First, the obvious.  The laser lets you shoot faster and more accurately, particularly under stress.  I'll be the first to admit that this requires practice.  You cannot expect to slap a LASERGRIP on your gun and become Jerry Barnhart overnight. If I spend a significant amount of time (like a whole month) doing all my practice without the laser, then I find that when I come back to the laser, I am a little bit slower doing standard range drills.  A good solid range session working with the laser fixes that, of course.

     While lasers are not legal for IDPA competition (at least at present), I have participated in a few matches using my laser by disqualifying myself from the competition.  Every time I've done so, my score has been excellent because I've been able to shoot at nearly top speed without dropping points (which means shooting accurately every time).  At one match, I had the best overall score at 84.29 seconds, while the next best score was 108.31 seconds, a huge margin of more than 24 seconds.  Lower is better for IDPA score, by the way. <G>

     I've also done some basic head-to-head testing comparing my speed and accuracy with and without the laser.  For example, draw and fire two shots to center of mass of an IPSC target: my speed improved by 0.18 seconds and my accuracy improved by 15%.  Two head shots at the same range: 0.26 seconds faster and 20% better accuracy.  Bill Drill (6 shots rapid fire at target) turned out 0.58 seconds faster without dropping a single point.  That is real, definite improvement with the laser.

If you focus on the target (like this deadly jungle cat), you cannot see your front sight.

But if you focus on the sight, the target becomes much too blurry to see clearly.  Can you even tell which way the cat is looking?

     More importantly, there is a natural physiological and psychological phenomenon known as "threat focus."  This means that, when under stress and confronted by a threat, your eyes will naturally and automatically focus on that threat.  So if your natural reaction is to look at the threat, why force yourself to do something totally unnatural by dragging your vision back to the front sight if you don't have to?  With the laser, your focus stays on the threat, but you still have a definite, exact aiming point.  It's the best of both worlds.

     As a Simunition instructor, I've run students through scenarios letting them use my laser-equipped Beretta.  With only one exception, every student has commented that he saw the laser dot on the target and was able to use it to aim even under the stress of a dynamic close-range fast moving encounter.  They also told me that in other Sim scenarios using their own guns which were not equipped with Crimson Trace LASERGRIPS, they were still looking at the threat rather than their front sight, but they were just point shooting under stress.

     I also mentioned the training benefits.  Obviously, using the laser during normal practice will help you identify any bad habits you've picked up, like trigger jerk or milking your grip.   You can also use it during dry fire to perfect your trigger control, making sure that the dot does not move as your trigger breaks each time.  Another great dry fire benefit involves shooting on the move, because you can watch the dot to see how much the gun is (or hopefully isn't) moving as you walk, run, crawl, climb stairs, etc.   Back to live fire, you can learn to watch the dot as it moves during your gun's recoil, which in turn will help teach you to track your front sight when shooting rapidly.

     The other major area of improvement with a laser is low-light shooting.  Police agencies all over the country are seeing their "night fire" qualification rate going way up simply by adding a laser like the Crimson Trace to officers' guns.  In the dark, targets become even more blurry when you're focussing on the front sight.  With the laser, that isn't a problem and the target/sight acquisition speed is incredible. 

     The biggest one is also the worst.  I've seen a number of shooters get a good laser like the Crimson Trace and suddenly they stop practicing their normal iron sight shooting.  That's just bad.  You must not let the laser become a crutch.  The laser is a plus, a tool which can help you tremendously.  But it is not going to shoot the gun for you.   If you do not learn proper trigger control, you can't shoot well regardless of your sight picture.  You also have to accept the fact that Mr. Murphy might just steal your laser (break it, kill the batteries, whatever) at the moment you absolutely need it.   If you haven't learned to shoot without it, I can guarantee the one time it really matters, your laser won't be there to help you.

     Another problem is light discipline.  There are going to be times when you'll want the gun in your hands but the laser beam off.  A little experience goes a long way here, because with practice you can learn to grip the gun properly without activating the laser ... but the second you need to fire, your grip tightens and the dot appears.  Another good technique for right handed shooters is to keep your trigger finger registered above the trigger guard along the frame, directly in front of the laser diode.  This will block the beam even if it comes on inadvertently.

     Along the same lines, as mentioned earlier, the beam does reflect a little bit off the grip panel and/or the frame of the gun.  So once the laser is on, you are no longer invisible.  Of course, I rarely walk around invisible to begin with, but this is obviously a huge concern for some people.  In my experience running force-on-force scenarios, we rarely find a situation where the student's position is a surprise to the guys he has to defend against.  But if you are a handgun sniper worried about being caught out in a moonless night, well ... practice light discipline. (see previous paragraph)

     Speaking of right handed shooters, if you're a lefty, you might have problems with some of the Crimson Trace LASERGRIPS, especially if you shoot with a "high thumbs" grip style.  My advice would be to try one at the gun shop or a gun show before plunking down $300+ as an experiment.  Note also that at present, the 1911 Government Model version of the LASERGRIPS do not allow for an ambidextrous safety.

     The Crimson Trace LASERGRIPS are also pretty expensive ($250 to $500 depending on gun model), while some competing brands are even higher.  You need to assess your shooting ability and training time in order to determine whether you might be better off spending that money on professional training or practice ammunition instead.

     Finally, it's not always easy to clean the lens, which is a necessity from time to time.  To keep it from getting damaged, the lens is recessed into the housing about a quarter of an inch, so you need the right cotton swabs and some glass cleaner to do the job right. 

Conclusion

     Hey, what can I say, I put my money where my mouth (er, keyboard) is.   I now have one set on the gun I keep next to my bed, and another on my day to day gun which is used for carry, practice, competition, training, and just about everything else.  At least a small part of my time each month is spent reminding the folks at Crimson Trace how much they desperately need to make LASERGRIPS for the Browning Hi-Power (so my wife can get a set).

     You can check out Crimson Trace's web site at http://www.lasergrips.com.  LASERGRIPS are made for a wide variety of Smith & Wesson and Taurus revolvers, Berettas, SIGs, and 1911s.  There is also a factory-installed laser for Glock pistols which is a permanent modification made by CTC in Oregon.

     It's easy to speculate and listen to gun store commando know-it-alls.  But before you jump to any conclusions, find someone who really understands the benefits and techniques of using a laser aiming device and get some intelligent instruction.  I've yet to find anyone who has given the Crimson Trace LASERGRIPS a fair chance without falling in love with them.

Stay safe!