Gun Trade World - January 2023

great gear
handgun laser sights
EYES ON
TARGET
Next to iron sights and red dots, lasers form a very interesting sighting alternative for
handguns. At night, in dark circumstances or in situations where you simply can’t get
your eyes lined up behind your regular sights, laser sights shine.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
A laser sight is an electronic device that
is attached or integral to a firearm - in
this case a handgun – to aid with target
acquisition. Unlike your typical iron
sights or optical sight, where you must
line up your eyes with the sight to aim
at the target, laser sights project a beam
onto the target, providing the user with
a visual reference point on your target.
When looking at what a laser actually is,
the word ‘laser’ is an acronym for ‘Light
Amplification by Stimulated Emission of
Radiation’.
The first laser was built in 1960, so the
concept isn’t that new. A laser differs from
other sources of light in that it emits light
which is coherent. This coherence allows
a laser to be focused to a tight spot and
stay narrow over great distances. Lasers
are used for a wide variety of applications,
from cutting and welding materials to
surgery, bar code scanning… Yet also
military, law enforcement, self-defence and
hunting applications to measure distances
- with laser range finders - and as a
weapon sighting system. Although lasers
in the visible part of the electromagnetic
spectrum are most commonly used, in a
red as well as in a green colour scheme,
the military also uses lasers at wavelengths
that are invisible for the unaided human
eye. These lasers will only be visible when
using a night vision device such as goggles.
DIFFERENT TYPES
Laser sights are available in several
different types. The most common
types we see today, but most are divided
into two styles. First, we have framemounted
lasers. These will either attach
to a picatinny style rail in front of the
trigger guard or to the trigger guard of
a handgun itself when an accessory rail
is lacking. On most full-sized handguns,
these laser sights are integrated into a
flashlight offering you both a powerful
light beam as well as laser aiming
capabilities. Some frame-mounted
systems even feature a built-in camera
and microphone to record your practice
drills, but also your actions when the
going gets tough. Others will have
an infrared illuminator to be used in
combination with night vision devices.
Most will feature ambidextrous push
buttons to turn on/off your laser sight,
flashlight… intuitively and with ease
using your index finger. Next to framemounted
lasers we have grip-based laser
30 www.guntradeworld.com