The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Gunset Training Group or its affiliates.
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Before I get into the ins and outs of actually shooting the CTC laser grips I want to make a few observations about pistol mounted lasers and shooting in general.
First let me say that, in general, I see two uses for pistol mounted lasers:
1. Marksmanship training
2. Faster sighting system in low and no light situations during stressful and simulated stressful situations
For the first use, just about any quality laser (examples – CTC, Viridian, LaserMax, Streamlight and Surefire) will work. For marksmanship training, activating the laser is a deliberate part of your shooting evolution. It is used to evaluate the shooter’s mastery of the fundamentals of shooting. The laser does not lie. If you flinch while pulling the trigger, the laser gives you that instant feedback. The laser is a great tool for instructors and shooters to use during dry fire and live fire, even during bright light when the laser is harder to see (although green lasers are easier to see in bright light) because you have TIME on your side.
For the second use I prefer to use only those laser systems which have an activation switch that can be activated by nothing more that gripping the weapon naturally with one hand. This significantly reduces the options available to the shooter. The CTC grips and some of their other systems allow for this, as does Surefire with their x400 and pressure switch combo. Streamlight has a similar pressure switch for their TLR-2. LaserMax offers a grip mounted option for the Glock Series called the Sabre. My reason for this preference is simple: grip activation does not need a separate conscious movement to activate the laser. When I grip the pistol and draw it, the laser is on. During training sessions on the range and in scenarios I have witnessed far too many shooters waste precious time looking for the activation button/witch on non-grip activated lasers when they should be shooting.
Next, I want to discuss “software” and “hardware”. For those who are unfamiliar with how these terms relate to shooting, “software” refers to the shooter’s mastery of the fundamentals of shooting. “Hardware” refers to the latest gadget or accessory for a particular weapon which is supposed to improve the weapons capabilities. Lasers are “hardware”.
Without the proper “software”, new “hardware” is fairly useless. What I mean is this: If you are looking at lasers and believe that they will automatically make you a better shooter, you are wrong. There is a learning curve for shooting a laser. When I first started shooting the laser on my duty pistol, my friends made fun of me and told me “you suck with that” because I was significantly slower with the laser. At first. I almost got rid of them out of frustration. It takes time to learn to shoot them well. One thing that I think helped me get extremely proficient with the laser in a relatively short period of time is the fact that I was already an above average shooter when I started (If you’re familiar with USPSA, I was a couple % points shy of Limited A class). A good grip, smooth trigger pull and the ability to quickly track iron sights are a huge benefit when you are starting out with the laser. If you have a weak or a limp grip, the laser is going to be difficult to return to the target quickly.
In essence, if you want to get the most out of the laser grips in low and no light shooting, you need to be a decent shot to begin with. And that brings me to the final observation I want to make in this post. From my experience as a firearm instructor, I believe that many people suffer from the Dunning-Kreuger Effect. People need to be honest with themselves. From my experience, many (if not most) shooters have an inflated opinion of the skill level they actually possess. This will do nothing but hurt them in the long run.
So how does one determine their skill level to know if they are a “decent shot”? Well, it depends on what skill you are wanting to test. If you are looking for straight accuracy skill, a good test would be a Bullseye match and comparing your scores to the the different classes. For the type of shooting
skills beneficial to a self defense situation and the most efficient use of the laser in low and no light situations, I would look at several places. First, competition in USPSA or IDPA. Those games have classification systems which will give you a realistic evaluation of your skill level. If you choose not to compete, finding good skill based courses of fire where you can gauge your performance is also a great way to determine your skill level. Pistol-Training.com has a great section on drills and tests that can be used to determine your level of skill. After shooting some of those drills/tests, I realized I needed to work on my accuracy shooting at distance and have changed my training program accordingly.
Enough for tonight. In the next part I will get into the actual shooting of the laser and some advice on how to go about improving your performance with them.