boykinhntr
New member
Here is my review of the new ArmaLaser Stingray.
http://www.armalaser.com/
I have been at my lakehouse in the woods for the past 2days. I brought 300rnds of .40, 200 rnds of .45, 100 rnds of .380, and 550 rnds of .22. I decided to make the whole weekend about shooting and testing different loads, lasers, and holsters. It’s been a blast…literally!
Anyway, the stingray is a compact laser that is supposed to fit any large to medium frame gun with a rail. After a lot of different guns and loads, I decided to use my PT101P as my home defense gun. That meant that the new laser was going on it. First, I ordered the laser last Sunday night and had it shipped 2nd day air. I wanted to make sure it was here in time for my weekend. Armalaser sent me an email the next morning saying that my ordered was received and the product was due to be shipped that day. I was impressed.
I received the laser and it came in a small package that contained the laser, a cleaning cloth, sticker, 2 mounting screws, 2 tiny allen wrenches, and batteries. The instructions were easy to read and the laser was simple to install. It took maybe 3 minutes to install the batteries and then install the laser. One thing that is not included is a screwdriver that for the battery case. It requires a small optical screwdriver and I am sure many ppl won’t have one handy.
So I got the laser installed and now its time to sight it in. I just wanted to get it close so I wouldn’t have to spend so much time at the range sighting it in. To adjust the laser, you have to use a tiny allen wrench that is supplied in the package. I did not care for this. The laser was easy to move BUT there was no consistency. One turn may move it a foot a 7 yds and the next only a few inches. I also do not like the tiny tools involved. It would have been nice to have one tool that works on the battery case and the laser. I have already lost one of the laser tuning tools. Luckily they include 2 of them. Just an FYI, if you drop it, it’s gone! I finally got the laser to line up with the sights. Although, I didn’t care for the tools or the inconsistent adjustments, it only took a few minutes to line up. It’s really pretty easy. As for activating the laser, it takes sliding a switch with either your thumb or index finger. It is ambidextrous but it does take a decent amount of pressure. It was not as accessible as I would have liked on my particular gun. On a medium frame gun, the switch will be closer and thus easier to use. However, I did find an easy way to activate it with my thumb when I grip the gun.
Now for the fun part…shooting it! I put 300 rounds of all sorts of ammo through my PT101. I was testing some self defense loads as well as some cheap Monarch FMJs. The gun was in and out of my holster all weekend and the laser was banged around. Through all of this, the laser remained dead on. It did not adjust at all and continued to tear up targets, phone books, coke cans, milk jugs and anything else I could find. I was very impressed with this little laser. It is extremely bright as well. I could aim it across my cove and easily see it on the other side. That is roughly 300yds across and it was still very bright and easy to see at night. During the day, visibility is obviously not as good but it is still very bright and obvious at relevant self defense ranges.
Overall, I am very happy with my purchase. I looked at all laser options and although not perfect, the Stingray is the laser for me. The Armalaser Stingray is a very small, very light, very bright, very accurate, and very affordable laser. It is a great addition to my home defense gun and I am now satisfied with my PT101P/Stingray combo loaded with Hornady TAP JHPs. BTW…The Hornady TAP really shined in the tests I did. I will write about that later.
Pros: compact/weighs next to nothing
bright
affordable
easy to install
does not change POA
practical
Cons: small easy to lose tools
not as convenient to activate as Crimson Trace
inconsistent adjustments with each turn of the tool
hard to find good holsters (that’s with all external laser)
A few pics at different angles.
This is the battery case on the underside. You can also see the tiny whole above the case where the laser is adjusted.
http://www.armalaser.com/
I have been at my lakehouse in the woods for the past 2days. I brought 300rnds of .40, 200 rnds of .45, 100 rnds of .380, and 550 rnds of .22. I decided to make the whole weekend about shooting and testing different loads, lasers, and holsters. It’s been a blast…literally!
Anyway, the stingray is a compact laser that is supposed to fit any large to medium frame gun with a rail. After a lot of different guns and loads, I decided to use my PT101P as my home defense gun. That meant that the new laser was going on it. First, I ordered the laser last Sunday night and had it shipped 2nd day air. I wanted to make sure it was here in time for my weekend. Armalaser sent me an email the next morning saying that my ordered was received and the product was due to be shipped that day. I was impressed.
I received the laser and it came in a small package that contained the laser, a cleaning cloth, sticker, 2 mounting screws, 2 tiny allen wrenches, and batteries. The instructions were easy to read and the laser was simple to install. It took maybe 3 minutes to install the batteries and then install the laser. One thing that is not included is a screwdriver that for the battery case. It requires a small optical screwdriver and I am sure many ppl won’t have one handy.
So I got the laser installed and now its time to sight it in. I just wanted to get it close so I wouldn’t have to spend so much time at the range sighting it in. To adjust the laser, you have to use a tiny allen wrench that is supplied in the package. I did not care for this. The laser was easy to move BUT there was no consistency. One turn may move it a foot a 7 yds and the next only a few inches. I also do not like the tiny tools involved. It would have been nice to have one tool that works on the battery case and the laser. I have already lost one of the laser tuning tools. Luckily they include 2 of them. Just an FYI, if you drop it, it’s gone! I finally got the laser to line up with the sights. Although, I didn’t care for the tools or the inconsistent adjustments, it only took a few minutes to line up. It’s really pretty easy. As for activating the laser, it takes sliding a switch with either your thumb or index finger. It is ambidextrous but it does take a decent amount of pressure. It was not as accessible as I would have liked on my particular gun. On a medium frame gun, the switch will be closer and thus easier to use. However, I did find an easy way to activate it with my thumb when I grip the gun.
Now for the fun part…shooting it! I put 300 rounds of all sorts of ammo through my PT101. I was testing some self defense loads as well as some cheap Monarch FMJs. The gun was in and out of my holster all weekend and the laser was banged around. Through all of this, the laser remained dead on. It did not adjust at all and continued to tear up targets, phone books, coke cans, milk jugs and anything else I could find. I was very impressed with this little laser. It is extremely bright as well. I could aim it across my cove and easily see it on the other side. That is roughly 300yds across and it was still very bright and easy to see at night. During the day, visibility is obviously not as good but it is still very bright and obvious at relevant self defense ranges.
Overall, I am very happy with my purchase. I looked at all laser options and although not perfect, the Stingray is the laser for me. The Armalaser Stingray is a very small, very light, very bright, very accurate, and very affordable laser. It is a great addition to my home defense gun and I am now satisfied with my PT101P/Stingray combo loaded with Hornady TAP JHPs. BTW…The Hornady TAP really shined in the tests I did. I will write about that later.
Pros: compact/weighs next to nothing
bright
affordable
easy to install
does not change POA
practical
Cons: small easy to lose tools
not as convenient to activate as Crimson Trace
inconsistent adjustments with each turn of the tool
hard to find good holsters (that’s with all external laser)
A few pics at different angles.
This is the battery case on the underside. You can also see the tiny whole above the case where the laser is adjusted.