S&W Laser grips?

Would you give the extra money to S&W for the LASER grips they are offering?

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280PLUS

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S&W is now offering LASER grips on a few of their revolvers and my wife thinks she wants one so equipped. What is your opinion of these? Are they reliable? Do you think they are a waste of the extra money that could be better spent on ammo to practice with? Have you had any good or bad experiences with them? Anything else you might want to add is most welcome.

Thanx!

:)
 
If it's like the one I saw they're just bundling a set of Crimson Trace lasergrips with some of their revolvers. Price them separately - the revolver, the grips, the two as a package. Then decide how to go.

I want a set for my P220.
 
laser grips

the wife and i both have them on our 649's. if you shop around you can get them cheaper than s&w offers them for. they're great for low light/ snap shot situations. we also have the big dot tritium sights just in case the lasers crap out at a bad time. i view them as an enhancement to the gun, not a replacement for regular practice.
 
I have the 1911PD with the factory CT grips. It's fun and could be useful in a panic situation if you intend to CCW the gun in question (which I can only do in winter as I have no reasonable way of concealing something that size in summer)

But is it worth it? Well only you can answer that. To me probably not really in retrospect for this gun at least - about a $220 upcharge. They need to be adjusted in - and I've had to do this twice in 500 rounds so may be some movement in there over time and in this case the gun is extremely accurate without it - I shoot better with the sights to be honest as I am no rock steady bullseye shooter and the dot moving is a bit more distracting than the sight picture shifting slightly.

Now if I was buying a snubbie for CCW darn right I'd grab the CTs - but for an accurate pistol for mostly range use I personally think it's more of a novelty than a necessity for me at least - I keep it off most of the time.

That said the one on the 1911 is pretty slick and actually works well and intuitively as far as activation and control goes, and of course I'd be lying if I said it didn't give a certain coolness factor!
 
We had 'bout three new S&W 642's come in with the Crimson Trace
Laser Grips, and it made the price on the 642 go from $329.88 to
$529.88. I can't see spending that kind'a money on a defensive
tool. After all, studies have shown that most gunfight/defensive
scenario's occur from 0 to 7 yards; heck I could hit my opponent
with a brick from that distance.

BTW, needless to say I sell more 642's without the laser grips,
than I do with 'em! :uhoh: ;) :D
 
I strongly recommend the Crimson Trace laser grips for close-range defensive firearms - I have them on all my snubbies, and they make an unsighted hip-shot, or a head-shot at 25 yards in a hurry, very much easier. However, the CT grips that S&W are bundling with their 642's are the larger, rubber-coated models (LG-305, IIRC). These are not the best for pocket or IWB carry, as they're larger, making "printing" more of a factor, and their rubber coating can "snag" on clothing. I prefer the smaller, boot-grip-sized LG-205 model. Not only are they much smaller, but they're made of plain, hard plastic, with fairly aggressive checkering. This doesn't "snag" on clothing, making a draw from the pocket rather easier.

In larger firearms than a snubby, I also recommend the CT grips, but since you've usually got pretty decent sights on larger guns, I find them less critical. I have sets on a S&W Model 65, a 625, and a SIG P220, but I don't regard them as essential on these guns, the way I do on snubbies.
 
The only revolvers that S&W offers them on are their J frames. My wife looked at them at the store and decided it was what she wanted, only in a larger gun. :p Ended up getting a 386PD ( L frame) and ordering the CT grips directly from CT.

Her newly old factory grips from the 386 fit perfectly on my 2-1/2" 66. :D
 
I love mine on my 1911PD. Although the trajectory will vary with distance because of the angle, if you practice with the enough compensating should be fairly easy. Intimidation factor is right up there also. Imagine having that dot show up on YOUR chest. Enjoy.
 
My wife recently bought a S&W 642 with the CR laser grips and loves it. If it makes her want to shoot more, then they are worth it. They give her a little more cinfidence in hitting the target, although I make her practice without the laser. Buying the gun with the CT laser factory installed saves a few bucks overall.
 
I bought one of these, with the OEM S&W laser grips - the ones that come from the factory with the S&W logo on them:

163811_large.jpg


Here's a couple of good articles about it I found when I was researching:

Smith & Wesson Premiers Model 642 J-Frame with Crimson Trace® Lasergrips® at Industry Trade Show

Lasergrips plus S&W 642 equals value

The one thing a shooter MUST realize about this type of sighting is that you are no longer looking down your barrel at the front sight - rather you're looking totally beyond the gun at your target. For those of us really trained at acquiring a sight plane down a barrel quickly this can be quite an overwhelming change of attitude - at least it was for me. It's a totally different sighting system, and like any firearm sight it takes practice to be good at it. An excellent iron sight shooter that's never tried a laser sight will be in for lesson for sure...

I've become pretty good with the laser, but I've learned that I'm still more accurate by turning off the laser and going with just the rudimentary iron sights - plain & simple. I will give those cush grips kudos though - they really absorb the recoil!

But here's an overall observation from a traditional shooter like me. I bought this gun for the smallest capable CCW weapon I could find, one that could even go in my front pocket if I desired. Well, between the fact that I preferred the iron sights, and the fact that cush handle was truly one heck of a lot larger than the old traditional wood grip panels, I decided to take off the laser grips and put on a set of Chief's Special panels:

642-1.jpg


642-2.jpg


So, for the past 1/2 year the laser grips have been sitting in a bag in the gun safe. Guess that tells ya my personal thought on how much extra value the laser brings to me. I'll keep the laser grips if for nothing else if I ever care to sell the gun - I figure the OEM S&W grips will be of value someday down the road...

Oh, as for the ability of the laser grips to hold a true sight - they do. The beam is fully adjustable with the supplied ultra tiny allen wrench - I don't think I've ever seen a smaller allen wrench in my life. Very accurate, round after round. If you take the grips off at cleaning time you will sometimes find the smallest tweak is needed of the laser to true it all up again once the grips are back on.

Ya know, I'd find this gun with its laser to be one an excellent choice for the infrequent, non-tech shooter. The type of shooter that naturally looks at a target and pulls the trigger, or a point shooter. Sight plane down a barrel and following the front sight is something we acquire over time.
 
If I had the money to spare, I'd pony up and go for the laser. Train 90% the old fashioned way, and pop off a few with the laser to maintain proficiency. This will keep the shooter from becoming dependant on the device to replace skill.
 
I bought a 642 and added the 305 Crimson grips on my own. I sighted it in at the range and then practiced shooting from hip, outstreched arm w/o sighting down the barrel, and so on. I hit the bullseye at 5 yards every time.This system is perfect for my summer carry or anytime backup carry needs.

I am thrilled with them on my 642 but doubt I would want the grips on anything other than a close-in defensive pistol.

FWIW,

Fran
 
it's another tool for the bag. Not a fix all for poor tactics/shooting but usefull for some things.
 
I have CT’s on all three of my snubs including my 642, but you can get them for a much better price separately than what S&W sells them to you with the gun. I also like the smaller hard CT grips better than the larger rubberized versions. :cool:
 
I bought the 642 with the CT grips about 6 months ago, "just because".

When I got it home, my wife could immediately tell that I bought a gun. (Wives can smell them on you)

At first, she wasn't interested in seeing yet another gadget, but her eyes went happy wide when she saw the little revo.

Her eyes started smiling when I showed how it simply dumped into my pocket, and disappeared without a trace.

When I showed her the laser, that clinched the deal. "Mine!" she cried, swiping it out of my hand.

I'd had the new gun home for literally 90 seconds before she confiscated it.

The next day, she dusted off her CCW application and brought it down to the sheriff.


What can I say? CT Laser grips worked for me.
 
I was shot in a training exercise (Simunition type rounds) with a 642 using lasergrips.

Shooter sitting, cleared the pocket and fired a second later as I was moving and drawing, and at 5 yards from a seated position with the gun barely clear of the pocket, hit a moving guy (me) in the left nipple.

Yes, they work.

They are good for some situations, a J-frame is exactly the kind of gun they're made for.

You can generally find them a bit cheaper than through S&W but either way, they do work.
 
WOW, thanx for the info!

So yes but she can probably save a few bucks buying them separately.

MrMurphy- I missed the Sim round part first time through, I saw the part about left nipple and said WHAT? :what: Then I went back and read it again. :D

Any other input is still welcome.

I created a lnk on my desktop to here and showed it to her so she may be lurking about at some point if she hasn't already.

More...

Just talked to my local gun dealer. he's telling me:

$369 for the 642
$549 for the 642LG
"around" $200 for either LG 205 or LG305

I saw one "new" LG205 on EBAY for $188.50 "Buy It Now"

I'd like to hear some comparisons around the country if anyone feels like checking it out.
 
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I love mine on my 1911PD. Although the trajectory will vary with distance because of the angle, if you practice with the enough compensating should be fairly easy. Intimidation factor is right up there also. Imagine having that dot show up on YOUR chest. Enjoy.
Click to expand...

Just measure how far the laser is off axis in relation to the bore and sight the laser parallel to the bore. For example if the laser emmiter is 1in to the right and 1in below the bore, sight it in that way and you will know that the point of impact will be 1in above and 1in to the left of the dot no convergance(you still have to figure in the drop for the long shots). Hope I made myself clear, it's easier than it sounds.
 
We got the 642 with factory installed CT laser grips for $499. Yes they have the S&W logo on them and work great. I was never a revo guy, but this gun has changed my mind.
 
Seeing there's a lot of responses on the 642, I thought this may be helpful to anybody wondering - When I was looking at this gun with these laser grips I couldn't tell for sure whether the laser could be turned off manually. I read some articles that said something about this, but others that said "no, the laser cannot be manually turned off". Well I learned that there's like three different grips for these 642's with the laser. Some have a switch, some don't. In the case of the laser grips I posted above (the cush S&W over-molded design) there is a switch on the bottom of the grip:

642laserswitch.jpg


As I understand the smaller grips than these, also made of a harder plastic (rather that this rubbery material) don't have a switch. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this includes most of the CT aftermarket grips...
 
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