Laser grips?

[seniorshooteress]

I was thinking of purchasing a Kimber Ultra Crimson Carry II because of the laser grips, then thought I would just purchase laser grips for my carry guns instead of buying another gun. Does any one have any pro's or con's on these Crimsom Carry grips? Are they worth the money? Any problems putting them on the guns? Do I want front or rear activation? I have a Glock 26 and a Bersa Thunder .380 that I am thinking of getting these laser grips for. Does it effect the draw and/or the overall size of the gun?

[RocTrac]

My daily carry is a Kimber Crimson Carry Pro. I believe that it will depend on your holster, the laser part doesn't get into my holsters. I use crossbreed IWB and OWB and another OWB by River Rat.
I love my 1911's.
Carl

[The Annoyed Man]

I've never shot the 1911 with a laser, but my wife's 642 has the CT grips, and neither of us use them when shooting her pistol. To both us they seem more of a distraction than simply having good shooting technique. You start paying more attention to the dot than to the target itself.

I know that others like them, but for me.... ...meh!

[Bashful]

Put the dot on the target.. preeessssss.....

They're great for low light, awkward positions that you may not be able to get a traditional sight picture. They're also really good to watch trigger control and recoil recovery for training.

I didn't use them until I put them on my wife's LCP (which has NO sights) and saw the improvement in her shooting, and the ease of looking at trigger control, etc.

Since then, I've put laser grips on all of my defensive handguns.

[G.A. Heath]

I own two firearms with Crimson Trace Laser Grips installed (Both are factory installs). My first laser grip weapon was my Kimber Pro Covert II and my second is my Ruger LCR-LG. The pros and cons are In a nutshell:

Laser Pros:
Great training tool (ensure the gun is empty and dry fire, watch the dot).
Useful when firing from non-conventional positions.
Has been documented to cause subjects to stop their actions prior to the use of deadly force.

Laser Cons:
Uses Batteries.
Can give away your position.
Requires additional training.
Many laser devices have two dimensions of parallax (Vertical and Horizontal) while scopes and regular sights experience only one dimension of parallax (Vertical).

[Pete92FS]

I've got the Kimber Ultra Crimson Carry II which of course comes with the sights factory installed. The is an on/off switch on the lower part of the left grip. If the power is turned on; when you squeeze the grip as if you are going to shoot the laser comes on. I do most of my target practice with the laser off. The only thing I don't like about the gun is that it came with plain sights (no dots) which can be hard to line up in the low light of some of the indoor ranges. That I plan on fixing by putting on some Trijicon or equiv. sights. I have carried this pistol 100% since I bought it last October.

[davidtx]

Put the dot on the target.. preeessssss.....

They're great for low light, awkward positions that you may not be able to get a traditional sight picture. They're also really good to watch trigger control and recoil recovery for training.
[SNIP]

I agree. My daily carry gun is a Kimber Custom Crimson Carry. This is my first handgun and I've spent almost all of my range time practicing without the laser. The couple of times I've turned the laser on, its just too easy. At 7 yards, the laser is spot on. I hadn't thought about using it as a training aid - I'll add that to the regimen.

I do plan to add night sights ASAP. If you do take the Kimber route, you may want to compare the Covert and Crimson Carry models. The coverts come with night sights (and other differences).

[gwashorn]

Most items already covered. Have had on my 92FS now for 10 years. Put it on my XD9SC and actually made the grip better feeling to use the gun. Wife's 642 has them. Great training aid and do that a lot. I mostly train without them for good technique but also train to use and understand them, as mentioned earlier. Batteries in 92FS lasted 10 years. Depends on how much I tease the cat of course. But there are times they are good. quality has been good and I like that they are switched from the grip. Squeeze hard enough to pull trigger and the light comes on. I practice not activating it until my trigger finger needs to be used. Helps with the not be seen issue.

Gary

[The Annoyed Man]

Maybe if I had them mounted on a better, heavier, pistol with better standard sights, I might have more confidence in them. But on the 642, with its abbreviated sight radius, lack of real sights, and extremely light weight, it is difficult not to keeping the dot dancing around while squeezing the trigger. On the other hand, with the laser turned off, I can aim the 642 reasonably well for what it is.

So if I had them on one of my 1911s, or on my USP Compact, maybe it would work better for me.

[gigag04]

LE agencies that allowed lasers saw an increase in the percentage of hits on the first shot in high stress shooting situations by like 90% IIRC. I can't find the study so take it that as an undocumented stat at this time, but I'm trying to remember where I read that.

I wouldn't use it as a crutch, but it can be a good tool to have with if you if need be.

[cougartex]

I have CT laser grips on two guns, S&W 1911 and Beretta 92FS Vertec. The 1911 came with the laser and I installed the laser on the 92FS, very simple to do. Just remove the original grips amd install the laser grips. Both of these guns are my HD guns. I would recommend lasers for HD guns. My EDC is a Beretta Cougar with Trijicon sights.

[Blinking Dog]

I have CT on my 1911. Easy to install. Didn't require any adjustments out of the box. Button to illuminate is on front of grip and is activated easily with pressure from middle finger. Didn't have to get a new holster.

CT laser grips are, as mentioned, great for low light and awkward shooting positions. Like anything, you need to be properly trained to use them. Same with using a light or night sights. There is a right and wrong way, and you ought to find someone who knows what they're talking about to instruct you. Yes, if you go to your well lit range and have the laser turned on and try to look at the dot and use your iron sights at the same time you'll get brain overload.

Lasers used to be a novelty, now they're no joke. Get one, learn to use it and you'll be much better equipped to defend yourself and your loved ones.

[nmsu]

I have them on my Glock 19 and they are a great aid in training. It makes it very obvious if you are moving the pistol when you press the trigger (helps to have someone watching the target)

[RECIT]

I have never shot a pistol with a laser grip, but I have seen guys at the range and you can tell when they are shaking or have a trigger jerk or something. Everyone including you watches your laser at the range.

[Blinking Dog]

Probably every shooter has some kind of shake, commonly called "wobble." The goal isn't to have no wobble, the goal is to have a tight wobble and to break the shot when the sights are where you want them. The laser is a great training aid in this regard.

Poor trigger press is bad, and a laser can help your dry fire training at home. On the range, the laser will show poor trigger mechanics...as will the hole you put on paper in an odd spot.

If you look at the laser dot for aiming, ignore your sights. If you're looking at your sights ignore the laser. If your neighbors on the range are looking at your laser dot, so what.