Crimson Trace

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Recoil Magazine Makes A Brilliant Move

December 13, 2012 by 4 Comments

After all the controversy engendered when an editor said the HK MP-7 wasn’t for civilians, Recoil Magazine seems to be getting their act together. That is, if their soon-to-be announced new editor is any indication.

I received an email this evening from Iain Harrison announcing that he was leaving Crimson Trace after two years to become the new editor of Recoil. He says of his time with Crimson Trace:

It’s been a wild couple of years as PR guy for Crimson Trace, working
with a company that has grown from being an awkward teenager and is now
hanging with the cool kids. I have been privileged to have worked with
the very best in the industry during these past, oh-so-short 24 months
and I’m extremely grateful to you all for humoring my lack of experience
in the field.  It is with a tinge of sadness therefore that I’m
announcing my resignation from CTC, but this is tempered with an
enormous amount of excitement for the next project.

Congratulations to Iain on his new position and to Recoil Magazine for making such a brilliant move.

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Crimson Trace Announces 5 New Green Laser Grips

November 9, 2012 by 3 Comments

Crimson Trace plans to release five new green Lasergrips in December. They will be for the 1911, the Glock, and Smith & Wesson J-Frames.


Crimson Trace’s Revolutionary Green Lasergrips® Coming Soon

(Wilsonville, OR) Crimson Trace will launch five new Lasergrips which feature the industry’s smallest green diode before the end of the year. This groundbreaking technology raises the bar when it comes to size, battery life, temperature stability and visibility in all levels of lighting conditions.

Utilizing the company’s patented Instinctive Activation™, models will be available for 1911 full size and compact frames, Glock full size and compact frames and the Smith & Wesson J-Frame revolver. All five of these models will be available in December through normal distribution and from www.crimsontrace.com, starting at $299.

Although the human eye perceives green lasers as being brighter, until now they have had several drawbacks when it came to power consumption, performance in cold weather and overall size. Crimson Trace has solved all of these by developing an entirely new laser package, no larger than the tried and tested red version currently used in its award-winning Lasergrips. “We have been anticipating and perfecting this line of green Lasergrips over this past year,” explained Kent Thomas, Director of Marketing for Crimson Trace. “Our goal was to deliver the most visible and consistent green laser available on the market in our flagship platform and we’re proud to have accomplished everything we set out to do.” Finding holsters to accommodate firearms equipped with these green Lasergrips is simple as the grips do not interfere with most standard holster options.

All Lasergrips models are pre sighted from the factory at 50’ and are fully adjustable by the user to fine tune it to their chosen self defense ammunition. Featuring the most powerful laser allowable by law, the units offer an industry leading 2 hour run time on two, easily replaced #2032 batteries.

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Crimson Trace Releases Infra-Red Lasers

September 18, 2012 by 2 Comments

Crimson Trace is now offering infra-red lasers to the commercial market. According to their release (see below), they’ll be offering LaserGrips for the 1911 and Glocks, their RailMaster, and their vertical foregrip for rifles with Picatinny rails.

At first I was a little unsure how much use they would get in the commercial marketplace until they mentioned nighttime predator and hog hunting. It most certainly makes sense now.

Affordable InfraRed Laser Sights from Crimson Trace® – Available Now

(Wilsonville, OR) Drawing heavily on technology developed in support of America’s warfighters by its defense division, Crimson Trace is proud to introduce a line of InfraRed (IR) laser sights for the civilian market. Observable only through night vision equipment, these laser sights offer the user the ability to mark a target invisibly, which is a boon for predator control, security personnel or anyone involved in the growing sport of hog hunting. Due to ITAR restrictions, these new IR sights are available through select distributors, online retailers and direct from www.crimsontrace.com and are the most cost-effective solution for anyone who seeks to add a covert night sighting solution to their firearm, listing at MSRPs of between $299 and $599.

In order to assure the widest possible number of gun fitments, the IR lasers available include the award-wining MVF-515 vertical foregrip and the hugely popular Rail Master™ mini laser. The Rail Master fits almost any firearm with a Picatinny rail and adds less than 2oz to the overall weight, while incorporating the most powerful laser available by law. The MVF-515 has an incredibly long run time and offers the additional benefit of a blinding, 200 lumen white light to enable the use of daytime optics as well as night vision devices. Crimson Trace also introduces IR versions of its patented Instinctive Activation Lasergrips® for the 1911 and Glock pistols, assuring the same night vision compatible performance for sidearms.

The company subjected the new IR sights to the same rigorous testing protocols as their standard products, but in this instance went a little further. “Listening to our customers and the marketplace, adding these IR platforms to our commercial line up address consistent requests we receive as the market leader,“ said Kent Thomas, Director of Marketing for Crimson Trace. “In preparation for the launch, we field-tested the Rail Master’s performance on two Texas hog hunts this spring. In both cases, they turned in outstanding performances and surpassed our already high expectations on multiple weapon platforms in complete darkness.”

All Crimson Trace products are proudly designed, engineered and built in the USA. For further information contact;

Contact:

Iain Harrison
iainh@crimsontrace.com
1-800-442-2406 x1303

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Crimson Trace Releases Their First Green Lasers

September 10, 2012 by 5 Comments

Crimson Trace has released their first four green lasers to the market. These include Laserguard models for certain 1911s, full sized Glocks, and the Springfield XD/XDm and the Rail Master for any firearm with a Picatinny rail.

Crimson Trace Releases Four Green Laser Sights to Market

(Wilsonville, OR) Crimson Trace announced today the release of the highly anticipated green Laserguard® and Rail Master™ products. This initial release of the green laser sight line includes Laserguard models for Kimber and Smith & Wesson 1911 frames, Glock Full Size and Compact and Springfield XD/XDm firearms. The Rail Master model is designed to fit on firearms equipped with a Picatinny rail – making it the ultimate in universal green laser sighting systems. All four of these models are available now through normal distribution and from www.crimsontrace.com starting at $269.

“By now, most consumers are savvy enough to know that green lasers have always been power-hungry compared to their red counterparts,” explained Kent Thomas, Director of Marketing for Crimson Trace. “By mounting them in front of the trigger guard, we’re able to utilize battery power in both a functional and design friendly way significantly more than ever – which means our customers never have to compromise on run tim e.” Just as important as the green laser product introduction, holsters from BladeTech, Mitch Rosen, De Santis, Crossbreed and Galco will be available to fit these new green laser sights.

The Laserguard platform is the ideal and ultimate additional to conceal carry firearms. The unit is quickly and easily installed by the user simply by securing around the trigger guard with provided screws. The profile for the pistol does change which is why Crimson Trace works with top holster manufacturers to create holster solutions for all Laserguard equipped firearms. Check out the Holster Resource Guide for details on all models.

The Rail Master platform has become a success story virtually overnight. This unique design attaches to any firearm with a Picatinny rail and will not move due to the Secure-Lock Technology™ system. Each unit comes standard with four inserts that are easily interchangeable to fit a wide range of pistols and long guns equipped with a Picatinny rail and activate with simple, easy to reach activation.

Both the Laserguard and Rail Master are pre sighted from the factory at 50’ and are fully adjustable by the user to fine tune it to their chosen self defense ammunition. Featuring the most powerful laser allowable by law, the units offer an industry leading 2 hour run time on one, easily replaced CR2 battery.

All Crimson Trace products are proudly designed, engineered and built in the USA. For further information contact;

Iain Harrison
iainh@crimsontrace.com
1-800-442-2406 x1303

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From Iain Harrison – Midnight 3-Gun Invitational 2012

July 13, 2012 by 1 Comment

Iain Harrison of Crimson Trace sent along this reminder about the first night-time 3-gun match that is being sponsored by Crimson Trace. One additional thing of interest is that footwear and sportswear giant Nike is going to be a sponsor which is a first.

Crimson Trace Kicks Off World’s First Night Time 3 Gun Match

The first and only event of its kind starts Monday with a full roster of shooters, full match schedule and full auto firearms! Shooting entirely at night in the high desert of central Oregon, the Crimson Trace Midnight 3 Gun Invitational is a unique addition to the shooting calendar, featuring night vision equipment, thermal imagers, IR lasers and belt-fed stage guns. When the sun sets on the range, shooters from all over the country will be making ready in anticipation of the eight, challenging stages and the chance to win the $10,000 first prize.

“We’re totally stoked at the response this match has generated,” said Kent Thomas, director of marketing. “Outside of the of military, no one that we’re aware of has put something like this on before and we’re really grateful that the shooting community has embraced it the way they have.” A large number of top-tier sponsors have also joined Crimson Trace in creating this one-of-a-kind competition. Companies based in the Pacific Northwest were quick to throw their hats into the ring, with FLIR, Danner, Leatherman, Leupold, Nosler, BladeTech and Warne providing products for shooters and Range Officers. Local sportswear powerhouse Nike also came on board, the first time they have ever sponsored a shooting event. FNH, Remington, ATK and PWS are providing guns and ammo for use in the exciting courses of fire, which will be covered by TV, print and online media.

The M3GI is open to spectators and is located at the COSSA range on Rte 20, east of Bend, OR.

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Batteries For Life – A Nice Bonus From Crimson Trace

June 1, 2012 by 1 Comment

Crimson Trace has started a program to encourage owners of their laser products to register their lasers. Free batteries is a nice bonus on top of a great product.

Crimson Trace Extends Popular ‘Batteries For Life’ Program

(Wilsonville, OR) Crimson Trace, the Oregon-based manufacturer of the World’s only grip-activated laser sights today announced plans to extend its hugely popular ‘Batteries for Life’ scheme. CTC customers will receive free replacement batteries for the lifetime of their laser sights, in exchange for registering their products with the company’s customer service department.

“There are very few things in life that are truly free,” said Nate Hoke, Director of Customer service for Crimson Trace. “This is one of them. Just register online or via our 800 number and every year, we’ll send a fresh set of batteries for your Lasergrips® or Laserguard® product for as long as you own it.” Hoke reported that many customers were still using the original batteries in their sights after six or seven years. “While Crimson Trace products have the longest run times in the industry, laser sights are safety devices and as such, should have regular battery changes. We’re proud to be able to offer this program to our loyal customers – it’s one more way for us to show our appreciation to the people who have supported us over the years.”

All Crimson Trace products are proudly designed engineered and manufactured in the USA and fit the widest range or popular self-defense handguns, including Glock, Smith & Wesson, Kimber and Springfield.

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Lightguard Now Available For The 1911

May 9, 2012 by 5 Comments

Crimson Trace has just released their Lightguard weapon-mounted light for 1911s that don’t have accessory rails. At this time, it is only for 1911s from either Kimber or Smith & Wesson.

Here are the details from Crimson Trace:

Crimson Trace today announced the release of their eagerly-anticipated addition to their Lightguard™ platform for Kimber and S&W 1911 pattern pistols. The new weapon mounted light features an incredible 130 lumen output and the patented instinctive activation that made Crimson Trace the industry leader in laser sighting systems – simply hold the pistol in a normal firing grip to activate the light, with no additional buttons or switches to press. Available through their regular dealer network or from crimsontrace.com, the unit will retail at an MSRP of $199.

Whereas previously, 1911 owners would have required the services of a gunsmith to install a light on their non-railed pistols, the new 1911 Lightguard requires no gunsmithing and fits seamlessly over the trigger guard for snag-free operation. Operating on one, easily sourced CR2 lithium battery (included), the unit boasts an impressive 2 hour run time. With its narrow profile the Lightguard extends no wider than the slide, or longer than the dust cover on compact guns, holstering is a non-issue.

“Although the 1911 is justifiably the most popular handgun in the USA, it’s always lacked the ability to easily mount a light and, if you did, the options were large, encumbering choices that detract from both the function and look that 1911 fans crave,” said Kent Thomas, Director of Marketing for Crimson Trace. “Now, 1911 owners can take advantage of this life-saving self defense tool without permanently altering their guns in a slim, intelligent and highly functional way that befits the classic and trusted 1911 frame.” As an added bonus, the engineers at Crimson Trace designed the Lightguard to be fully compatible with their existing Lasergrips® including the hugely popular Master Series™ line.

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Crimson Trace Announces Laserguard For The M&P Shield

May 1, 2012 by

Crimson Trace has unveiled a prototype Laserguard for the Smith and Wesson M&P Shield. They expect that production units will be ready to ship in the third quarter of this year.

From Iain Harrison:

(Wilsonville, OR) The hottest new pistol at the NRA Annual Meetings will soon have the ultimate in integrated laser sighting solutions for conceal carry and personal protection, befitting the M&P Brand. Crimson Trace today announced the newest prototype from their in-house design and engineering team – a Laserguard® for the single stack M&P Shield in 9mm and 40S&W. At a targeted MSRP of $219, the new sight features their patented instinctive activation that allows the use to activate the laser by simply taking a natural firing grip, with no additional switches to press. Available via their regular dealer network and other channels of distribution, the Shield Laserguard will be officially launched in Q3.

Matching the lines and contours of the Shield, while adding almost no bulk to the weapon, the Laserguard wraps around the pistol’s trigger guard and index on the frame for a seamless, no-gunsmithing fit. Each comes zeroed from the factory at 50 feet and is equipped with windage and elevation screws so that the user can fine tune the system to their own firearm and ammunition and the each unit offers a 4 hour run time on one user-replaceable battery. “We’ve been working with Smith and Wesson on the Shield since the early days of its development,” said Michael Caulk, Director of Engineering for Crimson Trace. “We’re excited to be able to offer Shield owners the industry’s best and most trusted laser sighting design for this excellent compact pistol.”

A picture of the prototype can be seen below.

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Crimson Trace Goes Green

April 20, 2012 by 2 Comments

Crimson Trace will now be producing green as well as red lasers. While I didn’t get a chance to play with them at the NRA Annual Meeting in St. Louis, I did hear about them from Jim Shepherd of The Outdoor Wires. This evening I received more information on these lasers and their anticipated release from Tiffany Hopp of Crimson Trace.

Tiffany sent the following:

Crimson Trace Debuts Industry’s First Instinctively Activated Green Handgun Lasers at NRA Annual Meetings

(Wilsonville, OR) In a move that caught much of the industry by surprise, Crimson Trace, the maker of the World’s only grip activated laser sights, unveiled its new line of green handgun lasers to a record crowd of over 70,000 consumers at the NRA Annual Convention in St. Louis last weekend. Boldly debuting six models in all significant platforms – Lasergrips®, Laserguard® and Universal Rail Master™ – scheduled to begin delivery to market in the Fall of 2012.

The first green lasers to hit the market will be in the Laserguard platform for Glock, Smith & Wesson M&P, Springfield XDm and 1911 frames and visually follow company’s award-winning Lightguard™ design. “By now, most consumers are savvy enough to know that green lasers have always been power-hungry compared to their red counterparts,” explained Kent Thomas, Director of Marketing for Crimson Trace. “By mounting them in front of the trigger guard, we’re able to utilize battery power in both a functional and design friendly way significantly more than ever – which means our customers never have to compromise on run time.” Also available in Fall 2012 will be the wildly popular Rail Master product, which is the company’s first Universal fit product for handguns with Picitinny Rails. Just as important as the green laser product introduction, holsters from BladeTech, De Santis, Crossbreed and Galco are available to fit these new green laser sights.

Creating the most buzz and excitement, however, were the sneak-peek prototypes of green Lasergrips®, scheduled to be available in early 2013. Green lasers have traditionally been much bulkier than red versions due to their more complex construction. Until now, this has prevented their use in the patented grip integrated lasers that made Crimson Trace the industry leader in laser sighting systems. Using an entirely new kind of laser, the company has managed to reduce the footprint of the diode package while simultaneously reducing the power it needs to function. “This new technology is a game changer,” said Thomas. “Next year, customers will be able to get the instinctive activation, innovative engineering and quality Crimson Trace is famous for, but with the option of green in a few of the most popular gun frames in the market. Once again, we’ve listened to the market, our loyal consumers and found a way to deliver what they want in only the way Crimson Trace can.”

I like the idea of a green laser as green is an easier color for me to pick up visually. This has to do with the fact that green is in the middle of the color spectrum and not at the end. Viridian has been pushing their green lasers for just this reason. That said, I’ve always like the way the Crimson Trace has integrated lasers into a handgun with their instinctive on-off grip switch much better than the way Viridian and others have mounted their lasers. Soon I’ll be able to have the best of both worlds!

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World’s Only Night Time 3 Gun Match

March 30, 2012 by

Iain Harrison sent out a notice this afternoon about an event that Crimson Trace will be sponsoring this summer – the Midnight 3 Gun Invitational. What is not to like about this event – full-auto weapons, thermal imaging, and night vision gear. I hope they provide some good video of this event.

From their release:

(Wilsonville, OR) Crimson Trace today announced the most unusual shooting event on the 2012 match calendar – a fast-paced 3-gun match shot entirely at night in the high desert, near Bend, OR. The event will occur after sunset, July 16-18 and the organizers will be providing full-auto firearms, thermal imaging equipment and state of the art night vision gear to all the competitors on several of the eight challenging stages.

Many of the country’s top 3 gun competitors have already signed up for the match, citing the additional challenge of competing in darkness as a big factor. “All the top guys have years of experience running & gunning in daytime conditions, but there are very few who’ve competed at this kind of level at night,” said Iain Harrison, media relations manager for Crimson Trace, and 3-gunner himself. “It’s going to be fascinating to see who comes out on top, and with what equipment.”

The match was scheduled for a week when there will be little to no moonlight, forcing the competitors to rely heavily on whatever weapon-mounted lights and lasers they feel will offer the best advantage, and the match rules have been written to favor innovation and adaptability. “We deliberately didn’t write a restrictive rulebook for this match – if the shooter decides that their rifle would benefit from an aircraft landing light powered by a portable generator, then they can go ahead and bolt one up. Though I suspect they’d be better served with one of our MVF-515™ vertical foregrips,” joked Harrison.

Many of the leading outdoor-related companies based in the area have thrown their weight behind the event. Sponsors include Nike, Leatherman, Danner, PWS, Blade-Tech and Warne, in addition to Crimson Trace, giving the match a distinctly Pacific Northwest flavor. CTC is offering a $3000 check to the eventual winner, doubling that amount if their products are used on all three of the competitor’s guns. With a sizeable media contingent showing up to both shoot in and cover the match, anyone who can’t make it out to central Oregon should be able to follow their favorite athlete’s progress as the event unfolds.