Snubby sight problems

[velocette]

Snubby revolvers are easily concealed, reliable and difficult to shoot well.
Short sight radius, small grips & depending on weight, significant recoil. Their sights are small and difficult to see along with close together.
A snubbies primary reason for being is personal defense. Fun to shoot is a bit down list of good things about snubs.
Some reality, the vast majority of personal defense snubby use will be at night or indoors or both and at fairly short range. What sight system works the best under these circumstances?
IM(nv)HO, Lasergrip sights fill the bill. I have been using Crimson Trace laser sights ever since they were introduced, maybe 15 ~ 20 years. CT lasers on two J frames & five 1911s. Never a failure or a problem with them.
In daylight both the red and green are virtually useless, the green slightly better but not much.
Indoors, both work equally well and of course at night.
When you think about the possibilities of needing to use your snubby, you won't have time to pick up your sights, take careful aim and squeeze off a round. It'll be get it out & pointed in the general direction of the threat and stroke the trigger. Laser sights help that immeasurably.
Don't take my word about laser use, borrow a friends laser equipped handgun & try it yourself.
Better to have someone screaming in your ear while you do the test. See for yourself.

 

[chicharrones]

A laser sight turns a fixed sight gun into an adjustable sight gun. A laser sight gun allows older eyes that can't see handgun sights well to see "sights" again. Especially when older eyes can't pick up tiny tritium sights quickly in low light anymore.

All this can be said for a red dot, but a laser grip sure has a lower profile than even a pistol sized red dot, which can help greatly with concealed carry.

I don't think a laser grip is the answer for every gun or for everyone, but I certainly believe it has its place for some guns and for some people.

 

[JERRY]

I agree with the laser grip. the only draw back is if you want it for pocket carry as the one on one of mine adds too much to the gun for that mode. another option, depending upon the gun you get is the Ashley Big Dot front sight. quick and easy to see for fast shooting up close.

 

[chicharrones]

I agree with the laser grip. the only draw back is if you want it for pocket carry as the one on one of mine adds too much to the gun for that mode.

No doubt. My Taurus above has the much smaller hard polymer grip which works great for pocket carry, but it doesn't mitigate felt recoil one bit.

 

[nofendertom]

Lasergrip sights---Some like 'em and some don't.
It might be a good idea to practice up on some point shooting skills.

 

[25-5]

Got to wondering, took a look.
Sure enough my Baby Chief has iron sights.

 

[dawei]

https://www.smith-wesson.com/firearms/mp-bodyguard-38-crimson-trace

 

[halfmoonclip]

A buddy can beat the snot out of a 50' bullseye with a laser, and carefully aimed shots.
The laser point dancing around with my trembles freaks me out.
Moon

 

[ms6852]

I added the crimson trace grips to the 642 air weight. Much against my wishes my wife chose this as her carry gun and as her husband nothing I say stays between her ears. She shot it 5 times and never again....recoil is brutal. One day I shot it and missed the target at 7 yards, surprised the heck out of me . The crimson trace grips provided a better grip for my hand and did not have to aim just point and shoot after dialing in the laser. As was mentioned worthless in daylight can't see anything but the snubby is meant to be a belly gun, problem with that is if I have to be that close it is not a great idea, especially if they suffer from halitosis .

But they are great under low light conditions and it does have its uses. Several years ago I had abdominal surgery with complications where my incision would not close for six months. It was painful and no way I could move fast enough to grab my FNX 45 from gun drawer in case of a home invasion. My solution was the 642 with the laser. Since I would have to shoot from my bed lying on my back this laser turned out to be a wonderful accessory that is accurate, I know this cause I killed everything in my bedroom.

 

[Pudge]

When the light is good enough that you can't see the laser, the sights still work.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Some reality, the vast majority of personal defense snubby use will be at night or indoors or both and at fairly short range. What sight system works the best under these circumstances?

----
Same as for any other close contact situation: point shooting. REF: Ed McGivern and Bill Jordan, the old-school close quarters combat shooters. When you can pick up a revolver and look at the target while pulling the trigger, and hit what you're looking at, that's point shooting. Sights are for qualification and in case you actually have to shoot someone past smell-your-breath range. JMHO, YMMV, prescription required, see your doctor for details, no refunds.

 

[Dave T]

Every laser equipped revolver I've ever picked up did not fit my hand or grip. The bump that is the laser lies directly under my trigger finger and interferes with a proper trigger stroke. And yes, I take a very high grip on DA revolvers. YMMV, but they don't work for me.

Dave

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Every laser equipped revolver I've ever picked up did not fit my hand or grip. The bump that is the laser lies directly under my trigger finger and interferes with a proper trigger stroke. And yes, I take a very high grip on DA revolvers. YMMV, but they don't work for me.

Dave

---
Try switching hands. If it doesn't fit your right hand, swap to the left and see if it fits better. A lot of those fancy thumb riser "target" grips fit me better left handed than right. That thumb bump fits into the notch between my forefinger and middle finger just fine. But they mostly just bug my right thumb something awful!

 

[JERRY]

what some people don't realize is that the laser dot can act as a deterrent. not always, but even on "just" a taser. when the bad guy sees the red dots move from the ground to their chest/abdomen they have a tendency to comply.

I know that if I was a criminal and creeping about inside a house that for some reason had no alarm system, or I was threatening somebody on the street and I saw a red dot moving toward me... I would know that once that red dot is on me I will be shot. It also indicates that my "victim" might might ruin my day completely.

but, laser grips aren't for every one. I've seen people chasing the red dot for a perfect bulls eye instead of pulling the trigger once its on center mass. training can fix that though.

 

[AK103K]

but, laser grips aren't for every one. I've seen people chasing the red dot for a perfect bulls eye instead of pulling the trigger once its on center mass. training can fix that though.

Thats the biggest problem that Ive seen with them.

You shouldnt be wasting time looking for a silly dot, you should be quickly and repetitively shooting the target.

At the distances youre likely to use them, you really dont need sights anyway, and I agree with GeoDude in that respect. Point shooting is a much better skill to pick up than trying to chase a dot.

 

[Mr. Mosin]

Point shootin'. From a buddy who is an ex-Navy small arms instructor and VBSS instructor- don't rely on fancy technology to save your bacon. You have a gun. Learn to use it. Buy snap caps. Practice. A lot.

 

[Pudge]

A laser is just a sight. Three dots, tritium, file 'em off, learn to shoot without, or or use what helps you to perform better.

 

[gnappi]

>>SNIP<<
Some reality, the vast majority of personal defense snubby use will be at night or indoors or both and at fairly short range.
>>SNIP<<

The vast number of ALL pistol confrontations will be at short range.