Should I Get A Laser?

F

flcjinflorida

New member
My department has sent out new regs, and they say that we are now allowed to put a laser on our service weapons. I don't know if it would be a good idea to get a butt mounted laser, because if I am going into a house, I might accidentally push the button, and give away my location to the person inside.

If I should get a laser, what kind should I get?

(I am new to the force. I have only been on the force for 3 weeks)
 
Lasers have their advantages and disadvantages. I don't use them, don't like them. Note, I am not in LE, but have shot handguns with lasers. I trust myself over a mechanical device, and I train appropriately.

Not saying you won't like them, but just my 2 cents.
 
i uae a laser to practice trigger control. i have no input on what type of laser you may need. As long as they're not intrusive, they can be a good tool.
 
I have come to favor a laser on my pistols. It is a decided aid in helping me to hit the target, particularly in low light situations. As far as inadvertently "discharging" your laser I feel that becomes part of the regular gun handling discipline that goes with the general territory. If you put it on there - you learn to use it!

As far as brands are concerned my total experience has been with Crimson Trace and those, in my experience, have been excellent!
 
I always thought that they were silly until I tried shooting with the lights out using irons. Even if you've got a weapon light on your handgun, how are you going to see the sights?
 
Iron sights are always first.

The laser (if you get one) is to help.

I used to shoot with a guy who used the laser to aim w/o looking at the irons, when his battery died he couldn't aim for crap.

Laser can help in the dark. Just don't use it for your primary sighting system.
 
Under many conditions a laser can be of immense benefit. (Crimson Trace will send you a free DVD to illustrate the point).

However

Slapping a laser onto a pistol in no way relieves you of the responsibility to train well with basic iron sights and learn the basics. Lasers can fail and if they do you should still know how to function without one.
 
I have Crimson Trace lasers on three handguns and would not buy a handgun that Crimson Trace does not make a grip for. I'm not a law officer. I'm a retired naval officer in his seventies. The sole purpose of those laser-equipped handguns is HD/SD -- short range and probably in low light circumstances. With my glasses on and in daylight, I am a fairly good shot inside ten yards with iron sights, but without my glasses or in the dark I cannot even SEE them. I sure can see that red dot, though, and I love to make a black hole appear in a target where that red dot had been.

I agree that you, a law officer, must be better than just fair with your weapons. That means you must practice frequently for each and every circumstance. In many circumstances, laser sights will be useless (daylight and attempting a fifty yard shot comes readily to mind). In others they will be invaluable. Be skillful with both.

Good luck, Jack
 
I've got a streamlite and another off brand cheapo. I took them off. I don't care for them at all, it's just my opinion. I will try the Crimson Trace ones at some point on my P229. Which is my bedside weapon, for the bumps in the night. I do have a flashlight mounted on it now. But it's too difficult to pull yourself away from them once your used to them.
Just my opinions.

Cheers,
GTI
 
For my two cents worth, Lasers are a gee whiz type of toy which may lead to becoming a crutch. Nothing replaces good old fashion marksmanship in the day to day life in which you and I carry a gun. If you are a sniper, perhaps that could be a different story. If one becomes dependent upon a laser, what happens in that critical moment when the battery craps out, or the laser fails to laze? (Is that a word?) Sorry if I rained on your parade but I am just an old school kind of guy who believes that basic skills are the key to success, especially when it comes to handgun survival.
 
what is your duty gun? i'm guessing it's a glock.
crimson trace makes lasers for glocks that function well and don't alter the grip.
 
My duty weapon is a Glock 40. I don't want to rely on the laser exclusively. I want the laser for those times when I do a routine traffic stop, and its at night. I want to make sure that if I do have to use my weapon, that I will hit the mark, and not miss just because its dark. I just don't want a laser that will come on when I am doing a routine search of a residence on a break in call.
 
Maybe if I find a laser system that is affordable and works well with a handgun my mind will be changed, but I see absolutely no point to them. Everyone tells me they're great in the dark but lasers do not illuminate, so I don't understand how people can tell whether their laser is touching a person or a wall.

I'd rather have a shotgun in that situation. I think they're wickedly expensive useless attachments to guns people will probably never use in a self defense situation, and where it'd not be the optimal optical device to find the target, but that's just me and my entirely, admittedly, uninformed opinion.
 
A laser won't necessarily give away your position- it projects a dot onto whatever the gun is pointing at, it doesn't project a line from you to the target (unless there's a lot of smoke, haze, or other particulate in the air).

I don't know if the current CT models have a switch to shut them off- CT is coming out with a new model for the Glocks that might well have that feature.
 
Even if you've got a weapon light on your handgun, how are you going to see the sights?
Click to expand...

For the record, I've always found that handgun sights are pretty easy to see when using a weapon light. They are nice black silhouettes against the 100+ lumen illumination the light is throwing out. Without a weapon light, tritium night sights work just fine for acquiring the sights in low light.

On the subject of lasers, I've tried them but they aren't really for me. I guess people's mileage will vary.
 
I see absolutely no point to them.
Click to expand...



Well here is the ultimate mall ninja, uber-tactical, Steven Segal wannabe excuse for having a laser on your handgun. You can shoot around a corner without exposing yourself using a cell phone camera to sight with the laser.:p:rolleyes:
 
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Hi, flcjinflorida!

You might want to look at a Lasermax unit for your Glock 40.

They operate using an ON/OFF switch, so that unless you actually need to use the red dot, the laser stays off. (A lot of people don’t like this---they much prefer to have the red dot come on as soon as they grip their handguns.)

I have had one on the Glock 23 I normally carry for the past 6 months, and it has worked reliably. The unit replaces the recoil spring assembly on the Glock, and unless you are looking for it, you don’t see it. It doesn’t alter the lines or the appearance of the gun.

The downsides are:

1) Lasermax recommends that the recoil spring component of the unit be replaced every 4.000 rounds. (I get around this by dropping the original Glock recoil spring assembly back in for practice, unless I am training on laser-pointing techniques.)
2) The unit is non-adjustable. It has no provisions for changing the red dot’s orientation in relation to the bullet’s point of impact. (Lasermax guarantees that it should be within 2” of point of impact at 25 yards, however, and I have found this to be correct.)
3) The unit does not automatically switch on. You have to do it manually. This means that in a fast-moving scenario, your laser comes into play a bit slower than say, an instinctively-activated Crimson Trace unit.
4) The spring on the Lasermax unit is heavier. It takes a bit more effort to rack the slide.

I have a Crimson Trace unit on the Ruger LCP that I carry as a back-up gun, but prefer the Lasermax on my primary. I like the selectivity it gives me on my primary, but figure that by the time I need to use the BUG, things are really going to be hairy---very up close and personal. The laser on the limited-capacity BUG will allow every shot from the LCP to count.

Hope this information helps. If you have any further questions, just ask.

Cheers!
 
My duty weapon is a Glock 40. I don't want to rely on the laser exclusively. I want the laser for those times when I do a routine traffic stop, and its at night. I want to make sure that if I do have to use my weapon, that I will hit the mark, and not miss just because its dark.

That is an excellent reason for having laser grips on your Glock.

I just don't want a laser that will come on when I am doing a routine search of a residence on a break in call.

Check www.crimsontrace.com for the models available. The one for a standard size Glock (I'm not that familiar with the .40 S&W Glocks) is activated with a button on the back strap. It would take not much time to learn how not to squeeze it when you don't want to use it. The revolver versions, which have the activation button on the front strap, are far more sensitive, which may be the reason this topic keeps coming up.

Cordially, Jack
 
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