I've heard it that most "social firearm interactions" happen well after dusk.
I like green lasers, but the bulk is considerable. Red works for most people in most situations.
I've taken people to the range to practice with my Walther and it has a red laser on it. I had them practice without the laser on, then turned the laser on. They were about twice as accurate with the laser than without it.
Is this proof that a laser works? No, but it does show that it works for some people. Try it and see if it is appropriate for you.
I like green lasers, but the bulk is considerable. Red works for most people in most situations.
I've taken people to the range to practice with my Walther and it has a red laser on it. I had them practice without the laser on, then turned the laser on. They were about twice as accurate with the laser than without it.
Is this proof that a laser works? No, but it does show that it works for some people. Try it and see if it is appropriate for you.
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the biggest + of a laser ive found is it shows every mistake your doing prefire
Your recoil compensating it shows
your ratcheting the wrist as you squeeze the trigger it shows
very useful tool
Your recoil compensating it shows
your ratcheting the wrist as you squeeze the trigger it shows
very useful tool
I hadn't even thought of that benefit. Sounds like it could be very helpful in that manner. I'm mainly looking at one for the LCP because the sights are pretty miniscule. Plus lasers are just cool, any guy that doesn't want one should go looking for his balls.
We just T&E'd three units from Crimson Trace. Two wrap around units for glocks and their MVF for the carbine. All three units were well built.
During sim testing, we found the majority of our shooters found it easier to acquire the front sight than search the bad guy for the laser, especially if he's shooting back at you. The position of the emitter on the glock models is such that if you're indexing correctly, your trigger finger blocks the beam. The activation switch is in the same place as our surefire DG switches so if you normally run a light on the gun, make sure they will be compatible.
With the MVF (modular vertical foregrip) we found the light was decent but not bright enough for our purposes. The laser unit was impressive however and had the opposite result in sim testing, we were able to pick it up and engage faster than finding the reticle in the eotech or aimpoint. I think this is due to it being mounted on a more stable platform, a rifle as opposed to a handgun. The unit was programmable as well so the dot was either solid or pulsating. I like the pulse as it drew the eye faster.
I'm still not sold on lasers, they have uses in certain situations and if your gun is small, has no sight radius or you cannot find good aftermarket sights for it, then a laser might be a plus. If you have a full size gun with good sights, why make yourself dependant on a needless technology that has a predisposition to fail? Maybe I just don't have the balls to use one?
During sim testing, we found the majority of our shooters found it easier to acquire the front sight than search the bad guy for the laser, especially if he's shooting back at you. The position of the emitter on the glock models is such that if you're indexing correctly, your trigger finger blocks the beam. The activation switch is in the same place as our surefire DG switches so if you normally run a light on the gun, make sure they will be compatible.
With the MVF (modular vertical foregrip) we found the light was decent but not bright enough for our purposes. The laser unit was impressive however and had the opposite result in sim testing, we were able to pick it up and engage faster than finding the reticle in the eotech or aimpoint. I think this is due to it being mounted on a more stable platform, a rifle as opposed to a handgun. The unit was programmable as well so the dot was either solid or pulsating. I like the pulse as it drew the eye faster.
I'm still not sold on lasers, they have uses in certain situations and if your gun is small, has no sight radius or you cannot find good aftermarket sights for it, then a laser might be a plus. If you have a full size gun with good sights, why make yourself dependant on a needless technology that has a predisposition to fail? Maybe I just don't have the balls to use one?
Well I have had zero expierence useing lasers as I ws trained with the front sight method of target aquisition, but my girl has had a problem learning to shoot with any degree of accuracy with her 19 I make her carry at all times so I was thinkin a laser might help but if you tried them and think they are bad espicially for the glock with them being blocked with your trigger finger then I guess I wont. Thanks for saving me a few hundred. I guess Ill spend that on rounds to get her up to spec the old fashioned way.
+1 If you are a very skilled shooter and you train with a laser, then it would be an asset. For just about anyone else, it would seem to be a distraction at the worst possible time. Buy a few hundred rounds of cheap ball instead and go practice real world scenarios. Once you can reliably engage targets with both hands, weak hand unsupported, perform rapid mag changes with either hand, etc, then start thinking about gadgets.
Yup.. There aren't any shortcuts to being a better shooter. Trigger time is what matters.
I've been teaching people to shoot for 15 years now and decided to take a different approach with my wife based on recent experiences. I chose not to focus on the "shooting" and moved more towards fighting with a handgun. I started with a quality airsoft glock and her first "rounds" were from the holster draws on paper targets in an old mobile home. Everything she did was from a carry rig with the fundementals second to good tactics and lots of movement.
Taking her to a square range is kinda scary now, everytime she draws, she moves and that makes people a little edgy. She's accurate, hasn't developed a flinch at all. I believe that's attributed to her not thinking about the gun going off but on all the other aspects.
So far, I'm impressed with the way things have worked out with this teaching style and the value of the airsoft guns. Manipulation of the weapon and focusing on the tactics makes the basics of shooting, which are simple, easier to do naturally.
Taking her to a square range is kinda scary now, everytime she draws, she moves and that makes people a little edgy. She's accurate, hasn't developed a flinch at all. I believe that's attributed to her not thinking about the gun going off but on all the other aspects.
So far, I'm impressed with the way things have worked out with this teaching style and the value of the airsoft guns. Manipulation of the weapon and focusing on the tactics makes the basics of shooting, which are simple, easier to do naturally.
I have a CT for my Glock 29- here's a guy's youtube on his...:devil:
YouTube - Crimson Trace Grips Glock 29
YouTube - Crimson Trace Grips Glock 29
CT is good. I have one on a Ruger MKIII and one on a S&W 317. Both are 22's, but the intent is to use them to teach my daughter how to shoot. She came in to the man cave one evening as I was putting away some toys and was fascinated with what was in the gun safe, so I pulled out the 317 and gave her a quick lesson in how the revolver functions. then we did the same with the MKIII. She liked both and we will go shooting this summer. She is 4 and will be 5 in November. The MKIII is suppressed, so that will be where we start - so the report is less intimidating.
CT is another quick fire item I like- in the middle of the night, half asleep, it helps acquire a intruder or put the message out to any intruder that they're dead if they don't leave the kill zone.
It's great at night when I'm sweeping the area the bike is parked.
Works great in any holster.
It's great at night when I'm sweeping the area the bike is parked.
Works great in any holster.
I have a CT laser guard on my LCP and laser grip on my XD9 Subcompact, and they're awesome. IMO they are big advantage for home/self defense use. Consider this: the human brain is programmed to focus on the threat, not your front sight. You have to train yourself to do that, especially under stress. A laser allows you to keep your focus on the threat, and simply put the red dot where you want to hit. Awkward shooting position, low light, moving target? Not a problem with a laser.
They also make a good training aid, to see if you're flinching, not holding the gun steady, etc. I should note the caveat that if you are a new shooter DO NOT rely on the laser as a shortcut, you need to learn how to shoot properly with the sights first, and only then incorporate a laser. It is a tool, not a crutch. The battery can die, the unit could malfunction, or it could simply be too bright for you to see it, so you absolutely need to be able to shoot well without the laser before using one on a defensive gun.
They also make a good training aid, to see if you're flinching, not holding the gun steady, etc. I should note the caveat that if you are a new shooter DO NOT rely on the laser as a shortcut, you need to learn how to shoot properly with the sights first, and only then incorporate a laser. It is a tool, not a crutch. The battery can die, the unit could malfunction, or it could simply be too bright for you to see it, so you absolutely need to be able to shoot well without the laser before using one on a defensive gun.
Actually that can be an advantage. Say you hear something go bump in the night, and you grab your pistol and go investigate. Since CT lasers activate as soon as you grip the gun, the laser is on. Now you're moving from room to room, with the gun in a low ready position. Your laser is going to be making a dot on the floor a foot or two ahead of you. If you let that dot lead you around a corner etc, a bad guy could see that and know you're coming. But if you move your finger up on the frame a bit, you can block the laser easily without trying to manipulate your grip on the switch. If you need to shoot, your finger is going to naturally drop on to the trigger and expose the laser on the target.
This might take a little bit of training to get used to where you finger sits on the frame to block or not block the laser, but it does give you that flexibility where rail mounted or guide-rod type lasers would require manipulating a switch to achieve the same thing.
