How to ...

Practice with Laser Grips

By Kathy Jackson

The myth is that if you purchase laser grips, you'll never have to practice again. You'll immediately be multitudes faster, and you'll never miss the target again.

I wish.

The truth is that laser grips can help you shoot faster and more accurately. They are particularly helpful in low light or in unconventional shooting positions. But you still have to practice with them in order to get the full benefit.

Here are some things you might try.

Practice good light discipline. When the gun comes on target, tighten your grip so the light goes on. As it comes off target, loosen your grip so it immediately goes off. Practice moving with the gun in hand and the light off.

Practice trusting the dot. Do your standard draw and fire, but fire immediately as soon as you see the dot on target. Trust the shot. (Remember that smooth trigger pull and follow through are just as important no matter which sighting system you use!)

• Tip: in order to trust the dot to best effect, you must first be reasonably proficient at pointing the gun where you intend to point it. Owning a laser does not eliminate the need for learning the basics.
• If you find yourself looking around for the dot, rather than looking directly at the target and seeing the dot, you are on the wrong track. Do not look for the dot. Simply point your firearm at the target while activating the laser, see the dot, and take the shot. (See below for what to do if the dot isn't there.)

Practice transitioning instantly from dot to front sight if, for any reason whatsoever, you do not see the dot when and where you expect to see it. Practice the transition often enough that you don't stop to analyze and instead just do it.

Practice accepting the wobble. One thing that often surprises people who are new to lasers is how much visible wobble that little dot has when it's on the target. In truth, this visible wobble is nothing to worry about; the wobble is just as present when aiming with iron sights as it is with a laser, but is not as noticeable. School yourself to accept this minor wobble. As long as the trigger is pressed smoothly, the bullet will land within the small circle described by this wobble. If you try to fight the wobble, and yank the trigger during the brief moment that the wobbling dot passes precisely over the exact center of the target, what will happen is that the shot will very often land far outside the circle -- usually quite low and often to the left of the target's center. Instead of fighting the wobble by yanking the trigger (which is self-defeating), concentrate on a smooth, controlled trigger press.

Use the laser for safety checks. If you have a favored low-ready position, unload the firearm, and in a safe area, activate your laser from that position. Does the dot land precariously near to any of your favored body parts? Slowly turn in a circle while watching the dot. How large is your circle of safety? Walk forward slowly. Did your feet get into the dot? If so, you'll need to find a safer low-ready position for moving around.

You can also use the laser to check the safety of the following items:

• Your basic draw stroke. During your draw, does the laser dot cover any part of your non-dominant hand, at any point? If so, work on anchoring your non-dominant hand to your shirt front until the gun is entirely out of the holster and oriented toward the target, then bring your non-dominant hand up behind the gun to join the grip.
• Your reholstering technique. Can you reholster without the laser dot crossing any body parts, including your non-dominant hand? If you absolutely must hold the mouth of the holster open in order to replace the gun, consider purchasing a different holster which does not require you to cross your own hand with the muzzle of the gun at short range.
• Your habits when placing the gun into a purse or other non-standard holster. Again, hold the gun with the laser activated and watch where the dot goes. If the dot crosses your non-dominant hand, consider building new habits so this is no longer possible. Also be very aware of where your muzzle is pointed while placing the gun into the purse holster; remember that you will need a safe backstop. If you normally place the gun into your purse while the purse is sitting on your bed, check out where the laser dot lands when you holster the gun while the purse is sitting on the bed. If the dot illuminates a spot that will not stop a bullet, consider moving your normal place of operation elsewhere, or installing a safe backstop in that area.

Practice a good draw stroke. You can do this in dry fire as long as you have a safe backstop. What you want to do is make sure that you habitually get the dot on target at the earliest possible moment (as the gun clears leather is ideal) and that as you draw, you habitually bring the muzzle straight forward onto the target rather than swooping the muzzle up from the ground or casting it over the top of the target before settling on it. The laser allows you to check that you're keeping the gun aimed at the center of the target throughout your entire draw stroke. Use the laser to help you learn to do it right and then practice doing it right, over and over again, until you cannot get it wrong any more. Then turn the laser off and pat yourself on the back when you see how this laser practice has improved your iron sight skills.

Practice in all different lighting environments as much as possible. It is especially helpful to hit the outdoor range around sundown, and work until slightly after dusk, if your range will allow it. You need to become practiced enough in different lights that you will instantly intuit whether to use the laser or the regular sights, without having to take the time to think about it and without the need to transition from one to the other.

Do not stop practicing with iron sights. The laser is an additional tool, not a replacement for standard sights. The laser may be your best bet in low light situations, but in full daylight you will still need to know how to use the regular sights to best effect. You will also need to maintain some level of competence without the laser in low light, just so you don't put all your low-light eggs in one basket.

Except where otherwise noted, all articles and images on this web site © 2006-2008 by Kathy Jackson. For permission to quote, please contact author.

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