Laser or No?

[retsupt99]

Take a point shooting course and practice...you won't need a laser or sights.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[RH45]

+1

There are definite advantages to having a laser. At night is the first example that comes to mind and when indoors, or if you find yourself in an awkward position (shooting with your weak or an injured hand, when lying down or from behind concealment) and you either don't have the ability or time to use your iron sights. With practice I find they are frequently quicker and easier to use than fixed sights because I watch the target and simply bringing the laser to it instead of trying to follow a target - especially a moving one - as well as trying to line up my sight with that target at the same time, causing my focus to constantly shift. Personally, I consider them one of the best things to come along for shooters since smokeless powder replaced BP. FWIW, even most former diehard anti laser self-defense/shooting pro's like Tom Gresham and Massad Ayoob now endorse the use of lasers. OTOH, you still need to maintain your ability to use your weapons iron sights since lasers (or any optic for that matter) DO break and batteries DO run down. There are also those times when you may just feel a laser isn't appropriate or necessary.

Finally, just because you have a laser on your gun doesn't mean you must use it. It's just another tool in the box that is there if you want it and I look at a laser in the same way I view my auto, home and medical insurance. It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it!

Well said!

[MrBuckwheat]

Good advice!

If conditions allow the use of a laser you can't beat them . But don't forget how to use you sights and point and fire.
If you spend time with a laser you will adapt to not even looking at the sites you eyes will go right to where the dot should be your on target right now.

[Maximum1]

Depends on the gun. No laser on my XD Sub-Compact I prefer Trijicon Night Sights. Yes on my LCP (Crimson Trace).

[PilotAlso]

What's the problem?

Having a laser on your handgun doesn't preclude "point and shoot".
It doesn't stop you from using iron sights when appropriate (outdoors in bright light, etc.).
It doesn't give away your position any more than muzzle flash (laser on, bang, bang, bang, etc, laser off)

Not having a laser creates very real problems in low light, interior, awkward angle encounters.

I guess if you think you will be unable to resist taking the time to look for a laser dot before point shooting an attacker, than you should stay away from lasers. They'll probably get you hurt/dead in that situation.

I'm confident I can make that choice without hesitation.

[PilotAlso]

For those who say lasers can fail, yes they can BUT

I'm pretty confident that if I keep a fresh battery installed, the odds of me being attacked or in a self defense situation (minimal as a civilian, non drug user, overall good guy, etc.) having to pull my firearm, and then having the laser fail are about as small as getting hit in the head by a meteorite.

I'll take my chances and RISK having a laser failure.

[1 old 0311]

I don't know about green lasers but I have Crimson Trace lasers on my pocket gun, and my bedside gun. Not only do I find them FASTER but they are the absolute best practice, short of burning powder, for point shooting.

[Skygod]

I'm a huge proponent of Crimson Trace laser grips and for tactical/LEA/Military use the Insight and Surefie laser and light combo modules. Both pistol and long gun, especially the IR laser with NODS.

Yes, there are cons, but for me the pro's outweigh the cons by a longshot.

BTDT

YMMV

[robdnor]

lasers are good for dry firing practice but thats where the benefit ends in my opinion... a a person should train with irons and be proficient. ideally you should be accurate with just instinctive point shooting, draw, shoot without sights, sights if situation necessitates... as has been stated, MURPHY- thanks for the dead batteries..then what?.... or if your seeking cover its just a big ole direction beam for a BG to find you... IMO

[PilotAlso]

lasers are good for dry firing practice but thats where the benefit ends in my opinion... a a person should train with irons and be proficient. ideally you should be accurate with just instinctive point shooting, draw, shoot without sights, sights if situation necessitates... as has been stated, MURPHY- thanks for the dead batteries..then what?.... or if your seeking cover its just a big ole direction beam for a BG to find you... IMO

I have a Crimson Trace Laser on my CC weapon. Does that mean I can't/haven't trained with iron sights or am not proficient with them?

Dead batteries in the laser doesn't disable the weapon. If a sight on an "iron sight only" pistol gets bumped out of alignment during carry or altercation, does that preclude you from point shooting the weapon?

Why on earth would you have the laser activated while trying to hide? With a CTL the laser is only activated while aiming the weapon at a bad guy. If the bad guy is close enough, the laser won't be activated. I'll just point and shoot.

[kapnketel]

Lasers are for sharks and sea bass.

Are they ill-tempered?

But seriously, I like my Crimson Trace on my 1911. I have a TLR2 on the wife's bedside pistol, it is a little awkward. However, in low light situations a big help. I do point shoot, bad eyesight. The laser helps with that.

[Tangle]

...

Cons -
-You can aim at them BUT they can aim at you too - they see where the laser is coming from

Why don't they already know where you are? If they don't know, why turn it on?

...
-murphy's law - the laser will break when you need it (dead battery, button breaks, etc)

That's said a lot, but have you ever heard of a laser not working when it was needed?

...-if it's broken and you don't practice with the iron sights, you're screwed

That's not a laser problem at all; that's a mindset and training problem.

Then again, when have we ever heard of a laser not working in SD situation. How many times have we read where a laser made the difference? I've read a lot of the latter, none of the former.

[bdcheung]

Lasers are invaluable in close quarters situations where you are firing from retention and unable to use the sights.


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