P380 Armalaser review & thoughts

[medezyner]

As mentioned in a previous post, my P380 has served me very well: reliable and surprisingly accurate for such a small pistol. These tired (read old) eyes need some help so I decided it was time to show the pocket pal some lov’in. I’ve used the Crimson Trace on a previous handguns and decided to look into the ArmaLaser (model TR19) further. The CT is double the price, which leaves me enough to upgrade the sights to XS or Truglo trits.<br>
Like the CT, assembly is simple. Power output is the same – 5mW. Not sure where the extra cost for the CT is coming from. Maybe long term durability? That is yet to be seen, but both lasers seem to garner good reviews across the board.<br>
Both models will eat a little space in the trigger guard undercut, so a magazine extension is def welcome. Sausage fingers take note: the space between the trigger face and the guard will be reduced by the laser housing. I’m measuring 3/4 inch opening after installation.<br>
Holsters: not a lot of them, but I think enough. Crossbreed has several and I have a mini OWB belt slide on order. I dug out my Remora &amp; Desantis sticky pocket holsters that I believe were bought for my PM9. The P380 w/laser fits perfectly fine. At 30' the dot seems to be adequately aligned with the fixed sights. We’ll see what some range time yields. <br>
I do prefer the activation of the AL over the CT. It is not an activation button, like the CT, but a contact surface. It feels a bit more natural. If you want to do some shooting without the laser, put a piece a tape over the contact area. I also like the external cover for battery replacement. It feels like the AL has more check marks in the plus column than the CT. All-in-all, at less than $90 I’m thinking its a great value and help get on target quicker and more accurately (for me).