Thinking of a laser for the first time

[Marshal Tom]

I have been thinking of putting a Crimson Trace laser on my new Shield. I have never mounted one on anything in the past but recently thought about doing it on this gun. Who uses them and why? How do you like it?

Tom

 

[snubbyfan]

I have a laserlyte laser on my 442. I use it more for dry fire practice than anything else. With the laser on you can really see how much the gun moves around when you pull the trigger. I also use it to practice point shooting. Just point the gun at something and switch the laser on to see how close you are. It is fun to use at the range. Just put the red dot where you want a hole and pull the trigger.

 

[Deezil]

Just purchased a LaserGuard for my 9mm Shield today. Should have it a few days, I will certainly do a range report and post my opinions.
Will be my first laser also, but this looks very promising.

 

[Schneider]

Schneider: Ok-- DEEZIL--- I will be watching for your review. I just emailed CTC--and suggested that all of their lasers, that mount on the trigger guard, need a master "off" switch for day time / range time.

 

[DocSunShine]

CT lasers automatically turn on, I'd say that's GTG for defensive reasons, not just training. Just keep your battery fresh and shut that laser off to use irons also when at the range (you don't want to become 100% dependent on something that can fail).

 

[Schneider]

DocSunShine, Tand all,The auto turn on is my neg. issue. All range time(s) when pistol is "gripped" the laser is on. If, range time is an hour, 3x a month, laser is on.

 

[gnystrom]

I have CT laser grips on my j-frame snubbles. They have a manual switch in addition to the "grip on" feature. The laser makes a great dry fire and trigger control training feature. I always have my students dry fire a laser until they feel they can control the trigger.

In addition to the obvious features like far more accurate shooting from behind cover, point shooting, weak hand accuracy, I think one of the most valuable aspects of the laser is the fact bad people do NOT like the red dot on their torso. It lets them know you mean business and "the bullet goes where the red dot glows"

In my experience, when using a dot you need to completely forget the gun sights. Pay attention to the trigger control and the dot only, and you can be very accurate at surprisingly long distances. A lot of laser practice will make you a better overall shooter.
The down side is twofold. They can make you somewhat laser dependent, so practice more without them than with them.
Second they are battery powered. My batteries last forever, but I do check them frequently for voltage and age. 2032 batteries are available everywhere and are very low cost.
My 2¢

 

[DocSunShine]

DocSunShine, Tand all,The auto turn on is my neg. issue. All range time(s) when pistol is "gripped" the laser is on. If, range time is an hour, 3x a month, laser is on.

Being that they have a master switch, I'm not sure why you consider it a negative. For me, having to fidget with a laser in a defensive situation is a dealbreaker, I believe in KISS, but ymmv.

 

[Maddmax]

I have a streamlite TLR II on my 9 PRO. It's a lazer,light and lazer/light with the flick of a switch. On/off or on with a thumb flip. It's my what goes "bump in the night" weapon.

 

[robkarrob]

I have a Crimson Trace laser on my Ruger LC9. Real good quality, but on a small gun you may not like the on/off button. The button sticks out 1/4 inch. Most people can only get two fingers on a subcompact grip, like the Shield when using the flush magazine. This makes for an uncomfortable grip, with the upper finger sticking 1/4 inch further out than the bottom finger. I fixed this uneven grip by glueing a small rubber block under the laser button and wrapping it with a Talon grip. Another problem I had with the CT laser was when taking my grip, if I did not get my hand in the perfect position, the laser light would not come on. This occurred before and after I added the rubber block. So I had a laser that did not consistently light. I called CT and they sent out another laser. I had the same problem with the new laser. The only way it would always light was with a "death grip". My finger contacted the switch at around 60-70 degrees and the laser would not turn on. Pushing the button in at any angle other than near 90 degrees straight in, it would not light. The death grip (super tight) squeeze would push the button in enough to allow the laser to turn on.

I've just got a LaserMax for my Shield 40. It worked great around the house. The on/off button is perfectly placed for the trigger finger resting on the side of the slide. My first trip to the range and the pinpoint (dime sized) laser dot now looks about 3 inches in diameter and is hardly visable. The recoil did something to the laser focus. LaserMax is sending out a replacement????

No, I am not hard on lasers, just problems that I have experienced. I've had the CT laser on my LC9 for a year. It is still working great except that I still have the button pressure problem.

Bob

Crimson Trace on Ruger LC9

LaserMax on Shield 40

Showing how little the LaserMax overhangs into the Shield trigger guard.

 

[Bill_Johnson]

I have CTC lasers on my S&W 649 and Ruger LCP. I love that fact they go on when I grip the gun and don't have to fool with thinking about them. The red dot shows me where the hole is going, plane and simple. Intimidating, I suspect, to most bad guys too.

 

[robkarrob]

Update to my previous post. I just received the replacement laser for my defective LaserMax. I will get to the range with it soon. One thing I can tell between the LaserMax and the Crimson Trace is the laser is brighter on the Crimson trace. The specs on both are identical:

Class 3R Visible Laser Diode
5mW peak power
Wavelength 650nm (LaserMax) 633nm (Crimson trace)

The only difference is the wavelength. I spoke to CT and they said wavelength is the color of the laser. The difference between 650 to 633 would be a very small difference in the red color.

Where I can see the biggest difference is in daylight. The Crimson Trace laser is brighter and stands out much better than the LaserMax. Both are red lasers and red does not stand out well in daylight, but works great in low light or darkness. The LaserMax lists for $129 and the Crimson Trace lists for $220. I paid $160 for my LC9 Crimson Trace laser, a year ago at a local gun show. Just got the LaserMax off EBay for $86. Both came new in original box with full warranty.


Bob

 

[getoff]

don't own 'em, don't use 'em, wasn't trained on 'em. the only add on i have on any of my firearms is on my AR. if i have to use the light on it, its gonna' be the only light available...

 

[Deezil]

CT should be here tomorrow. I will let yall know what i think and post a few pics. I have never relied solely on Lasers, never will, but as most know its usually dark when the SHTF!! My Shield has a BigDot front and I love it. This gun is my carry piece and is made for fighting, the CT will just complete the package for me.

 

[S&WOkie]

The older my eyes get, the more I like lasers and red-dots.

 

[VaRecon]

Honestly I wasn't too impressed with a Crimson Trace I had on a 681 I used to own.
It was fairly accurate but wasn't very bright on most targets unless the sun was right.
I still advocate them, it was pretty decent.
If I were to get a laser for a gun with a rail I would go with a viridian.

 

[S&WOkie]

Honestly I wasn't too impressed with a Crimson Trace I had on a 681 I used to own.
It was fairly accurate but wasn't very bright on most targets unless the sun was right.
I still advocate them, it was pretty decent.
If I were to get a laser for a gun with a rail I would go with a viridian.

Crimson Trace now has green lasers for a few guns, and a universal rail model. They are a little pricey though.

I have been looking at the Viridian C5L for about a year for my M&PC, but just can't make myself spend that much on a laser/light.

 

[Twoboxer]

I have CT Railmasters slung under my M&P9FS and a Ruger SR22P. They are easy to turn on when I want them on, and hold zero certainly well enough for social work. While I would never have my personal defense dependent on a battery, the lasers serve several purposes in my house:

1) My wife can't hold her arms at eye level very long, so she can now shoot with her arms braced from the waist. And I don't need to have my face behind these pistols to aim and fire should circumstances suggest otherwise.

2) When my old eyes can't see the iron sights very well in low-light (like indoor ranges at times), the laser is a godsend.

3) When I want to see if/how my POA varies during a trigger pull, the laser is a *great* training aid. When it dances around the target during my "smooth" pull or in anticipation of recoil, it's not lying.

As for red vs. green lasers . . . pffft . . . if there's enough light to render the red laser useless, then there's plenty of light for me to see the iron sights. I didn't put the lasers on to go against Billy the Kid at High Noon.

The rail, if available, is my preference for a laser mount. YMMV. It doesn't screw with the trigger or grip in any way, and its only on if I want it on.

MY LCP of course does not have a rail. For this I chose the Lasermax over the CT version. For some reason the CT required a mounting screw on the grip front right under my middle finger while the Lasermax mounted without one. This laser is aso only on when I turn it on and makes this little pocket pistol easier to shoot with confidence.

I never intended the lasers as primary sights. Personally, I think this would be a serious mistake. And I can't imagine forgetting to turn it on if I needed it lol . . . after all, it would be fairly dark out Unless the laser is needed as described above, the only range use it gets is the next to last magazine of the day. This does an operation and accuracy test, and gives me all the practice I feel I need.

Your wants and needs may vary, of course.

 

[Bengal07]

Lasers on Pistols

Tried them on several pistols----several brands of lasers---all with the same result---ANNOYING---DISTRACTING-----I can hold a very steady sight picture/point of aim------but when you turn on the laser dot it looks like the pistol is moving all over the place. Also --in a total darkness situation it is useless because it does not help you acquire the target. I stopped using them and now just use pistol flashlights/tactical lights at 150 lumens or higher with a fairly narrow beam--that allows me to use same sight picture/alignment that I use in the daytime.

 

[Nedroe]

Buy 'em, Use 'em.......

I put 'em on almost everything, including my compound bow.
This is my constant companion, & has saved me several times.

It has killed a LOT of stuff. If I had been watchin' Batman in CO at midnite, I would've headshot the joker from 40 yards. I have dropped it, kicked it, gone to the ground with it in wrestling matches, used it as a hammer, pistol whipped people & dogs with it, & it still has yet to lose zero
Glock 21w/ CT module

suppressed Mark I w/CT grip

Sig 220, 22lr w/ CT grip & can

Crimson Trace are the best, bar none.
I use these UTG Green's on rifles & shotguns

My Remington 700 Muzzle loader has one on it, but I don't have a handy picture.
Get my drift? Things get dark, I'm confident of coming out on top!

Ned