I plan to buy a Shield EZ 380 and am a novice. What are the pros and cons of using a laser and light combination.
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Train, Train, Train.
With the light you will need to train in how/when to activate when you draw, and live fire at night.
The laser you will need to do the same as with the light except you will need to look for the dot when you draw.
Hth
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That’s been a big ye & ne on here but IMHO I’d say to get used to your gun first before hanging stuff off of it . I personally don’t like anything on my carriers … except a “X” carved on it lol , or two or three or……
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A quick way to look for the dot is to look where the gun is pointing. I made that mistake with my red dot.
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Train NPOA, don’t rely on the laser or RDS.
If you present the firearm consistently the same each time you won’t need anything on the firearm
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The red/green dot I have on my AR is the kind that actually has a dot that lights up in the middle of the scope but the POS one I had on my Ruger MK whatever/45 ( biggest piece of crap I ever owned) was like a houlostic thing where is was next to impossible to place the dot on ur target, I hated that thing. Make any sense to anyone?)
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Personal preference. As long as you train with this, you should be fine. You will find pros and cons by yourself.
MAIN PRO:
- all in one, I recommend Streamlight TLR-8A
MAIN CON:
- too many things that may go wrong when you need either one. You really need to focus on sight picture and trigger control, without thinking about pressing extra buttons.
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1-don’t use your light as a search light, because while doing that you are revealing yourself to the one you are searching for.
Use a separate hand held flash held off center to search, if shot at you won’t be directly behind it and get hit,
2-if you have a suspected threat target and want to confirm that is true and not an innocent flashlight it just long enough to be sure it is not friend, that it is foe, for sure.
3-If it is foe, paint it with your laser’s dot to assure target isolation, that your aim is on your intended target, and not elsewhere.
If it is foe and meets justification to be shot, shoot that dot.
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My feeling is to start with the gun without any accessories and practice a ton. Like @Karacal said, if you practice enough, you will get to the point where you instinctively aim it, using just muscle memory, and not even need to line up sights to get effective shots at defensive distances. This practice can be done at home with an empty gun, drawing and aiming over and over again.
Having said that, lasers or red dots can be useful. I’m not sure the EZ needs one personally (it’s not cut for a red dot, but has a rail that could accept a laser). I have one of those and I find its sights really easy to see, even in low light. However, my wife has a small black revolver with shallow fixed sights. In low light, it is legitimately hard to get a sight picture at all. She ended up adding a laser, and it does help her a lot.
Get the gun, practice a ton, and see if you still want one.
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I think the first question you need to ask (yourself) is why? Most people by a micro handgun for concealed carry. Why do you want to make it bulkier? A laser and a light are no substitution for practice and shooting proficiency. I recommend you hook up with a good instructor and develop a plan.
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Short answer is no. They will cause more harm than good. If this is for carry, then if you ever use it, you’ll be shooting someone within 10 feet most likely and you need to shoot them quicklly - you won’t have time to turn your light and laster on. It’s bad enough you have to remember to turn off the safety. If you can’t hit them at that distance, a light and laser isn’t going to help. If it’s in your drawer in your bedroom, then maybe a light, so you don’t shoot a family member by mistake, you have more time, and you’re not so worried about revealing your location to a burgular as you would be in a shootout in the street. If you just want a cool looking gun with all the bells and whistles, then go for it.
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Red/green dots were not an option for the EZ last I checked. My wife has one, and an optic is not compatible with the loaded chamber indicator (and possibly the extractor).
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Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to reply. You’ve given me a lot, maybe too much to think about. As a novice I cant emphasize enough how much it means to me that you all are being helpful to me. Your experience with self defense is invaluable. I can’t thank you enough. So happy that I joined this wonderful association.
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I don’t think under any normal situation a body should be out looking for someone in the woods/weeds after dark, leave that to the cops who get paid to get shot , IDK why it would be an issue other than a kidnapping and you had to rescue someone otherwise you’ll have “ some splanin to do in a courtroom.
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^^^THIS
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@Karacal , totally agree 100%
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But, on my fun guns, MRDS 
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I have a light and laser combo on my carry pistol. I do practice drawing the gun from the hostler and turning the laser instantly. The flash light should only be used to blind your assailant in the blinking mode which gives you a huge advantage up to 15 ft.
Turning the flash light to search for someone is beyond stupid, you gun shouldn’t leave the holster unless you are getting ready to shoot.
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May I ask which light laser combo you have?
Thanks.
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