Can someone tell me why you would put a crimson trace type laser sight on a pistol that only has a 2 to 3 inch barrel ? I’ve seen several ads for these and have always considered a “pocket pistol” a point & shoot weapon designed for self defense at the most five or six feet. Imho if you can’t hit center mass at 5 feet, maybe you should leave the shooter at home & hire a bodyguard.
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Its just cool factor I think. My HH6 has one on her LCP ,Where as I don’t on mine. I have found with reasonale a aim mine reaches out and is accurate at surprising distance. I think hers acually helps her on point and shoot
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Not your gun, not your choice.
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I spent a lot of time learning to carry and shoot pocket pistols because of the need for deep concealment and backup carry over the course of my adult lifetime. I know a few more guys who carry “mouse guns” all the time, and bigger pistols only as they feel it is needed. Interesting point: all of those fellas have professional histories of working undercover for federal and state agencies, retired special operating forces combat veterans, etc. So they are quite accustomed to making life vs death decisions regarding their own safety and have proven competence with handguns. I don’t know a single one of us who cannot hit a 4x6 index card at 15 meters with a pocket pistol from the draw from concealment. But those tiny sights get harder to see clearly (they get fuzzy) over the age of 50ish for about 1/2 the male population. And that, my friend, is where the demand for lasers on pocket pistols comes from.
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Sure personal choice, not say’n that just wonder’n
Back to the home OG
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But at 45 feet don’t you have legal issues to consider ? At least in most cases ?
@Thomas109 How many times have you been shot at?
I have been shot at…not including in the military…5 times. Not once was my attacker less than 50 yards from me. 1 of those times, I was hit by a ricochet. 2 of those times, I was fly fishing alone in rivers via well known public access points. 4 of those times, I was fired upon by someone using a rifle. 1 of those times, I spent 2 hours with my dog under cover of huge boulders with nothing but my 45 waiting to see if the attacker(s) would close the gap. Fortunately for everyone involved, they did not. So I stowed my fishing gear and drove to the sheriff’s office to file a report after I heard their Jeep pull out.
After I told him what happened, he said, “Did you shoot back?”
I said I did not, only armed with a 45 and them being about 75 yards from me. I could see their vehicle, but never saw the shooter(s). Didn’t want to waste ammo.
He replied, “I see. Next time, do me a favor and throw a few shots at them. Wasn’t anyone from around here. Probably stupid tourist kids. It’s rare, but it happens.”
I think a lot of folks around here have some very strange ideas about the legalities and physical realities of self-defense. I had to re-think my reply about 3 times before hitting the button.
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Gee, I’ve only been shot at once while hunting, so I suppose that , in your opinion , that would eliminate me from asking questions about the legalities of using deadly force.
Not at all. Crazy me, I just think the whole notion of justifiable use of force is somehow limited by distances well within firearms range is wildly naive and not consistent with my personal experience and (considerable) training and research. So you were shot at while hunting from less than 45 feet away? Did you consider that an immediate threat of grave bodily harm or death?
I didn’t include the times I’ve been peppered with bird shot during bird hunts. Those weren’t lethal threats. They were accidents and non-lethal.
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No, when I was shot at it was a rifle shot from an unknown distance that just missed my ear… and I mean “just” I was wearing hunter orange walking across a sparsely treed valley so I know it wasn’t an accident. As for “wildly naive “ well, as we all know, the laws , particularly gun laws in the present political atmosphere, well the gun laws and lawmakers, as well as the odd prosecutor with a bug up his rear end can be and are a lot of times “wildly naive “. I wouldn’t call myself an expert, not even close, as are many readers here, but I would consider it advisable to be very sure of the gun laws in what ever area you happen to be in before using deadly force at any distance.
Good discussion though, I’d be interested in hearing other opinions.
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Well, that all makes way more sense than asking, “But at 45 feet don’t you have legal issues to consider,” did.
If I pull a pistol, point it at someone, and pull the trigger, I will not be thinking about the coming legal fallout. My mind is disciplined. “Legal issues” are considered in my pre-planned, pressure tested, and often practiced responses. If that happens at 45 feet it is because my life is under immediate threat from 45 feet. Period.
But the reason you picked 45 feet as some sort of nonsense to latch onto is because I stated that I can reliably hit a 4x6" index card at 45 ft with a pocket pistol and you didn’t like that. So you chose a rebuttal that makes zero legal sense to anyone who has ever been involved in a real investigation or case where human beings shot at one another. Just because MOST self-defense shootings occur inside of 20 ft, that does not mean one should not prepare for attacks from greater distances. 
Furthermore, if someone can shoot 4" groups at 45 ft, they can probably shoot 2" groups at 15 ft. It’s basic physics. Draw it on a piece of paper – 5 shots within 4" of each other @ 45 ft with lines marking the projectile trajectories from muzzle to target. You’ll have a cone. Now draw a perpendicular line intersecting the cone at a right angle at 15 ft. Measure the distance from the furthest POIs at the 15 ft “target.” You get a sub-2" shot group at 15 ft.
Moral: training for practical accuracy at longer distances yields benefits at closer distances. We aren’t talking about PRM/LDS here, because that brings more variables into the math. We are talking about very close combat distances with hand guns, because the truth is that anything inside about 35 yards (effective hand grenade throwing range) is close combat. At 35 yards, most pocket pistols are being pressed beyond their reliable lethality. But it still beats throwing rocks! SMH
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Unbelievable, you have somehow managed to turn a question about laser sights on a pocket pistol into a perceived personal attack. However, if you choose to inflate your ego , please feel free as I am enjoying the snappy repartee. I will say this to anyone still following this thread , I will still value your opinions on my original question.
Have a great day kenny.
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Exactly
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