Lasers On Hand Guns...!!

[mayfieldh]

I have a friend who has his CHL and he is trying to talk me into putting a laser on my Glock.  He claims that all he has to do is pull, point and shoot.  If just seems too much trouble when he also has to turn the laser on.  I just don't see a reason to have this and I was just wondering if anyone else uses this on the carry weapon and if so, what is your good reasons.

[kurtpenn]

Well... I don't completly agree with your friend.  It's not as easy as pull point shoot.  I've seen plenty of individuals at the gun range, with lasers still completly miss the targets.  I'm sure the laser can provide some advantages, but if you don't have proper shooting skills such as draw, grip, trigger control and such... a laser isn't going to do you any good in a high stress situation.  And.... like you mentioned, will you really have time to turn on the laser if it's not grip activated?  To me... it's just one more thing to worry about malfunctioning, especially for a concealed carry weapon.  I will stick to my regular sights...

[Neighbor]

I'm like Kurtpenn - I'll stay with regular sights on my carry gun. Not saying that there might not be situations where a laser would be an asset or maybe an intimidation factor, but in a situation where everything goes south suddenly, it seems to add too many variables (i.e. wrong lighting, don't get turned on, light fails for some reason). Guess I'm old fashioned.

[jimisbell]

Having a laser on the pistol will slow your first shot by a second or more.  If it is full daylight you will spend time looking for that dot that should have been used to get a round or two off.  At night the dot is easy to see, but you will still pass time looking for it and then adjusting your aim.  Better to learn point and shoot.  Now the laser is handy.  Put your finger over the laser output if you can, then draw and point with an EMPTY pistol.  Then remove your finger from the laser and see how close you are.  Adjust your hand to put the laser on target and then repeat the process.  You will soon find that you are training your hand to point correctly.  Dont try it with the laser on all the time because your brain will automatically adjust and your hand wont learn a thing.   I use the laser only in this way and it is turned off when I am carrying and I wont fumble to find the switch if I do draw.

[VacMaster]

I think adding as laser adds a second option and advantage of how to use your gun. You need to be proficient at both iron sights and using the laser. Consider a night home invasion scenario. You know an intruder is in your house. You know the layout of your house better than the intruder. You don't want to turn on the lights to alert the intruder and give them the advantage of seeing the layout of the house. You point that laser at the intruder and you never have to find or use those iron sights or give away your position by turning on the lights. I use my iron sights by day and my laser at night.

[MIO]

Some lasers activate upon holster draw either by design of the laser or design of a custom holster. I've had them before and didn't experience slow down in low light conditions. It can allow you to shoot at odd angles around cover where a good sight picture might be difficult. They can in fact allow you to remain almost completely behind cover without as much exposure.
Crimson trace puts out a decent video on the uses. Here is one I could find.
http://https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-oRUrNjBJIE
IMO A white light is more useful for target identification and manuevering in low light conditions and also has the mental effects on the target. and there are light/laser combos though I don't have experience with them. I do like strobing lights.
Something to remember is lights and lasers can work in both directions.
   What I have seen in the past training people is a dependency on the laser where people fail to continue the basics of proper trigger squeeze and follow thru. They believe because the laser is there the bullet will follow. The bullet is slower though and all mistakes made will reflect. It's not magic and a magazine or two will soon prove that solid shooting techniques are still needed.
If you do go with it I'd like to hear your feedback.

[Ratherbshootin]

I regularily carry my S&W 1911CT as my primary . I always use the sights when shooting, but do have the laser turned on. It is activated when gripping the pistol. I can see where it would come in handy in some low-light situations for precise shooting. But I agree with the previous comments on how important it is to be familiar with your gun, and that you should be able to hit your target even when you can't see your sights very well.

[EdO]

Either option can be correct depending on your particular situation.  I think, for the normal citizen, in a self defense situation, a lazer would be a total waste.  More than likely what the person would be doing is pulling their weapon, pointing, and shooting as quickly as possible.  Now law enforcement or security guards may have a different perspective on the need for a lazer.  To me the normal self defense situation is;  up close,  sudden, pull your weapon,  point and shoot.  There isn't going to be any time to take a proper stance and use your sights.  If you have not maintained situational awareness,  you may not even have time to pull your weapon.  Your propbably going to be shooting from positions you've never dreamt of.   If I thought any different,  I would never carry my S&W Bodyguard .380.  Hitting anything,  with any other than the first shot,  at any distance of ten feet or more with that gun is an adventure to say the least.

[prince312]

Either option can be correct depending on your particular situation.  I think, for the normal citizen, in a self defense situation, a lazer would be a total waste.  More than likely what the person would be doing is pulling their weapon, pointing, and shooting as quickly as possible.  Now law enforcement or security guards may have a different perspective on the need for a lazer.  To me the normal self defense situation is;  up close,  sudden, pull your weapon,  point and shoot.  There isn't going to be any time to take a proper stance and use your sights.  If you have not maintained situational awareness,  you may not even have time to pull your weapon.  Your propbably going to be shooting from positions you've never dreamt of.   If I thought any different,  I would never carry my S&W Bodyguard .380.  Hitting anything,  with any other than the first shot,  at any distance of ten feet or more with that gun is an adventure to say the least.

I am not in favor with lazer, because even a sharpshooter lazer is no longer needed.

[bilgerat57]

I like using the Crimson Trace laser grip on my Glock 23. CT's design makes activation almost instinctive. The button is usually on the backstrap or just under the trigger guard. So it's part of your regular grip on the weapon. They have also started offering a choice of green or red lasers. The drawback on the green laser is they take more power so the battery life isn't as long. With moderate training use, my batteries have lasted three years now. It takes just a couple of minutes to put a fresh set in and they are commonly available. That being said, I don't rely on them. I train on regular sights about 75% of the time and use the laser training as a supplemental. The advantage of a laser sight is debatable for many, but I believe in stacking the deck in my favor.

[councilxvb32]

very good  

[Rockriver]

I like my laser for the following reasons: 

1.  As I have gotten older, that front sight has gotten a bit fuzzier.  I find that I need low power reading glasses to get crisp, sharp sight alignment.  In darkness, my night sights show up a three fuzzy blobs.  If I am awakened at 3 am by a home invader, I will not take time to search for my readers.

2.  No intruder is going to be able to get a sight picture on me if I am shining a green laser into his eyes.

3.  I can illuminate or extinguish my Crimson Trace laserguard simply by varying the tightness of my grip.

4.  I have the option of accurately shooting from a position where I am not looking down the sights.

I agree that if you have never achieved a decent level of proficiency with iron sights, then a laser is not the best choice.