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Old January 14, 2011, 12:19 PM   #1
cjnorty
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Laser or not

Hello Just bought a laser light combo for my HK P2000 and wanted to tell everyone how great it is. It is the brightest green laser I have ever seen. It can be mounted on any firearm like my AR. Found it at xfighterdefence.com great place. Would like to here from anyone with pros cons on lasers. thanks chris
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Old January 14, 2011, 12:49 PM   #2
jborushko
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please search... this topic has been fought over ad nauseum.

i personally like lasers -NOT as a primary sight but as a added tool
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Old January 14, 2011, 01:07 PM   #3
kx592
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The only thing I would consider using as an attachment on any SD/HD gun is a dazer- No its not a typo
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Old January 14, 2011, 01:27 PM   #4
kraigwy
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I have a question about the Green Lasers. Do they really work in bright daylight and will they work at night also????
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Old January 17, 2011, 02:25 AM   #5
EricReynolds
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I have a Crimson Trace Lasergrip. I love it. Lasers certainly do have their detractors here though.
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Old January 17, 2011, 09:51 AM   #6
BGutzman
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I have both crimson trace lasers and a green viridian. The green laser is way more visible in bright light conditions but it also requires a unnatural reach forward or the trigger to enable it. The green laser takes 5 or 6 times the energy or a red laser so it will burn up batteries faster but outside of long practice sessions its not really a concern.

The viridian is so bright at night its almost distracting. The other problem I have with the viridian is trying to find a holster that will accept it. There are one maybe two plastic holsters that will accept it but I have yet to find any leather holster that will accept it.

The crimson trace IMHO is a lot more natural to use in a self defense situation even though its not is bright in bright daylight.

As for the detractors of lasers, it a lot like the people who claim records or 8 track tapes sound better than cd's or dvd's... Oh so much non scientific nonsense.

If your laser is aligned correctly and your concentrating on your laser and not your front sight in a SD situation then you know right where that bulllet is going when it leaves the tip of your barrel and follow up shots the same way.

Yes you can do the same type of thing without a laser but unless your aiming at a particular button or other easily identifiable item on a BG your consistency of shot location will likely suffer.

The typical detractors or lasers have never shot with one or never shot enough to get comfortable with using the red or green dot as a guide instead of the front sight.

What you often end up with in this situation is someone trying to use the front sight and the laser at the same time and hesitating because looking at both takes a millisecond longer.

In the end its a personal choice, but I have yet to find a single person who I have allowed to shoot with my laser who doesnt like it better than shooting without it once I show them the right way to shoot with it.

Now Im waiting for the 8 track come back
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Old January 17, 2011, 10:08 AM   #7
Hog Hunter
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Just picked up my smith&wesson airweight friday and had a crimson trace lasergrip put on it. I love it!!! Shot it right after I got it at about 3 o clock. Started shootin at 5 yards and moved back to 20. Still seen the laser clear as day with the sun shining at my back and on the target. Very pleased with the laser!!
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Old January 17, 2011, 10:35 AM   #8
OuTcAsT
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Quote:
As for the detractors of lasers, it a lot like the people who claim records or 8 track tapes sound better than cd's or dvd's... Oh so much non scientific nonsense.
Not quite.

Quote:
If your laser is aligned correctly and your concentrating on your laser and not your front sight in a SD situation then you know right where that bulllet is going when it leaves the tip of your barrel and follow up shots the same way.
However, if your laser is aligned correctly, and you're concentrating on your laser and not your front sight in a SD situation, and the laser fails, Unless you have trained to rely on the front sight, instead of a battery powered gadget, you will likely be in deep trouble. It's only an accessory, Don't bet your life on it! Just my .02
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Old January 17, 2011, 10:43 AM   #9
FAS1
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I don't currently own one but we are selling more http://www.fas1safe.com with the tactical light/laser holster (FAS1-TL) than the standard holster (FAS1) at this time. I think it's an excellent choice on a HD weapon. If my G17 that I keep for home defense had a rail I would probably already have a light/laser combo on it.
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Old January 17, 2011, 10:52 AM   #10
sobek
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Just got a crimson trace on my LCP, and I LOVE it! Perfect thing to have on an "up the nose" pistol. I highly recommend it, especially since the sights on that thing are so useless...

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Old January 17, 2011, 12:17 PM   #11
BGutzman
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Quote:
However, if your laser is aligned correctly, and you're concentrating on your laser and not your front sight in a SD situation, and the laser fails, Unless you have trained to rely on the front sight, instead of a battery powered gadget, you will likely be in deep trouble. It's only an accessory, Don't bet your life on it! Just my .02
Again its a personal choice... However the US Army swears by them along with many police departments. I am not aware of any infantry soldiers in the current military who go to the field with a M4 or M16 without them.... Im not saying there arent some infantry who don't use them but in my 21 years of military experience I never met one who didnt since around 2002.

Further I have yet to hear about a single laser failing under a SD condition.

Im not saying that you shouldnt be able to use your guns sights, what I am saying is all else being equal the laser brings a advantage.

I personally own 3 of them and none of them has ever failed, much like basic gun maintenance the batterys get changed redardless of how often they have been used (every 6 or 7 months).
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Old January 17, 2011, 08:33 PM   #12
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hip shooting is easier with a laser.
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all 26 of my guns are 45/70 govt, 357 mag, 22 or 12 ga... I believe in keeping it simple. Wish my wife did as well...
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Old January 17, 2011, 08:33 PM   #13
WW2
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Just zeroed my CT laser

I took my future son-in-law to an indoor range this weekend. I had him try my Bersa Thunder .380 with the CT laser grips. Although this allowed him to easily hit the bulls eye at 10 yards, he said it "felt like cheating". We then turned it off and used the sights for the remainder of the practice session.

For future practice, I plan on using the laser for half the session and the sights for the remainder. This way I am familiar with both and can use both in an SD situation if needed.

I did notice the beam of the laser drew a beautiful red line from the dot on the target all the way back to me in the atmosphere of the range. This reminded me of the advice to put my trigger finger over the laser diode (and off the trigger) to avoid giving away my position. Then, when I move my finger to the trigger the dot is quickly on target.

The sights on this small gun are minimal at it is intended for a CCW and thus are very difficult to use in low light; hence the laser. If I am awakened at night, I may not have time to grab my glasses and turn on the lights to use the sights; so the laser allows me to get on target. I will use verbal commands for identification of the suspected BG. Should it be necessary to shoot in near darkness, the laser will ensure that I am on target.
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Old January 18, 2011, 11:33 AM   #14
69MachOne
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I've had lasers on several guns & prefer the pulsating guide rod assembly over exterior add ons. They are subject to fail so NIGHT Sights are on all of my carry guns. Lasers are a great training tool though at the range for breathing, trigger exercises.
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Old January 21, 2011, 10:42 AM   #15
cjnorty
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Thanks for all the feed back

I just want to say thanks for all the feed back. I found this new product I am thimking of buying for my wife mostly and me also. It is a laser training system. basically it goes into your gun barrel and emits a split second laser everytime you pull the trigger. Thought it would be great for my wife to be able to use it at home save ammo and get used to her trigger pull. She seems to have some issues with the trigger and flinching. We could use it in the house and set up real life sititutions. Found it at http://xfighterdefense.com. I would appreciate any feed back on this subject too. thanks

Last edited by cjnorty; January 21, 2011 at 11:18 AM.
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Old January 26, 2011, 06:51 PM   #16
rigby06
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Crimson Trace Laser grips

Until I had purchased a weapon with the Crimson Trace laser grips I would not have invested the money on it, for thinking it would not be needed, after having it on a weapon, I can see the advantages of the Crimson Trace. The Crimson trace will aid in target acquisition, even when the target and the shooter are both moving, it will be easier to keep beam on target, that would be much more difficult with iron sights. Crimson Trace or other laser systems will never replace iron sights, they are just supplemental to iron sights. It is just like seat belts and air bags for vehicles, neither is fully needed in the event of a crash, but the use of those supplemental systems will greatly improve your odds of surviving a crash. Laser grips will improve your odds in a gun fight when used properly. You will however have to re-train you self on how to use them, to shoot a weapon with laser sights, you should be looking off weapon, where your beam is, not down the sights its self, trying to align the iron sights with the laser in time of critical need could take too long.
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Old January 28, 2011, 12:56 PM   #17
Manco
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In my view, if one is not going to use one's laser as one's primary sighting system, then the laser should not be used at all. I'm sure some of you can find ways to justify using lasers in conjunction with iron sights (with the latter as the primary system), and if that works for you then great, but I prefer to use one aiming system at a time when lead needs to fly pronto, and I think this would be beneficial for most people (particularly non-experts).

The main advantage of lasers, for many albeit not all people, is faster and more accurate acquisition and targeting while being able to focus on the target at all times (where one's focus is best utilized, in my opinion). That's why it should be the primary aiming system for those who shoot better with it, with iron sights as the backup in case of failure (or some other reason lasers cannot be used, such as bright sunlight).

Having said that, I still firmly believe that one should become reasonably proficient with iron sights first, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that it's probably the best way to come to understand the principles of aiming thoroughly. Then one can transition to laser/optical sights--as primary sights--for improved shooting performance. Or not, if one simply prefers iron sights and/or is a better shooter when using them.
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