Inexpensive laser for dry fire practice

jct_ucb · December 14, 2011, 10:03 PM

Hi all,

I'm just getting back to shooting after a 30-yr hiatus and have discovered that my former abilities (along with my eyesight) seem to have, uh, aged.

I have an XDm 9mm 4.5" and my brother-in-law suggested that I purchase a "cheap" laser to practice sighting while dry firing. He, of course, has a very expensive laser and didn't seem to have a clue as to what I should look for. I would rather not mount a permanent laser at present or use it on the range.

Does anyone have any suggestions for me?

Thanks,

JT

TXAZ · December 14, 2011, 10:07 PM

"cheap" = ebay
don't expect much, but you can find something for under $30 if all you want to do is dryfire.

You'll get what you pay for but it might address your problem.

jct_ucb · December 15, 2011, 08:50 AM

Thanks -- I think this is exactly what he meant!

Figured it was worth trying, my dad was in the military and I remember him spending *hours* dry firing with my brothers.

kraigwy · December 15, 2011, 10:16 AM

I stole my grandson's laser pen and taped it onto his rifle barrel. I turn it on and start him on a dry firing session.

It's just one of those cheap laser pens kids use to iritate cats.

It doesn't have to be sighted in to line up with the sights, but you can still tell if its jumping around when he squeezes the trigger. Whating the red dot you can make the corrections needed.

ltc444 · December 15, 2011, 12:52 PM

An old bulls eye shooter trick is a lot cheaper and very effective.

Get a number 2 lead pencil with a good eraser. Wrap it with scotch tape so that it fits loosely in the barrell of your pistol.

Draw a small dot on a piece of paper and tape it to a wall or cork board.

Insert the pencil in the barrell. Assume a good stance and sight on the dot. Since I use a 6 o clock hold i have the dot on top of my sights. Hold so the tip of the pencil is about an inch from the target

cock the pistol and dry fire as you normally would. The pencil will jump out and make a mark on the target. Eventually, you will be able to hold your dots in about an 1/8 inch group.

Once you accomplish this you will be able to hold in the 10 ring on a standard indoor target.

My coach SFC Reed and SSG Schongert insisted a minimun of 10 dry fires for every 1 live round fired.

Lost Sheep · December 15, 2011, 01:33 PM

Daisy corporation (the BB gun people) some years ago made a target that would detect if the bullseye were hit by the light provided by dummy cartridges that emitted that light when struck by the firing pin.

If you could find one on the used market, it is fun.

I have such a target, but have not acquired the bullets yet.

Of course, the target does not tell you (if you miss) by how far or in what direction, and it is only "bore sighted" in your chamber, not the barrel.

Good luck.

Lost Sheep

barstoolguru · December 15, 2011, 01:40 PM

laserlyte is about $80.00 on amazon.com and works well. it small and a little pricy but with snap caps it’s a great combo for practicing out of a holster in your house. What we do is set up a scenario of a practice target (tee shirt on a hanger) and someone places it in the house somewhere and you get up out of bed and search the house looking for the intruder. You never know where it is and IF it’s a shoot/no shoot place.

Tips: batteries get eaten up fast so extras are a must and if left in they will drain fast over night so flip the last one over to break the connection.

A drop of superglue on the screw head to glue it to the plastic adapter will allow you to center the laser in the lands and groves of the barrel easier and makes it tighter in the barrel

Crazy88Fingers · December 15, 2011, 01:46 PM

I'll second Kraigwy's suggestion. The laser doesn't have to be accurate or precise in any way for this purpose. It just needs to show movement. Get the cheapest laser you can find and attach it to the gun one way or another.

barstoolguru · December 15, 2011, 01:53 PM

a laser mounted to a firearm just tells you where the bullet SHOULD hit that does not mean it will.

cheap lasers EBay- $20.00 free shipping

jct_ucb · December 15, 2011, 07:03 PM

Awesome guys -- this is a huge help. This gives me lots of exercises to work on.

Exactly the input I needed - Kragwy & Crazy88Fingers, this is the drill I was thinking of, I was really surprised at my inability to keep still and my annoyance was distracting me (and making it worse).

Sort of the perfect situation for dry fire exercises.

And thanks to the Mod, I wasn't sure if this fit in training or gear.

JT

ltc444 · December 15, 2011, 08:15 PM

You can never hold the pistol perfectly still. The trick to accurate pistol shooting is to accept/control the movement. As you become stronger and develop your rythmn in rapid fire and timed fire your groups will become tighter.

plumbercrack · December 15, 2011, 09:21 PM

Here's one that's cheap and when your done and want one better you can use it to play with the cat LOL

http://www.gunstuff4you.com/product/59658

Don't take that wrong I'm just in a humorous mood today

Sky1 · December 20, 2011, 05:19 PM

I got one at the Dixie gun show. Once set it is pretty good but I find it tends to turn itself on easily and then of course the problem that it will not fit in my holster.

December 14, 2011, 10:03 PM	#1
jct_ucb Junior Member Join Date: November 6, 2011 Posts: 11	Inexpensive laser for dry fire practice Hi all, I'm just getting back to shooting after a 30-yr hiatus and have discovered that my former abilities (along with my eyesight) seem to have, uh, aged. I have an XDm 9mm 4.5" and my brother-in-law suggested that I purchase a "cheap" laser to practice sighting while dry firing. He, of course, has a very expensive laser and didn't seem to have a clue as to what I should look for. I would rather not mount a permanent laser at present or use it on the range. Does anyone have any suggestions for me? Thanks, JT

December 14, 2011, 10:07 PM	#2
TXAZ Senior Member Join Date: September 5, 2010 Location: McMurdo Sound Texas Posts: 4,322	"Cheap" = ebay "cheap" = ebay don't expect much, but you can find something for under $30 if all you want to do is dryfire. You'll get what you pay for but it might address your problem. __________________ Cave illos in guns et backhoes

December 15, 2011, 10:16 AM	#4
kraigwy Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2008 Location: Wyoming Posts: 11,061	I stole my grandson's laser pen and taped it onto his rifle barrel. I turn it on and start him on a dry firing session. It's just one of those cheap laser pens kids use to iritate cats. It doesn't have to be sighted in to line up with the sights, but you can still tell if its jumping around when he squeezes the trigger. Whating the red dot you can make the corrections needed. __________________ Kraig Stuart CPT USAR Ret USAMU Sniper School Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071

December 15, 2011, 12:52 PM	#5
ltc444 Senior Member Join Date: March 3, 2011 Location: Vernon AZ Posts: 1,195	An old bulls eye shooter trick is a lot cheaper and very effective. Get a number 2 lead pencil with a good eraser. Wrap it with scotch tape so that it fits loosely in the barrell of your pistol. Draw a small dot on a piece of paper and tape it to a wall or cork board. Insert the pencil in the barrell. Assume a good stance and sight on the dot. Since I use a 6 o clock hold i have the dot on top of my sights. Hold so the tip of the pencil is about an inch from the target cock the pistol and dry fire as you normally would. The pencil will jump out and make a mark on the target. Eventually, you will be able to hold your dots in about an 1/8 inch group. Once you accomplish this you will be able to hold in the 10 ring on a standard indoor target. My coach SFC Reed and SSG Schongert insisted a minimun of 10 dry fires for every 1 live round fired. Last edited by ltc444; December 15, 2011 at 12:55 PM. Reason: dropped words

December 15, 2011, 01:33 PM	#6
Lost Sheep Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2009 Location: Anchorage Alaska Posts: 3,341	Laser bullets Daisy corporation (the BB gun people) some years ago made a target that would detect if the bullseye were hit by the light provided by dummy cartridges that emitted that light when struck by the firing pin. If you could find one on the used market, it is fun. I have such a target, but have not acquired the bullets yet. Of course, the target does not tell you (if you miss) by how far or in what direction, and it is only "bore sighted" in your chamber, not the barrel. Good luck. Lost Sheep

December 15, 2011, 08:50 AM	#3
jct_ucb Junior Member Join Date: November 6, 2011 Posts: 11	Thanks -- I think this is exactly what he meant! Figured it was worth trying, my dad was in the military and I remember him spending hours dry firing with my brothers.

December 15, 2011, 01:40 PM	#7
barstoolguru Junior member Join Date: May 31, 2011 Posts: 180	dry fire- laserlyte laserlyte is about $80.00 on amazon.com and works well. it small and a little pricy but with snap caps it’s a great combo for practicing out of a holster in your house. What we do is set up a scenario of a practice target (tee shirt on a hanger) and someone places it in the house somewhere and you get up out of bed and search the house looking for the intruder. You never know where it is and IF it’s a shoot/no shoot place. Tips: batteries get eaten up fast so extras are a must and if left in they will drain fast over night so flip the last one over to break the connection. A drop of superglue on the screw head to glue it to the plastic adapter will allow you to center the laser in the lands and groves of the barrel easier and makes it tighter in the barrel

December 15, 2011, 01:46 PM	#8
Crazy88Fingers Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2010 Location: WesTex Posts: 958	I'll second Kraigwy's suggestion. The laser doesn't have to be accurate or precise in any way for this purpose. It just needs to show movement. Get the cheapest laser you can find and attach it to the gun one way or another. __________________ "And I'm tellin' you son, well it ain't no fun, staring straight down a .44" -Lynyrd Skynyrd

December 15, 2011, 01:53 PM	#9
barstoolguru Junior member Join Date: May 31, 2011 Posts: 180	a laser mounted to a firearm just tells you where the bullet SHOULD hit that does not mean it will. cheap lasers EBay- $20.00 free shipping

December 15, 2011, 07:03 PM	#10
jct_ucb Junior Member Join Date: November 6, 2011 Posts: 11	Awesome guys -- this is a huge help. This gives me lots of exercises to work on. Exactly the input I needed - Kragwy & Crazy88Fingers, this is the drill I was thinking of, I was really surprised at my inability to keep still and my annoyance was distracting me (and making it worse). Sort of the perfect situation for dry fire exercises. And thanks to the Mod, I wasn't sure if this fit in training or gear. JT

December 15, 2011, 08:15 PM	#11
ltc444 Senior Member Join Date: March 3, 2011 Location: Vernon AZ Posts: 1,195	You can never hold the pistol perfectly still. The trick to accurate pistol shooting is to accept/control the movement. As you become stronger and develop your rythmn in rapid fire and timed fire your groups will become tighter.

December 15, 2011, 09:21 PM	#12
plumbercrack Member Join Date: October 21, 2011 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 98	Here's one that's cheap and when your done and want one better you can use it to play with the cat LOL http://www.gunstuff4you.com/product/59658 Don't take that wrong I'm just in a humorous mood today

December 20, 2011, 05:19 PM	#13
Sky1 Junior Member Join Date: December 20, 2011 Posts: 3	I got one at the Dixie gun show. Once set it is pretty good but I find it tends to turn itself on easily and then of course the problem that it will not fit in my holster.