Lasers on handguns?

[Crayfish]

OP here. Thanks for all the feedback again. Well, I took it out to my favorite remote shooting site in the woods today and ran a box thru the Sig with the laser mounted, tried all kinds of unnatural shooting positions where I could not sight down the barrel from 10 and 15 yards and put all but 10 shots within a 4" group. I was impressed with the laser and the gun, no malfunctions from either. I think I may keep it on the gun for now and train with it from time to time. The little Sig has big gun sights (which was a factor in the purchase) and the night sights are pretty decent so I would always use the sights when I can but, the option to switch on the laser may come in handy. Seems easy to switch it on with my trigger finger as it clears the holster or if the gun is up and pointed already I use my left thumb which is already resting just above it.

 

[Confederate]

I don't have access to a range anymore, so I've never had the chance to sight-in my Crimson Trace grips on my Ruger SRT-101. As a stopgap measure, I'm going to use a laser-bore sighting device in conjunction with my Crimson Trace grips and sight them in that way. The only problem I have with the grips is that the bloody switch is on the top part of the grips where it's hard to pick up the gun without the laser going on! And I've never fired the gun and I'm wondering if the grips are even any good for shooting magnum rounds...I hear so many complaints about the gun's stock grips that I'm leery about the compact nature of the Crimson Trace's grips.

 

[joneb]

I have CT grips on a 1911 HD gun, I really like them for low light. The more I use this tool the more I am liking it, it just takes practice to find it's potential.

 

[giggitygiggity]

Lasers are good if you have to make a good shot with a handgun, but are in a covered position or one in which you can see the target, but cannot properly present the pistol and aim the regular sights. They're also useful if you are in low light conditions or lack night sights. They also have a place when firing pistols whose sights are obscured by sound suppressors.

I find that lasers are a great tool, but that you must realize their limitations. Most people tend to take longer per shot because they try to hold the dot perfectly still. People often use the excuse "well I aimed my laser there and I missed so my laser must be off." True it might be, but you probably are just not a good shot and are now blaming a doodad for your poor skills. In most cases, three dot iron sights have a much tougher time losing zero or being off than a laser.

Additionally, like all sights (iron, telescopic, red dot, laser, etc.), they can lose zero, especially if bumped, exposed to rain, fog, etc or even the recoil of a gun.

Lasers are nice, but your trusty three dot sight picture should be your primary and laser your secondary sighting system.

 

[joneb]

Lasers should not replace a good flashlight in dark conditions, you need to know what you are shooting and what's behind it.

 

[1911 guy]

I like them, but don't use them simply because my trigger finger interferes with the beam of the Crimson Trace model for 1911 and I'm not a fan of adding stuff to the internals, the LaserMax, for example.

I have used them on other pistols and find them useful.

 

[Charley C]

Using a laser as a training aid

I can't believe no one has mentioned this yet! as everyone who has ever done any shooting already knows, in order to place your shots exactly where you want them to go, requires two things "up front"; first, proper sight alignment with intended target; and second.......the ability to operate (pull ) the trigger without affecting your proper sight alignment; this all sounds quite basic to an experienced shooter; but not everyone IS an "experienced shooter"; beginners must LEARN proper sight alignment and proper trigger control! And IMHO, there is no better way for a beginner to SEE what affect (if any) his /her smoothly pulling the trigger is having on his/her proper sight alignment, than to practice, practice, practice dry firing the pistol while observing the red dot from the laser and seeing any movement of the dot with respect to the target as the trigger is being "squeezed"? "pulled"? "jerked"? (The laser dot will tell you which one! )

For most of my life I haven't been a very "big" shooter; and when I was just growing up, I learned to shoot with a .22 rifle and a .410 double barrel shotgun; I was a young adult before I ever fired a hand gun; when I was older than many on this forum are now, I was obliged to "learn" all over again.

I'm guessing that most (or probably ALL) of the "right handed" shooters here operate the trigger with your right forefinger? I did too......while mine was still "all there"; due to some incredible ignorance on my part, my right forefinger ends at the first "joint", (and so does my right thumb); a few years later, I had to retrain my right middle finger to "take over" all of the tasks that were previously done by my forefinger. And having an "under barrel" laser mounted to a revolver I owned at the time was a tremendous benefit in learning to shoot using my "new" trigger finger. Now, at my present "advanced age", I'm about to start "learning" all over again, once more; if Glock ever gets around to delivering the G 34 with MOS slide I have ordered, I'm going to mount a red dot on it and see if that helps as much as I'm thinking it will.

BTW.......all of this talk about "aligning" lasers to place rounds at "such & such" distance? I think you'll find that all laser's "axis" should be PARALLEL the the bore of the barrel..........(rather than "aligned" to place bullets at the laser dot at such & such feet......)

 

[ku4hx]

For those of us with less than perfect eyes approaching 3/4 century old, they're absolutely wonderful for target acquisition in a darkened room at combat distances. I've read and heard the same for intense lights on handguns. Shooter's option.

It's still a good idea to train with whatever you choose.

 

[DeepSouth]

BTW.......all of this talk about "aligning" lasers to place rounds at "such & such" distance? I think you'll find that all laser's "axis" should be PARALLEL the the bore of the barrel..........(rather than "aligned" to place bullets at the laser dot at such & such feet......)
___________

How do you suggest to sight it in, in such a manner?
Or how do you know when the laser is parallel to the bore? May be a better way to phrase the question.

I think you are correct, but I also belive it would nearly impossible to do and completely impossible to verify. But if keeping ranges under 50 yards I don't think it matters, the numbers you'd be dealing with would be just a few inches and therefore "close enough" for lack of a better word.

 

[DWebb]

Plenty of good points made already. I don't use them, except for a training aid in point shooting.

They are standard equipment for Navy SEAL's. They don't use gimmicks.

We would need an actual SEAL to chime in to settle this, but as a non SEAL I'm betting most of the utility comes from night vision.

Laser sight article.

 

[TestPilot]

Lasers have VERY limited utility.

I am not going to say, "Don't put lasers on guns."

But, I keep them off my guns because the issues with how to work them is not solved, and that problem and other problems related to it outweighs the benefits.

With pressure switches on grips, I had to compromise a grip to make the laswer not activate when not needed or compromise a grip to make it activate.

When it does activate when I don't need it, it is very distracting.

 

[TestPilot]

jmr40:
They are standard equipment for Navy SEAL's. They don't use gimmicks.

Military special forces is different.

They need lasers because you cannot use iron sights with night vision.

 

[DeepSouth]

With pressure switches on grips, I had to compromise a grip to make the laswer not activate when not needed or compromise a grip to make it activate.

I've never experienced it, they just work for the most part. I'd argue mine are to touchy, they always come on. I frequently forget they're even supposed to be on until I see the dot.

Remember, ALL blanket statements are incorrect.