Indicator” designed by Fail Safe Solutions.
Several weeks ago, a friend of mine asked me to test and review a new product on the market…a safe chamber indicator. Understanding the basic principle behind the product but not being completely sold on the idea…I agreed.
I received the products by mail… one for a 12 gauge shotgun, one for a 9mm, and one for an AR-15.
Fail Safe Solutions sells the 9mm chamber indicator for $6, the AR-15 version for $9, and the shotgun safe chamber indicator for $10. Anyone that knows me will tell you…I’m “cheap”. So Fail Safe gets a thumbs up for me on the price. Plus, the product is made in America…Texas to be exact.
But of course… I needed to test it. Does the product work? Is it worth buying? And most of all…would I use it?
First, I wanted to test the shotgun version.
My old Remington 870 is my main home defense choice for my family. The bright green, semi-glow in the dark plastic indicator was easy to slide into the chamber and ease the action forward. The front part of the indicator completely sealed the chamber and the tab sticks out the right side far enough for you to see the chamber of the shotgun is safe. The product easily “racked” out of the chamber and allowed me to load the shotgun easily. Even inside my safe, it was easy to see the safe chamber indicator inside the shotgun letting me know the chamber was empty.
I also needed to check out the 9mm version…since that is what I use most often.
At first, I tried it in the older Browning I’ve had for years (which is not on the list of “compatible firearms” listed on Fail Safe’s website). The old gun had a difficult time extracting and ejecting the safe chamber indicator about half the time. I transferred the safe chamber indicator to my Sig Sauer P229 to see if it was only my Browning that was not ejecting/extracting properly. The chamber indicator worked inside my Sig like a dream. It was easy to slide into the chamber and easy to rack out of the chamber to load the gun. The bright green plastic made it easy to see the chamber was empty even in low light.
This product definitely showed it’s capability in easily identifying a safe chamber and the ability to easily eject the indicator in order to load the firearm. But what else? The plastic chamber indicators have openings in the end with a moisture absorbing material inside to prevent corrosion of your barrel. The material inside is rated to absorb 60% of its weight in water and is reusable. Once the product has collected all the moisture it can, you just throw the product in the oven or microwave and it can be used again. (Once again, I’m cheap…so reusable is another thumbs up from me).
The product is made out of glow in the dark material in order to better see in low light situations. During my test, however, I found that, like most glow in the dark products, they must be exposed to light before glowing for several hours. So, if you keep your shotgun, AR-15, or pistol in a dark place (like a safe, under your bed, in a closet etc), the safe chamber indicator will not “glow” but will still stand out due to the bright color.
My summary: Great product for only a few bucks. This product is perfect for training environments when you NEED to know the chamber is safe and you need to use your normal firearm instead of switching to a training tool unable to fire a round along with storing firearms in a safe or armory. This allows you to take the weapon out of the safe knowing the chamber is empty after any amount of time, and it also protects your firearm from the elements. Most of us do not have money to keep replacing parts or guns, so anything we can do to prevent corrosion, rust, and other issues is a plus. Now they need to make a 45 and 40 cal version for my Glocks!
For more information or to buy one of your own, go to failsafesolutions.net.
David at Overwatch Designs
My disclaimers: This photograph was taken in violation of the firearms safety rules (after verifying a safe chamber)…for the sole purpose of photographing the chamber indicator sealed inside the barrel. Do not point a firearm at yourself or someone else in violation of the safety rules. Always consider the safety of your children or other people in your home before storing your firearms under your bed, in a closet or drawer. My wife has not yet bought me an AR-15 so I was unable to test the 5.56 version of this product.