Crimson Trace Grips worth the money?

I have them on my favorite 1911 and think they are worth the cash since they've been in service eight years now.
 
If I could only have one sighting accessory on my defensive handgun it would be the CT Lasergrips instead of the Trijicon Night Sights.

As it is, I have both, and a good flashlight too, but the Surefire is in my hand and not on my gun. I don't count the Surefire because it's in my hand and not attatched to the gun. :)

Biker
 
I have tried them on a few guns, I say...

Yes.

No.

Maybe.

If I had extra cash to waste I'd buy them, but they do serve a purpose.
 
Worth every penny for me, not so much at the range, where they're handy but not necessary, as for low-light situations where I can't easily distinguish the sights on my gun from the background. With the CTs, I can aim much better in situations where fractions of a second count and aiming well can save my life.
 
I tried out a couple at a gunshow and found that my index finger blocks the beam unless my finger is on the trigger. I like my Lasermax better... but it was more expensive.
 
i used to say yes. but I am continually having problems with them not working. as it stands now my favorite revolver came with them and is rendered useless as the grips are at crimson trace being repaired. and as for there supposed turn around time of 3 days...... well my grips should have been here a long time ago. when the work there great. but for me I'd take a good night sight that I know wont have electrical problems. I am planing on selling mine and getting a set of XS big dot sights. in the end its all personal preference. I used to love mine but they just quit working with out warning and that makes me a little uneasy.
 
After many, many years mine went out on my 226 Even though they no longer made that model grip they repaired them and sent them back no charge. I'm sold.
 
Hopefully, I will never need to protect myself with a firearm. But if I do need to do so, I doubt the assailant will be a piece of target paper standing perfectly still with a cross-hatch at the center of mass. Most likely, I will be moving, a lot, and he will probably be moving, too. I've watched lots of Bill Wilson videos where he runs from station to station with his eyes lined up with the sights of his custom 1911. Real nice. Most places I go, if I ran around like that, I'd trip and fall within a few seconds. Then I am dead. With crimson trace lasergrips, I can aim and fire with the gun ANYWHERE and with me in any position, moving, running, etc. Just clearing the holster, I can aim and accurately fire. Holding the gun at my waist, with my eyes unobstructed as I watch the bad guy and where my feet are going, I can aim and accurately fire. In a real self-defense context, I can't think of a situation where the iron sights might be more useful than the laser grips, and I doubt that the iron sights would be equally useful as the laser grips. They are awesome. They make a great training tool, as well.
 
I posted this on a different site, and provide it here:

I have had a set on my 686 plus for as long as I've owned it -- more than two years. I had problems installing it which, as hard as they tried, Crimson Trace customer service could not help me. Then I experimented. My 686+ came with a very good set of square-butt grips, which were held in place by a screw in the butt that connected to a stirrup pinned to the frame of the butt. On a hunch, I removed the stirrup, and the Crimson Trace grips snapped into place very nicely. I passed this on to Crimson Trace customer service, so they now are aware of that problem.

As grips only, the CTs are excellent, at least as good as the ones they replaced. As sighting devices, CT laser grips are superb. I have them on all my handguns that CT makes them for, and would not buy a handgun that CT did not make laser grips for. You speak of eyes getting older. Mine are seventy-eight years old. Without my glasses, I cannot even SEE the iron sights, much less use them. But I can see that red dot. I shoot my 686+ at an indoor range weekly, always double action, always 5-10 yards (HD/SD is what I practice for) I just love to put a black hole where that red dot was.

I have had no problems with the ones on that handgun, as well as the ones on my 637 Airweight. I did have problems with the ones on my T-series Browning High Power, which began to exhaust batteries in one or two range sessions. This happened after the two-year warranty had expired. I contacted Crimson Trace. Even though the warranty had lapsed, they sent me another set and asked me to return the originals to them, at their expense, so they could analyze them. Crimson Trace customer service is simply excellent.

I am happy to recommend Crimson Trace laser grips to anyone -- even those who think they are useless toys. If they are that good with iron sights in a darkened room, more power to them. But for me, iron sights are useless in the very situation that I train for.

Cordially, Jack

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Depends

I had a friend install them on a S&W 642 that he intended to give his wife for CCW. We both shot them and he felt like the recoil was too much for his wife. I will admit they definitely had more felt recoil than the factory grips. So he planned to sell them.

I totally understand what he was saying and don't blame him for trying to sell her on a Kahr. But he still has them on his 442 and after shooting them I decided to buy the second set off of him.

So if it is for someone recoil sensitive or if you are buying it for a range gun, you should know how they worked on this specific gun, others can share their experiences.

If you are buying it for SD and plan to learn to shoot the gun if the grips ever fail, then they should be great.
 
Which Smith 60, Eastbank? Mine's a 60-10, a pre-lock .357 Mag with a 3" barrel. Somebody on another thread tells me it was manufactured sometime in late 2000 or early 2001; I bought it used.

The CTs make one heck of a difference for me when shooting, especially under less than ideal conditions.
 
How could you guys ever hit a target if your batteries ran down, or in bright daylight?
Laser sights are usefull in limited situations, but they are no substitute for practice. Learn to point shoot your weapon WITHOUT the laser. Relying on an electronic device on a carry gun is not a good idea at all.
"I want it now" does not work with self defense guns-practice does.
 
Bill, respectfully, you are just plain wrong. Saying that lasergrips are only useful in limited situations is very untrue. You are risking misleading people and that is unfortunate.

Ken Hackathorn recommends Crimson Trace Lasergrips, Larry Vickers recommends them, Todd Jarrett recommends them, I've seen Michael Bane say that he has them on all of his carry guns. But Bill, you apparently know better than all of those guys? I don't think so.

http://vickerstactical.com/tactical-tips/crimson-trace-lasergrips/

http://www.crimsontrace.com/Home/Videos/TheArtOfSurvivalChapter3/tabid/397/Default.aspx

http://www.downrange.tv/radio/104.htm
 
I tried out a couple at a gunshow and found that my index finger blocks the beam unless my finger is on the trigger.
Click to expand...

Everybody's finger blocks the beam when outside the T guard in the ready position. I don't grip the pistol tight enough to activate it until I'm ready to shoot.

If you wanted to send someone a little "warning msg.", it's easy enough to drop your finger while still keeping it off the trigger.
 
Bill, respectfully, you are just plain wrong. Saying that lasergrips are only useful in limited situations is very untrue. You are risking misleading people and that is unfortunate.
Click to expand...

No hes not. Hes just pointing out, as even Vickers says, that Laser grips are just another tool in the toolbox. Bills quote bears repeating:

"Laser sights are usefull in limited situations, but they are no substitute for practice. Learn to point shoot your weapon WITHOUT the laser"

They aint a crutch, they are an adjunct to a person that knows how to use a handgun without them.....

WildidontownanylasergripsAlaska TM
 
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