Question- red vs green laser on handgun

[rugerman]

What are the pros & cons for a red vs a green laser on a handgun. Other than the red not showing up well on red back rounds and the green on a green back round what are the other differences if any. Thanks for any replies.

 

[herrwalther]

Pretty easy breakdown:

Pros of green laser:
Brighter on all surfaces and during daylight

Cons of green:
They require more power. Which means a larger battery, which means larger laser. They are also harder to find and more expensive...usually.

Red lasers are just the reverse. I have seen cheap red laser setups at Wal-Mart, so there is far more variety. Even though red has more apparent benefit, I still use a green laser on my carry firearms.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Laser aimers....

I'm not a PhD or engineer so bear with me.
I have owned & toted a CT lasergrip; Taurus Protector Ti .357magnum in 2004.
Red lasers are normally cheaper, use less power, don't wear out as fast(Li batteries). They seem to be in smaller & more compact units too.
Green dot laser units are very powerful(bright) but use battery power faster, .
They are not cheap.
I've seen a few green laser systems by Lasermax, Crimson Trace(CT) & Viridian.
There are other "off brands" but be careful. A lot of mall ninja knock-offs are out there.
Trust a proven brand with a warranty & good customer service. CT offers a free DVD for customers to review.
Viridians aren't cheap but I've read mixed reviews. The bright white light with strobe is a big + but the $350.00 USD price is a big -.
CT is going "green" with many of the compact grips & 1913 rail units.
I've seen green lasers that even work outdoors in bright sunlight. That would be helpful if you stay in from 600pm to 600am.
Note; some lasers pulse or have a beam that flashes on & off. This conserves battery power. Some gunners & SWAT guys say it helps draw your eye to the movement.
I prefer the constant beam format. I also like lasers with "master controls" or separate switches for the laser.
I've had a CT lasergrip come on by mistake. The red dot in your pocket is awkward.
Lasers & laser-aimers are not a replacement for basic marksmanship.
They are a aid or guide but be fully ready to deploy your gun even if the laser, red or green breaks.

Rusty

 

[Schwing]

Red lasers use less power. Green lasers travel much further and can be used with more ambient light. IMO, green is the only way to go if you are actually going to use it.


Having said that, I don't recommend lasers at all. With the exception of lights, I find most accessories to be nothing but distractions.

 

[Grmlin]

Green is easier for the human eye to see. In time the price will come down and they are getting more compact. Still draw much more power than the red. I prefer green in lasers and optics.

 

[rugerman]

Thanks guys that helps me a lot.

 

[basicblur]

Iff'n I'm not mistaken, can one not follow a green laser back to the target?

I don't care that much about not being able to see red during the day, as I'm going to be using the sights or point shooting when light conditions are ideal.

I view the red laser as just another tool in the box, mainly for use in less than ideal lighting conditions.

 

[g.willikers]

Iff'n I'm not mistaken, can one not follow a green laser back to the target?

Did you mean back to the shooter?
If that's a concern, why not use a dot scope, instead?
From the driver's seat, they both look about the same at the target.
Except for the rare occasion when the gun and laser are not in alignment, and the laser is being used for actual sighting on a target, the dot scope would seem to do as well.
And like you say, the best assist in any light is skill, not extra equipment.

 

[herrwalther]

Iff'n I'm not mistaken, can one not follow a green laser back to the target?

I don't care that much about not being able to see red during the day, as I'm going to be using the sights or point shooting when light conditions are ideal.

I view the red laser as just another tool in the box, mainly for use in less than ideal lighting conditions.

Lights and lasers work both ways. That is one of their downfalls. A baddie with a handgun CAN shoot at the red/green laser or a weapon mounted light. This is why some gun fighting schools teach to use a light to identify/stun then move off the axis of return fire before you fire or don't.

It is important to train how you plan to fight. And with a light/laser you have more ways to fight. I practice aimed and unaimed shooting with my laser but I also train with it off. I recently just installed a fiber optic front sight on one of my carry pistols for when the laser dies or its too bright to see.

 

[basicblur]

>>Lights and lasers work both ways.<<
From what I understand, the green more so than the red.
Unless there's smoke etc in the air, the only place someone will see the red is on the target and if they happen not to be off-axis enough, at the light itself.

Something that throws a beam that can be traced back to the source I view as a whole 'nother animal (which I don't think I want).

I'm familiar with many white light tactics - it still baffles me that folks think having a light on a gun means you're aiming the gun at everything you identify using the light.

I've also seen the demonstrations of moving after each flash of a gun mounted light - when viewed from the target's perspective, it's like playing whack-a-mole if someone is flashing / moving.

 

[RustyShackelford]

The Purge...

If you want to see good examples of what not to do with a white-light watch the horror/suspense film: The Purge.
The film takes place mostly at night(low light) & characters wave handguns around sweeping white lights all over.

To me, lasers & white-lights have a benefit but you need to use proper tactics.
Most armed citizen(not SWAT police or armed forces) incidents are brief, stressful & take place in low light(night time).
You very well may hold a downed or wounded subject at gun-point with a laser dot & white light more than a protracted gun-fight.
This is why I like the strobe feature for lights. You can distract or dis-orient a subject or group of subjects then either, use lethal force or flee.

 

[herrwalther]

This is why I like the strobe feature for lights. You can distract or dis-orient a subject or group of subjects then either, use lethal force or flee.

The strobe setting is usually brighter than the constant setting. For example a 100 lumen light may have a 140 lumen strobe. Something useful to remember when the constant light seems too dim.

Unless there's smoke etc in the air, the only place someone will see the red is on the target and if they happen not to be off-axis enough, at the light itself.

A valid point. Dust or fog will make it much easier to trace back to the origin. Other than that, the most the other side would see is a pin dot at the source. Some laser makers put a shroud or ridges around the emitter to make it visible from less angles.

 

[Drail]

I always thought the green ones were the bad guys.

 

[george burns]

Green are more money, can be seen better and used in daylight, cost almost twice as much. Red cheaper work only in low light, and not picked up by the eye as easily. Green is the preferred laser now, but red is more affordable. Also a green lase can be followed back to the firearm easier than a red one.

 

[RustyShackelford]

New Lasermax green Glocks.....

Glockstore.com has new green lasers(they fit where the guide rod goes). They are $350.00 USD .
That ain't cheap!
Green lasers will slowly come down in price.
One system had a green laser & a charger.