Gun Trade World - January 2023
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great gear<br />
handgun laser sights<br />
EYES ON<br />
TARGET<br />
Next to iron sights and red dots, lasers form a very interesting sighting alternative for<br />
handguns. At night, in dark circumstances or in situations where you simply can’t get<br />
your eyes lined up behind your regular sights, laser sights shine.<br />
WHAT’S IN A NAME?<br />
A laser sight is an electronic device that<br />
is attached or integral to a firearm - in<br />
this case a handgun – to aid with target<br />
acquisition. Unlike your typical iron<br />
sights or optical sight, where you must<br />
line up your eyes with the sight to aim<br />
at the target, laser sights project a beam<br />
onto the target, providing the user with<br />
a visual reference point on your target.<br />
When looking at what a laser actually is,<br />
the word ‘laser’ is an acronym for ‘Light<br />
Amplification by Stimulated Emission of<br />
Radiation’.<br />
The first laser was built in 1960, so the<br />
concept isn’t that new. A laser differs from<br />
other sources of light in that it emits light<br />
which is coherent. This coherence allows<br />
a laser to be focused to a tight spot and<br />
stay narrow over great distances. Lasers<br />
are used for a wide variety of applications,<br />
from cutting and welding materials to<br />
surgery, bar code scanning… Yet also<br />
military, law enforcement, self-defence and<br />
hunting applications to measure distances<br />
- with laser range finders - and as a<br />
weapon sighting system. Although lasers<br />
in the visible part of the electromagnetic<br />
spectrum are most commonly used, in a<br />
red as well as in a green colour scheme,<br />
the military also uses lasers at wavelengths<br />
that are invisible for the unaided human<br />
eye. These lasers will only be visible when<br />
using a night vision device such as goggles.<br />
DIFFERENT TYPES<br />
Laser sights are available in several<br />
different types. The most common<br />
types we see today, but most are divided<br />
into two styles. First, we have framemounted<br />
lasers. These will either attach<br />
to a picatinny style rail in front of the<br />
trigger guard or to the trigger guard of<br />
a handgun itself when an accessory rail<br />
is lacking. On most full-sized handguns,<br />
these laser sights are integrated into a<br />
flashlight offering you both a powerful<br />
light beam as well as laser aiming<br />
capabilities. Some frame-mounted<br />
systems even feature a built-in camera<br />
and microphone to record your practice<br />
drills, but also your actions when the<br />
going gets tough. Others will have<br />
an infrared illuminator to be used in<br />
combination with night vision devices.<br />
Most will feature ambidextrous push<br />
buttons to turn on/off your laser sight,<br />
flashlight… intuitively and with ease<br />
using your index finger. Next to framemounted<br />
lasers we have grip-based laser<br />
30 www.guntradeworld.com