Laser - yes or no?

[Marcus99]

I don't see the need for a laser personally. I have always shot and trained with traditional "iron" sights. I guess I could see the advantage if shooting from the hip,close elbow tuck, or some other unconventional position but IMO those are for CQ only and shouldn't make a difference. I guess if you trained with laser it might be ok but me personally I don't like having to worry about 2 different sighting mechanisms.

[Twoboxer]

OP, you don't specify a use for your pistols. JMO, but . . .

A red dot doesn't make sense on a carry pistol, so it might be fair to assume these pistols are used at the range and/or for HD.

For range use, red dots compensate for my old eyesight's inability to use iron sights precisely. Sorting out which of the 9 posts are the right 3 and lining them up is . . . well, let's call it imprecise. So my 1911 and 22LR Target have red dots.

For any carry or HD pistol there's no doubt in my mind that lasers, no matter the color, are a plus. A laser does not require your head to be behind and inline with your pistol to be fired. So they can be fired with accuracy from a variety of positions (and from the weak hand) not possible (or extremely difficult) with iron or red dot sights.

It doesn't matter whether laser sights are useful in all situations because, unlike many red dot mounts, lasers do not preclude using the existing iron sights. Whether mounted on a rail enabled by trigger finger or side mounted triggered automatically by a gripping finger, turn them on automatically when you draw the pistol. Bring the gun to firing position and you'll know pretty dam quickly which sight you are going to use . . . battery dead, distance too long, lighting too bright, background wrong color . . . if you didn't already know from experience as you drew.

So my 9mm pistols used for SD/HD have lasers and night sights. One caveat . . . whichever sight you use, you need to finish practice sessions with any SD/HD pistol using the iron sights.

[Hokkmike]

OP, you don't specify a use for your pistols. JMO, but . . .

A red dot doesn't make sense on a carry pistol, so it might be fair to assume these pistols are used at the range and/or for HD.

For range use, red dots compensate for my old eyesight's inability to use iron sights precisely. Sorting out which of the 9 posts are the right 3 and lining them up is . . . well, let's call it imprecise. So my 1911 and 22LR Target have red dots.

For any carry or HD pistol there's no doubt in my mind that lasers, no matter the color, are a plus. A laser does not require your head to be behind and inline with your pistol to be fired. So they can be fired with accuracy from a variety of positions (and from the weak hand) not possible (or extremely difficult) with iron or red dot sights.

It doesn't matter whether laser sights are useful in all situations because, unlike many red dot mounts, lasers do not preclude using the existing iron sights. Whether mounted on a rail enabled by trigger finger or side mounted triggered automatically by a gripping finger, turn them on automatically when you draw the pistol. Bring the gun to firing position and you'll know pretty dam quickly which sight you are going to use . . . battery dead, distance too long, lighting too bright, background wrong color . . . if you didn't already know from experience as you drew.

So my 9mm pistols used for SD/HD have lasers and night sights. One caveat . . . whichever sight you use, you need to finish practice sessions with any SD/HD pistol using the iron sights.

The FN would be for home defense (bed side) and range work. My other pistol is my EDC gun.

[Mitch10mm]

I agree with Twoboxer. For me the laser is just another tool in the tool box. I can still use the night sites or use the laser

[BadMonk]

My 61 year old eyes love lasers, especially green. Not on my night stand gun (revolver) and not at the range, except for help with sighting. My favorite laser is the ArmaLaser that lights automatically when my middle finger rests under the trigger guard, as long as the master switch is 'on.' Yes, it's definitely another tool and I'll try to use as many tools as I can. Why not?

[FJW]

I like lasers

Me too..... on my holiday display.

[Gunsnwater]

Smith and wesson 640 with crimson trace laser grip. Love it. Button on front of grip is the way to go. Body guard has horrible button position.

[indianjack]

Have 3 with red lasers, Beretta FS 92, Walter PPK/s and Ruger LCP. The reason is simple at my age with trifocal glasses I can't focus at different distances. When at the range I look through my glasses so the front sight is clear and the target is fuzzy, with the red spot I can focus at distance and both the spot and target are clear.

[God's Country]

Meh...not a fan. They're OK for fun, but for something that will realistically be used for sd I'll pass. Just one more thing to go wrong, and requires more training for that possible eventuality.

[Inigoes]

Nothing replaces a good set a sights. However, I like having a backup aiming mechanism for low light or even blackout conditions, this is where the Crimson-Trace laser grips come into play.

This also affords you to give a non-lethal warning (if you so choose, and conditions warrant) by putting a laser dot center mass of their chest area.