Learning to use a laser.

Laser shows me my faults . . .

Was shooting the Pico with the laser at the range this morning. Watching the laser really showed me how much I pull the aim down when I shoot, which is easy to do with the Pico as the grip is so small. I have Talon "grips" installed and was using the extended mag with the finger rests and still had a huge drop as I pulled the trigger. It really is all about learning to pull that trigger straight back.

Life is good.
Prof Young
 
Learn to use a laser is the post , not who likes or dislikes lasers . The laser is not making him a better shooter as he listed . The laser will clearly show him what he has to work on . Trigger control , proper hold an eye hand coordination . Most of the time it's time at the range & getting comfortable with your firearm . Shoot twice a week for two months then take off two weeks an see how you shoot the first magazine or two . If you want to improve , takes alot of practice . Lasers or open sights they are both the same no easy way .
 
Lazers take alittle getting used to. At first I was too focused on the fact that the lazer was moving so much on my target. Made me insecure and indecisive as when to pull the trigger. Just practicing by going ahead and firing the gun made me calm down and eventually I got more precise as to wear the rounds were hitting. By the way green is sooooo much better than red in the daylight. Now I really like to use the lazer even more than the sights. Also very helpful with my aging eyes.
 
I have two small Beretta's, a Tomcat & a Bobcat, that I couldn't shoot worth a darn using the crappy site groove and little bump of a front sight. With a lasers on them I can actually shoot a decent group now. So I definitely see an advantage on small mouse guns not so much on larger platforms that point well.
 
On a S D hand gun 21 feet is the maximum distance , at that range the dot is easy to see an control . Installing them on a Colt Gold Cup there designed for target sights . Lasers on that gun may be a crime. My Colt 3" is another story , I like to shoot with the dot on. If the dot is moving all around , it's not the dot that moves it's the gun , with or without a laser.
 
In my experience, it is all about practice. I don't think they should be a replacement for basic marksmanship skills. The mistake I tend see with people who use lasers, and my own mistake when I use them, is watching the laser shake and bounce around. You learn very quickly that despite what games and movies tell us, lasers do not make guns inherently more accurate.

I see lasers as a useful tool when normal shooting positions are not available. To a lesser degree I could see them being a deterrent, scaring bad guys...
 
To a lesser degree I could see them being a deterrent, scaring bad guys...
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Another Urban Legend about lasers. If you think you are going to scare an attacker away by putting a little red dot on him you are going to lose! If an altercation has gotten to the point of drawing a gun it's time to pull the trigger, not point little magic dots on things.
 
More on learning to use laser . . .

I've posted before about learning to shoot with a laser on my Beretta Pico. Get this. Last two trips to the range I shot better with the laser than with the sights. Seriously better. What the heck it going on here?

Life is good.
Prof Young
 
Prof Young said:
I've posted before about learning to shoot with a laser on my Beretta Pico. Get this. Last two trips to the range I shot better with the laser than with the sights. Seriously better. What the heck it going on here?
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Simple experiment... next range trip, either take the batteries out, shut it off, or cover the laser with tape (not familiar with the Pico’s laser, but do it in a way you don’t mess with zero). See if the results hold.

If they don’t, it is being used as a crutch (sorry if you take offense to that). Completely ok if you feel comfortable with it, but batteries do die. If you need to shoot one day, and the little dot doesn’t appear, where did that laser get you?

Lasers usually cover up issues with fundamentals. Practice isn’t just about shooting better, but learning what is being done wrong... and improving.
 
Prof Young said:
I've posted before about learning to shoot with a laser on my Beretta Pico. Get this. Last two trips to the range I shot better with the laser than with the sights. Seriously better. What the heck it going on here?

Life is good.
Prof Young
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Congratulations. I shoot my Pico at least quicker with the laser. A great tool for those of us with aging eyes. Just don't forget to practice the other two methods with the laser turned off; using the sights and point shooting. The three methods all compliment each other IMHO.
 
Disappointed in ability with sights . . .

I think part of my amazement here is that I don't shoot the gun well with the sights. I've practiced a good bit, but still shoot way low with the open sights. Not so the laser. Makes me crazy.

Life is good.
Prof Young
 
I find using a lazer I have both eyes open. You're supposed to do that anyway ,but its even easier when using a lazer. But I still do more practice with my sights than the lazer.
 
Prof Young said:
I think part of my amazement here is that I don't shoot the gun well with the sights. I've practiced a good bit, but still shoot way low with the open sights. Not so the laser. Makes me crazy.
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Are you the type of shooter that fires a round, then looks for the result? Fires another round, and looks for the result?

That would be my first suggestion of the issue with sights. For you being on with the laser, it seems you are focusing more on the result than the sights. Again, if the laser is working and you are comfortable with it, that is all well/good... but it is covering up an issue.

If not, then I’d say from the common chart that everyone uses... breaking wrists down (keep the wrists locked and straight throughout the pull).

Another tool that can help with issues like that is the MantisX system. Gun with a rail or a flat magazine base, do a little bit of dry fire practice... and see what you get the most. Try to fix the issues with another round of dry fire, then go live fire (it works with both, just have to switch the setting in the app). A lot easier to fix something that someone/something else points out over just getting frustrated and not knowing where to start.
 
Just take the laser off the gun. Shoot, and practice eithout the temptation of using the crutch intil you have correcter your bad shooting habits. Then continue to practice without the gimmick. If you still feel you just have to have the thing, put it back on, but continue to practice eithout it so you don't fall back into bad form by using the crutch. After all, don't all the TV "experts" imply that you don't even have to know how to shoot eith a laser. Just point the dot at what you want to hot, and pull the trigger.
Go ahead, and end your shooting sessions with a few rounds of laser fire of you must.
 
Thanks for all the thoughts and advice . . .

I appreciate all the helpful info and advice. Couple more range trips and I'm learning that I have to put a lot of finger on the trigger of the Pico when I shoot with the sights and no laser. By lot of finger I mean the trigger is on the second pad from the end of my finger. I'm not a pro by any means but my experience with seriously small guns is suggesting that to be on target you have to sort of bury the gun in your hand. I had that experience with my derringer and the one time I shot an NAA mini revolver that was true as well. Pico is turning out same way.

Life is good.
Prof Young
 
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