The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > Hogan's Alley > Handguns: The Semi-automatic Forum

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old August 12, 2018, 08:23 PM   #1
HighValleyRanch
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 15, 2005
Posts: 4,063
It's so good, that it's like cheating!

So I've always hated the way that clunky lasers look on a gun, but what the heck, the shield is not any beauty prize, so I decided to try a Viridian green R5 laser on it.

Wow, this thing is pretty cool. Laser comes on out of the holster and was already dialed in to the point of aim. It has steady green, vibrating green and off. The green dot is BRIGHT! Even in the bright sun I could pick up the dot out to tweny yards. In the shade I could clearly see the dot out to thirty yards.

Great for practicing dry fire as it shows if you are holding steady through the trigger break.

I gave up on a CT before on my Smith because the red was not all that visible in the sunlight, but the green is totally different! Bought a bunch of spare batteries to be prepared. The laser has a green light to show the condition of the battery. Easy to change out.
__________________
From the sweet grass to the slaughter house; From birth until death; We travel between these two eternities........from 'Broken Trail"
HighValleyRanch is offline  
Old August 12, 2018, 08:33 PM   #2
O4L
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 16, 2015
Posts: 646
I sure wanted one when I was carrying a Shield but they were very expensive then.

I'm considering getting another Shield and now they have a model with a green laser but it is integrated into the gun and can't be removed from what I understand. I don't think I want one like that even though I've seen some good deals on them.

If I get one it will probably be the Viridian.
O4L is offline  
Old August 12, 2018, 09:16 PM   #3
HighValleyRanch
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 15, 2005
Posts: 4,063
I managed to find a new on for 99.99!
__________________
From the sweet grass to the slaughter house; From birth until death; We travel between these two eternities........from 'Broken Trail"
HighValleyRanch is offline  
Old August 13, 2018, 06:36 AM   #4
O4L
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 16, 2015
Posts: 646
Quote:
Originally Posted by HighValleyRanch View Post
I managed to find a new on for 99.99!
Great deal!
O4L is offline  
Old August 13, 2018, 09:14 AM   #5
Fishbed77
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 23, 2010
Posts: 4,862
I tried a Veridian C5 laser on a defensive pistol for a while. Unfortunately, a wandering zero and the fact that shooting with it was no faster than shooting with iron sights caused me to give up on it. Sold it on Ebay and never looked back.

YMMV, but I'm still not convinced that lasers offer any more usefulness than a good set of night sights on a defensive pistol.
Fishbed77 is offline  
Old August 13, 2018, 12:57 PM   #6
stephen426
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 11, 2005
Posts: 3,840
I don't believe that the green is actually brighter than the red lasers for the same wattage. It is just that our eyes puck up the green wavelength much easier than we do red. Regardless, if it works for you, that's great! Sounds like you found a pretty sweet deal too.

I started playing with lasers a few years ago. Most consumer lasers are under 5 milliwatts. I picked up a 50 milliwatt in green and that sucker is really bright! It is much more visible than the 200 milliwatt red laser I bought. Finally, I added a 1 watt (1000 milliwatt) blue laser that can easily burn stuff. If you get into lasers, BE SURE TO GET PROPER EYE PROTECTION!!! These high powered lasers can easily cause permanent eye damage in a hurry!
__________________
The ATF should be a convenience store instead of a government agency!
stephen426 is offline  
Old August 13, 2018, 01:43 PM   #7
TailGator
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 8, 2009
Location: Florida
Posts: 3,786
Quote:
Sold it on Ebay
For $99.99?
TailGator is offline  
Old August 13, 2018, 02:00 PM   #8
Onward Allusion
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 17, 2009
Location: Back in a Non-Free State
Posts: 3,133
Quote:
YMMV, but I'm still not convinced that lasers offer any more usefulness than a good set of night sights on a defensive pistol.
That's assuming you will use your sights.
__________________
Simple as ABC . . . Always Be Carrying
Onward Allusion is offline  
Old August 13, 2018, 03:40 PM   #9
briandg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 4, 2010
Posts: 5,468
I learned a long time ago that a laser will show your flaws. I realized that my glory days were over when I was playing with the dog and couldn't hold the dot on a push pin on the wall. But it also gave me great feedback as I worked to steady my hands.
__________________
None.
briandg is offline  
Old August 13, 2018, 03:41 PM   #10
briandg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 4, 2010
Posts: 5,468
Your one watt laser should be a great and entertaining way to clean up powder spills and loose primers.










No, i'm not being serious!
__________________
None.
briandg is offline  
Old August 14, 2018, 07:45 AM   #11
Fishbed77
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 23, 2010
Posts: 4,862
Quote:
That's assuming you will use your sights.
Or that you'll activate the laser and look around your pistol for a tiny dot flying around. YMMV.
Fishbed77 is offline  
Old August 14, 2018, 07:56 AM   #12
Onward Allusion
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 17, 2009
Location: Back in a Non-Free State
Posts: 3,133
There are many lasers that activate automatically.

All I'm saying that lasers are just another tool. To automatically discredit lasers is foolish. There are a good number of people on this forum that for whatever reason discount lasers. Their choice.

Different situations call for different tools. One will not always be able to use iron sights in a SD situation. However, one may not always be use their laser either. I would rather have two options rather than one.
__________________
Simple as ABC . . . Always Be Carrying
Onward Allusion is offline  
Old August 14, 2018, 01:10 PM   #13
Fishbed77
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 23, 2010
Posts: 4,862
Quote:
All I'm saying that lasers are just another tool. To automatically discredit lasers is foolish.
Agreed 100%

As stated earlier this thread, I've tried them and found no real benefit on a pistol versus the negatives (bulk, weight, operation, complexity).

As always, YMMV.
Fishbed77 is offline  
Old August 14, 2018, 02:30 PM   #14
fl_rich
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 27, 2015
Posts: 103
Ive been to the local club a few times when those with lasers were shooting. They really exemplify how easily a pistol can sweep a large area! Keeping the laser in their lane was an impossibility. It was all over the place!
fl_rich is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:24 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.05920 seconds with 8 queries