How to Sight a Pistol With Laser Grips
Laser sights can be mounted to a pistol on top of the barrel, under the barrel or on the grip stock. Laser grips are becoming more and more popular because the laser is easily seen by the shooter and less likely to be blocked by your hand when it is on the trigger. To accurately sight a pistol with laser grips you have to "zero in" the sight. Zeroing in means to adjust the windage and elevation settings of the sight so where the dot of the laser falls is where the bullet will strike.
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Things You'll Need
- Target
- Shooting range
- Sight adjustment tools (will depend on model laser sight)
Instructions
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1
Set up a target at 20 to 25 yards at your shooting range. Although some laser sights claim to be accurate at 50 yards, most pistols are considered to be at the high end of their accuracy if you can shoot a 1-inch grouping at 25 yards. Many pistols lose accuracy beyond this distance as they lack the sending force to power the bullet along a stable trajectory beyond 25 yards.
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2
Fire at least six times at the bull's eye of your target using your laser sight to aim.
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Retrieve the target and examine the grouping of shots. If you are consistently striking the target lower or higher than where you aimed, you will need to adjust the elevation of the laser sight. If you are hitting the target to the left or right of where you aimed, you will need to adjust the windage. You will most likely need a combination of adjustments to calibrate the pistol sight correctly.
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Make the adjustments needed in small increments. Use your sight adjustment tools to adjust the windage and elevation of the sight. These could be screwdrivers from a gun repair kit, small hex wrenches or a special set of tools included with your laser sight.
Your sight adjustment screws or bolts will either be marked or consult the user manual to know which way to turn the adjusters to move your sight left and right or up and down. If you do not have the manual or markings, make a small adjustment and test fire the pistol again. You will quickly be able to tell how the direction you made the adjustment is affecting the sighting of your pistol.
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5
Set up a new target and fire a grouping again. Examine this grouping and make further adjustments as necessary until you can strike the bull's eye with all of your shots in a 1-inch group.
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Tips & Warnings
Recalibrate your sights on a regular basis--once a month if you shoot often and at least three times a year if you are not a regular shooter. Also, recalibrate whenever your shooting conditions change significantly (different terrain or high winds).
Make sure that your brand of laser grip allows you to adjust the windage and elevation. Some brands, like the LaserMax Sabre Grip, are factory set and cannot be adjusted. You can zero laser sights like these through practice and learning where the laser point falls versus the trajectory of your bullet and adjusting your aim accordingly.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Cible image by maxime prunet from Fotolia.com
