Chickenhawk
Member
- Dec 6, 2011
- 784
LOL! Love it!!Grimor said:
Now, while I would rarely criticize another person's choice of firearm, because firearms are so personal, I would like to correct some misconceptions. (I do this for what my wife laughingly refers to as "my living" after all.)
Lasers are toys, pure and simple.
#1 - Hollywood directors LOVE lasers. (I don't have a problem with them on set if they are paying me and if there are no safety issues involved.)
#2 - They have VERY limited use in training ... and in many ways, can actually detract from training when the student starts looking for dot feedback and stops looking at the front sight. With good techniques in teaching and lots of dry-fire practice, a handgun student can tell exactly what they are doing wrong and where the shot would have gone by the alignment of the front sight in the notch at the moment the hammer falls.
In nearly 30 years of teaching people how to shoot, I have never used a laser and never will. (Lest you think I am a Luddite and behind the times, I should also point out that I wrote the book - literally - on firearms and handgun safety training for my country.)
#3 - They have a limited use in the military, but only with NVG.
#4 - They are NEVER used in law enforcement. That extra second or two that it takes to first acquire the laser, then move the dot to the target will get someone killed. Plus, in a multiple shooter scenario, there is no way to determine who's dot is who's. Bystanders could get killed very easily. I say this again ... NO ONE in law enforcement uses a laser. (Or, certainly not in my country.)
#5 - No bad guy has EVER surrendered because they saw a dot on their chest.
If I am determined to cause grievous bodily harm to someone, the last thing I am ever going to do is watch my chest for dots ... and if I see one, I am going to charge forward even more determined because I know there is virtually no way they will work in a real-life dynamic situation.
The only people touting lasers are the manufacturers. Beyond their limited use in the military with NVG, they are simply toys.
Advocating lasers are how serious handgun shooters eliminate further advice from a purported instructor. They are just like shotgun instructors who try to tell people that the sound of a pump being racked will deter most bad guys. Except for limited circumstances in corrections where we actually DO teach ERU teams to rack the pump in front of an inmate when using less-than-lethal rounds, racking a pump will not stop someone determined to kill you.
After all, when it comes to shotguns, when sneaking in to my house to do me harm, the sound of a Benelli M4 cartridge drop lever being depressed and the swish of the bolt handle is very faint compared to the sound of a pump being racked ... but it is not the sound that will stop the bad guy; it is the 6 rounds of buckshot that can be fired from an M4 .18 seconds apart that does.
All that being said, if someone wants to use lasers to increase the fun value in shooting or the pride in owning firearms, then go for it. I highly support both activities.
But understand that professionals will always say that the BEST accessory one could ever get for a firearm that may be used to protect human life is a case of ammunition and a good training course or coaching from a person who knows what they are talking about.
Sounds like we have the same combination; as I mentioned earlier, I have the LaserMax guide-rod sight, and Tijicon tritium three dot setup (green front, amber rear) installed in/on my carry. What I mean by affirmation is that I often wondered if the addition of these two mods was being a bit excessive--especially since this combination costs as much as the price of a new firearm. A good firearm. When you throw in the fact that I seldom practice with the laser, one would understand if buyer's remorse creeps in. Knowing that you have a similar system, affirms my decision. I am not alone!
