Laser mounted the the bottom of a mag?

A

A-Roe

New member
Ok, so I have got a Smith and Wesson 4506, and i want to use it as primarily a night stand gun. Now, ideally i would want a laser on any gun i may have to use in low light situations, and so far i have not been able to find a single way of mounting a laser onto a 4506.
Crimson trace offers grips for the double stack 3rd gen models, and I have toyed with the idea of trying to convert those to fit, but at $350 i cant take the risk of not being able to pull of that conversion.
Lasermax doesnt have anything for the 4506, and again, while id imagine you could find something that could be converted, im not about to take that risk.
Trigger mounted lasers, I hear, are not too reliable.


So, here is what Im wondering, could I take my mag, and somehow affix a laser meant for a rail, onto the bottom of the mag?

That way if I'm taking it to the range I can use regular mags, and then have my laser mag loaded up with hollow points for home defense.

If you guys do think its possible, what laser would you guys suggest? if not, got any other ideas on mounting a laser?
 
Im sure you could (maybe epoxy a bit of weaver rail to the bottom of the mag?), but id be concerned about the stability (and therefore accuracy).

Every mag Ive ever use has wobbled to some greater or lesser extent in the magwell, which would cut accuracy to hell. The ergonomics of turning the laser on would also be tricky at best.
 
Have you looked at the ones that mount on the trigger guard? I can't think of the names of any manufacturers, but I've seen them.

If you do find one, let me know how it works. I'm considering getting one for my father-in-law-to-be's S&W 4586. They're very similar.
 
Not too familiar with the 4506

but does it have a recoil guide rod? There's a laser system that replaces the guide rods in semiautos, but I can't think of the name.
 
Mount it that far under the barrel and I think that parallax will present a problem. Whether your'e OK with it is your call.

At short distances, the bore center line intersects the sight picture at one distance only, but the difference at other distances is not significant. Same for a CT grip. But align your magazine-mounted laser with the sights at one distance (say 21 feet) and check it at another (say, 50 feet) and I doubt you'll be all that happy with it.

I would email CT and some of the other suppliers and ask for advice.

If you really need a laser and the suppliers can't help, you may have to do what I did when faced with the same problem--see what the gun is worth and get a new one.
 
There's a laser system that replaces the guide rods in semiautos, but I can't think of the name.
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LaserMax would be the manufacturer for this.

Frankly, for your needs, I would just go without and learn (seriously) how to handle a light in one hand, gun in the other. Mounting a laser to the mags...nah.

If these options are not to your liking, you may just need to purchase a weapon that allows for rail mounting.
 
Sorry, LaserMax isn't an option for you... good call, inSight-NEO.

+1 to inSight-NEO on the light idea. Lasers don't help identify targets. A SureFire does.

The SureFire is also useful for inflicting momentary blindness while you identify and aim, if appropriate.

I keep mine by my nightstand gun.

Note: this defeats the night sights on the gun... I can't see them against the reflected light from the SureFire. On the other hand, I can see the sight contours just fine.
 
I failed to mention, if you eventually give up on the laser idea, consider night sights along with learning to weild a flashlight. Given your weapon, this is what I would choose. If your house is lit relatively well (at night), then using night sights should prove useful, if for nothing else, maintaining sight acquisition (using the flashlight for target acquisition of course).

Now, I have a LaserMax unit and initially, I wanted to mount it on one of my weapons for HD. But, I have since adopted the idea of simply either using a flashlight or just going with a rail mounted white light setup (of which I have yet to purchase).

However, I keep night sights on all of my HD weapons as this is never a "bad" idea, IMHO and is a useful item which does not require constant mounting/dismounting and maintenance and goes (easily) wherever the weapon goes. I am, however, a proponent of using both when able.

Regardless, Im sorry to say, I just dont think using a laser system would be practical for your particular weapon. Lights and lasers are easy to do with rail-equipped weapons...not so easy without a rail.

That way if I'm taking it to the range I can use regular mags, and then have my laser mag loaded up with hollow points for home defense.
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Also, the problem I see with this is, generally speaking, its good to have at least two mags for HD. Having only one "laser mag," so to speak, would be very, very limiting. Keep your weapon "as is" and maybe get a set of night sights for it. If you want more (and practical) options, I would consider buying a current gun with the necessary integrated rail.
 
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