Then one day, good friend and fellow Tactics List participant David Armstrong asked me a pretty straightforward question.  "Have you ever tried one?"  No, I hadn't.  David recommended I give the Crimson Trace LASERGRIPS a try, and even helped arrange for Clyde Caceres of Crimson Trace to send me a set to evaluate for my Beretta.  That was more than a year ago.  Now, fourteen months and about 10,000 rounds of dedicated laser practice and training later, I'm perhaps just a bit more qualified to offer an opinion ... and write a review.

     Because there is so much information and so many pictures associated with this review, it spreads across multiple pages.  This is done to keep the load time for each individual page to a minimum.  When you get to the bottom of each page, just click on the link to bring you to the next.

     What I've learned very quickly is that I wasn't the only person who had a strong but unfounded opinion about laser aiming devices.  Most people who dislike lasers have   never used one.  The rest generally sum up their experience this way: "Well, ole Bob has one on his forty-five, and the one time I tried it the darn dot kept dancin' all over the place!"

     Hopefully, it will come as no surprise to anyone that the laser, just like any other piece of equipment, requires a little bit of time and practice to use properly, especially if you want to try target practice with it ... because it wasn't designed for target practice, it was designed for combat.  That's why some of the most prestigious law enforcement and military units in the country have Crimson Trace LASERGRIPS on every handgun they use.  So the next time someone tells you he doesn't like lasers and explains all the "faults" to you, ask him how many months of shooting he's done with a laser; ask him how many thousands of rounds he's shot using a laser; ask him how many classes he's taken using the laser; ask him how many live force-on-force training scenarios he has run through using a laser.  Then, at least, you can weigh his knowledge and experience accordingly.

     So what exactly are we talking about?  In technical terms, Crimson Trace LASERGRIPS are user-installable laser aiming modules which actually replace the standard grips (more properly referred to as "stocks") on a revolver or semiauto handgun.  As you can see from the picture at left, the grip is essentially the same size as the factory standard grips, except for the small bulge near the top where the laser diode and lens actually reside.

     How sensitive is the pressure switch?   Apparently, it depends at least a little bit on the particular unit you get.   For example, the set CTC sent me in early 1999 for T&E requires more "squeeze" than the one I bought for my 96G Elite.  According to Crimson Trace, they can adjust the sensitivity to your specific wishes if you ship the grips back to them in Oregon.

     The 5mW 633nm beam (the strongest, brightest beam allowed by law) is activated when the momentary pressure switch on the grip is squeezed.   So whenever you hold the gun in your normal shooting grip, the laser comes on.   However, most models (including the Beretta) have a master power switch so that you can practice without the laser.

     This is a very important point.  When you grip the gun in a shooting stance, the laser comes on.  You don't have to find a switch, press a button, etc.  You grip the gun, the laser comes on.  This is in stark contrast to such devices as the Lasermax guide rod laser, which uses an on/off switch replacing the takedown lever on a gun.  So with the Lasermax, you have to draw, locate the switch with your finger, press the button, get your normal shooting grip, and fire.  With the Crimson Trace, it's just simple draw-and-shoot.  There is no extra step to learn and remember, no extra movement to take time and maybe even fumble.   With the LASERGRIPS, if you can point your gun and pull the trigger, you can use the laser.

     The laser is powered by two small quarter-sized lithium batteries (included) which provide more than four hours of continuous (beam on) operation and have a 5 year shelf life.  You can buy replacement batteries at just about any drug store for between one and two dollars each.  I usually have to replace a set every four months or so, but as I mentioned, I do a lot of shooting using the laser.   There is noticeable degradation of the beam as the batteries wear out, so you have to be pretty stupid to let them die completely.  By the way, the LASERGRIPS will work even if you have only one battery.  So even if one battery goes dead, the system still works.

Go to Page 2 of the review