Laser sight
[10] The design was patented in 1978 by Surefire founder Dr. John Matthews, a pioneer in the field of Photonics, and his business partner Ed Reynolds.
The ruggedized helium-neon gas laser was custom built into the extended Pachmayr grip of a .357 Magnum Colt Trooper and fed by a rechargeable 12-volt battery.
[11] Modern weapon-mounted lasers and combat lights produced by SureFire continue to be widely used by the U.S. Military, its allies, and law enforcement.
Laser sights also aid in point shooting, where the shooter relies on hand eye coordination rather than aiming with a traditional sight,[15] this most often occurs and is taught when conducting CQM (close quarters marksmanship) or urban operations where engagement distances are less than 15 m (49 ft), and the shooter is operating in confined spaces.
The aiming laser is used to estimate point of impact, while the illuminator is used to better visualize targets and the environment through the night vision device.
[20] However, even with laser sights, shot groupings are still inferior to those achieved in daytime, and the degree of improvement is highly dependent on correct set up of the system.
[2] Where a laser beam travels in a straight line, the path of a bullet gradually deviates after it leaves the barrel due to external forces such as gravity, wind, and even the rotation of the earth.
Another related issue is that the beam widens over distance, meaning that instead of projecting a small dot, a much larger circle may be produced.
[17] An additional consideration for military and law enforcement is whether the enemy has night vision capabilities; if so, IR lasers will be visible to them.
The user chambers a boresight of the appropriate calibre which projects a laser beam directly down the barrel, providing a visual indicator of the point of impact at a given range.
Boresighting suffers from the same weakness as laser sights in that while the beam is straight, the path of the bullet curves; as such it is not a substitute for traditional zeroing, rather they serve to speed up the process.
Another consideration is the legality of the laser itself: the power output of military and law enforcement issue devices often exceeds that permitted for civilian use.
