Fear & Loading: Holiday Lights, Sort Of

by
posted on December 14, 2016
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
crimson_-lede_crimson-trace-factory-1.jpg

Crimson Trace is offering up to $50 off lights and lasers, with no coupon code needed, on website and phone orders through Christmas day. The special prices also include laser and Blade-Tech holster packages—all guaranteed hits for firearm enthusiasts on your list.

I have Crimson Trace Lasergrips on several of my handguns. They’ve never failed me, point of impact/aim doesn’t wander and the company’s Free Batteries For Life program is icing on the cake.

A laser aiming system is a huge asset in a self-defense gun, especially one with intuitive activation that automatically lights if the unthinkable happens, adrenaline kicks in and stress robs you of a lot of fine motor skills. Everything the company produces is high quality, but a trip to the factory a few months reaffirmed that fact.

The staff seems universally excited about what it’s producing, which isn’t always the case during a factory tour. I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right. They probably told the employees to be on their best behavior and gave the practical joker who wears clown masks to staff meetings the day off.

The assembly line is where I learn the most about “atmosphere” of a company, though, and this one was different. By gun-industry standards this one was clean and employees wore a static-resistant lab coat of sorts. Most had smiles, and those who didn’t were simply going about their tasks in a businesslike, yet friendly, manner.

They did, however, entertain questions and being something of a ham radio “geek” (my family’s quote, not mine), I gravitated to one woman soldering contact points so fine I needed a magnifying glass to watch. I’m good, but this gal’s an artist. Seriously. It turns out all the soldering inside Crimson Trace products are done to military standards by staff with the certifications required to make those connections battle tough.

I’m in the habit of tearing apart electronics that die, just in case it’s something simple I can handle, and out of curiosity. I’ve never seen soldering work so meticulous being done in any factory, or even sitting on my workbench. Of course, part of the reason is I’ve never had a Crimson Trace product die.

Latest

Making Keltec Pr57 1
Making Keltec Pr57 1

Making The KelTec PR57 In Wyoming

To make its PR57 handgun, KelTec invested in an entirely new manufacturing facility located in Rock Springs, Wyo. "American Rifleman Television" headed out for an inside look at the company's efficient production process.

Taurus 66 Combat: A New "Fighting Revolver"

First introduced in the 1970s, the Taurus 66 Combat is a medium-frame revolver that has seen several evolutions in its lifetime, and the latest update creates what the company considers "the final word in fighting revolvers."

Review: Taurus GX2

From cars to cellphones, as a product gets more sophisticated, it usually also gets more expensive. And, as modern handguns get more modular and optic-ready, their prices tend to go up.

Rifleman Q&A: A Garand Puzzlement

"We are a father-and-son NRA member tandem in search of an answer regarding the branding of an M1 Garand rifle. We own an M1 rifle that has markings indicating it was a “lend lease to England,” and it also has a .308 barrel/sleeve."

$160K Raised For HAVA At SIG Sauer Event

SIG Sauer hosted its 9th Annual Honored American Veterans Afield (HAVA) Charity Golf event early last month and raised more than $160,000 to support disabled veterans.

Scout The Trail To A General Purpose Rifle

The search for a universal longarm—one suitable for both hunting and defensive scenarios—is a trek that involves a bit of doubling back.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.