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Luc22
11-20-2011, 06:52 PM
I just purchased a NcStar Quick Release Red Laser Sight and Flashlight Combo. It seems to be pretty good. The laser sight is adjustable to allow for a good zero. At what range should I zero the sight? Feet, meters, whatever. Any advise would be appreciated.

phidelta308
11-20-2011, 10:10 PM
What do you want from your laser? Is it to help with fast, close in shooting? The Crimson Trace laser grip for my beretta came zeroed at 50 feet, but I found that it didn't help much at that range. I put the laser grips on my 92FS for one reason, to help me shoot the gun in the dark, since it doesn't have night sights. Since my main concern is from my bed to the door, or from the door down the hall, the longest shot I have to worry about is roughly 30 feet.

I zeroed the laser at 21 feet. Inside of the 21 feet, POI is up and to the left, but not by more than an inch and a half. Out past 21 feet POI moves down and to the right, but not enough for me to worry at the distance I intend to shoot it.

JodyH
11-21-2011, 09:06 AM
I sight in my Viridian lasers at 12 yards.
This zero is just right for keeping all rounds within 1" of the dot from 0-15 yards and within the dot out to 25-30 yards. At 30 yards the Viridian dot is around 2" diameter.

Perfect for a HD pistol.

The correct zero for your laser is dependent on the laser to bore offset distance and clock position.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

JMS
11-21-2011, 09:20 AM
Yeah, you first figure out what you want it to do for you, and fit it to your chosen usage. phidelt's description is a good example.

Some mil groups I've worked around have had some seriously good handgunning skills across the board, to the point that their SOP to dump an empty/malfunctioning long gun and go to pistol at or within 25m of a threat. So, they zeroed their PEQ-14s to 25m, and shot with them to be intimately aware of having a greater vertical offset the closer to a target they were. The second part is really the key. Pick a number, zero to that, and shoot it to know what your rounds are gonna do within, at, and beyond your chosen zero.

And, apologies, but I'm gonna dive into the irritating realm of answering a question other than the one asked....

After doing a lot of testing-for and training-of laser, image intensification, and thermal devices.....I wouldn't piss on NC Star if they were on fire. The company's assertion in regard to military usage is purely in the realm of individual purchases, and NOT at any unit level, barring an instance (among tons of them) of some Good Idea Fairy doof throwing a dart at a page in the ADS catalogue or the like because the CO said "Let's get pistol lasers!" and the GIF doesn't know what to look for and is too proud/dimwitted to research. Durability is sorely lacking, and whatever zero you put on there is so likely to wander that it's teetering on the brink of "foregone conclusion."

I HOPE that that's not the case for you, but be prepared for the possibility of seeing that.

GJM
11-21-2011, 09:58 AM
I sight in my Viridian lasers at 12 yards.
This zero is just right for keeping all rounds within 1" of the dot from 0-15 yards and within the dot out to 25-30 yards. At 30 yards the Viridian dot is around 2" diameter.

Perfect for a HD pistol.

The correct zero for your laser is dependent on the laser to bore offset distance and clock position.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

Jody, what is the offset from barrel to the laser with the Viridian? As I described in your low light thread, there is no way you can zero an X400 to do that, so I assume the laser is located much closer to the bore with the Viridian than the X400?

JodyH
11-21-2011, 02:19 PM
Jody, what is the offset from barrel to the laser with the Viridian? As I described in your low light thread, there is no way you can zero an X400 to do that, so I assume the laser is located much closer to the bore with the Viridian than the X400?
1-5/8" from center of bore to center of laser on my H&K P2000.
1-3/8" from center of bore to center of laser on my wife's Glock 19.
The laser is also offset to the right of vertical centerline maybe 10 degrees.
Here's a video (yea I know it's sideways) of my C5L at around 20 yards.
The Viridian green laser dot is brighter and larger than the SF or CT red dots, it's better under more lighting conditions (especially in full sunlight) but the max useful range is probably 30 yards due to the dot size.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=2pMd9zoGjXc