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Slims · 07-13-2009, 05:29 PM

I have used them on my work-gun. If you have the option I am far more fond of any brand of tritium night sights.

Laser sights are excellent backups, especially in very small pistols where it is very difficult to acquire a sight picture. This is especially true if you have poor eyesight they can be invaluable as you can focus on a single plane.

However, they have a few drawbacks:

1. Shooting from an improper stance: People tend to develop very bad habits when using laser sights....they stop bringing their weapon up into a proper shooting position and adopt sloppy techniques. Shooters then keep those bad habits when they shoot during daytime conditions where a laser sight is useless. Also, shooters cannot shoot as fast when they are waiting to reacquire a laser dot which bounces all over the target following a shot, traditional techniques of reacquiring a flash sight picture...or no sight picture for double taps just don't carry over well to using a laser sight. If you notice the crimson trace commercials the person shooting (a professional shooter) is looking through his sights and the laser just happens to be on...he doesn't appear to be using it at all because it would only slow him down.

2. Searching: People often get in the habit of simply moving the red-dot onto the target vs. using the sights with the laser as a backup. The problem with this is that if the person doesn't have a wall or a surface behind the target where the laser dot will be easily visible you often won't know which direction to move in order to get on target and will 'search' around with your pistol until you can see the dot, wasting a lot of time. This is especially true in dim but not dark situations.

3. Dead Batteries: I have several times pulled my weapon out only to find the batteries were dead. I am not sure whether there was some sort of slow battery drain or whether I was somehow triggering the sight while my weapon was holstered, but the result was the same...the sight I expected to have wasn't working.

4. Fragility: I have had two different crimson trace grips on my work-gun and I broke both of them.

5. Lasers are a two-way beam of light: You become more visible and poor laser discipline (light discipline is something that has to be learned and practiced or you wills screw it up in an emergency) can telegraph your intentions and location to an intruder, allowing them to prepare and maneuver effectively against you.

My personal preference is for Novak Lo-Mount Night Sights. It is a matter of personal preference, but they have never let me down. They work for at least 12 years, are very fast, don't rely on batteries, don't 'wash out' if a flashlight is used or it is daylight. My shooting techniques remain exactly the same regardless of the light conditions (with the exception of a white light), they are very durable and IMHO the Novak's are a better sight even for daylight hours than the plastic thingy which comes stock on the Glock.

07-13-2009, 05:29 PM	#2 (permalink)
Slims Eccentric insomniac Location: North Carolina	I have used them on my work-gun. If you have the option I am far more fond of any brand of tritium night sights. Laser sights are excellent backups, especially in very small pistols where it is very difficult to acquire a sight picture. This is especially true if you have poor eyesight they can be invaluable as you can focus on a single plane. However, they have a few drawbacks: 1. Shooting from an improper stance: People tend to develop very bad habits when using laser sights....they stop bringing their weapon up into a proper shooting position and adopt sloppy techniques. Shooters then keep those bad habits when they shoot during daytime conditions where a laser sight is useless. Also, shooters cannot shoot as fast when they are waiting to reacquire a laser dot which bounces all over the target following a shot, traditional techniques of reacquiring a flash sight picture...or no sight picture for double taps just don't carry over well to using a laser sight. If you notice the crimson trace commercials the person shooting (a professional shooter) is looking through his sights and the laser just happens to be on...he doesn't appear to be using it at all because it would only slow him down. 2. Searching: People often get in the habit of simply moving the red-dot onto the target vs. using the sights with the laser as a backup. The problem with this is that if the person doesn't have a wall or a surface behind the target where the laser dot will be easily visible you often won't know which direction to move in order to get on target and will 'search' around with your pistol until you can see the dot, wasting a lot of time. This is especially true in dim but not dark situations. 3. Dead Batteries: I have several times pulled my weapon out only to find the batteries were dead. I am not sure whether there was some sort of slow battery drain or whether I was somehow triggering the sight while my weapon was holstered, but the result was the same...the sight I expected to have wasn't working. 4. Fragility: I have had two different crimson trace grips on my work-gun and I broke both of them. 5. Lasers are a two-way beam of light: You become more visible and poor laser discipline (light discipline is something that has to be learned and practiced or you wills screw it up in an emergency) can telegraph your intentions and location to an intruder, allowing them to prepare and maneuver effectively against you. My personal preference is for Novak Lo-Mount Night Sights. It is a matter of personal preference, but they have never let me down. They work for at least 12 years, are very fast, don't rely on batteries, don't 'wash out' if a flashlight is used or it is daylight. My shooting techniques remain exactly the same regardless of the light conditions (with the exception of a white light), they are very durable and IMHO the Novak's are a better sight even for daylight hours than the plastic thingy which comes stock on the Glock. __________________ "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill "All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E. Lawrence Last edited by Slims; 07-13-2009 at 06:15 PM..