Laser ?

[Radco]

I am sure it has been asked and answered but could not find the info in the search box!

What is the advantage of a Green Laser over the Red of Red over the Green? At night I'm sure they are both fine with no wash out but in the day time with sun is one better then the other? What are the good brands? I am sure the 30$ E bay/Wal Mart models are just that Cheap! Is 100$ a good price for a decent Laser? This will be for my 9mm Shield!
Thanks for the help
Rich

 

[Jessie]

This is third party, but some say that green is easier to see in daylight. I haven't compared them, so this is just passed on here say.
I do know that red IS sometimes difficult to see in bright sunlight.
I think the lasers shine (pun intended) in low light when its difficult to see your sights, anyways.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

I think they look great together on December 25th........

 

[JaPes]

I am sure it has been asked and answered but could not find the info in the search box!

What is the advantage of a Green Laser over the Red of Red over the Green? At night I'm sure they are both fine with no wash out but in the day time with sun is one better then the other? What are the good brands? I am sure the 30$ E bay/Wal Mart models are just that Cheap! Is 100$ a good price for a decent Laser? This will be for my 9mm Shield!
Thanks for the help
Rich

Depending on the power output, a Green laser can be easily seen in daylight. Green lasers use more power than red lasers, batteries need to be replaced more often. Green lasers are more expensive.

Red lasers are less expensive. The batteries last longer. When used in low-light to dark conditions, there's no advantage between a red or green laser.

If you're going to mount a laser on your carry pistol (the pistol you will use to defend your life), stay the heck away from the off brands. The electronics and diode have to withstand the punishment of a firearm.

As for which brands to stick to, LaserLyte, Laser Max, Crimson Trace are the top three that come to my mind for stand alone lasers. I've had both red and green Crimson Trace rail master lasers mounted to pistols and rifles. I have a Streamlight TLR-4 LED light / red laser on my dedicated full size home defense pistol. I ordered a LaserLyte green guide rod laser form my Glock 19 (carry gun).

Are they useful? Heck yes. I don't have to have the firearm's sights aligned to my eye to put rounds on target. Practice is key. Sight your laser. Be very aware of the parallax (the distance offset between the laser and the bore) and how it affects POA/POI.

I'm old school. I always advocate becoming proficient using iron sights before mounting aiming aides. I'm also practical. I will take every unfair advantage available to me that will increase my odds of survival.

 

[Inusuit]

I have a Crimson Trace green laser on my Shield. Took a couple of range sessions to the the laser and irons calibrated to my satisfaction. JaPes has excellent info in his post. I picked the green because it shows up better than red in daylight.

 

[JaPes]

I have a Crimson Trace green laser on my Shield. Took a couple of range sessions to the the laser and irons calibrated to my satisfaction. JaPes has excellent info in his post. I picked the green because it shows up better than red in daylight.

My home defense pistol has a rail mounted TLR-4. Main switch can be actuated by my support hand thumb (thumbs forward grip). I can select light only, red laser only, or both. A flick of the thumb for momentary. A deliberate push up to engage constant on. Within the confines of my home, I can pick up a red laser. I know the parallax. I've ranged the inside of my home using a laser bore sight and the rail mounted laser.

I've had the Crimson Trace rail masters (both red and green). If I remember correctly, the red is more compact than the green. I did not agree with the switch placement. It always felt awkward to me.

My primary carry pistol is a Glock 19 Gen4. I chose a LaserMax guide rod laser. I have no experience with this laser, but I have high hopes. No need to sight it in. The laser is as close to the plane of the center of the bore as possible. Parallax should be minimal. LaserMax provides a new take down lever and spring. It acts as the on/off switch. Since the laser is internal not external, I shouldn't have issues with holster compatibility. The only potential drawback is going from the OEM dual captured recoil spring assembly to the LaserMax single captured spring assembly. I'm not sure whether or not there will be any change to perceived recoil.

 

[Radco]

Depending on the power output, a Green laser can be easily seen in daylight. Green lasers use more power than red lasers, batteries need to be replaced more often. Green lasers are more expensive.

Red lasers are less expensive. The batteries last longer. When used in low-light to dark conditions, there's no advantage between a red or green laser.

If you're going to mount a laser on your carry pistol (the pistol you will use to defend your life), stay the heck away from the off brands. The electronics and diode have to withstand the punishment of a firearm.

As for which brands to stick to, LaserLyte, Laser Max, Crimson Trace are the top three that come to my mind for stand alone lasers. I've had both red and green Crimson Trace rail master lasers mounted to pistols and rifles. I have a Streamlight TLR-4 LED light / red laser on my dedicated full size home defense pistol. I ordered a LaserLyte green guide rod laser form my Glock 19 (carry gun).

Are they useful? Heck yes. I don't have to have the firearm's sights aligned to my eye to put rounds on target. Practice is key. Sight your laser. Be very aware of the parallax (the distance offset between the laser and the bore) and how it affects POA/POI.

I'm old school. I always advocate becoming proficient using iron sights before mounting aiming aides. I'm also practical. I will take every unfair advantage available to me that will increase my odds of survival.

Great explanation thanks, I agree with knowing how to use iron sights first, I do but thinking maybe a good laser for my CCW may be a good option for a faster POA. So the 100$ + range is fine for me,I wont go cheap when my butt is on the line

 

[Radco]

Thanks everyone great advice! I never used a laser before so all the advice is helpfull

 

[LVSteve]

The human eye is better tuned to green light than red. Think about it. They use red flashlights to reduce the effect on your night vision when map reading at night.

 

[JaPes]

The human eye is better tuned to green light than red. Think about it. They use red flashlights to reduce the effect on your night vision when map reading at night.

The human brain is also geared to track movement. A pulsating laser is easier for me to pick up than a solid beam.

 

[chris11111981]

The answer to your question is Green is the closest Spectrum that what your eyes can pick up. The optimal nanometer scale for human eyesight is 555 NM., most Green Lasers which are 532nm are what's called DPSS lasers which are in fact infrared lasers going through a crystal that turns it green. They are very dangerous because even though they may be rated at 5 MW the IR basically invisible laser light is far more then 5mw. Red of course is the most popular and cheapest and it's what's called a direct diode meaning it doesn't need a crystal to go through to make that color but you're better off getting a 638nm laser that's closer to Orange and far more visible than your typical 650 NM., I build my own lasers and have been doing so for several years so if anyone ever needs something custom built I can build anything all the way up to 7000 MW for what most lasermax laser cost. Butt beware these are weapons themselves and to abide by all federal rules have to sell them as modules butt small price to pay to have something brighter than any laser light show you will ever see in your life

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

 

[chris11111981]

And these also work awesome as laser designator to light up large areas at night which I have built for many pest control people to take out wild hogs in California, which are devastating crops, here's a picture of a laser that's not focused to a small beam but rather a wide flashlight type size but still visible at well over a mile or two

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[Jessie]

The human eye is better tuned to green light than red. Think about it. They use red flashlights to reduce the effect on your night vision when map reading at night.

Its true that red light doesn't affect your night vision as much as others, but it may be a stretch to equate that with being less visible.
I was taught in flight school that aircraft beacons were red because the human eye could see that color better, at least at night. Daytime may be a different story.