Laser & Lights

For the first time in history, in Special Operations Forces at least, the majority of the killing was done in the dark — with lasers.

Since life-threatening encounters occur in broad daylight as well as in pitch blackness and everywhere in between, it behooves us to be able to follow the “know your target” rule not only by being able to see a target but also by being able to aim properly.

We had a chance to visit the Crimson Trace booth at SHOT Show 2017 and see some of their exciting new products. Take a look to see what we found.

The Performance Center Ported Shield in 9mm takes the highly popular Shield CCW pistol and adds numerous upgrades. Read on for the full review.

The Laserguard Pro is new for 2016 and currently available for the Smith & Wesson Shield series of pistols

Springfield Armory has a dedication to concealed carry. They’ve now taken that to the next level with the Crimson Trace Laser Guard. What do you get when you put a laser on a compact powerhouse like the XD-S? Even more speed and assurance. Read our review.

I almost didn’t write this review because there have already been two reviews of the Colt Mustang here on GunsAmerica already. But this gun is very different from the others because for one, it is the shortest barrel that Colt makes for this gun, at 2 3/4″. But more importantly, this gun came with a factory Colt branded LaserMAX mounted on the gun. There were very few of these put out, but currently there are a few for sale on GunsAmerica right now, though I don’t know if they still will be by the time you read this. More importantly though, this LaserMAX accessory is being sold separately, by Colt, Midway and others, so if you have a Mustang Pocketlite, you can put this Colt branded nifty laser on your stocking stuffer list for Santa.

Most coverage of concealed carry guns focuses on thin, polymer framed autos that try to pack increasingly larger rounds into smaller packages. Revolvers are treated as antiquated. But Smith & Wesson hasn’t given up on the wheel gun, and the new M&P Bodyguard with an even more effective Crimson Trace laser is making a compelling case for the old-school five shot.

When you think of laser sights, you think of Crimson Trace. A pioneer in civilian and law enforcement aiming tools, Crimson Trace has earned its place at the top by providing high-quality products at reasonable prices for a wide variety of firearms. Now, when I say ‘reasonable prices’, I don’t mean cheap. A decent laser sight for your pistol has been a decision that would set you back a few hundred bucks easily, making it a hard purchase to justify for a lot of folks. For 2013 however, Crimson Trace has created a new model line to address the market for a lower-cost but fully functioning laser sight. At a list price between $129 and $149, or roughly the price of a good set of night sights, you can now equip your self-defense handgun with an easy-to-use laser. it is currently available for all Glock and Springfield Armory XD/XD-M handguns, as well as the Ruger LCP and most Smith & Wesson and Taurus J-Frame and small revolvers.