I've never messed with laser sights (like CT etc.) but I've been giving them some thought lately. I'm just curious about their visibility outdoors in the daylight. Do you have to be close enough that you wouldn't need them anyway or is that a pretty easy dot to see?

Red lasers are pretty much useless in sunlight. Good indoors and in other low light situations. Green lasers may be more visible in sunlight. At least that's what I've heard. I only own red.

HONESTLYI only use my CT for dry fire practice.

Tried mine in sunlight. Can't see it.

Close enough that you wouldn't need them? Quite the contrary. I believe up close is where a laser is very helpful. A very significant number of altercations are within 9 feet, and many of those within arms reach. Imagine yourself, blocking or parrying, warding off an attack with your left hand/arm and your gun in your right hand. The laser will be extremely helpful in a situation like that.

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In Omnia Paratus

I've used a CT red dot in daylight at 15 feet. It's a bit more difficult to acquire but I can see it.

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"The Dude abides"

I use CT red lasers on both my carry and nightstand guns. They're a great aid for me, especially without my glasses on. In bright sunlight they aren't very visible beyond 10-20ft or so. The newer green lasers are touted as being MUCH better for daylight use, but I haven't gone that route yet.

The way I look at it is that I'm much more likely to need a defensive arm either in subdued, dark and/or indoors. If I'm wrong and it's bright sunlight, I can see the irons OK anyway.

It depends greatly on the reflectivity of what you're pointing it at. Dirt, black bullseye on target, not good at all.

Green lasers are useless in very cold weather, most won't work below 32 degrees.

Lasers, red or green, are for dark targets in marginal light. Neither is visible enough in daylight for rapid acquisition. I find them highly effective for target shooting, but it's easy to depend on them rather than good sight alignment and control.

For daylight, the best front sight for rapid acquisition is a fiber optic, Trijicon HD, or possibly a gold McGivern bead. For me, a red ramp is good for most things and doesn't snag the holster, but seems to disappear in sunlight. A gold bead is so reflective, that it is confusing against paper. The sight picture follows the light source.

Simply put (and advice given from one who has tried red AND green lasers in bright sunlight), they are worthless in bright sunlight, period . If you follow advice from some, and try to use it at close range in bright sunlight, it will slow you down enough to maybe get you killed while hunting for it. Lasers + daylight = < worthless.

Here is my experience with lasers.

Direct sunlight
Red = Useless
Green = Slightly better than useless.

Indirect sunlight
Red = Slightly better than useless
Green = semi-useful

Indoors
Red = Useful
Green useful

At night
Red = useful
Green = Wicked cool. Tube of green light like a light saber

Bright sun, dead battery, broken switch.......and that's the reason you should do much of your practicing with the laser OFF. Iron sights always work.

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Dave

I have no laser sights on any of my guns. I have no flashlights attached to any of my guns. I've always been good with my front sight.

I have nothing against laser sights or flashlights on a gun if they're what shooters like. But for me, I want nothing on my guns. Even when I've carried for a living, I wanted nothing attached to any duty weapon. Fortunately for me, the two agencies that employed me accorded us discretion.

What's that quaint expression...something about a "boar hog"...?

When I read this, I stuck my 60-14 with CT grips out the back and tried to acquire the laser while pointed at the fence about 15 yards away in direct sunlight. Nothing. Acquired a tree in indirect sunlight about three yards away. Next to nothing . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

Agree! Useless in bright light. Either works in subdued or dark. Green is more useful and reaches further, but twice the expense. Have red on all carry guns more for off balance weak hand shooting to COM target acquisition.

I'll probably get a lot of flak for this, but I feel, at least for me, a laser is a distraction. You have to turn it on, acquire the dot, and your target. I feel like I'm spending too much time on the first two.

To get back to the basic question, they aren't much good in bright sunlight. That's when your iron sights come into play. Now, in low light conditions or darker, they can't be beat. That's where iron sights aren't much good.

For quick target acquisition, I like a red-dot sight better than a laser. They work much better in daylight too! Much longer battery life as well.

But you still need to identify your target. That's when a weapon light pays off.

No flak, but this simply doesn't have to be, and simply shouldn't be, the case.

You MUST start by acquiring the target. How else would you know whether it's a threat?
That's paramount; locate and identify your target.

Now, maintaining hard visual focus on your target, you bring the gun up and into play. You should be able to turn on the laser during that move.....with ZERO loss of time. Even with a manual switch, much less an instinctive switch.

Third, the hands follow the eyes....when the gun approaches your vision....which is focused on the target....the dot should come into play very nearly, if not perfectly, centered on the threat....shoot. Don't study the dot....don't try to make it perfectly centered and perfectly motionless. If you START with you eyes boring into the center of the target, the dot will come there on its own. Heck, you'll find you can do it from the hip...with your weak hand... without even seeing the gun.

If you can focus on a light switch across the room...swiftly, smoothly, raise your hand and point your index finger at it. Only after your fingertip has stopped moving, shift your focus back and forth from the switch to the fingertip and see how they line up....you did pretty well, didn't you?

You can bring a laser into play and in perfect alignment with the target much faster and with less effort than you can iron sights.....if you WANT to.

And nobody has ever suggested you have to give up your iron sights to have a laser.

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Carry.."hope" isn't a strategy

If you want to see a red laser in sunlight, you have to use a pair of red glasses. That's what came with my carpenter's laser, red glasses, and they work.

Lasers will fail when you need them, and trying to find a laser will prevent you from analyzing the situation. Practice with irons

My Viridian C-5green laser can easily be seen for 25 feet or more .. but can be somewhat difficult to first pick up on without first using regular sights .. and fades out in some colors where its very difficult to see !!

What I have found though is that there is a very limited number of available holsters that will fit pistols with a laser attached !! An many of those are not what I like in a holster for conceal carry ..

I use mine most of the time for dry fire practice in my practice room and occasionally shooting at the range at 100 feet and over its sighted in on my Beretta PX-4 Sub Compact right now ..

I did use it on my night side table pistol for a while but didn't like the fact to use the flashlight with it I would have to sweep my gun .. and I feel more comfortable using my Nitecore MH 12 .. 1000 lumen flashlight that I can use in my off hand without sweeping my gun at what the flashlight is pointed at .. and 1000 lumen is blinding to anyone that would happen to be looking toward it ..

I have a couple of lasers, one red for handguns and one 5mW green for my AR. I find them to be fun toys and something you can count on to let you down when you need it most.

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