Question on laser grip or sights, comments please

[Lonnie]

I have owned many hand guns over the years.
From the Kimber .45 ss pro carry (wish I still owned) to my new S&W .40 Chiefs special

I have often thought about giving a set of lazor sights of grips a try.

The cost always seems to be the desiding factor for me.
I find it hard to shell out $300 to put on a $400 or $500 gun


In your opinion what are some of the pros and cons

Keep in mind , I use my gun for personal protection , I don't use these guns to taget shoot and plink around

thoughts and comments please
Thanks
Lonnie

 

[redneckmedic]

I think the idea (laser) is junk. IMO it takes away from true training. I know that you can train with them, but it changes your focus on the front site. I'm sure there are plenty of folks on here that like em, I'm not one of them.

 

[42769vette]

usually i agree with redneck but on this one we will have to agree to disagree. i love ct laser grips. its a horible idea to realy 100% on them but they are a nice option for a low light or dont want to exopse yourself situation. if i were in a gun fight in my home i would much rather stink my hand around the corner and just enough of my head to see the dot than to try and get in a firing/aiming position by exposing myself

 

[dubsac]

I just recently just bought the CT laser for my LCP. It is my current EDC and since the sights were not the best I decided to get it. Not to mention my eyes are not as good as they used to be. So far I have been very impressed.

 

[latigo]

I think they are invaluable in low light conditions. Take a walk thru your home tonight with what lights you normally have in and see how well you can see your front sight. Check out the Crimson Trace videos on Youtube from the company. I believe there are 6 videos
.[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHCumaFzYvc[/ame]
I have Crimson Trace sights on 4 handguns.
They are not intended to replace the use and practice of your regular sights though

 

[redneckmedic]

usually i agree with redneck but on this one we will have to agree to disagree. i love ct laser grips. its a horible idea to realy 100% on them but they are a nice option for a low light or dont want to exopse yourself situation. if i were in a gun fight in my home i would much rather stink my hand around the corner and just enough of my head to see the dot than to try and get in a firing/aiming position by exposing myself

Thats why using a shotgun for home defense is idea... just point without exposing

 

[clt46910]

I have shot handguns for over 40 years. Not just once in a while but often. I got my first Crimson Trace grips about four years ago. I love them. They do give you another focus when shooting, but in low light they do work much better.

Practice both with and without them and you will be fine with shooting either way. They are better to have when you need them then not have them at all.

 

[cornfused]

I had the lasermax on my Glock 26.

It did seem to work well and was pretty nice to have.

But after awhile it did seem like I had wasted my money, and felt that I liked the night sights that I had on my H&K better.

Maybe BOTH would be ideal?!

 

[JohnP82]

To each his own. Some love them some hate them. Personally I like them, I dont have any lasers on any of my guns, but I am not against them. I wouldnt recommend them for a new shooter, because I think they should learn to use the sights first. Since you obviously have experience I say go for it if you really want a laser. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Mike_Indy]

I have put the CT laser on all three of my 1911a and two of my M&P 45s. They are great and work well. I have also put night sights on all but one of my pistols. The way I see it is it is all about options. A shotgun can be great at home but I don't carry it with me everywhere else. So, I like having options that will hopefully give me an advantage in the event I must defend myself with a handgun.

As the videos from CT show the laser can allow options for shooting from various cover positions that may not otherwise be an option.

All that said, I train to shoot without about 80% of the time. I then train with so that I will be more prepared, depending on the situation.

 

[chasekerion4]

I think this is a good question. I've been considering getting the CT grips for my Glock, which is my nightstand gun.

Maybe it's just me, but night sights when you can't see what you're shooting at is just slightly better than throwing a rock.

Let me explain...

I just walked through my entire house in what would be my normal overnight lighting throughout the house. Putting in my head that I was searching for a "noise" that my wife heard and woke me up for.

I don't want to make this thread stray by way of 'you should have turned the lights on' or 'you shoulda, woulda, coulda' scenarios, but I didn't like fumbling through the house with nothing more than night sights on my gun. Considering it was me vs. God only knows, I didn't feel all too comfortable.

There's no doubt that lasers can make a good shooter turn into a bad shooter, but in those SHTF scenarios, I can't see why anyone wouldn't want to have them as an added peace of mind.

In short, I just sold myself and will be purchasing a set in just a few minutes.

And I'd be willing to bet many fellow INGO'ers hadn't actually 'walked' through this scenario; but it's a fantastic idea to practice a 'what if' in the house. You might find some things you'd like to do/have differently.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

Honestly, a flashlight is sufficient enough. If you get too used to using you laser, and it fails now what? Your sites are always going to be there, and that's what you need to be efficient with. My

 

[Mike_Indy]

I find it interesting that it is said that they hurt your training, by those that do not have them. No disrespect implied, but how. We are supposed to train for scenarios of how we will have to use a gun. There are numerous scenarios.

On my last two range trips I think I shot one mag with each the two guns I was using that day. Primarily to confirm that my CT was aligned and partly to confirm accuracy. That same trip I shot about 250 rounds without the CT in use. On other trips I may do a higher percentage with the CT. Its just a matter of training for various scenarios.

With the exception of a marksman, Id say that using my laser I can be as accurate or more accurate than most not using them in many low light shooting/moving situations.

All that said, if you shoot 90% of the time with a laser, yes, your shooting will suffer. Not mention, they are useless in daylight situations. Train, and train well.

 

[jeremy]

I have owned many hand guns over the years.
From the Kimber .45 ss pro carry (wish I still owned) to my new S&W .40 Chiefs special

I have often thought about giving a set of lazor sights of grips a try.

The cost always seems to be the desiding factor for me.
I find it hard to shell out $300 to put on a $400 or $500 gun


In your opinion what are some of the pros and cons

Keep in mind , I use my gun for personal protection , I don't use these guns to taget shoot and plink around

thoughts and comments please
Thanks
Lonnie

If you are leaning toward laser sights of some type I would recommend the Crimson Trace. I have had mine on several issue M-9's for almost a decade. The take a solid beating, I have had zero malfunctions. You can ask around to some of the older members if it can be broken, I can break it. I use my equipment very hard. I use mine in combat, my life depends on how my equipment performs...

Laser sights serve several purposes. Most obviuosly as a weapon alignment tool for shooting. You can also use this same tool for any and every dry fire type of training that you can come up with. I use mine to work on my draws and SA trigger creep drills. Cheaper in the long run than bullets.

Thats why using a shotgun for home defense is idea... just point without exposing

Shotguns in a combat situation don't quite work like that...

 

[JAMZ]

Not to beat a dead horse, i agree with everyons opinion so far but with my military training i personally train to muscle memory and weapon fundamentals.
and use my laser sight only for lowlight and adverse situations where my night sight
is not as useful.

 

[Turtle]

I put a lot of thought to this over the years myslef and came to the idea that ists pretty useless unless your just looking for a toy....lol I would buy some night sights and be jolly.

 

[obijohn]

This truly depends on your situation. Please keep in mind that I'm primarily a 1911 guy. My current edc gun is a G17 with TLR1 light and crimson trace laser grip. As I've grown older, my near vision has deteriorated to the point where seeing the front sight is a problem. The laser gives me visual reference to confirm my sight picture/index/extend-touch-press. Not for everyone, but works for me.
I would be more than happy to schedule some time with you to compare and contrast the relative merits of different sighting systems and techniques.

 

[jason867]

when I bought my taurus .38 ultra light, it came with ct grips. I don't have much experience with it yet, but I feel it would be a blessing in low light scenarios.

I try to practice/train without it mostly, but it's hard to when it's grip activated. I wish mine had a on/off switch to disable it.

 

[umbrellablue]

a Laser can be a good intimidation tool, if you believe that is important

 

[The Meach]

On a full frame handgun, nah. The sites work just fine. Now on small pocket pistols like the PF-9, LCP, and the little kahr I would say they are almost a necessity. Its damn near impossible to get decent accuracy with those things. (at least with my big dumbo hands)