Snubs commonly have rudimentary sights. Am I a better snub-gunner with the laser or without?
It is a simple muse and I don't believe that this range session answers the question for me. I guess time will tell; for now, I shoot pretty much the same either way. The featured snubbie is a S&W 638 Bodyguard wearing Crimson Trace LG 405 laser grips; previous blog entries about "Betty" are
HERE and
HERE. Psychologically, I like having the laser and "Betty" has become my favorite airweight revolver for carrying.
EDIT: Before you read any further, you might want to
sneak on over to HERE to view another gunner's laser focus ...
The ammunition used for today's session is pictured above; Federal 130-grain full metal jacket "ball" ammo. The round nose bullet pushes a hole through the paper rather than cutting it as do (the more expensive) hollow-points. The holes from the round nose bullets often close up (or nearly so) and are hard to see at any distance (and in photos).
The targets used today were reasonably equal to what Illinois requires to qualify for concealed carry. My apologies if the target color scheme of "Purple/Pink/White" offends any sector of the human race; these colors are dear to me because they match the spectrum of the blotches on my saggy old butt-cheeks. In all seriousness, I tend to shoot better with lighter colored targets and prefer them over black targets when available.
All rounds fired today were double-action as fast as I could acquire / reacquire the target (and not piss off the range safety-officer).
USING THE LASER
(the scoring area of the above target is enlarged below)
(Photos above are target #1)
30-rounds total USING THE LASER
10-rounds @ 15-feet (5-yards)
10-rounds @ 21-feet (7-yards)
10-rounds @ 30-feet (10-yards)
That was pleasantly surprising; I was able to keep the red dot in a respectable "wobble zone."
(the following EDITs are in the "as far as I know / remember" category; I'll try and find links)
EDIT: YES, laser sights are allowed during the Illinois Concealed Carry range qualification.
EDIT: YES, 21 of your 30 rounds fired must be inside (or touching the outside line of) the 7 ring.
EDIT: YES, Chicago PROHIBITS LASER SIGHTS ON GUNS (other cities may as well)
EDIT: LASERING A PERSON as a joke or to "scare them away" is against Illinois law.
USING THE REVOLVER SIGHTS
(the scoring area of the above target is enlarged below)
(Photos above are target #2)
30-rounds total USING THE REVOLVER SIGHTS
10-rounds @ 15-feet (5-yards)
10-rounds @ 21-feet (7-yards)
10-rounds @ 30-feet (10-yards)