I thought other forum members might get a kick out of this old ad. It’s from a 1978 police magazine. Looks like the laser weighs more than the gun! The revolver appears to be a Colt Trooper with a 6-Inch barrel, not a lightweight either. I assume that brick under the grip is some type of battery pack. How would you like to have this boat anchor hanging on your belt all day?

Colt Officer Match looks like

Much better now, but I think the concept has been largely obsoleted by red dot reflex sights.

Although I’ve never been seduced by the desire to have a laser on any gun (except once, when “curious” and “experimenting” ), they do offer the advantage of being able to aim and shoot when it’s not possible to use one’s sights due to not being able to achieve a normal firing position.

We have a pretty extensive collection of Janes blue books at work and they are full of these old advertisements. I really enjoy stepping back when I see them.

Found an old tube laser that mounted on a rifle. It was made in 1989.

Nice set of back up irons on the Colt, too. Very forward thinking.

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:
Found an old tube laser that mounted on a rifle. It was made in 1989.

Do you still have it?

It is amazing at the advancement in laser technology. Lasers used to be extremely expensive and have now become something almost everyone can afford, in all sorts of variants.

quote:

Originally posted by patw:
It is amazing at the advancement in laser technology.

In the early 1960s I read a magazine article that ridiculed the idea that lasers would ever amount to anything other than toys good for popping balloons—and only blue ones at that. I’ve often wondered if the author lived long enough to realize how wrong he had been.

I’ve seen many other spectacularly wrong predictions about future technologies since, but that’s the one that really stuck with me.

quote:

I’ve seen many other spectacularly wrong predictions about future technologies since, but that’s the one that really stuck with me.

I was in a place in time where I knew about the IPhone and was able to handle early prototype/pre release one before it was public knowledge. All I could think was this is neat but nobody is going to want to give up their real keyboard for this thing. This thing will never take off.

This is the reason I am not a captain of industry or frankly a corporal.

I will say that I totally saw optics as being the next major game changer for shooting, although I still believe in know how to use and having back up irons.



Chris.......posting from his IPhone

quote:

Originally posted by Voshterkoff:

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:
Found an old tube laser that mounted on a rifle. It was made in 1989.

Do you still have it?

Yup. It is a Helium Neon laser with a touch pad made by Laser Devices in July of 1989. It is about the size of a P229 and uses two 9volt batteries.

Around '91 they made a laser that mounts to the trigger guard of a P220.

If you’re able to take dimensions of the metal tube housing, I would be very appreciative!

Cool discussion and I love the pictures. I had totally forgotten or missed that Arnold had that big thing on a revolver.

As for the idea that red dots make lasers obsolete.... not so sure... I have both and in fact have both on my new pistol I keep in my work vehicle:

Wasn't the pistol that Arnold used an AMT Longslide?

quote:

Originally posted by phil in indy:
Wasn't the pistol that Arnold used an AMT Longslide?

Yessir! AMT Hardballer Longslide .45ACP.

quote:

Originally posted by Voshterkoff:
If you’re able to take dimensions of the metal tube housing, I would be very appreciative!

This one is in a plastic housing. They were selling a longer version at the same time, but this version appears to be more compact by using internal mirrors(?). The anode and reflector section is about 4 inches long. The tube side of it is about 5 inches long. I haven't seen this version disassembled, so I don't know the specifics of the glass envelope or the bore tube.

I picked up a 1994 HK USP that came with this Tacstar laser. It still works.

Talk about a Blast from the past. During my first trip trip Gunsite in 1980, we were doing a night shoot. Apparently one of the LASER companies sent a couple LASER equipped guns to Col. Cooper for T&E. I recall the Colt MKIII Trooper with the long tube LASER and the big battery integrated into the bottom of the grip. There was also a Ruger Mini-14 with the same long tube LASER.

I never thought LASERs would be small and inexpensive enough to be practical on handguns. Of course, I never thought that new fangled plastic gun they called a Glock would amount to anything either