Years ago, I had a feeling that lasers were a good thing for a self or home-defense gun. I’d only used them on the range for practice, and at home dry firing, but it just seemed so sensible to me. All of the “marketing messages” sounded pretty rational.
“You can focus on the threat and still aim accurately.”
“They help you aim in low light conditions, when most self-defense encounters occur.”
“Lasers allow you to shoot accurately from unconventional positions.”
Also See: A Handgun Laser Primer
There are more marketing benefits, but you get the idea. Anyway, it all sounded good enough to me to install Lasergrips on my self-defense handguns.
Then, in the summer of 2013, I competed in the Crimson Trace Midnight 3 Gun Invitational event. That was an epiphany. What was until that point theoretical, became very real. Running around in the pitch dark, trying to hit targets as quickly as possible, showed me first hand the value of lasers. I could keep the gun at low ready while I was searching, yet engage targets without assuming a full stance and normal sight picture. Since I was searching for targets, I could keep my focus on the target, yet still engage. And it was fast. Way, way faster than finding my night sights.
I became a believer, big time, and even increased my level of “believingness” when I did more training and competing in the dark.
Having had my own epiphany, I get befuddled when I hear folks pooh-pooh the use of handgun lasers and repeat the age-old myths about lasers. The funny part is that 99.9% of the people who gleefully repeat those dusty laser myths have never actually used one with live fire in the dark.
Let’s take a look at some of the classics.
Using a laser will just give away your position!
Well, if we’re talking about a home invasion in the middle of the night, me and my spouse yelling “Get out of our house, we’ve already called 911!” is what’s going to give away my position.
Hollywood has perpetrated some pretty unrealistic scenarios when it comes to defensive encounters. Too many people envision a home-defense event resembling that scene from Silence of the Lambs, where people with guns sneak around like Ninjas trying to find each other in the pitch dark so they can have an epic gun battle. If you’re the unfortunate victim of a home invasion, I can pretty much guarantee you won’t be playing hide and seek with a squad of highly trained gunfight commandos. In reality, it won’t much matter if someone sees your handgun laser beam as it will immediately be followed by a speeding bullet heading in the same direction.
If your gun is out, and your laser is on, you are already in a gunfight so you might want to use every possible advantage to get your shot on target quickly.
If you can’t get past this myth, then invest in some quality training from a reputable self or home-defense trainer.
Okay, read the comments about how poor an idea is for a laser to be used. Hogwash!!
Have lasers on one .22 rifle, that I use for popping varmints at or near night, they are not going to get my chickens! Was not so sure at first, but once I saw how easy it was to kill a Coon, Possum, Coyote when all I could make out was barely a shape, attempting to have my dinner, I was sold! Easiest thing in the world to use, after a few rounds of practice to understand the difference.
Then I moved up, so to speak. Green laser on the 12 gauge, with a small high lumen light, capable of low, high and strobe. Strobe is great, the momentary confusing of two legged and four legged varmint is readily apparent. Couple this with the brilliant green beam, showing center of pattern and it is all about the rifled slugs fining their market, day or night!
Does this take some practice? Well does it take some practice to shoot effectively? If that is a hard to answer question for you, then sell anything that goes bang, for you have no business thinking you are going to be able to use it effectively!!!
With a laser what I have found is very interesting for time to target. Without a laser and just the light, along with a green fiber optic “bead”, at night, around .85 to 1.0 seconds to find and hit with the combo. The bead, becomes a black dot, because no light strikes it, and if the object is dark it can take as long as 1.5-1.8 to first shoot, as one needs to “find” the dark dot against the dark target, very slow.
With the green laser and light, it goes down to .57 to .68 time to first shot on target. It does not matter if I shoulder the weapon or not. The follow up shot is faster if shouldered, but the first shot is seldom more than a few inches off. Not a big deal with a 12 gauge shooting slugs or buckshot. So the second shot does not need to be in the usual split of .23 to .28 when shouldered, second shoot is still under .50 even if from the “hip”.
All of this is the same for a pistol. All of these times are from a Pact timer, not guesses. Yes, have spent decades in competition, rifle, pistol and shotgun. But it is still about practice no matter what one might think! However, it is very easy for people to be trained to shoot well and quickly, with just some basic lessons and proper technique. Something that most would not know if it bit them on the leg!
Lasers, are great!
A low battery in a laser is no different than a magazine not loaded or short loaded. Understanding how to use one well, is no different from learning how to shoot in the first place!
If you worry about whether it will work when you need it, then you have not shot enough. As I worry more about if the firearm is going to work when I need it. Because every firearm made can fail, and often at a very poor time. That being said, do I worry about it? NO!
Take care of the weapon, including all of the sights, and odds are mostly in your favor!