LaserLyte RSL - quick thoughts

Jay has better friends at LaserLyte who send him toys for free (I don't have those friends, but that's ok)... but I can still give you my first thoughts on the RSL. (Jay's are here.)

When I checked the M&P over at Gander, the batteries in the laser were nearly dead. It'd turn on for a moment at full power, and then fade to almost nothing as the capacitors discharged and the batteries couldn't take the drain. No big deal, as they included a set of replacement batteries (four of 'em, size 377) in the box.

I got home and swapped in the new batteries in preparation for rough-sighting the laser. Turned it on, and started turning the allen screws... and the laser blinked out.

I fiddled with the switch and screws a fair bit, and got it to work correctly. I went about the rough sighting, and got the dot and sights roughly co-witnessed. I turned the laser off, then on again ... and it wouldn't stay on.

I pulled the batteries, put them back in, fiddled with the battery cover, and eventually got the laser to work again. Sort of. Sometimes it would stay on, sometimes it wouldn't.

I emailed LaserLyte on Sunday evening to start the RMA process. They've been relatively prompt about replies - usually mid-afternoon of the following business day - but it's now Wednesday and I still don't have an RMA number.

Last night I started dry-firing and found that when the striker falls, the laser flickers off for a fraction of a second. If the laser is in "pulse", it switches back to "constant". Working the slide seems to jar things enough to sometimes turn the laser off or change its mode.

I may simply have a dud - I'll have a better feel for that when a replacement arrives. As it stands, I'd not suggest using the rear sight laser on a duty or home gun.

Aside from possible defect issues, the laser itself is ... interesting. I like the concept. It's relatively small, easy to co-witness to irons, and light. The biggest drawback is activation. LaserLyte says they put the activation switch on the left nodule because that's where users wanted it. I think it's more likely they didn't know where else to put it. At least in my play, there is NO WAY to activate the laser on a draw stroke while maintaining a control grip on the gun. Using the thumb of the support hand is a possibility, but putting anything behind the slide of a semi-auto is a good way to damage yourself or malf the gun.

As a training tool, however, it should be excellent. It'll show you flinches in dry fire, and just how steady your grip isn't when at the range.

As mentioned before, I expect I'll be removing the RSL, probably selling it, and putting the funds into a good set of night sights. The Trijicon HD's have got my attention...