Are lasers worth it?

[sioux565]

After carrying for a few months, I've started to reconsider adding a laser to my LCP. When I originally bought my gun, I didn't see a reason to have a laser. Now, I think it might help when it comes to home defense, especially at night time. Lasermax lasers are only going for around $80, but I want to hear what everyone else thinks.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Motodeficient]

Certainly! Fast target acquisition, better low light acquisition and the ability to put hits on target from cover.

[reade]

To me, anything that give an advantage is worth it. I have a laser and night sights on my G27 Glock. They give an advantage but that needs to be looked at like that all they do. Learning how to shoot the gun is 80-90% and the night sights and laser maybe 10% maybe less.

Heard a guy dissing night sights as they are of no use after the first round mussel flash, I'll take that one first shot advantage. Same with a laser. Rather have and not need than need and not have.

[oneshot]

I poo-pooed the idea when my brother and his boy put CT lasers on their M&P's and one of the nickel S&W model 19 snubs my bro had.
But after seeing them able to work effectively in the open for 60-80 yards or so up un the wood in broad daylight, i think they couyld hold some benefit.
And these were with the red beam, not the alledged brighter green beam.

Cdnn had some less expensive ones that mounted on the tac rail under the barrel of a pistol starting @ around $39 or 49.

Has me thinking about maybe getting one for one of the pistols that does not leave the house much.

Looks like it was easy to take off and put back on as well.

[whoppo]

Most of my firearms have lasers attached to them. They can be a great tool for training and also offer target acquisition in situations where you may not be able to raise your weapon to get a good sight picture. I would suggest that anyone who mounts lasers of their weapons should train with and without using the laser as they can fail (malfunctioning switch, dead battery, operating outside the functional temperature range, etc.)

[minimalbrat]

I thought about a laser to fine tune my target practice. I didn't want to get one at first because I thought it would hamper me learning to use the gun. Now, I think it might be a great thing for fine tune learning. Also, I have no way to practice in the dark. The laser might give me a bit of an edge for the first shot.

[kb2wji]

In my humble opinion, no. If you want to have a little fun plinking, sure. On a defensive pistol, no.

Opinions will certainly vary, but I find it much easier to aquire a target with a good grip, good stance, and a front sight. In my experience, finding that little red dot on a moving target isnt easy. Especially if that target is wearing darker colors. I think you are better off pointing to a target and using a front sight. If a threat is far enough away where you feel you need a dot, it might not be as big of a threat as you think.

Just one man's opinion

[10thmtn]

I ran through a low light pistol class with my little laser-equipped LCP. Despite having the smallest, "hardest to shoot well" gun there, my target ended up being the only one with hits clustered on the vitals. All the other student's targets looked like they had been hit by buckshot from 30 yards away. My target was also the only one with not one single miss - for the entire class.

Needless to say - ALL my defensive handguns wear Crimson Trace lasers. Grip the gun, laser comes on. Simple.

You can also read:

The Case for Lasers | Cornered Cat

Practicing with Laser Grips | Cornered Cat

Finally, there are documented cases where painting a BG with a laser caused him to give up the fight, whereas previously they had been combative, even in the face of drawn weapons. There is a powerful psychological impact to a dot saying "You are about to get shot right here." Anything that can potentially help resolve the situation without all the paperwork, legal hassles, and mental stress that follows a shooting is a good thing to have, IMHO.

[gasmitty]

I was interested in lasers until I used one in a low-light, indoor shoot a while back. We were doing a 2-man drill, and after just a few shots were fired, the laser did a great job of lighting up the smoke but not the target. The other problem is that without a lot of practice there is a natural tendency to chase the dot and not the target.

IMO they're a great training aid, but I'm not saving up for one.

[Skidboot]

I'm not a fan of lasers, although I have one on my S&W Airweight. My only comment would be that if a person does decide to add a laser to his SD gun, he should practice until he's very comfortable with it. As Gasmitty said, there is a tendency to chase the dot rather than the target; but there is also the tendency to use both the sights and the laser, which can be confusing.

I might also add that having a laser is like having a calculator; it's a good tool, but a person really should be able to do simple math in his head before he becomes dependent on the calculator.

[Ksgunner]

I really like the laser on my LC9, much easier to put on target than the iron sights

[Sgt45]

For the LCP absolutely. I didn't at first and the sights are just a bit small for my eyes, adding the CT laser has made a huge difference in my ability to hit anything with that little gun.

[archer51]

You'll find varying opinions on lasers. I personally don't use them. If you are going to use a laser on your gun, make sure you can accurately shoot it without the laser first. If the laser fails in a defensive situation, and your not proficient with the gun, you may very will be in a deep world of do-do.

[10thmtn]

I was interested in lasers until I used one in a low-light, indoor shoot a while back. We were doing a 2-man drill, and after just a few shots were fired, the laser did a great job of lighting up the smoke but not the target. The other problem is that without a lot of practice there is a natural tendency to chase the dot and not the target.

IMO they're a great training aid, but I'm not saving up for one.

What were you shooting? Black powder?!

Seriously - I have never had this problem. I find it hard to believe that the smoke was so dense that you could not see the dot on the target.

[Scramble4a5]

For home defense I opted to attach a very bright LED light to the rail on my handgun. It blinds a bad guy and lets me see what I am aiming at. I wouldn't mind having a laser for practice.