Anyone had any experiences with the Lasermax internal laser systems for the glocks?  Thought about installing one on my glock 17.  Let me know what you think of it.  

It is real hit or miss.  I have seen them that work very well and then I have seen them that turn Glocks in to jam-O-matics.  I have also heard (never seen) that something with the batteries can happen and It locks he gun up and it is a pain in the but to fix it.  But maby they have changed them to fix the problems.  Good luck.

They (lasers) can make an effective training tool but provide little benefit beyond that. 'Sighted fire' is much faster.

In the case of the lasermax, where you are replacing the factory recoil spring assembly, expect problems. Jam-O-matic is a very accurate term. I personally do not own any of these but I have taken more than one out of a malfunctioning gun.

Randy

I love how people who haven't owned things , form opinions about them.  I had a lasermax on my G32 for two years now.  I keep my G32 in my night stand.  ANYTHING can malfunction  if not installed correctly.  The biggest problem lasermax has is people not sitting the battery cap correctlty after changing their batteries. IF the cap is not  put back correctly it can become loose and jam the slide. I have well over 15 thousand rounds through that lasermax without one malfunction.

They (lasers) can make an effective training tool but provide little benefit beyond that. 'Sighted fire' is much faster.

That is a very common misconception. A laser is a sighting tool not an answer for your grouping problems . That is true. But what some people do not understand is, it's a deterant. Crimson trace has had a huge impact with the number of departmant shootings.  There are several large departments who now issues this device with their duty weapons. Once you have a red dot on your chest your mind set  changes. Even in training  i do not feel comfortable with  that dot on my chest. I know there is nothing coming out of that gun. Now imagine what a criminal would feel knowing that there will be a gapping hole  there if he moves.
 Lasers are not what the use to be. They're finding their niche and they're doing well. This past month i have read 3 seperate articles  in 3 seperate magazines on laser sighting devices. All were writen in praise.
I cannot stress enough though. A laser is not an alternative to your irons. It is not a  quick fix to your grouping problem.  It is  a tool like anything else.


J

Quoted: I love how people who haven't owned things , form opinions about them.

Right - so what you are saying is even when you see the trouble some particular device causes, you are going to purchase one for yourself just the same.

I am glad your device works as advertised. I have seen more of them cause malfunctions with the pistol than not.

That is a very common misconception. A laser is a sighting tool not an answer for your grouping problems . That is true. But what some people do not understand is, it's a deterant. Crimson trace has had a huge impact with the number of departmant shootings.  There are several large departments who now issues this device with their duty weapons. Once you have a red dot on your chest your mind set  changes. Even in training  i do not feel comfortable with  that dot on my chest. I know there is nothing coming out of that gun. Now imagine what a criminal would feel knowing that there will be a gapping hole  there if he moves.

I said sighted fire is faster - a grouping problem was not mentioned. However, if you are not keeping all rounds within in a fist sized area, you need to slow down. What part of that statement demonstrates a misconception?

'Joe Blow' carrying a gun for self protection, is not allowed to intimidate others with a firearm - at least in my state it is called brandishing. You also are not likely to have that much time to play with. Most violent encounters happen at contact distance and so suddenly there is no time to react, much less play an intimidation game with a red dot.

Lasers can be an excellent option for an LE group - where a nice red spot on someone's chest could coerce them to give up without fighting. In that specific situation, they have the luxury of time. You will most likely not.

Lasers are not what the use to be. They're finding their niche and they're doing well. This past month i have read 3 seperate articles  in 3 seperate magazines on laser sighting devices. All were writen in praise. I cannot stress enough though. A laser is not an alternative to your irons. It is not a  quick fix to your grouping problem.  It is  a tool like anything else.

Well there you go.... it was in a gun magazine. Guess that makes it gospel, no?

Randy

My partner has a LaserMax in his Glock 17.  He never trains with it.  Never qualified with it.  He has never used it on duty (clearing buildings, felony take downs, etc.).  He only plays with it when watching TV.  It works great to intimidate the TV stars.    It has held up during all types of weather.  

His Glock has never malfunctioned during qualification or a day of shooting.  

I'm planning on getting a LaserMax for my Glock 26, off duty gun.  I'll train with it and plan on using it when it's needed.  

Colt_SBR  

I’ve got a G32 with a Lasermax that I use as my carry gun and I have an unrestricted license to carry in my state.  I am an avid shooter, have put well over 5k rounds through this rig and am confident in my shooting abilities.

Back in May I was on the way to my daycare provider to drop off my two daughters for the day.  It was a nice morning and we had the radio up (listening to the Wiggles) and the windows were down.  While driving down a tight two lane road, I passed a bicyclist and had to pull back into my lane a bit faster that I would have preferred to do in order to avoid oncoming traffic.  Since I am an avid bicyclist, I try and give as much room to other bicyclist, but in this instance I was only able to give the guy about 5-10 yards of room before pulling back into my lane.  I didn’t think anything about it and I pulled to a stop about 200 yards ahead while waiting for a school bus to take on a load of kids.

The bicyclist that I had just maneuvered around pulls up to my vehicle and starts yelling at me through my front passenger window.  He is yelling that I’m an aggressive driver, that I have no business on the road and that I’m trying to run him off the road.  While I didn’t think I did anything wrong, I apologized profusely while discretely rolling up the back windows of my SUV where my daughters, aged 2 and 4 were sitting.  Despite my apology, the man began swearing at me saying I was the third driver that tried to hit him this morning.  By now the bus had filled up, so I interrupted his speech, said ‘bye’ and pulled ahead closing the window.  Since the bus was going slow, the bicyclist passed me and he continued ahead.  Eventually I began catching up to the bicyclist, but as I got near, he pulled directly into the middle of the lane.  Since he was only going ~ 25 mph in a 40 mph zone, I wait patiently for the right opportunity and then passed the guy – with both of my wheels in the right hand passing lane.  This infuriated the bicyclist and I could see him yelling at me in the rear view mirror and he looked like he was trying to catch up to me since he was throwing his bike back and forth.  I began thinking this guy was clearly nuts, but I still wasn’t too concerned since my daycare was about two miles away and the bus had turned off on a side street clearing my route.

A few minutes later I pulled up in my daycare provider’s 150’ driveway and turned my SUV off.  I exited the vehicle, shut the front door, opened the back door, unbuckled my two year old’s carseat, pick her up and put her in my left arm.  I then reached in with my right arm to help my four year old jump down from the SUV.  Right before she jumped down, my daughter looked up and said something about a bike.  I let go of my four year olds hand, leaving her in the car with the door open and turned around to see the same bicyclist pedaling very hard – standing up to pump the pedals - heading directly up the driveway to me.  He pedaled halfway up the driveway, threw his bike down and started running at me while screaming something.  

My first thought was ‘this can’t be happening I didn’t do anything’, but my surprise turned to fear when I began to realize this guy was seconds away from tackling and even try to assault me and/or my kids.  I started yelling something, began fumbling for my weapon, but was eventually able to draw and put the laser on his chest when he was about 12-15’ from me.  He immediately stopped running and shouting.  I muttered something to the effect that his actions were threatening to me and I would shoot him if he got any closer.  He took two steps backward, turned around, ran towards his bike and took off before I could say anything else.  I have never been so scared in my life and my hands were still shaking for hours after the incident.  All of this was reported to and documented by the local PD.  And yes, they PD concluded that I was justified in drawing my weapon because I believed my kids were about to be harmed.  I’m still not sure how they would have reacted if my children weren’t with me, but I didn’t ask.  

So would I recommend a laser?  Hell yes.  I honestly don’t think I would have hit him on the first shot with traditional sights because, I was still focused on why was this guy still here, how did he catch-up to me and why would anyone even yell – much less try to assault – someone with their kids.  I’m able to quickly draw from my holster, sight and fire in my range with ease, but in this situation don’t think want to think what would have happened if I didn’t have the laser.  

What would I have done differently?  Practice with my weapon in different ways.  I typically would draw right handed and would activate the laser with my left hand, as my hands come together.  In this instance, my left hand was holding my two year old, so I fumbled turning the laser on with my right – draw hand.  This was clumsy and not ideal, but I was eventually got it on.  In this situation I was have preferred a Crimson Trace setup where you just gripped the frame and the laser came on.  Turning on the laser in a stressful situation was tough.  If you are serious about conceal carry (and I wasn’t that serious) I’d also practice shooting while holding heavy objects like a 25 lb barbell (to mimic a kid or groceries, etc.) while at the range.  I’m just thankful that I didn’t have to shoot and that the biker left me alone.  

Quoted: Anyone had any experiences with the Lasermax internal laser systems for the glocks?  Thought about installing one on my glock 17.  Let me know what you think of it.

I have one in my G17....pretty cool

Whether or not I'll ever 'need' it...who's to say, but like anything else, better to have and not need

Just ordered a LaserMax for my Glock 26.  Hope I get it before I go on vacation.  I’d like to do some practicing/shooting with it before heading North to Chicago.  

Colt_SBR  

I think the internal Lasermax units are about the coolest handgun laser going and, if they weren't so friggin' expensive I'd probably get one to play with.  That said, I consider them to be a novelty and I wouldn't trust my life to one.  Train for the front sight, fellas.  It's always there and it's always on.  No batteries to replace, no switches to fumble with.  

KISS and keep breathing.

ARE THEY WATERPROOF/WATERRESISTANT??????  Lot of money an unfortunately many may become dependent on this sight only to have it fail!

Got my Lasermax and just got back from the range.  

I love it.  The seller also provided a DVD on laser shooting.  This may sound weird but, the Lasermax actually helped my aim with iron sights.  With the irons, I was shooting low and to the left.  

First 10 round mag was with iron sights.  Low and to the left.  

Second mag, I used the Lasermax.  Lasermax states, the Laser for the Glock 26 will be within +/- 3" at 20'.  Put the dot on the target and the rounds were well within +/- 3".  

Third mag, I turned the Lasermax off and shot with irons.  The rounds were still within the +/- 3".  I think I actually shot better thanks to the Lasermax.  

I switched between the Lasermax and irons.  I don't want to dependant on the Lasermax 100%.  I figured 50/50 would be a good average.  

The only problem I did have is, the Lasermax would sometimes turn off after three or four rounds.  Just a small problem but it would save the batteries in case I forget to turn it off.    

Legal disclaimer:  I don't work for Lasermax nor am I connected with Lasermax.    

I recommend the Lasermax.  

I've been told the Lasermax is not water proof.  My partner has never had a problem with rain and his Lasermax.  

Colt_SBR  

Quoted: I think I actually shot better thanks to the Lasermax.

I believe it.  I've been told several times that a laser is an excellent training aid.

Keep us posted as things develop.  I'm very curious about these particular doo-dads.

This is my unbiased opinion.
The activation system is the weakest link of the unit. I dislike using my trigger finger to activate the unit upon drawing the weapon. Using this device for a training aid is fine. I'm talking about activation upon a draw and quickly bringing the weapon on target.
This goes against the design of Glock as a point and click device. No external safties to manipulate and so on.
For actual use, light etiquette is very importaint. This means you can activate and deactivate the unit simply without hastle. There are times tactically when you want to be able to turn off the laser.
For this reason alone, I find the CTC design to be better on all firearms. The Glock conversion is expensive even with the coupon.
Problem with the CTC design is it can cause issues with holsters. Plus, you have to send the gun to CTC for the modification.
The ultimate would be a combination between the lasermax guide rod unit, and the grip mounted activation system.
JMO,
-Steve

How much does the lasermax run???

around $300

J

Point of note:

I have my lasermax mounted on the ol' G17.  Once, when I reholstered my 9 into the Fobus holster, the motion must have pushed in the switch so it turned on IN the holster - next time I whipped out the Glock the battery was dead.  Just be aware of that and save yourself the cost of extra batteries.

H

Im wanting to look at one as an option.