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Getting On Target with Laserlyte Laser Training System

Phillip Loughlin - JHO ProStaff Editor - SF Bay Area, CA
June 11, 2009

Laser Training System
Laserlyte's laser training system allows the handgunner to practice basic skills right at home.

A big part of gaining confidence and competency with a handgun is to shoot it... a lot. For some folks, that's no problem as they have plenty of ammo, and can just step out behind the barn and start shooting. But what about those of us who live in a place where a day at the range is, truly, a full-day activity. We don't all have time, money, or patience to head out to a public range.

What do you do if you can't get to the range, but want to practice your handgunning skills? Many people practice by dry-firing, which is great for working on trigger control, but unless you're actually sending something down range, it's impossible to know if you're pulling the gun off-target when you pull the trigger.

Laserlyte may have the answer. The company has long been known for their laser sighting systems and boresighters. They have now come out with a laser training system, which is essentially the laser boresighter with a mechanism to activate the laser when hammer falls (sort of like "The Clapper").

The unit comes complete with batteries, and a separate insert so that it can be used as a boresighter. It also includes adapters to fit any muzzle from .22 to .50 caliber.

I tested the Laser Training System with my Ruger Super Blackhawk. The adapters weren't especially intuitive, but after a moment I figured out which one to use for the .44mag. I didn't like the feel of the hard plastic in the rifling of my pistol. I'm sure it wasn't hard enough to do any damage, especially on the stainless steel. If I had a high-end firearm, it would bother me more.

I found that the unit would work loose after a couple of shots, and if it isn't tight in the barrel, the laser won't function. This was a minor annoyance to me, but it was the biggest fault I could find. If I were doing combat or action shooting, it would be quite an issue. It's possible that the problem was my installation of the system, but the instruction really didn't offer a lot of detail.

It was kind of cool to point and shoot against the wall, and see exactly where my shot would impact. What was even cooler was that the laser told me the same thing the targets at the range did... I shoot low and to the right. I set up the included "daylight target" on the far side of the living room, a touch under seven yard, and took several "shots". When I jerked the trigger, the little dot of light went up and over to the left, just as it does at the range.

I switched the system over to my Browning Hi-Power and got the same results. Obviously I couldn't practice double-taps or rapid fire, but it was nice to work on my accuracy and overcome some bad habits (pulling my muzzle down at the shot).

Frankly, I was surprised. I didn't really think you could get accurate results like this without actually firing live rounds (and I still think you need live fire practice to truly be competent), but this totally non-scientific field test showed me otherwise.

In short, the Laserlyte Laser Training System is a handy tool for the handgunner (I suppose it could be used in a rifle, but didn't try it). Even if you do have the wherewithal to practice live fire regularly, it's a great way to work out shooting problems and just to keep the muscle memory fresh.

Learn more about the Laser Training System on the Laserlyte website.