Gun Trade World - January 2023
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great gear<br />
handgun laser sights<br />
sights. These laser grips are not just a<br />
novelty containing a laser, but can be very<br />
comfortable, well-made grips. What’s<br />
interesting about these is that the laser<br />
activates as you grip the weapon, thanks<br />
to a pressure pad, making it impossible to<br />
fail to activate the laser. Flat batteries fit<br />
in the new grip panels, and a miniature<br />
laser sight unit is moulded into the upper<br />
surface of one of the grip plates. With<br />
most laser-sight-grip designs, the two<br />
grip panels are connected by a pressure<br />
pad that crosses the leading surface of<br />
the handgun grip. When the user grips<br />
the firearm normally and applies a<br />
moderate amount of pressure, the laser<br />
sight activates for as long as pressure is<br />
applied. These grips are made for nearly<br />
any weapon you can easily change grips<br />
on, including revolvers, and there even are<br />
laser grips for most popular pistol series<br />
that do not feature interchangeable grips.<br />
These laser grips slip over the existing<br />
grip frame and position a pressureactivation<br />
switch on the back of the grip<br />
strap.<br />
USING LASER SIGHTS<br />
Where a laser sight shines is in lowlight<br />
conditions. Whether red or green,<br />
a laser sight is virtually impossible to<br />
miss in low-light and dark conditions.<br />
Drastically improving your sighting in<br />
these less-than-ideal conditions is what<br />
these compact and easy to use sights are<br />
all about. Laser sights can also be used<br />
when shooting at non-traditional angles,<br />
at these angles, you cannot align your<br />
handgun for whatever reason to use iron<br />
sights. At these extreme angles, a laser<br />
sight can also be used in place of iron<br />
sights. That said, don’t think laser sights<br />
are your all-round aiming device. In bright<br />
daylight conditions you might even be<br />
slower with a laser sight because you’ll<br />
be too focussed on finding the dot on<br />
target whereas open sights or a dot sight<br />
would be much quicker on the mark. So,<br />
see these laser sights as complimenting<br />
your toolbox, and practising with them<br />
as such, rather than fully relying on them<br />
and forgetting about your other sighting<br />
systems all together.<br />
Dedicated training<br />
with a laser sight<br />
is of course the<br />
most important<br />
factor in using a<br />
laser, or really any<br />
firearm. Train to<br />
use the laser sight<br />
in combination<br />
with regular iron<br />
sights. Low light<br />
training is a major<br />
consideration for<br />
using these sights<br />
and should be<br />
carried out regularly.<br />
Also, it’s vital to<br />
remember a laser<br />
sight needs to be<br />
zeroed in, as any<br />
optical weapon<br />
device.<br />
PROS AND CONS<br />
When considering either a framemounted<br />
or a grip laser sight, consider<br />
the following pros and cons. With a<br />
frame-mounted sight, you will need a new<br />
holster as your old one won’t go together<br />
with the added rail-mounted sight. Here<br />
grip laser sights have the advantage as<br />
they don’t require you to purchase a new<br />
holster. On the other hand, should you<br />
wish to add a flashlight next to a laser<br />
sight to upgrade your handgun set up,<br />
frame-mounted laser sights come very<br />
often equipped with a flashlight. Grip<br />
laser sights simply don’t have room to<br />
add an equally powerful flashlight in/on<br />
the handgun grip so here frame-mounted<br />
laser sights have the advantage. Grip<br />
laser sights meanwhile don’t require the<br />
push of a button to activate, as they are<br />
activated by means of a pressure pad in<br />
the grip.<br />
THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT<br />
Laser sights for handguns have come a<br />
long way since featuring in many 80’s<br />
Hollywood movies such as for example<br />
The Terminator. Whether for personal<br />
or professional applications, these sights<br />
offer an extremely useful addition to<br />
your handgun setup, especially for low<br />
light conditions. What’s more, thanks to<br />
the versatility of types and designs, laser<br />
sights are available for almost any kind<br />
of handgun. For the trade, where allowed<br />
by law, these sights will offer a worthy<br />
addition to your product portfolio. GTW<br />
32 www.guntradeworld.com