# Do sniper guns ever have those lasers planted on them? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 18, 2005, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040 "2005-07-18T20:57:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040/21 "2005-07-19T06:00:44Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > It’s useless to put a laser sight on a sniper rifle because the laser draws a straight line while a long-range shot needs to be elevated slightly, what with gravity and all, so the bullet follows a parabolic path. You could say the same thing for any kind of sight, but the point is that sights are always zeroed in for a certain range. At any other range they are less accurate than what they’ve been adjusted for. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040/22 "2005-07-19T11:46:25Z")
A friend of mine started a company that manufactures these lasers. Here’s their page: > **[Essential Optics for Outdoor Adventures 2021](https://opticsaddict.com/optics/)** > > Whether you love hiking, camping, hunting, or watching wildlife, a quality optic can make your outdoor adventures more exciting and fulfilling. Here is a run-down of the types of optical products available for those who love the great outdoors. Note that they sell to private individuals “for personal protection” and to law enforcement agencies. Nothing about snipers. (If you wanted to use your laser sight for sniping, it’d probably be best to fib about it when you’re ordering). ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040/23 "2005-07-19T13:31:27Z")
I hate to burst your bubble **CalMeacham** but laser sights aren’t as exotic as you seem to think. You don’t have to make up a story to get one. The site you linked to has lasers for internal mounting in a hangun as a replacement for the guide rod. They are quite expensive but have the advantage of still fitting a standard holster. You couldn’t even mount one on a rifle but that is a moot point as you can get a laser that mounts on a standard picatinny/weaver rail for much less than the the price of the Lasermax. Better quality laser sights will cost at least $100 but I’ve seen Chinese knockoffs for as little as $30. New semiauto handguns often now have a mounting rail under the barrel which can be used for a laser but far more people use them for tactical lights which are vastly better for self defense IMO. IIRC the first laser sight came aout around 1980 and was called the Laser-Lok. it was about the size of two cartons of cigarettes and I think it cost over a thousand dollars. It was a big hairy ass deal then but lasers are passe now. I want a laser sight that makes the same buzzing sound the Foley artist adds in when the goblin draws a bead on Ranier Wolfcastle. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040/24 "2005-07-19T13:46:36Z")
Every shooting academy drills “Focus on your Front Sight” into the students’ brains until it becomes automatic. It would seem to me that a laser encourages the shooter to focus on the target which is the antithesis to what the schools teach. Is this correct? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040/25 "2005-07-19T13:47:05Z")
> [@](#): > > I hate to burst your bubble CalMeacham but laser sights aren’t as exotic as you seem to think. ??? Why do you think that I think these are exotic? What “bubble” do you burst? ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040/26 "2005-07-19T14:32:49Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > If you wanted to use your laser sight for sniping, it’d probably be best to fib about it when you’re ordering Just a little tongue in cheek but I don’t think you have to make up a fib to buy a glorified laser pointer. I realize that snipering implies shooting people but my remark was more that I don’t have to justify my purchase in any way to Lasermax. Some weapon models and accessories are voluntarily limited to police or military sales by the manufacturer but AFAIK lasers aren’t among them. Perhaps Lasermax’s products are not exotic but they are certainly more expensive than I have seen elsewhere. **Crafter\_Man** , you make a good point that eye should be focused on front sight so it is clear but I don’t think anyone is suggesting training people to shoot with a laser as the primary aiming device. Still when faced with a defensive shooting I think it is critical to have one’s **attention** focused on the target so there is absolutely no uncertainty what/who it is. I think the possibility is very real that a stressed person focusing on the front sight may experience tunnel vision so they can’t identify the target and the ability to aim while looking at the big picture may prevent this. I prefer to have a tactical light mounted on my home defensive weapon but I think it is perfectly legitimate to use a laser in defensive situations as long as there is sufficient light in the room or from a handheld light. Never without my surefire even when I don’t have a gun Padeye ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040/27 "2005-07-19T15:54:15Z")
How about shooting from the hip with a pistol in each hand? Black Bart in a shoot-out at the O.K. Corral would love to have a couple lasers on his six-shooters. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040/28 "2005-07-19T17:20:33Z")
> [@](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by CalMeacham > If you wanted to use your laser sight for sniping, it’d probably be best to fib about it when you’re ordering > > Just a little tongue in cheek but I don’t think you have to make up a fib to buy a glorified laser pointer. You obviously missed my joke. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040/29 "2005-07-19T18:01:36Z")
I am old, and my hands tremble. This is even more evident when I hold my pistol out for normal sighting, and I have to compensate by letting it bob up, and firing on the down swing. It affects my total accuracy, and even more, the rate at which I can fire especially the first round. I can use a lightweight pistol with a built in laser by holding it close to my body, with both hands, down low. It doesn’t tremble there. I can acquire the target faster, and get off the first round faster, and change to another target faster. I also improve my accuracy at longer ranges. I can fire five rounds with the single action laser pistol in the same time that I can fire aimed shots with my automatic pistol. I wish I could afford the six hundred dollars. Tris ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040/30 "2005-07-19T18:32:24Z")
$600 for what Tris? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040/31 "2005-07-19T19:57:51Z")
Quoth **Bear\_Nenno** : > [@](#): > > And there are no paralax issues, and no adjusting. Once you zero it, it’s good to go for all distances. Just like your iron sights!! Incorrect. A red-dot reticle, a laser targetter, a sighting scope, and a pair of iron sights would all have exactly the same issues with regards to parallax and bullet drop, and all of them can only be correct at a single distance. Any sort of visual targetting method will target along a straight line not directly aligned with the barrel, and the bullet will always follow a curved path which matches that straight line at only one point. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040/32 "2005-07-19T20:11:00Z")
Also, wouldn’t a visible laser capable of remaining a focused dot at sniper ranges be pretty bulky? I remember playing with lenses in physics classes (not that I remember any of the terminology) that were designed to keep a beam from spreading out. They made the “spot” bigger at the expense of making it spread out less over distance, and mounting them on a rifle along with a scope seems like it would be a challenge. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040/33 "2005-07-19T20:17:02Z")
**Chronos** , Bear\_Nenno was referring to parallax for the shooter’s eye position. Magnifying telescope sights need to be adjusted for the specific target range or movements of the shooters eye can cause the crosshair to move relative the target and cause aiming error. Non magnifying red dot sights don’t have this problem which is the advantage he was talking about. Instead of aligning a front sight to a rear sight and both of those to the target you just look through and put the red dot where you want the bullets to go. I used one to teach my wife to shoot handguns and she became confident and proficient much faster than she might have using iron sights. **Hampshire** one of my round tuit projects will be a replica antique pistol, probably a Colt’s 1851 navy, tricked out like a 1911 race gun complete with reflex sight, laser, muzzle compensator and whatever else I can add. Shooting quickly from the hip without a laser is much harder than it looks in the movies. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040/34 "2005-07-19T20:50:12Z")
> [@Padeye](#): > > $600 for what Tris? Remington 32+p J frame revolver with built in laser designator. Sweet piece. Tris ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040/35 "2005-07-19T21:10:14Z")
Typo, it’s a 38 + p, not a 32. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040/36 "2005-07-19T22:50:02Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > I imagine a laser sight has a certain intimidation value for law enforcement. If the bad guy sees a multitude of red dots focused on his center of mass, I can imagine there’s a chance that he’d think twice about trying anything silly. Which is why law enforcement types don’t cotton to people using them. Ever. Even as jokes. I was standing in the Georgia Dome working on the Super Bowl in January, 2000. I was oh, say, 10-15 feet from the sidelines. The game was close to kickoff but had not begun yet. I saw a laser dot- on my shoulder. Then on my chest. I was suitably freaked out but nothing compared to the cop who saw the dot on my body. Turns out a camera guy a hundred yards off was using it to mess with me. Came very close to being thrown out by the Georgia State Police ( or, whoever the cops were who were all over at that game ). Laser dots appearing on people is generally regarded as a threat. Post 9/11, I’d guess cops are even twitchier about it. Until a cop pops in here to dispute this, I’d say no law enforcement group advocates the use of a laser pointer or laser targeting system to freak out a criminal. Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Hombre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecb155/32.png) [@Hombre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hombre)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040/37 "2005-07-20T04:39:06Z")
It’s true. I was lased at a gun show and the jokster was promptly tossed out! Hoo-wee! Just about what I thought I’d find here. Re: the OP, If your are sniper-ing, you should know the distance so in theory a laser system should work fine. In my experience, though, it is hard to see at great distances during the day. You don’t specify the distance or the environment. Regarding all the other arguments here, usually any gun question will bring out peoples personal preferences. Knowing how to use open sites propely will not interfere with using a laser on sidearms for fast target acquisition and intimidation. A lot of gun use is choice. There is not just one way. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040/38 "2005-07-20T16:17:17Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > Which is why law enforcement types don’t cotton to people using them. Ever. The incidents you and **Hombre** are talking about appear to be harassment with a laser pointer though I am assuming that the laser pointing at him was not also attached to a gun. I completely agree that kind of behavor it tantamount to a threat with a gun and should not be taken lightly but I have never heard that any police discourge the user of laser aiming devices for legitimate self defense use. > [@](#): > > Even as jokes. I’d change that to especially. One should never, ever joke with a deadly weapon or something that may be percieved as a weapon. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040/39 "2005-07-20T16:55:13Z")
Buncha questions: 1. I’ve seen how bulky a sniper and his spotter are. How do they get away afterwards if “cover” consists of, oh, high grass? Are they banking on the search area being 360 degrees and being small dots moving 300 meters off? 2. I’m not a shooter. How do you hit the target if you are concentrating on the front sight? 3. Completely off topic, why is shooting “gangsta style” less accurate? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040/40 "2005-07-20T17:51:29Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > I’m not a shooter. How do you hit the target if you are concentrating on the front sight? You _focus_ on the front sight. You can still see your target, but it will not be in focus. > [@dropzone](#): > > Completely off topic, why is shooting “gangsta style” less accurate? When you shoot a gun – any gun – you should assume the steadiest position possible (in the amount of time you have) and line up your sights with the target. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sniper-guns-ever-have-those-lasers-planted-on-them/313040.md?page=3)