Crimson Trace Rail Master Universal Mount Laser

Very easy to install and set up

Small

I bought this for my Springfield XD 4.5 service pistol and have owned and operated it now for the past 2 years. It's been awesome:1. Installation was clear and a breeze. It fits perfectly and was easy to sight in and adjust.2. The operation is straight-forward and intuitive. Just tap either side and the light comes on or off.3. Maintains accuracy even after several hundred rounds. I haven't had to re-sight it since I installed it. Stays well affixed to the rail and hasn't come lose even after all that time.4. Customer service is exceptional. I did have the battery door vibrate off - although it's not clear how that exactly happened. Just know when I got home one day, the door (and battery) were missing. Called customer service and they immediately sent out a new battery door and battery free of charge and a couple days later I was back up and running. That's worth it compared to cheaper alternatives and I would buy from Crimson Trace time and time again.If you are considering this - take a look at their green laser model and read the reviews on it. That model wasn't available when I bought mine and I've read that green lasers are the way to go (faster sight acquisition). Although I have to say, I can immediately pick up the red dot with my eyes in a variety of lighting conditions. Still - there are some good comparison reviews out there and you can decide for yourself.Only downside is that in bright sunlight outside, it's generally impossible to see the dot. But in that case, the fixed sights are much easier to acquire so it's not that big a deal for me and not why I bought the sight - I bought it for home defense in low light conditions.

First impression: Out of the box, this is a very small and compact laser with a rugged and durable feel to it. It looks exactly as you see in the advertisement photo, and is extremely easy to install. I really like this CT Rail Master laser a lot.Install: It was easy. I needed a small regular screwdriver. Loosen the two screws on the right side of the laser assembly, slide out the shipped insert, and choose the correct insert for your pistol, then slide that insert back in. Next, slide the laser body assembly onto your rail, and if you have the correct insert, it will slide along the rail, and "pop" into the rail slot, with a sturdy, secure feel without any play. Next, tighten up the two screws until they are snug. I always watch the other side where the screw ends come out to make sure I stop before over tightening. I did not use any loctite. These screws are not heavy duty, so take care. Finally, slide off the metal cover of the battery compartment, I used a bladed screw driver to assist. The battery goes in with the negative side down, you will push on the "+" end to install. Push down on the battery, and it will pop into the compartment snugly, then slide the cover back on. Now you are "good to go".First use: I removed my magazine, and checked to make sure I was clear before any installation. After the laser was installed, I left out the magazine for safety. I tested the engagement of the laser with my extended trigger finger. It is a very positive slight clicking sensation that will turn the laser on. The off/on action works for left or right handed operation, and I tested both sides several times without any failures. I then bench sighted the laser at about 15 yards, and it was exactly, perfectly sighted in as far as my eyes could tell. There is absolutely no play with this laser. It is very solidly mounted.Issues: I have a nylon fabric holster that this will slide into for my G19. However, I now have an issue. I want to get one of these lasers for all my railed pistols, but I have a bunch of Fobus' that do not accommodate a front mounted laser. Good news is I only spent $20 for each one on Amazon at some point, so no big deal. Time for a hip holster search. I'm thinking IWB.Overall, I'm super happy with this CT Rail Master. The laser is bright, crisp, was sighted in exactly on target out of the box, has superb on/off natural tip of the finger button switch activation, and is compact and rugged in my opinion. The price....well that's in my budget at sub $100. I'm totally sold on this laser and I will highly recommend it. Lastly, it's CT, so if you have some issues, it's not some cheap fly by night company. This is made in the USA and a great piece of gear. Get it, but plan on a new holster. I'll range test this soon, but this is for home defense not battle, so I just need it to be reasonably rugged. We'll see how it holds up after a box or two. Thanks for reading.

REVIEW OF THE SECOND ONE I RECEIVED: FOUR STARS:I stand by my original review listed below. However I have received my replacement and after a few sessions at the range it is running strong and I really like the low profile. Again, installation and sighting it in was child's play. A couple small tweeks with provided allen wrench and it was on the mark. I never bothered to look at the instructions on either one because its so simple to install the battery and install the unit on a pistol; one look and I just knew what to do. I like it and it does what it is supposed to do, so far, so dont get hung up on all the negatives I list. I gave it four stars. This may change in the future depending on longevity. Only time will tell.Use some semi permanent loktite on the threads. I used Small Thread Loctite 222. This will eliminate the screws coming loose like some others have mentioned. Red laser is nearly impossible to see in broad daylight. No different from others. If you want an outdoor daylight laser buy a green veridian. Double the price though for green. Indoors or dim lighting... works like a charm and the laser has cool factor. If your dot starts to look like a huge snowflake it is because its dirty. Q-tip and alcohol spun around on the lens should clear it up. I am leery about using gun solvents and oils on it myself.Same issue with the laser being hotdog shaped and much larger than advertised. See picture below. Same issue with the lip of the rail insert being too short to properly engage the rail. This insert seemed to engage just a little bit more then the first one and I believe enough that it would NOT be able to slide past the notch. However, the lip on the insert is smaller than the groove in a picatinny rail and thus could potentially allow approximately 1/8" of movement front to back.I am not sure how I feel about the 5 minute shut off timer. I understand battery saving if it is left on or accidently turned on shoving it in a range bag or holster. However, something like that could get you killed if you need to reach for it at the wrong moment. *SHRUG* That being said the "wings" buttons on each side are nice as I can reach them with my trigger finger.BELOW IS MY ORIGINAL REVIEW FOR THE FIRST ONE I RECEIVED: Review was TWO STARSFew things to note: Not a .50" dot at 50'. Set it on my table pointing down the hallway and measured the "dot" with a caliper. More like a hotdog shape .75" at 30'. Also, the two pieces that squeeze together to mount when you tighten the screws do not sit in a fixed position in relation to the laser. If you are not paying attention, and mount with them too far back in relation to the laser, the little finger piece that engages the rail slot will not be captivated and you will lose it. Luckily I noticed and remounted moving them more forward with it captivated. Also on that note, the little tab piece that is supposed to go up into the slot, barely went up into the rail slot at all and so little in fact that I figured it may be able to simply slide right past on recoil. *SHRUG*On a good note: it was easy to install. Childs play in fact. Adjustment/zero'ing was childs play as well. couple small adjustments to each direction and the dot was right where my sights told me it should be. Unfortunately I never got to use it at the range because after using several mags with the iron sights it would not come on at all. Pushed both buttons several times and made sure the lens was not simply dirty. No go. so I returned it. I wont give it a one because it could have been a fluke.Looses one star for dot basically double the spec size. Another for the real possibility of loosing the little rail engagement piece. and yet another for that piece not fully engaging up into the rail slot.

I have a Crimson trace laser on my Kimber Ultra Crimson Carry2, I was very happy with the laser and how it is designed so I thought I would buy another Crimson laser product. I purchase a Universal Rail mounted laser for my Ruger SR9C and my Glock 19,Well it's amazing!!!!!!!. I had it installed in less than two minutes time. Very easy too install and very compact in size,After reading other reviews of the light not working or the laser changing its point of aim I was hoping it would work well when I got it. well it works even better than I had hoped.I went to the range today and found the laser works great on both guns with amazing accuracy, I took both guns to the range and installed the laser on the Ruger, it was dead on with no issues. After I had shot about 150 rounds I installed the laser on my Glock and in two minutes I was shooting with the same accuracy with no adjustment to the laser and shot another 150 rounds.The on/off switch is great and is easily turned off and on. This was the main reason for the rail style I chose as the other type had no master on/off switch which meant as soon as you gripped the gun for a normal grip the laser came on. The iron sights are all you should need in daylight anyway but with the other style the laser was on any time you were shooting.This is my first review of any product ever. Please excuse the long review but this is a great product and that needs to be said.Lawrence

I purchased this Crimson Trace Rail Master laser to use as a sight on my second Ruger SR22P pistol. My other SR22P is equipped with a similar competing product from Lasermax -- the Uni-Max Micro. Both lasers are small and will fit perfectly on any pistol equipped with a Picatinny tactical rail. In this review I will first review just the Rail Master and then make some comparisons as between the Rail Master and the Uni-Max Micro.Laser sights have been around for awhile, but in the 21st century they have really come into their own as an excellent augment to the traditional notch or "iron" sights that were perfected in the 19th century. Lasers have the advantage of very quick target acquisition in lower light conditions and/or short range. At longer ranges in bright sunlight lasers are not nearly as effective because it is simply harder to see that red dot. But even in bright conditions at short range (the range that you would likely need a laser to acquire a "bad guy" target) a laser can be effective. Since the laser in no way interferes with the shooter's ability to simply use the conventional "iron" sights if that is appropriate, the laser is a wonderful supplemental sighting system. Under appropriate conditions many shooters myself included will get tighter and better shot groups using a laser than with conventional sights, and it is great fun to watch the bullets strike precisely where the red dot is placed.The Rail Master design plainly emphasizes one of Crimson Trace's strong points which is precision mounting. All CT products emphasize this. This unit adheres very sturdily to the pistol to reduce or eliminate drift in the sight that would require the need to re-zero the laser. There are two cross-bolts that fasten the Rail Master to the pistol's Picatinny rail, and it appears to me that this scheme was intentionally designed to over-engineer the mounting hardware of the laser. I will update this review if this assumption proves false after about 1000 rounds. The mounting process is pretty simple. First you select one of four "spacers" to space the laser as between the trigger guard and the end of the rail. The SR22P does well with insert #2, which the manual said was suitable for the very similar-sized Walther P22. Then you simply loosen the two mounting bolts and slide the sight onto the rail. This can be done in under one minute.To zero the laser is very easy once mounted. My preferred method is to first zero the "iron" sights on the pistol at the shooting range. Then, one simply adjusts the windage and elevation settings of the laser dot to move the dot precisely where the already-zeroed perfect sight picture indicates. It is important to pick a range of about 30-50 feet to do this zeroing. A common mistake is to try to adjust the laser at a short range, where the parallax between the placement of the sight and the laser becomes significant. If you zero at a longer distance this difference becomes insignificant. In fact, zero as between 30 and 50 feet is functionally the same in my experience. I have found that by using this method I generally do not have to adjust the laser at all once I get to the range. That was the case with the Crimson Trace Rail Master.The Rail Master is slightly bulkier than the very similar Laser Max Uni-Max Micro laser sight. This is because of the two cross-bolts as well as the "spacer" scheme described above. Functionally the two lasers are very similar. Both are activated by tapping an ambidextrous paddle button along the side of the laser. Here I am going to say that the Crimson Trace laser is superior ergonomically. The Rail Master activation switch sits further back towards the trigger guard as compared to the Lasermax, and it is more instinctive to activate. The Laser Max switch is quite good, but a smaller shooter (like me) has to slightly strain the fingers to reach it. The Crimson Trace does not require this as it sits further back.The Rail Master projects a slightly brighter dot than does the Laser Max which surprised me. The Laser Max is plenty adequate and the difference is not great but the difference appears to be real.The Laser Max does have a feature that the Crimson Trace lacks -- the pulse or "strobe" option. The Laser Max allows the user to toggle between an 11 Hertz strobe setting or a constant setting. The Crimson Trace laser does not have a strobe setting. Another nice attribute of the strobe setting is that it reduces the duty cycle of the laser by about 50%, thereby increasing battery life.Overall the Lasermax and the Rail Master are both superbly designed products that will give a lifetime of service. I have one of each. (By the way, they use the same batteries.) Overall, I would give the edge to the Crimson Trace due to its better ergonomics and more robust mounting scheme. But you won't go wrong with either. The Crimston Trace Rail Master is highly recommended without reservation. RJB.