By Dave Anderson

Long ago, laser sighting systems were huge, expensive, impractical novelties. Impractical maybe, but the concept — simply place the dot on target and press the trigger — appealed to many shooters. One by one, technological innovation solved most of the initial shortcomings. Laser sights have become smaller, lighter, brighter, more reliable and far less expensive.

Making the laser dot visible in daylight was one of the tougher problems to resolve. Indoors, in dim light, the dot was bright and easily seen. On a home-defense firearm I very much like a laser sight, especially in combination with a white light. Outdoors though, in bright and even not-so-bright daylight the laser dot was difficult or impossible to see.

Another issue was battery life. A laser draws a fair bit of power. It needs to be powered down while not in use or it will quickly drain the batteries. Weapon-mounted laser sights often have some sort of paddle or button on-off switch for quick activation. No matter how convenient the switch is, it’s still another necessary step to perform under circumstances of high stress and time pressure.

Green Seems Highly Visible

The laser sight shown here is the Viridian Reactor Instant-On, specifically the model R5-SH green laser made to fit the popular Smith & Wesson Shield pistol. To begin with, the sight is so light it is practically weightless — to be precise, it weighs 0.78 of an ounce, including the two batteries. It’s compact as well and almost appears an integral part of the little Shield pistol.

A recessed button on the sight turns the laser on or off, and also selects either constant-on or pulse mode. Simply select the mode you want, then holster the pistol to power down the laser and put it in standby mode. Draw the pistol and the laser instantly activates without any button-pressing or any other action by the user. Holster it and it’s off, draw and it’s on.

So far so good, but what really impresses me about this sight is its astonishing brightness. Viridian tech specs say the laser intensity is 5mW peak, 532nm. Or to express it in terms I understand, the laser intensity is the brightest legally allowed on a consumer laser. Outdoors, at 2 p.m. on a bright fall day, the laser dot was easily visible on light-colored targets. At ranges of 75 to 100 yards the dot was clearly visible.

Battery life is a concern with any battery-powered system. On the left side of the sight body is a battery indicator light. Whenever the laser is activated the light glows for two seconds. If it’s green the batteries are good, if red it means it’s time to replace them.

Viridian R5 laser sight attached to the triggerguard of
the subcompact S&W Shield.

Shooting Observations

the S&W Shield is one I borrowed from shooting buddy Steve Kukowski, a 40-plus year veteran law enforcement officer and currently our county sheriff. Steve is a PPC Grand Master and USPSA Master class competitor.

The Shield is a sweet little carry gun. Compact and flat, it conceals well, yet has enough grip size for accurate shooting and recoil control. Steve’s pistol is a 9mm and has the manual thumb safety. I’ve been very impressed with Smith & Wesson’s M&P series and this variation is no exception. The pistol weighs just 19 ounces empty, and about 23 ounces with the Viridian laser and eight cartridges.

Fitting the Viridian R5-SH was simple and took just a few minutes. The parts fit perfectly and solidly. Once fitted to the gun, I used the adjustments on the laser body to align the green laser dot with the iron sights. At the range just a couple of minor adjustments were needed to get bullets landing right where the dot indicated at 15 yards. Once sighted it maintained point of impact with no shifting.

Any laser beam can cause eye damage. When handling or fitting the laser take care not to point it at yourself or anyone else, either directly or by reflection. Once on the gun, of course, the basic rules of firearm safety apply.

Currently the Reactor is available for the Ruger LCP, LC9 and LC 380 pistols, the Kahr and the Glock 42. A version for the Springfield Armory XD-S is expected soon. The sight can be ordered in your choice of red or green laser, or (for the Ruger and S&W pistols) as a tactical light. Current prices for the Shield version are: white light, $119; red laser, $139, green laser, $219.

Green laser technology costs more, but because green is near the center of the visible spectrum it’s more visible to the eye under various light conditions. As a sight for daily carry I’d happily pay the extra cost. And to think all those anti-gun, anti-hunter types said I’d never go green.

For more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/index

Read More Winning Edge Articles

Purchase A PDF Download of The American Handgunner March/April 2015 issue Now!