Pistol sight, are inexpensive lasers worth trying?

[Mr_Sheesh]

Hi all. I am setting up a 300BO pistol, just for fun really, I've never tried a laser or red dot on anything, just scopes or iron sights. Once I move it could become a "yard gun" for pests, if I get raccoons it would be nice to have fast firing possible, so I thought I'd ask, are the really cheap lasers or red dot type sights worth looking at, or a waste of money, time, sanity, and hair like I'm concerned they will be? Usually put something like a nice Leupold EER on scoped pistols, but interested in trying other things. Thanks!

[imashooter2]

Lasers need to hit a target to be visible. Otherwise they get lost in the background. Get a red dot. The Bushnell TRS-25 is about as low priced as I would go. The Sig Romeo 5 is a lot more sight for a little more money.

[tazman]

Cheap lasers are fine for finding out if you like the concept, but don't expect them to last long.

[NC_JEFF]

I had a Bushnell dot site on my AR for years, I was surprised how well it held zero.

[358429]

Cheap lasers are valuable for indoor dry fire practice, aim at something small like a bottle cap or a quarter, at ten to thirty feet.

How the dot moves provides immediate feedback.

I think you will be disappointed in it in actual firing, the cheap lasers lose zero from adjustment screws working loose, from vibrations.

Which ones are you looking at? Note that the green lasers dot are usually clearly visible during the day, and the laser beam is like a light saber at night, beam is visible for hundreds (or thousands, for the higher powered lasers) of yards.



Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[MrWolf]

I recently just tried one with the same 300 BO pistol. I set mine up with the "stub" brace vs strap one and got a cheap laser light from Amazon. I also got the forward grip that is small that you just press against (sorry can't remember name right now). Neither fit perfectly on my upper but this was more of a test. I just loosely sighted everything in and proceeded to have a BLAST! I had it in my hip the whole time shooting up an expired can of tomato paste just blasting away as fast as my sight picture allowed and sometimes sooner:Fire:. Again mine was just a test more on the concept and I think it could definitely be something to pursue further. Let us know if you try it but I do think the laser would take the abuse. It worked for my setup, not sure about yours. Good luck.
Ron

Edit: the issue of pistol braces got me thinking the way I did. No way they could say you could fire mine from the shoulder.

[Jsm180]

I bought one of these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HPWATOC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I wanted to try a reflex sight on the AR and for $30 I figured what the heck. It works really good, probably won't last long but proved the concept.

[JoeJames]

Great minds I guess. I wanted to try one out. Looked at a Firefield Red/Green reflex sight at one local gunshop for @$45. Had a buddy who has another gun shop order me the same one for $38 including sales tax. Mounted it on my 10" 38/357 TC Contender barrel. Tried it out on Saturday at 15 yards, got it dialed in and I like it. The green dot was highly visible but the red dot was kind of iffy in daylight. BTW from bitter experience and talking to my cousin I learned that you turn it off by turning the intensity dial down to either R or G. Two pictures, one of the Firefield rig on my TC, and the other my target shot at 15 yards with my homecast wad cutters.

286125286126

[Mr_Sheesh]

I'm looking and thinking, seeing what would make sense.

I'd use LocTite to secure it, that's a no-brainer :)

[RoyEllis]

May want to check fish and game regs for your state, many don't allow laser sight use even for varmint shooting. Would hate to hear you ran afoul of the game warden.......

[Mr_Sheesh]

Good point, I haven't seen anything like that but rules do change. Checked and laser sights are verboten for big game, so that's not an issue, but leaning red dot somewhat.

Part of me does want to make a laser setup for home defense with 3 lasers in a triangle a la Predator, but you just KNOW you'd draw a DA who thought that meant you were a bad actor, so probably won't do that. I can have a sense of humor, that's not outlawed (yet)

[imashooter2]

Home defense isn’t a bad spot for a laser as there is always background to catch the dot close to the target. But a cheap laser wouldn’t be my choice for something that might defend the lives of my family.

[dverna]

I have run the cheap ones out of battery power because I forget to turn them off. Plus they do not last.

Look at getting a better quality unit if you can afford it. I just got a Sig Romeo 5 but have not mounted it yet. Good reviews and looks well made.

[Froogal]

I have considered a laser or maybe a red dot, but my problem is not so much aiming correctly as it is allowing the gun to wiggle when I pull the trigger. I don't think a laser will help that.

[358429]

I have considered a laser or maybe a red dot, but my problem is not so much aiming correctly as it is allowing the gun to wiggle when I pull the trigger. I don't think a laser will help that.The gun will wiggle regardless of whether or not the laser is installed.

What the laser does well is allow you to see the wiggle, as you are applying pressure on the trigger, to fire the gun, without disturbing the sights.

It's an excellent training tool for dry-fire practice.

Keep the dot "On Target", and all your bullets will strike the target.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[dswancutt]

What I witnessed at bowling pin matches with guys who had cheap red dots is that they would "lose" the red dot in bright sunlight. So we would wait while they piddled with it to get it to work. Just something to consider.

[Lloyd Smale]

cheap ones have some downsides. Like was said you have to turn them on when someone busts into your home at night (deal breaker for me right there if the gun is going to be a home defense gun) then you have to remember to shut it back off. Then i bought a couple of those cheap reflex sights about 10 years ago figuring theyd work fine on a 22. Well it kind of back fired because i tend to not take the care with 22s i do with other guns. They get banged around more and left dirty. Which brings up another BIG problem with them. I had two different manufactured reflex sights. Both got dust and when i cleaned the lenses the cheap coatings scratched and it was like looking into a spider web when using them with the sun in my face. Me? I buy sigs, vortexs. If im going cheap i do have a couple bushnell trs on 22s that are good sights but arent much for battery life and have to be turned on and off. My guess is in a couple years youd probably recoup the 30 or 40 bucks differnce between a trs25 and sig romeo 5. Ive picked the sigs up new for as low as a 100 bucks. Bottom line is if my life or my familys might have to depend on a gun and sight saving 25 bucks should be the last criteria you consider. Any gun used for that either has an instant on auto off feature or good enough battery life like in the case of an aimpoint where it can just be left on for a couple years on a battery. Used to be a big aimpoint fan but the vortex and sig units are about as good and cost a WHOLE LOT LESS. Favorite sight? Probably a romeo 5. Hard to beat them bang for the buck.

[Mr_Sheesh]

HD I like a 12 gauge, loud but effective; Back that up with a 1911. (Or better yet, don't have a HD problem, but IDK how to arrange that yet.)

This is for a fun toy, but in a pinch 300BO would do for HD of course!

[Texas by God]

This one was cheap, it works good but for how long I don't know. They are fun.
My HD .300BO has a Burris FF3 and I like it a lot. Holler if you need this laserlazer thing.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210718/1c0c33c36bce663b58764c47ca151800.jpg

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[Lloyd Smale]

Hi all. I am setting up a 300BO pistol, just for fun really, I've never tried a laser or red dot on anything, just scopes or iron sights. Once I move it could become a "yard gun" for pests, if I get raccoons it would be nice to have fast firing possible, so I thought I'd ask, are the really cheap lasers or red dot type sights worth looking at, or a waste of money, time, sanity, and hair like I'm concerned they will be? Usually put something like a nice Leupold EER on scoped pistols, but interested in trying other things. Thanks!

sent you a pm

[Jsm180]

This one was cheap, it works good but for how long I don't know. They are fun.
My HD .300BO has a Burris FF3 and I like it a lot. Holler if you need this laserlazer thing.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

Now that looks fun. Found it on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/EZshoot-Pistol-Handgun-Profile-Batteries/dp/B07Q311QTR/ref=sr_1_35?dchild=1&keywords=laser+sight&qid=1626693882&sr=8-35

[dverna]

Now that looks fun. Found it on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/EZshoot-Pistol-Handgun-Profile-Batteries/dp/B07Q311QTR/ref=sr_1_35?dchild=1&keywords=laser+sight&qid=1626693882&sr=8-35

I bought a cheap thing like that for a Sub-2000. It was fun...for a while...a short while. Eats batteries and then one day it will stop working. Hopefully it stops working when you are at the range and plinking.

[1eyedjack]

tried the laser thing showed me how much shake I had pulling the trigger. tried a truglo red dot that was being closed out for <$40 on my 44mag SBH - true love - has held up so far with lots of recoil ! A small investment to try the waters of red dot sights which prompted me to purchase my XD/S mod.2 with crimson trace red dot !! I'm a believer now!

[Winger Ed.]

Like the quality of so many other things, it's 'get what ya pay for'.

I tried a couple of borrowed lasers, and the only one I really liked was a crimson trace on a 1911.

I had a Tasco red dot on a Colt .22 pistol and Browning Buckmark for awhile, but actually got tighter groups with the open sights.
The dot covered a larger and larger spot, covering more and more of the bullseye the farther away the target was.

[Mr_Sheesh]

The red dots, some of those are 3MOA dots, lRger than crosshairs but I imagine very fast to aim!

In solving my computer problems I may have improved my sight fund, have to see how this works out. I still want to play with the laser and red dot things just for the experience, learning is good :)

[GhostHawk]

I have a pair of Ruger Mk III 22/45's. And I was amazed at what even a cheap 50$ truglo 2.5 moa dot would do.

With very little practice you learn to use the muzzle flip after a shot. Ride it down. When the dot crosses the center of target pulse trigger and repeat.

With a little practice you can put 10 rounds into pop bottle cap at 21 feet without touching the sides. And you can do 10 rounds in about 6 or 7 seconds.

Lasers, sorry was not impressed. They have a place for those who CC and expect to use them in the dark.

But when I've seen them used at the range they try to get them right on target. Arm ends up swinging in bigger and bigger circles. Resulting in bigger and bigger groups. Not saying some can't use them effectively. Just saying from my experience most don't.

Red Dot, Don't dink around with it. Line up so as the muzzle comes down it tracks through the target. Don't try for perfect.
Inside a 2" circle is fine. As soon as the dot tracks into position pulse the trigger and setup for the next.

If your tracking a touch left don't sweat it, take the best shot you can get and adjust.

[imashooter2]

The red dots, some of those are 3MOA dots, lRger than crosshairs but I imagine very fast to aim!

In solving my computer problems I may have improved my sight fund, have to see how this works out. I still want to play with the laser and red dot things just for the experience, learning is good :)

A lot of the speed game shooters use 8moa dots. It depends on what you want more... speed or precision. Scopes are accurate, but slow. 1moa dots provide decent accuracy a little faster. Sometimes it can be hard to track the dot in recoil and transitions. The big dots sacrifice accuracy for speed and ease of tracking. Pick your poison.