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Do You Need a Laser?

To me having a laser is for point and shoot CQB where proper aiming is not possible.

I mostly have a light on pistols/ARs, but also have lasers for what I described. I have & use two types of lights on ARs, but have more laser use on them, as well as a couple for pistols.

My .02
 
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I have a laser on one pistol. A Shield .45. It's integrated and there's a button you have to extend your trigger finger to activate it. I put a Laserguard on my dad's EZ .380. Those wrap around the trigger guard and come on automatically when you grip the gun normally. I like that much better. As far as use while carrying, the laser is useless. Plus it's red so you can barely see it in the daylight. The pistol does normally sit in my nightstand though so if I needed it in the middle of the night it could be handy I guess. For the most part lasers fill me with ennui.
 
I have an instant-on laser on my XD-s. Draw, it lights automatically, and I have it mainly (as mentioned above) for CQB / point-shoot situations when a normal sight picture is not possible. Green - highly visible in daylight. No thought, no additional action required. Place dot, pull trigger, make hole. TruGlo sights for when I can get a traditional sight picture; Viridian as a backup for when I can't.
 
Good article. Especially liked the part mentioning a laser is not a substitute for skill. Based on some of the folks I see using them at the range, That's what it looks like. Not even watching the gun, just watching the dot that is usually going all over the place.
 
I have lasers on a few defensive pistols.

They are for use in unconventional shooting positions, when point shooting muscle memory hadn’t been built up, and sights are not going to be usable...such as being flat on your back, shooting at a target “above” you, or rolling on your side, on the ground.

But they aren’t a substitute for practice; I tend to concentrate on practicing with them switched off, but also practice with them on.
 
The laser does jump from recoil. I practice both ways - irons, mostly, because I don't want to count on a battery in a life and death situation - but generally my last couple mags of a session are laser-focused. It's actually an excellent way to learn to "time" your recoil and recovery cycles. If you think musically, it's a way to figure out the "beat" of your handgun - fire/recoil/recover/on-target/fire. Or..."bang..up...down...bang". I know when my XDs is back on target and can simply pull the trigger "in time", and the shots go into my grouping.
 
I’m old school here, I don’t believe in putting ones life in possible jeopardy with any accessories that require a battery, I was taught to use your sites, and practice using your said weapon, just my opinion.
 
Mike H. said:
Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled Do You Need a Laser? and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/do-you-need-a-laser/.

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Fair and balanced article on handgun-mounted lasers. Personally, I never liked them. Of course, I was fairly new to serious handgun shooting and likely had not mastered the basics of iron sights as yet. Still, I felt like a cat chasing a laser pointer and found I could shoot more accurately without the aid of the laser. Maybe I was just doing it wrong!
 
I had a laser on one gun, the first hand gun I bought for concealed carry while living in Texas. It was set up with a grip switch that activated the laser as soon as you gripped the gun to shoot. The problem was that gun.....
M&P Shield in 40SW was so small in my big hands that I couldn’t hit the broad side of barn at 5 yards. The recoil was also brutal. The laser got more use having my little dog chase the red dot around the apartment.
 
I'm not a big fan of lasers on handguns, except for indoor range practice. I see, like Peglegjoe and others, some very real value in them for training purposes. I would not ever put one on a carry handgun.

On the other hand, they are a vital enhancement to the Shockwave and the RemArms TAC 13 and 14. Crimson Trace makes a great setup for the pumps, but not the semi auto. :( Those of us who own the 13 would love more choices because the laser makes the gun all it can and should be.
 
ChanceMcCall said:
I'm not a big fan of lasers on handguns, except for indoor range practice. I see, like Peglegjoe and others, some very real value in them for training purposes. I would not ever put one on a carry handgun.

On the other hand, they are a vital enhancement to the Shockwave and the RemArms TAC 13 and 14. Crimson Trace makes a great setup for the pumps, but not the semi auto. :( Those of us who own the 13 would love more choices because the laser makes the gun all it can and should be.
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I have tried a laser on a pistol few years back on a friends pistol, I liked it, outside the red is hard to see, but in the shade, it worked great, they say green is better for outside, never tried one of them.
 
Let’s be honest here, there is quite a few companies who have a vested interest in ensuring gun buyers continue buying lasers. Those companies of course provide money to ensure experts out there discuss and promote them.

Do you need one? No.

Can they be beneficial in certain circumstances for shooters? Yes, especially if a gun doesn’t come with night sights. A lot come stock with fiber optic or 3-dot white sights. Also when shooting from certain positions.

So if your into lasers and think they are cool, great get one. They can be useful. To each their own.

This pretty much applies to any accessories, such as weapon lights or red dots. Do you need them? No not necessarily but can they be helpful, absolutely.
 
I have an integrated laser on my Shield .45. Because it came with one. That's not a nightstand gun these days so that laser probably will never have a legitimate purpose.

I have a green laser handstop ( Viridian HS-1 which is on sale this weekend for $103 by the way) on an AR pistol. That one IS a home defense weapon.

Other than indoors or outside at night a laser is pointless. Unless you go military grade IR and NV. Then it's cool AF, but still pretty pointless for civilians.
 
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