I've been looking for a review of the crimson trace laser and can't find any details about accuracy and daytime view. Plenty of praise but no critique makes me wonder if someone is manipulating the info available. If any of you have first hand info I would appreciate it, I love the concept but does it really work? Is shaking a problem? daylight range? does the button feel weird?
crimson trace accuracy
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Start here: http://www.gunblast.com/CrimsonTrace-LCP.htm
Our forum store has sold a ton of them, so there are lots of users. There is also a thread on this forum under a poll that should give you an indication of how many people have them or intend to get them.
Personally, I find it a marvelous piece of engineering. It is solid, and my set point has not needed adjusting over quite a few sessions at the range. It comes from the factory presighted. A factory tour video played on the Outdoor channel showed the fixtures they use to sight in the lasers.
Our forum store has sold a ton of them, so there are lots of users. There is also a thread on this forum under a poll that should give you an indication of how many people have them or intend to get them.
Personally, I find it a marvelous piece of engineering. It is solid, and my set point has not needed adjusting over quite a few sessions at the range. It comes from the factory presighted. A factory tour video played on the Outdoor channel showed the fixtures they use to sight in the lasers.
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I agree with Howard, it is an amazing little thing. Of course, I remember the first laser I ever saw on a handgun, it was a Colt Python, six inch barrel, with the laser sticking out 1/2 inch on either end. At the time, it was the coolest thing I had ever seen, firearms related anyway.
In the daylight it is difficult to see the laser dot, as is any red laser. However, this weekend was heavily overcast when I was at my secret gravel pit doing some shooting. Just for fun, I tossed out an empty Dr. Pepper can about ten yards away. I had to walk the dot to the can for the first shot, but I was able to keep it on the can as I bounced it around the pit. I sure wished I had a 30 round mag at that time, I was having so much fun I didn't want to stop for a reload. Had it not been overcast, I don't think I could have done that. The laser really comes into it's own in a low light situation where you can't see the sights..... So far, I haven't had any problem with the activation button although some members have.
Regards,
Mike
In the daylight it is difficult to see the laser dot, as is any red laser. However, this weekend was heavily overcast when I was at my secret gravel pit doing some shooting. Just for fun, I tossed out an empty Dr. Pepper can about ten yards away. I had to walk the dot to the can for the first shot, but I was able to keep it on the can as I bounced it around the pit. I sure wished I had a 30 round mag at that time, I was having so much fun I didn't want to stop for a reload. Had it not been overcast, I don't think I could have done that. The laser really comes into it's own in a low light situation where you can't see the sights..... So far, I haven't had any problem with the activation button although some members have.
Regards,
Mike
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Ooben, I have a CT on order from the store for my LCP but I have one installed on my XD-40. It is a great addition with regard to target acquisition, and at 25 - 30 feet it is easy to see. A problem I have noticed is that it magnifies all of your hand motion to the point that you seem to be chasing yourself for the next shot. You must be ready to pull the trigger as soon as the target is acquired again. If the light is good the regular sight's work better for me but there is nothing better in low light to help find the target. I am looking forward to trying it on the LCP.
One thing I might add is that if you sight this laser in at a given distance, it is only going to be accurate at that distance. But then I suppose that holds true for regular sights also. You get lulled into a false sense of this thing being magic, and it is after all just a sight. ;D
One thing I might add is that if you sight this laser in at a given distance, it is only going to be accurate at that distance. But then I suppose that holds true for regular sights also. You get lulled into a false sense of this thing being magic, and it is after all just a sight. ;D
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You should view this not as a problem but as an opportunity to improve trigger pull discipline by lots of dry firing with snap caps.David Henry said:
Two points:David Henry said:
- The laser does not magnify your movement in any way, the gun is still pointing in the exact same place(s) it's always been. The arc of movement is still identical. The difference comes from the fact that now you're seeing the arc at distance rather than at arm's length. So really, all the laser does is show you just how large your normal wobble zone actually is. It's still disconcerting to some people, but as with any other sighting system the idea is to fire within an acceptable zone.
- Pulling the trigger at the moment the dot appears to be where you want it is called "perfect sight picture syndrome," and it's common for new shooters using iron sights, as well. It often results in jerked shots because instead of pressing through the trigger in a smooth continuous motion, the shooter tries to get the shot off immediately during the moment he sees the dot in the very center of the target. With a trigger like the LCP's it's actually harder to get good hits this way.
Thank you. I fully intended to get the CT laser when I got the gun but I thought it may be wise to let some of them get out in the market so I could get some feedback from people who actually have them. I jumped out a little too soon and bought the gun, I wish I had waited until they worked the bugs out. The trigger broke on round #69 and it took 5 weeks to get it back from the factory. So I guess I'm a little "gun shy" of new products right now.
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i have owned a ct laser grip before in the past. (accuracy was top notch with my unit)
i sold it because i didn't use it to much-- i have triljicon night sights on all of my weapons ,possible.
i use the lcp with my sights and i have become pretty good with them or the lack of them as well.
here is the clincher, i believe in using your sights, and i don't subscribe to point shooting in most forms taught, but the lcp really doesn't have sights-- just plastic pimples.
under a defensive scenario, with some one trying to kill you or your family, you will want to actually be able to put some of those 6-7 bullets on target, and it won't happen under stress, with no practice, or with no sort of aiming reference--- i don't care if your last name is ayyob or leathem. most people who buy the lcp wont practice, that is the bottom line. you have to practice even with a laser sight-- you will miss if you don't, even at 7 yards.
These factors alone are really the real reason for buying a crimson trace laser grip for the lcp.
practice,practice,practice!!!!!!!!
side note : i used to use the laser as a training aid for trigger control,if the laser jumps ,then you had just jerked the trigger.**don't forget to unload the gun****
best regards,
x
i sold it because i didn't use it to much-- i have triljicon night sights on all of my weapons ,possible.
i use the lcp with my sights and i have become pretty good with them or the lack of them as well.
here is the clincher, i believe in using your sights, and i don't subscribe to point shooting in most forms taught, but the lcp really doesn't have sights-- just plastic pimples.
under a defensive scenario, with some one trying to kill you or your family, you will want to actually be able to put some of those 6-7 bullets on target, and it won't happen under stress, with no practice, or with no sort of aiming reference--- i don't care if your last name is ayyob or leathem. most people who buy the lcp wont practice, that is the bottom line. you have to practice even with a laser sight-- you will miss if you don't, even at 7 yards.
These factors alone are really the real reason for buying a crimson trace laser grip for the lcp.
practice,practice,practice!!!!!!!!
side note : i used to use the laser as a training aid for trigger control,if the laser jumps ,then you had just jerked the trigger.**don't forget to unload the gun****
best regards,
x
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Well I broke down and spent the money to get a crimson trace from the store here. I have been looking and reading forever on here about it and I broke down and did it. I have never been a fan of laser (mainly because of the price) and I hope I am spending the money on something that will work just as good as you guys say it does.
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12 shots, 15 yards. Six shots, speed reload (I have a spare magazine), six more shots. Done with a timer.
I didn't get all the shots off within the time frame I set, but with a pistol like the LCP I'll take that performance any day. I could not have performed that well with just the iron sights at that distance.
Lasers are to the handgun what the red dot sight is to the carbine. It's an easier means of obtaining an aiming reference, especially in low light and under stress. The laser also tells you what you are doing with your trigger pull.
Lasers don't magically make you an accurate shooter. They simply show you what you're doing. No gadget in the world will help you if you jerk the unholy snot out of the trigger...but a laser CAN help you see that you are jerking the unholy snot out of the trigger. Lasers give you a more exact aiming reference than iron sights do, allowing a lot of people to shoot smaller groups. In the brightest daylight the laser does wash out...but most fights don't happen in those conditions. If it does happen the irons are perfectly useable at that range.
As Todd said, you have to learn to execute a proper trigger press while the laser is wobbling on target. The laser will never be still. If you get the dot where you want it and think "NOW!" and then pull the trigger, odds are you will jerk the unholy hell out of the trigger and miss by a mile. If you keep the laser within an acceptable wobble zone and execute a proper trigger press you'll hit.
To properly use the laser you index on target just as you would if you are using the irons, engage the laser, and execute a proper trigger pull. Once you can do that, start doing multiple shots to practice reacquiring the necessary dot picture. Then practice drawing the weapon from concealment and activating the laser as you present the weapon. Start slow at first to learn to do this smoothly, then worry about speed.
Shoot at a target similar to the one I'm using in the pictures I posted. Run some of the drills Todd has on his website with your LCP. Holding yourself to a high accuracy standard in training will help make you faster and more accurate overall.
Personally I wouldn't be carrying the LCP without the laser. I view the CT laser module to be that important to the serious defensive use of this weapon. I've learned the value of lasers after some quality training and time spent using them on the range and I've come to view them as an absolute necessity on weapons like the S&W J frame and the LCP, and a really really really really REALLY good idea on service pistols like the M&P.
Tiny guns like the LCP are a MAJOR compromise in the concealment vs. capability spectrum. The CT module helps to ameliorate that gap, in my opinion. I've heard guys say that they don't plan on using it at more than a few feet anyway, so why bother with a laser? Those individuals are looking at the situation all wrong. You hope you don't have to use a firearm to stop someone who wants to kill you.....ever. If you DO have to draw a gun and aim it at the face of someone who wants you dead, do not expect that suddenly the world is going to go your way. Accuracy (because only hits stop bad people) under gunfight conditions is no small order for highly trained individuals using a full-sized handgun at fairly close range. It's not going to be any easier for those who don't shoot people for a living that are carrying a tiny weapon like the LCP. The CT module helps make the sight alignment part of accuracy (and perhaps in some limited circumstances the trigger pull part of accuracy) easier under stress.
When it comes time to contemplate the use of a firearm for serious social purposes, one must remember that often the only advantage they will have is the one they give themselves ahead of time.
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Todd, You are correct. My reference to the magnification of hand movement was a bad way to say that the laser shows your improper twitches in a way that you do not see other wise. I also figured out that I had to adjust my mindset to not jerk the trigger but to squeeze deliberately. The practice, practice, practice, ideal cannot be overstated. The Shooting itch has almost replaced my Golf itch. And it is almost as expensive. Maybe a bit more 
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Thanks for the pictures John Wayne. I always love pictures. That is some good info you wrote (even though I had to stop 1/2 way and go to the bathroom and walk the dogs, LOL). I cant wait to get mine and take it out to the range. I speed shoot every Tuesday with about 30 guys and let me tell you, they are all in love with my LCP. It is so funny, these guys are all gun freaks and they all think the LCP is the coolest thing since slice bread. They are going to love the laser on there.
I was just out to the range and found that with the laser I had much better accuracy. I put a group of 5 with in a 2" circle at 15' and one flyer about 5" out. Shaking does make a difference. With the laser your movement of the gun is very obvious especially when going through that long trigger pull. But that makes you focus more on technique and improves accuracy. My laser was fairly close to accurate when first installed but a very small adjustment has it about as close as I can get it. The one difficulty I found is adjusting my grip to assure the laser was activated and keeping my grip on the laser button. If my grip slipped a little on recoil sometimes the laser would deactivate requiring me to adjust my finger on the button to turn it on. All in all I like it and would recommend it. The folks above are right, you really must practice with it to be accurate.
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Many of us have had the same problem. There is a thread at the Crimson Trace forum where you may wish to contribute. http://forums.crimsontrace.com/index.php?topic=34150.30freetoe said:
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Well it came in. I got my crimson trace and I did a little dance. It came fast. I took it out of the box and it took me about 2 min to put it on my LCP. It was so easy I didn't even look at the instructions like a true man. I am very impressed with how well it grips the gun and how solid it is. I was worried that it would break or something, no worrys about that any more, it really is made very well. I have not made it to the range yet, just played with it all over my house. So far I am very impress and happy with it.
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Now my only problem is I have to get a new pocket holster and ankle holster for it.
Now my only problem is I have to get a new pocket holster and ankle holster for it.
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It came with instructions? ;D
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...and some Gold Dots to replace those Hydra-shoks.tigertonytigger said:
Hydra-shoks remain popular but the fact is that they are an old design that doesn't offer the performance of more modern types of bullets.Looks great Tony! I'm anxious to here how it shoots.tigertonytigger said:Well it came in. I got my crimson trace and I did a little dance. It came fast. I took it out of the box and it took me about 2 min to put it on my LCP. It was so easy I didn't even look at the instructions like a true man. I am very impressed with how well it grips the gun and how solid it is. I was worried that it would break or something, no worrys about that any more, it really is made very well. I have not made it to the range yet, just played with it all over my house. So far I am very impress and happy with it.
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Now my only problem is I have to get a new pocket holster and ankle holster for it.
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