Snubbies With Frickin' Lasers On 'Em...

So, shamed by Mad Saint Jack's lightning fast installation of the Taurus laser sight, last night I finally sat down and installed the LaserLyte unit on one of my S&W snubbies. I figured it might be instructive to document the arduous process involved:

First, remove the grips:

Step 1

Next, remove two of the three screws on the sideplate:

Step 2

Then, position the laser unit, replace the sideplate screws with provided screws, and put grip back on:

Step 3

(Yeah, I know, I forgot to take a picture in between...)

And lastly, FRIKKIN' LASER!

Step 4

I took a few moments and rough-aligned the laser sight with the iron sights on the back wall (approximately 30 feet). It will get a final sight adjustment at the range, where it will be tested at 25 feet and 50 feet (the limit of the indoor range). I've shot the Model 34 at the indoor range before with decent results, so this ought to be a good test of the sight. Once it's had a good shakedown (and I have my 360 back from Smith & Wesson), it'll get put on the model 360 where it will really be torture-tested.

One thing that really jumped out at me was that this would be perfect for a southpaw. The laser is activated by a button on the back of the unit, which a rightie has to either move their thumb in an unnatural way to activate or use the supporting hand. Others don't like this method of activation, preferring something like the Crimson Trace grips where the hand naturally falls on the activation switch, which is a fair point. For lefties, though, it's a natural, fluid action to slightly move the thumb to activate the laser. The dot is clear, crisp, and easily visible indoors at distances over 60 feet (that's as far as I can get inside my house).

The range test will be the real proof, and with any kind of luck I'll have a chance to try it out this weekend.

That is all.