What's the current consensus on laser sight.

[ironhead7544]

A laser sight will give you a slight advantage in certain situations. But it takes practice and is a new way to aim. You still need to use all the principles of marksmanship to hit accurately. You cant just yank the trigger when the dot is on the target. You grip and follow through must be the same.

 

[ken158]

When CT sights / grips were new on the market, they courted many law enforcement agencies and sent samples to those that were curious. I tested a set on our Sig 229’s by utilizing about six officers with varying experience from rookie to SWAT guys. We shot a standard qualifying course and had some fun on the “tree” where two shooters swing the gongs back and forth. The general consensus was that following the laser created a tunnel vision effect which took away from the down range activities of potential bad things. Too much focus was required and scores were not affected. It was decided that we would rather utilize our current training / sight picture, etc than become dependent on a laser which looked different depending on the lighting in the day, night, inside or outside. There may be a practicality of a laser on a home defense handgun but not in the field.

 

[LCC]

The EDC I carry most is a LCP with red dot laser, and if the dot is hitting center target, so will the bullet. Consider it a defensive plus being able to fire accurately from angles other than a proper sight position.
At the range, however, I'll shoot magazines without the laser while working on draw and aim, and than use it for the last two magazine to verify the laser remains dead center.

 

[robvious]

I have exactly two laser sights.. both came with a gun attached. neither is attached anymore... until I can't see my sights they serve no purpose.. guns don't take batteries

 

[gwpercle]

Not a #1 but a #5. Will that work?

Will it Work .... Is the Pope Catholic ... Heck Yeah !!!
Sweet , both of them !
Gary

 

[sipowicz]

If you have time to look for that dot on your target you probably aren’t in a gunfight.

 

[AJ]

If you have time to look for that dot on your target you probably aren’t in a gunfight.

Was assigned to an Anti-Terrorist unit while in the Corps. We were given a Combat Pistol Course (designed by Jeff Cooper ). We did a lot of man on man competition on pepper poppers. We started with our guns in the holster and drew and fired on command. Was usually over in about 2 seconds (sometimes less & sometimes more). Never used more than the front sight and just caught that in your peripheral vision.

 

[iShatterBladderz]

Lasers, not personally a fan. I do like a good light on a home defense gun, but not so much on my carry gun.

 

[BrovoEchoSierra]

Most people agree, the dot is a pretty good target, and will give your position away to an attacker.
Most defense shooting is done at pretty close ranges. Learn to use sights, and practice.... A lot... Pray you dont need it... be ready if you do.

 

[BE Mike]

I find them an excellent training device for learning to point a handgun without sights and dry fire. These old eyes can't see sights indoors very well and the laser makes aiming a cinch. I use them on all of my self-defense handguns, as well as, my Remington TAC. Nothing better at night!

 

[Heinz]

Don't any of you have laser sights on those Randals? Would they not be as useful?

 

[AJ]

I find them an excellent training device for learning to point a handgun without sights and dry fire. These old eyes can't see sights indoors very well and the laser makes aiming a cinch. I use them on all of my self-defense handguns, as well as, my Remington TAC. Nothing better at night!

Nothing like carrying a red flag around at night saying "Here I am!".

 

[BE Mike]

Nothing like carrying a red flag around at night saying "Here I am!".

We aren't talking military combat here, but home defense. I think Crimson Trace’s Kent Thomas sums up the situation nicely: “If you have your gun drawn and pointed downrange (or down your hallway), you’re already engaged in a gun fight.”

 

[ISCS Yoda]

Funny stuff. Consensus? No. Plethora of opinions? Oh, yeah......

I'm not a fan of lasers. For police-type sniper work I can see the use but I don't want to follow a light to hit a target with a handgun. I can still use a front sight and, even better, I point shoot extremely well.

On handguns I don't like red dots, either, although they are becoming all the rage and I don't get it except for a parallel to polymer, striker fired handguns - it's new and modern so yippee-ki-yi, let's do it. Not I said the spider to the fly.

Same with attached flashlights but that's whole nuthuh rant.........

 

[AJ]

We aren't talking military combat here, but home defense. I think Crimson Trace’s Kent Thomas sums up the situation nicely: “If you have your gun drawn and pointed downrange (or down your hallway), you’re already engaged in a gun fight.”

It does not matter if you are "in military combat" or "defending your home", a gunfight is a gunfight. Take every advantage that you can. Have some kind of plan on what to do. Yes, I know that plans tend to fall apart when in contact with the adversary. Crimson Trace wants to sell you products.....

 

[sigp220.45]

Please pardon my ignorance, but when I’ve seen people shooting with laser sights there isn’t a visible beam back to the shooter. Does the laser sight have some kind of glow at the projection point that would be visible to an adversary? Wouldn’t you have to be looking right into it?

 

[rockquarry]

Does it appear laser sight gadgetry is taking the same course toward extinction as other products of dubious worth like molycoated bullets and graphite wads?

 

[snubbyfan]

I got one for my carry snubby shortly after my motor nerve condition started.
It helps me with trigger control when doing dry fire practice.
I just put the red dot on something across the room and keep it there all the way through the trigger pull both right and left handed.
For live fire I use both the sights and laser for practice with both.

 

[Tu_S]

Please pardon my ignorance, but when I’ve seen people shooting with laser sights there isn’t a visible beam back to the shooter. Does the laser sight have some kind of glow at the projection point that would be visible to an adversary? Wouldn’t you have to be looking right into it?

It's just the nature of the laser beam, in most environments there is not enough dust/smoke in the air to reflect the beam and make it visible, basically the same thing that happens with just a flashlight in a clean room, you see what it's illuminating, but won't see the beam of light unless there's dust or something else to reflect it in the air.

And like a flashlight, if you have the thing pointed at you, you will be able to see the light source. Since it's a more focused beam than a flashlight, you need to be looking more directly back at the laser, but you can be a off the axis of the beam some and see the emitter.

The beam you see in a movie/tv, or published add for the things, is a special effect that is added in.

 

[Old cop]

Based on my 30 yrs on the street I don’t put laser sights on my EDC.