User Panel
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Quoted: I find them to be fragile. Holster selection is minimal unless the Combo is G19 and TLR-2. For me, they offer no advantages. View Quote My Crimson Trace mounted P220 is going strong for 15 years and does not require a special holster which is why I bought it. It is also a great training aid. |
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Doc Roberts said they improved JFRAME back up gun qualification scores.
I hate stainless steel sights. Particularly on old JFrames. |
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I like the idea of them, but in practice the juice was not worth the squeeze so I don't have any nowdays.
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Quoted: it’s not about money it’s about performance….or the lack of View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: I'm guessing there is more $$$ to be made in red dot optics it’s not about money it’s about performance….or the lack of how many people actually shoot enough, especially in the GD, to know the difference you're probabbly right that it's slower but my money is still on following the money |
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I can’t see laser dots except in low light. It’s always fun when some guy at a presentation is shining a laser pointer at a bright projector screen. Might as well be waving his dick around. I can’t see shit.
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I think that most people have a poor understanding of lasers and their capabilities. I'm sure that is because of movies and advertising. I really like them because they can do stuff that nothing else can but it's an extremely narrow window. They make accurate fire from any shooting position possible. It's pretty cool to be able to bust a clay bird at 25 yards with a pocket pistol from the waist. They also only really work when it's dark out which is something they don't highlight in advertising. I used to take customers out in the sun and show them how the dot would all but disappear on most clothing. The green was a little better but places like here where it's bright most of the time you aren't getting any help until the sun goes down. I do believe there's a small deterent with a visible laser similar to the Tasers but not enough to matter and certainly not anything you would want to depend on.
The only gun I have them on is an LCP which I hardly ever carry. They are pretty hard to justify cost wise. Quoted: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/241349/68FA29D0-832D-4BC2-833C-52662514B303_jpe-3175716.JPG View Quote I can't remember where I saw it but there was a guy addressing the light issues and he said something to the effect of that's certainly a valid concern in certain situations but they probably didn't apply to what most people will encounter. "If you have a group of Navy Seals hunting you down it's certainly valid but it is probably the least of your concerns at that point" Or something like that |
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My first full-time carry was the S&W BG380 that had the Insight laser built in. I thought it was cool as hell. Then the set screw for the laser backed out from above and jammed the frame against the barrel, locking up the gun. Sent it into S&W to sort it out, and that lost me my confidence that it was reliable for EDC. They did replace the laser module with the "upgraded" new CT version. Yay, red buttons instead of black.
Now, I carry that gun probably once a month when I need it in my pocket, and it has been replaced by compact frame 9's for EDC. So, fairly ambivalent, never felt compelled to get one for a new gun. True Dat on the cat comment. |
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I have one (Surefire X400) on my bedside gun and they are sort of useful although the scenario where it would be useful is a pretty rare one. Probably not enough to justify the price of them though. It would be cool if I could mount it on my HK MP5 SD-22 super fake-a-roo, then I could pretend to be a TV navy SEAL.
I do have lasers on all my Bug-a-Salt guns. Put the little red light on the bug and POW! |
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I got my first set of Crimson Trace laser grips from a prize table, at a 3-gun match. I really THOUGHT they would be useless. I have been a range officer for USPSA for over 20 years and a Safety officer for IDPA for quite a while and I have seen every type of sighting device fail, with the exception of a steel front sight that’s not detectable from the barrel, combined with a gutter type rear sight. So now, ALL of my defensive guns wear multiple sighting devices. I am also right handed but left eye dominant. When shooting a match I have a little scotch tape on the left lens of my glasses, but in every day life, if I NEED to use a gun, I have to close my left eye. I can keep both eyes open when using a laser and even if I lose my glasses I can still hit where I want. I have been using dot sights on competition guns for over 20 years but only have them on 2 of my carry guns because, being left eye dominant, I HAVE to see what I’m shooting at through the lens and have noticed that dust and debris collect on the lens in a very short period of time.
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Quoted: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/241349/68FA29D0-832D-4BC2-833C-52662514B303_jpe-3175716.JPG View Quote Weapon lights on your EDC with Paul Howe. |
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I have them on several defensive handguns but not all.
MY eyesight is fuzzy (but getting cataract surgery in several days) also the other reason FOR ME is that if I am in a situation where obtaining a firing sight picture stance/grip is for any reason not possible the laser will compensate. Reasons like struggling with an assailant, knocked down, etc. Since I am not a high speed low drag operator and old as well it is just another tool in the bag. YMMV |
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Quoted: One too many accidental cat shootings. View Quote I LOL'd. As to RDS being the same thing - not really, RDS is just like a laser, if you have it on target and it's tiny target box visible that is. I did a 3-gun night-shoot once and it opened my eye's to lasers; and all the cool kids were running lasers. I ran cheap lights and no lasers, and I got trash so bad it was humiliating. I very quickly realized why, because you can walk a laser in from 90 degree's away and get it right on target real damned fast. It does give you away. But then again, for "defensive", you're already given away or you wouldn't be defending. And in the dark, it gets you on target really really well. FWIW, the technologies have gotten a LOT better and a LOT cheaper. Here, it's a really damned good flashlight for $25. Better than great shit just 10 years ago. And it even has a green laser - up to you if you want to run the laser or not. For that price, I buy a bunch and just toss them onto the pic-rails of half my rifles. CHEAP NON-SERIOUS USAGE (but fun )
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View Quote That dude is nuts. On topic: the only handgun I ever had with a laser is a 2 inch Ruger SP101 that came with Crimson Trace grips. I think I still have the grips in a box somewhere, but I swapped 'em for stock Ruger grips when I bought it. I mean, in part it was because I had to qualify with it as a backup gun, and lasers weren't allowed, but they were never my thing anyway, except as cat toys. |
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Quoted: My first full-time carry was the S&W BG380 that had the Insight laser built in. I thought it was cool as hell. Then the set screw for the laser backed out from above and jammed the frame against the barrel, locking up the gun. Sent it into S&W to sort it out, and that lost me my confidence that it was reliable for EDC. They did replace the laser module with the "upgraded" new CT version. Yay, red buttons instead of black. Now, I carry that gun probably once a month when I need it in my pocket, and it has been replaced by compact frame 9's for EDC. So, fairly ambivalent, never felt compelled to get one for a new gun. True Dat on the cat comment. View Quote Huh. Saw the same thing on a friend's BG380. |
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Still have one on my p938.
But it hasn’t been out of a safe for many years now. |
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Quoted: I used my EDC with TLR2 and laser in a shooting once. Even though it was dark, I didn't take the time to activate the light or laser. It was more of a point and shoot at close range sort of thing. I still have lights on my EDC guns but I don't feel the need to add lasers anymore. However, when doing target practice at night, the laser is fun and fast. It can also help to diagnose issues with new shooters / show them flinching. View Quote Most realistic answer on the internet right here. |
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Quoted: Their best uses are for tiny revolvers, cops equipped with shields, and for teaching new shooters the fundamentals. View Quote I think some people (maybe Shivworks?) found them useful when using a pistol while grappling or from close retention positions. I have a little Keltec P3AT with vestigial sights. Someday I will put some kind of laser on it, because a green laser cannot be any slower then lining up those iron sights. |
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I think they can be useful. That's why I have a TLR6 on my G43X. I don't think they are as useful without a light though. The laser allows you to take shots from more places (non-proper shooting stance etc) than without. With how small and light modern lasers are especially in a light combo why not?
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I have a Model 42 that the sights are practically useless especially at night. Was a back up gun for years on an ankle rig. Had a CT laser grip that never failed to work and was never off zero it was set at. For that, I found it very useful.
Just like optics on handguns they must be paired with training and realistic expectations. People searching for their dot will be just as bad as those who look for the dot on a failed laser and not have a plan. |
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I had Lasermax grips on a 340pd, and a P229. Don’t have either gun nor any “lasers” today.
…this was circa 2005. It was gay. It still is gay. |
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Quoted: When I got into CCWing a pistol for protection in the mid 2000s seems like crimson trace laser grips and laser max guide rods were all the rage. Or so it seemed to me. Fast forward to 2024 I very rarely see them on carry guns now. Why have they fallen out of favor? With in close range they make sense. I run a TLR6 in my G42. Thoughts? View Quote I have one on my LCP, wouldn't bother with one on anything else I think. |
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I think red dots are better because they give you the same “view” as a laser but since it’s only a couple feet from your face it doesn’t turn a tiny bit of shaking into a metric shitload of wobble at 10-25 yards.
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Attached File there's people in here saying they have bad eyesight so they use a precise laser to paint a target that, I guess, they can't really see and I'm supposed the believe they can hold that laser steady on their intended target? mmkay. if iron sights are a no-go, red dot is the answer. lasers are for infrared spectrum and NODs. |
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I have one, but it’s almost entirely incidentally.
My Glock 43 needed a weapon light. The TLR-6 was the best option in terms of form factor, usability, and holster availability. It has both a light and a laser. Given the choice between the three modes - laser only, light only, or light and laser - I don’t see the point in leaving the laser turned off. |
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View Quote A lot of what he says about comparisons with USPSA Classifiers is dated and/or flawed. |
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Quoted: I got my first set of Crimson Trace laser grips from a prize table, at a 3-gun match. I really THOUGHT they would be useless. I have been a range officer for USPSA for over 20 years and a Safety officer for IDPA for quite a while and I have seen every type of sighting device fail, with the exception of a steel front sight that’s not detectable from the barrel, combined with a gutter type rear sight. So now, ALL of my defensive guns wear multiple sighting devices. I am also right handed but left eye dominant. When shooting a match I have a little scotch tape on the left lens of my glasses, but in every day life, if I NEED to use a gun, I have to close my left eye. I can keep both eyes open when using a laser and even if I lose my glasses I can still hit where I want. I have been using dot sights on competition guns for over 20 years but only have them on 2 of my carry guns because, being left eye dominant, I HAVE to see what I’m shooting at through the lens and have noticed that dust and debris collect on the lens in a very short period of time. View Quote Odd. Try taping over the window of the sight, keeping both eyes open and seeing what happens. You might be surprised. Helps to keep focus down at the target. I'm cross dominant and I do have to close one eye when using irons, but with dots, both eyes are open and looking at the target. It works. Magic, really. |
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