Why aren't lasers more popular on handguns?

[chicharrones]

A laser is great for low light when your sights are lost on a target or background. It's brighter than tritium and doesn't disappear like fiber optic in dim light. Plus, a laser is useful if sights are blurry, like it is for some folks in middle age and older.

Probably the biggest Con of using a laser is that everyone at the range can see your bobbling dot on your target, while you can't see their bobbling sights or red dot on their target.

One of the better Pros of using a laser is for dry fire practice. That laser bobble on a far wall is much more noticeable than a front sight or red dot bobble. It sure is useful for watching how your trigger stroke and trigger break are happening with your gun in your hand.

While lasers can be very useful, red dots have taken over the electronic dot on the target game. All the new guns with red dot mounting cuts on the slide are proof.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

I see no need for them. I bought guns with them on. They are now pet entertainment. Im old school. Not tacti-cool.

 

[DeepSouth]

Years ago I had one on my carry gun, I kept it sighted in as to where it was under the irons. So in normal practice I didn’t even see it. My thinking was if I ever needed to make a longer/precise shot it would be the way to go.
I still think that’s decent logic.

The fact is back then I cared way too much about my tools, I was constantly looking for the next best thing. I guess I out grew that.

I took the laser off one day during cleaning and just never put it back on, I still have it….somewhere.

I will say, it was slow to use and basically invisible in daylight hours, that’s 2 very big negatives.

 

[chicharrones]

So, for me, shake-awake RDS is a better choice.

Shake awake is great for a home defense gun. Not so much with a carry gun or a car gun.

 

[cfullgraf]

I've dabbled with lasers twenty plus years ago and it did not excite me for bright shooting situations. I never tried them in low light situations.

I figured they would be more trouble than their worth in actual use.

I prefer simple, no electronics and no batteries on my carry gun. Nothing to turn on or activate, or count on to activate itself when I need it most.

This, too.

 

[chicharrones]

I've dabbled with lasers twenty plus years ago and it did not excite me for bright shooting situations. I never tried them in low light situations.

Folks don't install tritium sights on their guns for daytime use either. Lol.

 

[Stefan A]

I have one on my bump in the night gun. Seems to me that in the dark or dim environment, I'd rather point shoot. Although, I originally bought it just to play with - now it has a purpose. Mine also has a flashlight - so when I press the button, I get a laser and a flashlight.

 

[Artg56]

I recently added a laser guard fitted specifically for my vp9, I too had seen them in use at the range over the years and honestly would have been embarrassed to have such little control at 10 yards to send that dot dancing all over a silhouette target. I’ve been trying different sight systems as my eyesight deteriorates and when I found the crimson trace for 100.00 less than any retailer thru HK parts I took the plunge. First time I fitted it to my gun and used my natural point to aim indoors, lo and behold, I was on target and remarkably steady. First time at the range in bright sunlight I realized that 7 yards was max so my thinking is that for me it’s a fantastic aid for low/no light defensive use.

 

[wis bang]

Your not way off. Anyone who thinks putting a laser on their pistol is going to turn them into an expert marksman is off their rocker. I dont even think they over ride irons outside of possible strange situations that can happen in a deffensive situation. For range use in daylight?.... Why? Just use your sights.

.......

Anything Hollywood shows as far as laser use on firearms is mostly just for dramatic effect. Similar to when you see an image through a scope in a film and the crosshairs are completely stationary no matter what the distance. Its all BS. Its simply just a straight line dot that can be used to line up your bore to a target in darkness regardless of fireing stance/hold ... thats it. Lasers are useful and are used for everything from star gazing, power tools, education etc. Its just that hollywood and scifi stated making them "mythical" in films like Terminator...Cobra..etc. so they became this tactical thing. I dont really see them as purely tactical at all. Practical yes but not some tactical thing.

I agree. I shoot at a 9 inch steel plate on a T post behind my camp. I spread a big blue tarp to collect the brass and practice with my sights BUT I do go out on a dim afternoon and use the TRL-6 lazer feature [didn't buy it for the light, too dim and eats battery] and I practice moving around on the tarp trying to keep it on the plate. I do better with it in the low light vrs the sig 'night' sights

 

[herrwalther]

All my handguns used to wear light and laser combos. I used the lasers to practice shooting in positions where I could not see or could not use the sights. Many trainers call it point or index shooting, where you index your firearm in line with your head or body to make close range shots without using your sights. I have now gone the other way where I have gotten better at indexing the firearm to my head or body and being accurate enough at close range without "chasing a dot" around on a target. Now I only have one handgun with a light and laser but I plan on replacing it when I find a better light only accessory.

 

[Bill Raby]

Why would you want to put a kitty toy on your gun?

 

[PRD1]

I use night sights on those handguns I might want to carry at night. The thing about lasers is that they practically shout 'Here I am!", when you start waving them about, and, tactically, if I see that first, in a sticky situation, I'm gonna open the ball with 2 right and 2 left of the little red dot... At home, the first round of #4 buck goes directly to the little red dot.

PRD1 - mhb - MIke

 

[12Bravo20]

One thing I have not seen anyone mention yet is being able to see and properly identify your target. All the talk about using a laser in dark situations does no good if you can't ID the target. This is where a good weapon mounted light comes into play. There are lights with built in lasers for those that want a laser.

I have a couple of lights with built in lasers but I hardly ever turn the laser on, I just use the light so that I can properly ID the target in the dark. This has saved my cats a few times since I can ID them as the culprit that broke something. If I used just a laser, I would have all the cats attracted to it and still would not be able to ID them very well.

As myself and others have stated, there is such a thing as "chasing the dot". And I have seen it happen frequently at the range.

As with anything practice makes perfect. Everyone should weigh the positives and negatives of all the different sights or sighting aids and go with what suits them the best.

I will end with this. IR lasers did come in very handy when I was in the Army. But we were using night vision and did not want a visible laser. The combination of night vision and IR lasers worked well for us.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

They look super cool in movies.

 

[Pat Riot]

Years ago I thought I wanted a laser, but at the time I couldn’t afford a decent one, like a Crimson Trace. I bought a cheap Gun Show Special that attached to my 1911’s trigger guard and had a tape switch. It lasted two trips to the range. Not only did I find the shaky dot annoying the darn thing was intermittent.
A while later a friend loaned me a set of Crimson Trace grips for my S&W 442 to try out. I tried them.
Here is what I came away with:

• Adjusting my grip on an already too small grip so as not to keep the laser active was a PITA.
• I imagine the dot floating around as I got ready to shoot looked like a bad guy beacon with the message “Here, shoot me!”
• As was mentioned above I became concerned about chasing the dot, not watching my target.
  
• And, last but not least, lasers annoy the hell out of me at the range. Maybe they wouldn’t at 2AM but then see bullet 2 above.

I returned my friend’s grips after testing snd trying them for a couple of weeks. Turns out he was hoping I wanted to buy them. He didn’t like them either. Also, those were and early set. The grip surface was that of a curvy Glock magazine. CT improved on that, I learned.
Perhaps if I tried them again on a larger gun I might like them, but I have other things that are more important to purchase…like primers, bullets, powder, etc.

 

[Nuclear]

I had a pair of Crimson Trace front activation grips on a 1911. They were slim and comfortable, and with a little practice I was almost as accurate as irons or a red dot. You just have to accept you can’t stop the dot from dancing around the target. I finally took them off when the rubber cover on the front activation switch got tacky.

I’ve mounted a green laser under a home defense pistol, it is almost bright enough to use as a light.

BTW, you really can’t see a visible laser unless you are within a few degrees of the beam unless there is a lot of dust, smoke or fog in the air. IR lasers are so visible in night vision because IR scatters so easily in the atmosphere.

 

[toivo]

My bedside gun is a Glock 21 with a rail-mounted green laser. If it ever got used "for real," it would only be indoors and probably at night. It turns on by a paddle switch that sits just under my right index finger as it rests along the slide. My range practice is to get rapid-fire hits on a sheet of notebook paper at 10 yards and 15 yards: pistol at low ready, switch on laser as I raise it, and then fire. It's kind of like point shooting. I don't even look at the pistol -- just hold the dot as steady as I can on the target and pull the trigger.

If the battery fails, I still have night sights and a flashlight. I do also practice with the iron sights.

 

[JDeere]

They were a thing. My wife had the Micro 9 with the CT grips and they went bad. CT sent me another set. She got tired of the laser and shot with it off all the time. I tried it once and my hands/fingers just got in the way. ymmv

 

[Tallball]

I've tried them and I don't like them.

After 40+ years of shooting better than most with iron sights, I'm not changing horses when I'm already most of the way across the stream.

 

[Rexster]

Short answer: Tasers, issued to me by the PD, for a number of years, had lasers on them. The experience did not make me want to add lasers to any of my carry handguns.

I can see some value in having a very rugged, well-constructed laser mounted on a defensive long gun.

 

[johnjohn]

Not at all handy in daylight. Just use iron sights.

 

[chicharrones]

One thing I have not seen anyone mention yet is being able to see and properly identify your target. All the talk about using a laser in dark situations does no good if you can't ID the target. This is where a good weapon mounted light comes into play. There are lights with built in lasers for those that want a laser.

Fully agree. Target ID is a must.

What I prefer a laser for on a small footprint carry gun is dim or low light. Dark requires a light.

Fer instance, here I sit at my dining table at one corner of the house. The lights are off in the house, and the morning sun is trying to peek in through all the trees outside and the drapery sheers and partially opened blinds on the windows. I can see people just fine, but it's dark enough to make seeing regular sights quickly enough (or at all) a difficult process.

In this case, tritium isn't bright enough (for me), fiber optics aren't gathering light, paint on the sights aren't picking up light, and the outline of the sights themselves are indistinguishable if I'm not pointing at sunlight. Plus, a threat will probably be blocking any sunlight that may be behind them.

Walking outside at night with building lights or street lights is another scenario where I can ID a threat but I probably won't be able to see gun sights. Ideally, a street light (or other light source) would be above and slightly behind me to let me see my sights. But, I can't count on that.

 

[12Bravo20]

Fer instance, here I sit at my dining table at one corner of the house. The lights are off in the house, and the morning sun is trying to peek in through all the trees outside and the drapery sheers and partially opened blinds on the windows. I can see people just fine, but it's dark enough to make seeing regular sights quickly enough (or at all) a difficult process.

In this case, tritium isn't bright enough (for me), fiber optics aren't gathering light, paint on the sights aren't picking up light, and the outline of the sights themselves are indistinguishable if I'm not pointing at sunlight. Plus, a threat will probably be blocking any sunlight that may be behind them.

Walking outside at night with building lights or street lights is another scenario where I can ID a threat but I probably won't be able to see gun sights. Ideally, a street light (or other light source) would be above and slightly behind me to let me see my sights. But, I can't count on that.

And in those instances, I find that an optic works best for me. A micro dot is faster for me to use versus a laser. I do have lights with built in laser for when I want to use one.

Everyone will be different. Go with what works best for YOU.

On a fun note: all I have to do is shine the laser on an intruder and my 4 cats will take care of things for me.

 

[starling]

All debates aside and going back to the original question. Lasers are popular. Seems they are available for almost every firearm even those wthout rails. Armalaser have worked well for me. They also have a shut off switch in combination with the sensor under the triggerguard that triggers activation. Traditionaly I prefered a simple switch but Armalasers kind of give you the best of both. They also weigh practically nothing and have no impact on iron sight in terms of obstruction (unlike red dot sights).

Simple search brings up hundreds of models of good and affordable lasers currently available for alomost any pistol or rifle one would want. I still have models from the early 90s mounted on firearms that work 100% after many years of shooting so people are either buying the wrong lasers, not mounting them right, or just plain looking for excuses not to use them for whatever reason. Lasers are not going anywhere. Neither are scopes, red dots, peep sights, night vision optics, flashlights, or anything else that has a practical use for hitting a target.

Regarding those trigger guard universal mount lasers. The lasers were often fine on those attempts but it was early stages and the mounts were tricky. Mounting on the trigger guard was not the problem it was trying to make one mount fit every triggerguard through the use of shims which never seemed to hold up. The good companies learned this pretty fast and made mounts specific to fit individual pistols which held up fine if you figured out how to mount them and lock them in correctly.

Tricky thing was sighting them in and for what distance. Ideally you want them directly under the barrel and as close to the bore as possible. I tend to dial them in at 25 yards with pistols and run them parallel with the bore (not the sights). Then you factor in bullet drop for your caliber/cartridge at whatever ranges you are shooting at. Lasers give you a perfectly straight line but bullet path does not depending on range. I will say getting accurate hits at 100 yards with a green laser (easier to see at that distance) is not difficult assuming you have good trigger control. My grandparents hunted into their early 90s and were big fans of lasers when hunting and the daylight was fading. I properly mounted some simple beamshots under their rifle barrels and when things got dim they simply hit the switch and continued on. They bagged quite a few deer with that setup for their last 20 years or so of hunting.

 

[DeepSouth]

My grandparents hunted into their early 90s and were big fans of lasers when hunting and the daylight was fading. I properly mounted some simple beamshots under their rifle barrels and when things got dim they simply hit the switch and continued on. They bagged quite a few deer with that setup for their last 20 years or so of hunting.

I’ve always been told in AL it’s illegal to hunt with lasers. I’m not sure if that’s a common law or not. I’m not even certain it’s true here, I’ve never actually looked into it, but it certainly is believed to be true around here.

Just a word of caution, before someone starts hunting with lasers they may want to check state laws.