LASERS - I dont see a critical need for them.

I like lights mounted to the bottom of a pistol if you aren't trying to conceal it. Lasers; I'd agree they aren't for me, but I don't see any reason to NOT use one if a person likes them.

 

I don't have much use for them either. Eyesight is so bad I can't see the spot.

 

The only weapon I have a laser on (and probably the only one that I will ever own that has a laser) is my S&W Bodyguard .38. Very small weapon (think Bersa 380cc) and it has the laser in the grip. They had two models when I bought this, one with the laser and one without, but there was only a $50 difference so I went ahead and got the one with it. I keep this gun in my tackle box and I do a LOT of fishing both day and night, and my primary purpose for taking it with me is for Cottonmouths and Copperheads (venomous snakes that I see from time to time), so the laser makes target acquisition on a snake much easier and quicker, and the .38 is a lot easier to take with me than a 12ga (which is what I was using before because it was next to impossible to miss).

 

They can be a good training device...

 

It seems that lots of experienced shooterts are against lasers. It does not play into their sense and pride of accomplishment. If I was close to shooting event where novice is using a gun, I would prefer he knows exact placement of the shot. If one had to shoot assailant that is very close to a family member, laser would be a welcome aid. Laser is also cheaper than thousand of rounds needed for aquiering point and shoot accuracy. For a lots of people it makes sense.

 

With the money a laser cost, one coule get a decent single, or even two-day self defense class and eliminate the need for a laser by the end of it, and further more with dry fire at home.

I wont say there isnt a place for them; like many other things in a SD gun, they are a tool that may be used correctly or incorrectly. I will say, however, exactly what you aid, that most experienced shooters seem to NOT prefer them.... and its not because of pride or ego or a sense of accomplisment.

 

Good laser cost is equal to 500 rounds of 9mm. Laser will make one proficient much sooner. Final objective is well placed shot, regardlessly of how it is done.
In recent shooting in N. York, cops shot 26 rounds at somebody and missed 26 times, even hit some bystanders. Milwaukee cop
shoot a guy 7 times and did not kill him. If you encountered a bad guy wearing the west, shooting at everything in sight, and had only 380 available, laser would increase a chance of a head shot.

I don't have a laser, may get one, may not. Don't have a problem using sights daytime, but do have a problem in low light environment.

 

You must be young or just have good eyes.
As for me without glasses any thing in my hand I can't see clearly or not clearly enough to commit to a life or death pull of the trigger.(it is called far sighted) If in a bad situation I loose my glasses any defense attempt would be risky so with a laser if I can see the bad guy all I need to do is put the dot on him & squeeze the trigger.

 

My Sig P938 came with a laser but I have yet to put it on. To me, switching it on is just another step I'd rather not have to take in an adrenalin situation. Of course, this is a cc gun. If it were a HD gun where you might have more time to prepare, it would probably be ok.

 

Agreed! Hadn't given that much thought before, but SHOOTER13 has a darn good point. Had one of the grip panel ones been available or had come with my first 380, I'd have used it as suggested above as a training tool. I think the grip panel lasers for the BT 380 became available sometime after bought my first one and don't think I would have wanted them or the expense at that time. Sespite poor vision, my hind sight is near perfect. I say of myself, I'm blind in one eye and can't see out of the other and couldn't hit the side of a barn, ....from inside the barn. God willing it never happens, but should I ever have to use one in poor light at home, I'm insuring DW is clear and I'm firing double tap starting at low center mass of shape. The only person who has a key to my house is my younger brother and he is well aware I have both my 9uc on or on the night stand and one of my 380s under the pillow.

 

Most small pistols and revolvers are used for up close personal work around 7 ft and most often point and shoot. Too many people are too busy looking for the dot at that range than pulling the trigger. Hard to miss a target with iron sights when you just bring it up and fire at short range. I would rather buy a nice set of wood grips and good ammo for the work gun and practice emptying the mag as fast as possible at the mean target.

 

I have looked very closely at the ruger LCP's with the various options ( my wife carries a non laser LCP). I wouldn't have one with a switch, I do not like the extra step. The ones with the bud are much better, but you are committed to that laser every time.
I don't put much stake in the idea a guy on crack in body armor is going to attack me. Most PDs are 10 feet or less. At that range I can put all 8 shots center of mass pretty easily. You have to be pretty committed to walk through 8 rounds of 380 HP. And that's assuming I can't hit anything vital with those 8 shots.

 

I like the idea of a laser, not necessarily because it would be that much of a help at close range against a bad guy, but because if the bad guy sees a red dot on his chest I would think he would be more likely to run away. That being said, if not and he is still a threat then he's made his decision and I can make mine with no regrets.


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It all depends on the person.
I have seen lasers make folks shoot worse.
No ones hand/aim is rock steady. That laser shows every bobble, drift, and movement. Some find themselves over compensating trying to overcome that movement and it gets worse. Focusing all their concentration into that moving dot.
We would all like each bullet to ge through the same hole. The reality is 99.99% of folks cannot, and will never shoot that good.
Again, I have seen folks shoot better with them, but have seen an equal amount of folks go the other way.
Just an observation.

 

In a darkened room, that point of light tells the bad guy your location and gives HIM something to shoot at, even if your silhouette is obscure.

 

I bought a laser for my 9mm Ruger for two reasons. First of all, as a HD gun, I thought that I might get better target acquisition, even if the intruder is less than 20 feet away. I don't know how much it will actually help with that, but that's what I was thinking at the time. Points here in this thread are well taken, and I agree that short range SD situations are point and shoot - it's all muscle memory.

However, the second reason is for training. That alone is justification, in my opinion. My Lasermax Micro cost a little over $100, but has taught me at least that much about how I'm holding the gun.

In a way, it's like the underwater camera I own for ice fishing. Most people consider it a waste of money (those would be the anglers who have never used one, and no way to judge whether it's worth it or not). I've learned a ton about fish behavior and how to present my lures for optimum effect. In addition, I can see what's down there - both the type and size of fish, but also bottom structure, weeds, rocks, etc.

The laser is similar in how it helps me connect what's going on at target end with what's going on in my hand.

I would call it worth the price tag for what I learned. Would I actually use it in a HD/SD situation? Meh, probably not.

 

An Old Fart's Perspective

If your like me you like to sleep in the dark ... houselights off. It's 2 am. Suddenly a loud crash wakes you. It came from somewhere downstairs.
You bolt upright and listen. There's movement in your living room. You slide the nightstand drawer open and reach in. You pull out a loaded .380 Bersa Thunder and rack it. Then ... footsteps up the stairway. The kids are sleeping in the bedroom across from yours. You jump to your feet in the pitch black of night. Hey .... purist, I want to flick on the laser. It'll help me acquire the target in pitch black without having to worry about sending a round into the kids bedroom. Say what you will .... it's a great innovation and I wouldn't be caught dead without one. Period! I'm sixty now and I started shooting wheelguns back in the seventies. To hit an intruder in the dark (half asleep) I want the best chance of coming out on top as I can. If you own a Bersa Thunder than for heaven's sake spend a few hundred bucks and get a Crimson Trace. How much is your life worth? Peace. Mike
http://www.crimsontrace.com/products/manufacturer/bersa/01-2440

 

Mike,
IMHO(we all got 'em, don't we?) your scenario(for me and possibly others) would be better served with a light. A pitch dark house and a laser will put a dot on something that is moving, but won't show you what or who it is.
Yeah I know the line some may subscribe to... no one supposed to be in my house...I know where my family is so this is an intruder, etc.

The law may let me get away with it, but I know exactly how I would feel if I punched a hole in some confused geriatric neighbor or drunken kid at the wrong house. Targets need to be clearly ID'd. For myself, a floating dot on a moving object doesn't tell me enough.
Not saying yer wrong, just saying that it doesn't work for me.

 

Fair enough. You bring up some valid issues. Not long ago a teenage boy coming back from a late night drinking binge climbed into (what he thought) was his bedroom window. Turns out it was the wrong house and Harry Homeowner shot him thinking it was a burglar. A very sad affair. I would have taken aim but issued a very firm warning in the hope of a hasty retreat. Taking a human life would be a last ditch drastic measure that I pray I'll never have to endure. That being said, I've enjoyed shooting for more years than I care to admit and I know a laser site gives me that extra assurance that I'll set that round exactly where I intend to even if I have to blow off a "quick one" from the hip and in low light. But ... to each his own. That's what makes the world go 'round. Have a good one.