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 Two rabbits taken on the hunt. |
After reviewing all the different models and evaluating
each I found that Crimson Trace of Oregon had one unique feature that
attracted me; their laser was internally placed into a specially designed
grip which they called, the Laser Grip. Unlike most of the other laser
sights which attached under the barrel of the pistol, Crimson Trace developed
exact duplicate replacement grips for most of today's popular
pistols and revolvers with the laser site imbedded in the grip where
it is out of the way. There is a small on/off switch on the grips which,
when turned on activates the laser sight dot when the shooter touches
the pressure switch in the grip.
Unlike sighting with regular optics or fixed sights, using the LaserGrips
do not require raising the gun to eye level and aligning the sights on
the target. With the laser you can hold the gun in any position and as
long as you can place the projected red dot on your target you will hit
it. And this adds a hold new meaning to ''hip shooting'' paper
targets.
The other advantage of the built in laser sight is that you can still
use your open sights if you choose to. Or even better Ñ sight
in the target using your open sights then push the button on the LaserGrips
and see how good your aim was.
HUNTING
In New York State the use of a laser sight for hunting is prohibited,
but only for big game. There is no prohibition for their use in small
game hunting. Once I found this out it did not take me long to head out
to the woods in search of gray squirrels and rabbits. My first trip was
to the Adirondacks where I hoped to catch up with a varying hare, better
known as snowshoe rabbits. Having hunted them with dogs I didn't
realize how much more difficult it was without the help of a canine.
But I did have fun and actually got a shot, not a good one, at a hopping
snowshoe as he made his way in and out of the cedars. Interesting how
that little red dot shows up in the snow.
It was just recently that I returned to the woods with the Ruger and
Crimson Trace LaserGrips but this time I stayed closer to home in an
area where I had turkey hunted in the spring. Here, along the edge of
a rather remote cornfield that was bordered by hardwoods and overgrown
brush I had seen plenty of squirrels and cottontail activity. And when
I arrived there in the late afternoon just after a freshly fallen snow
I found plenty of tracks that told me they were still around.
Picking a spot in the brush where I could see both into the woods and
the edge of the field I sat down and turned on the LaserGrips. I didn't
have to wait too long when a gray squirrel entered the field about 20
yards from me and he was moving in my direction. Resting the Ruger on
my raised knee I place the red dot on the base of his neck and the collected
my first laser squirrel. The shot was about 14 paces from where I had
been sitting.
Perhaps 10 minutes after field dressing the squirrel I saw two more moving
behind me. One was coming down a tree while the other was plowing through
the snow toward the cornfield then disappeared behind some heavy brush.
Once again I readied the Ruger but the squirrel never appeared - but
a rabbit did, an it was about 15 yards from me. A soft whistle stopped
his hopping just long enough for me to light him up with the LaserGrips
red dot and end that hunt. The activity slowed for the next hour and
with daylight fading I decided to call it a day and headed back to my
truck. I was making my way along the wood line when I noticed two long
ears sticking out of the grass in front of me at about 50 yards. But
I knew I was going to have to get closer for a good shot at this bunny.
Slipping into the woods I made my way along a creek bed towards where
I expected the rabbit to be. However I hadn't gone far enough
and when I poked my head out of the woods he was actually about still
about 25 yards away, and from his action I knew he was alerted. With
no time to look for a shooting rest I took the off-hand shot and hit
right beneath him. He jumped and turned around, but he did not leave.
Now, with his back to me, I was able to kneel and use a low-hanging pine
branch as a rest. Placing the red dot on the rabbit I touched the trigger
and he too will now become a part of the spaghetti sauce at our hunting
camp's annual game dinner.
If you are a hand-gunner and looking to add a little more excitement
to plinking and your small game hunting outing try this Ruger/Crimson
Trace LaserGrips combination. You can view both the Ruger and the LaserGrips
at your local gun shop or go to, www.ruger.com and www.crimsontrace.com.