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Pistol Lasers

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BP Hunter

BP Hunter

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Joined
Jan 9, 2006
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1,516
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WA
I have 3 pistols. GLock 17, Taurus 24/7 Pro and a Springfield XD9 4". All of them have 4" barrels and picatinny rails. My neighbor showed me his laser for his XD9 Subcompact. It looked too easy to aim. It doesn't even look fair. Anyway, I thought this might be perfect for my wife for HD for any of the guns. Any good ones out there without breaking the bank?
 
Insight and Streamlight aren't too pricey, but are still good quality.

I sell Insight, Streamlight and other brands, and Crimson Trace is by far more popular than any other laser sights.
 
if you want to be happy with the gun, I would recommend crimson trace lasers. they are readily available for Glocks and the XD...not sure about the 24/7 as it is still pretty new to the market. I suggest them for their dependability, lifetime free batteries, and ease of installation and use... they require nothing more than a normal grip to activate... many of the rail mounted lasers require an additional step to turn the laser on and off....

May not make a huge difference to most, but in a tactical situation, a continuous laser is just a trail back to you and in an emergency situation, fumbling for an on switch rather than just gripping is asking for a tragic end...
 
I have Crimson Trace grips on three handguns, and would have them on all of them if they were available (I'm not holding my breath, waiting for a set for my JC Higgins .22 revolver). Furthermore, I would not buy a handgun that CT did not make a set of grips for -- that is how sold I am.

Your comment that lasers make it too easy gave me a laugh. So far as I am concerned, anything that makes it easier for me to survive a lethal encounter is as welcome as the flowers in spring.

And it ain't all that easy. Some people go into shock when the red dot dances all over the place -- they cannot stomach the fact that THEY are causing it to happen, not the laser. But once you get past the fact that you are not perfect, you would enjoy shooting with lasers. My Crimson Trace sights would not be useful for busting bowling pins at 100 yards in the noonday sun; but in the situations they are made for, SD/HD, they are just wonderful.

Cordially, Jack
 
I don't like how the Crimson Trace (a very high quality product, mind you) changes the grip on the polymer guns such as the Glock and XD (my preference, I know many people like it better that way.) I understand that they're limited in what they can do since these don't have traditional grips, but for a house gun, I'd prefer to just mount a device on the rails with a polymer gun.
 
Crimson trace also has lasers that mount to the trigger guard of glocks, XD's, kel tec's, and Kahr's. they change the shape and thus make it more difficult to find some holsers, but so would rail mounted lasers

(that said, I dont know if that is an option for your gun specifically)
 
I am also interested in laser sights for my pistols. I have a Beretta 92FS and a Sprinfield XD full size, 4" in .45 ACP. I was hoping someone would chime in on products from LaserMax. These are the lasers that replace the internal guide/spring rod in a pistol. Unfortunately my XD has the newer barrel lug configuration shared by the XDm, and thus cannot use the current laser offered by LaserMax. However, I could put one in my Beretta.

Does anyone have experience with LaserMax, or with other systems?

Thanks.
 
I have not had personal experience with lasermax lasers but I have heard nothing but frustrating things about them... Several of the regulars at a local shop have had them break with little use. Problem is (1) you just broke your pretty expensive laser and (2) when the guide rod breaks your gun is functionally useless.

I would most definitely recommend the crimson trace lasers... lifetime of batteries, they activate with a normal grip and are available in a wide variety of forms including those that do not require new holsters for the gun.
 
Dan Crocker, Crimson Trace is going to be coming out with laser sights for Glocks and other models that don't change the grip on the pistol. They should be announcing in the next couple of months.

The customer service from Crimson Trace is the best. Over the past year I've sold hundreds of CT laser grips, and haven't had one that was defective. A couple of buyers damaged their laser sights, though, and Crimson Trace sent them brand new ones, even though it was the buyers' fault.
 
rgwalt: I've got a Lasermax guide rod laser in my XD45 Compact and absolutely love it. The only downside is short battery life: about an hour of "on" time with mine, which uses the smallest batteries of any of their products. Remember: The whole thing, including the batteries, is in the guide rod! I do as Lasermax suggests and switch to "practice" batteries when I'm using the laser at the range so I've always got fresh batteries on board for carry. Hint: Buy watch batteries in bulk off eBay! I've got about 5,000 rounds through my XD with the laser installed with no problems. This is also a pulsed laser. Why nobody else (that I know of) does this I have no idea. It completely eliminates the dreaded "looking for the dot" that laser naysayers always whine about. It's especially noticeable when following a moving target set against a broken background, like brush or trees moving in the breeze. A rapidly blinking red dot draws the eye like nothing else I've seen. To me it's like a solid red dot x10. FWIW: I also have Trijicon night sights on this pistol and train in low-light without the laser.


A friend of mine just put CT Lasergrips on his Kimber Ultra Carry II and I can't stand them. The spot where my trigger finger naturally "wants to be" when it's not on the trigger blocks the beam! I have to consciously put the tip of my trigger finger on the edge of the trigger guard or I block the beam every-single-time. :( Of course I would adapt if I had to, but re-learning 30 years of trigger discipline would suck... and I'd probably screw it up under stress when the laser would be most useful.
 
rgwalt: I forgot one thing! One of my co-workers just got an XD45C with the new style barrel. (Huge improvement BTW, no worries about locking up the gun upon re-assembly if the guide rod isn't centered, as the new barrel does it for you. That said, I always re-assemble autos slide-down anyway, which eliminates having the barrel drop if the spring hangs up on the frame counterbore.) We field stripped our guns and compared and it *looks* like all you'd have to do is file the corners off the Lasermax's battery cap to make it work. We're both machinists and I'm also a mechanical engineer and unless I'm missing something huge the only difference is the half-round rather than flat notch on the barrel tang. I've got a couple new battery caps on the way from Lasermax, when they get here I'll modify my worn out one to fit his gun and see if it works.
 
I just purchased a set of Crimson Trace grips for my S&W 5906, but waiting for the gun to come back from S&W to fix Failure-to-Fire problem I was experiencing before I can try them out. I had looked into the LaserMax guide rod laser, but being that it was over $100 more than the set of Crimson Trace I just got made the big deciding factor of me. In my research for LaserMax, I did read a couple comments on forums regarding issues with some that were made for Glocks. I believe it had something to do with the FTE issues with the guide rod spring. Not trying to dismiss LaserMax or Glock, but just what I had read on the net. I ended up purchasing my Crimson Trace grips from Optics Planet , but many buy from Shooter's Resource who has the lowest prices around.
 
Kindofa different frame size than what you're referring to, but my GF and I have CT lasers on our carries; a Kahr PM9 and KelTec PF-9. I chose the CT over other options 'cause it comes on with our normal grip. There's no thought process involved to say "must turn on laser".
 
I recently bought a CAA flashlight/laser combo for $89 bucks. It fits perfect on my XD45, holds zero, and has 150 lumens!
 
Plus one on the Crimson Trace laser Grips, I have two of my guns with them for several years now, and they are reliable.

I have posted this before, but it gives an idea on how the laser can be used.



I will NOT be without one.

I have a laser grip on my .45, it is my primary home defense gun, together with a Borealis 1050 lumens flashlight.

After the alarm sounded...
My tactic is to get to the bedroom door and from there control the passage way and the living room, with the body protected by the frame and with only my half face exposed, one hand holding the pistol and the other hand the Borealis flashlight.

With a laser is not need to line up your face with the pistol, no tunnel vision, no exposing body parts to get into a shooting position.
If you are going to have a gunfight, this is the best way!

This, for me is the most valuable feature of the laser.

The flashlight with the 1050 lumens (two millions candlepower) will cook the eyes of an intruder.

Colt .45 with laser grips and the Borealis 1050 lumens flashlight.


govtlaser.jpg



noflash.jpg



Cheers

Black Bear
 
"The customer service from Crimson Trace is the best. "

+1. I have CT grips on three handguns, and dealt with their customer service on one. I was very impressed, so impressed that I would not buy a handgun that CT did not make grips for. I am waiting for them to make up a set for the JC Higgins .22 revolver I bought in 1955. Ya think?

Cordially, Jack
 
Thanks for the responses Mr. 510 and others! The responses in this thread have made my decision even more difficult. I'll be anxious to see what CT comes up with for the XD that won't change the grip, and what LaserMax comes up with for the new barrel lug.

My Beretta is my primary HD gun. I didn't even think about the advantage that black bear pointed out... that being the ability to aim without being in a "traditional" shooting stance. Definitely something to think about, and practice.
 
The thing about lasers is half the time are useless. In any good light you can't see the dang thing, If you train with it on you will be at a loss in a good lighting situation, if you train without it what is the point of having it?

Now that said, I have tried and tried to get my wife "into guns" for a long time in vain, then she discovered the laser. I have discovered the secret to making women like guns, :Dlasers.
 
It looked too easy to aim. It doesn't even look fair.
Click to expand...

Unless you have problems using traditional sights due to poor close vision, it's doubtful a laser sight will actually improve your aim. Most people have a "circle of accuracy" which is determined by how well they can hold a gun still while aiming and pulling the trigger. Open sights are more than adequate for most people. The red dot might show exactly where the bullet is going to go, but it isn't always where you want it when the sear releases.
 
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