For self-defense, the Ruger LCP makes an excellent weapon of choice. Its compact size is suitable for many different ways of concealment. For instance, you can stow it under your waistband or at your ankle. It’s also easy enough to keep in a glove compartment or purse. Should you face any danger, you can whip out your pistol in the quickest way possible. It’s also a bonus if you have a certified laser to help you scope out your target. I even bring my Ruger LCP 380 with a laser in public to protect myself from any harm.
You all may know by now that I love handguns. I have a collection of almost 40 pistols. Of course, I carry one for self-defense in case I encounter anything shady while I’m out from home. But to improve my shooting performance, a laser is the best way to go. If you’re still looking for more laser sight options, this review is for you. The following list talks about the best lasers to get for your Ruger LCP:
 | Viridian Compact Red Laser Sight |
| $87   Shop NowClick to read my review |
 | Crimson Trace Laserguard for Ruger LCP |
| $206   Shop NowClick to read my review |
 | LaserLyte Sight Trainer for Ruger |
| $89   Shop NowClick to read my review |
 | LaserMax CenterFire Laser Sight |
| $98   Shop NowClick to read my review |
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Why Is a Laser Important for Ruger LCP?
Owning a Ruger LCP already serves as a huge advantage in the concealment department. But why is there a need to buy accessories for this little guy like lasers? The list below explains the reasons why getting a laser for your gun is never a waste:
- Better target aim: For shooters looking to land more accurate shots, getting a laser sight is a brilliant idea. With lasers, you can line your shots toward both immobile and moving targets. Plus, you could point a laser’s light toward your prey’s vital points to paralyze it in one go. Also, lasers can help you achieve many bull’s eyes while dry firing.
- Versatile for many defensive purposes: Besides self-defense, there are many other ways you can use your Ruger LCP laser with. Lasers are one of the most popular add-ons rated by both military and gun owners alike. For instance, you can use a laser for night hunts and military patrols. You can even use one to aid you in home defense and dry firing sessions. No matter your shooting needs, a laser helps you locate your target and shoot.
- Compact and lightweight: One thing that is most likeable about Ruger LCP lasers is how they weigh in general. Since a Ruger LCP is a compact gun, it’s easy to carry one wherever you go. For example, a laser that weighs less than 4 ounces makes a great portable Ruger LCP accessory. Plus, attaching one to your gun will not make you feel like you’re carrying a heavy object.
- Two color lasers have different functions: Almost all lasers’ lights are available in various colors, with red and green as the most common ones. The colors are not only there for show, but each is also great to use for specific circumstances.
How to Pick A Good Ruger LCP Laser
Like buying a gun, getting a laser for your Ruger LCP is also a long-term investment. But how do you know that the laser you’re buying is a great option? The following criteria show you what you have to look out for in a good Ruger LCP laser:
- Laser color: Depending on your shooting needs, choose a laser color that can cater to your demands. Both red and green laser lights have their ups and downs. By knowing how each laser color works, you’re going to have an easier time narrowing your buying options. For instance, a red laser is more fitting for night shooting due to its weaker light glow. Also, it’s easier and much more affordable to find on the market than green lasers. Since it doesn’t produce too much brightness, red lasers give you longer battery life. But do take note that red lasers are not effective for daytime use. This is because their lights are harder to spot in brightly lit environments.
- Laser brightness: Another thing that you should check when getting a laser sight is its brightness. The brighter your laser’s beam, the farther distances it could illuminate. You could use two criteria points for this: megawatts and distance. For instance, a 5mW laser is bright enough to light up pathways and garages. Hence, a laser like this can help you blind game animals and intruders for a short time.
- Price: Of course, one criterion that you should also consider is the pricing. Again, this doesn’t mean that all pricier lasers have better features. Many affordable ones can still offer you superb lighting for your Ruger LCP. In the current market, you can find lasers varying in costs between $30 to $300. When picking a laser sight, make sure you get one that fits your monetary budget.
- Functionality: When buying a laser for your Ruger, it’s also important to know if your laser is easy to operate or not. For example, your laser should make it simple for you to switch it on/off or attach to your firearm. These could help you conserve your laser’s battery life span and react quicker to danger when needed.
- Battery life: As stated earlier, a good laser has long battery life. One way to determine how long a laser’s battery lasts is its brightness. The higher a battery’s brightness, the shorter its lifespan. For example, red lasers provide weaker luminosity to users. Despite the faint light production, they have longer battery strength. Meanwhile, green lasers have brighter beams but these drain their batteries faster. As such, select a Ruger LCP laser whose battery could last up to long periods despite constant use.
Other Useful Ruger LCP Accessories
To unlock your gun’s full potential, one way of doing so is to upgrade it with more gear. Besides lasers, investing in the following could help you improve in the long run:
Holsters
For effective concealment, holsters are excellent Ruger LCP accessories. With one, you can carry your firearm anywhere without attracting attention to yourself. Many gear shops sell holsters of different kinds. These include inside the waistband (IWB), pocket, and ankle versions. You can pick one depending on your carry preference and style.
Trigger Pull Gauges
If you’re a serious shooter, consider getting a trigger pull gauge for your pistol. Trigger pull gauges help you fire precise shots by making it easier for you to press your gun’s trigger. This is a must-have item for those who like joining shooting competitions. Our best trigger pull gauge article features more available choices.
Pistol Cases
Apart from holsters, a pistol case is another alternative that you can use to carry your gun. There are two types of pistol cases: hard and soft. Each case type varies in material construction and durability. Still, pistol cases also make good gear for storing away your gun.
Shot Timers
As shooters, it’s vital that we know our progress when it comes to our shooting skills. This is where shot timers come in. Shot timers are devices that collect and interpret your shooting data. It involves measuring how fast and accurate your fired shots are at the range. From this, we can tell that these are valuable add-ons for competition shooters. You can check out our best shot timers article if you’re unsure what to buy for yourself.
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Best Ruger LCP Lasers in 2022
From hundreds of options, we handpicked this year’s four best lasers for the Ruger LCP. But before anything else, here’s a summarized table of each item’s specs:
| Name | Laser Color | Laser Range/ Visibility (Night) | Laser Power Output | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viridian Compact Red Laser Sight | Red | 1 mile (night); 25 yards (daylight) | <5mW | $87 |
| Crimson Trace Laserguard for Ruger LCP | Red | .5-inch diameter at 16 yards | <5mW | $206.38 |
| LaserLyte Sight Trainer for Ruger | Red | 500 yards | <5mW | $89.30 |
| LaserMax CenterFire Laser Sight | Red | 1.5-inch point of impact (POI) at 10 yards | <5mW | $98 |
Viridian Compact Red Laser Sight
Viridian is the home of the brightest laser sight for the Ruger LCP on the market today. With this laser sight, you’ll be able to track your target more quickly and more accurately than ever before. It generates the brightest, sharpest, and most noticeable red targeting dot using a precise advanced 650nm wavelength. Activation is simple, thanks to the ambidextrous buttons, which take only a few seconds to activate. The red dot laser is visible up to 1 mile at night which is a great feature for individuals who enjoy nighttime activities, and up to 25 yards during the day.
In terms of longevity, this Viridian Laser is built of durable Thermo molded polymer and is designed exclusively for your Ruger LCP. It’s incredibly light, weighing only .78 oz. with its tactical red laser, including the battery. It’s a good thing that it doesn’t add much weight to the gun so you comfortably carry your firearm. Viridian Weapon Tech shows how to install the laser to your weapon:
Another excellent advantage is that the laser sight’s battery can endure up to 6 hours of continuous red laser operation. To save energy, it also has a 5-minute auto shut-off option. For fast attachment, it comes with a built-in Weaver mount that you can attach to any weaver rail-equipped firearm or crossbow.
This is the cheapest laser in this review and therefore our Best Budget Pick Laser for the Ruger LCP. The Viridian Compact Red Laser is a terrific value for money and is proudly USA-made.
- Made of high strength thermo molded polymer
- Can generate the brightest red laser up to 1 mile at night
- Up to 6 hours of constant red laser time
- 5 min auto shut off feature
- Includes a built-in Weaver mount for fast attachment
- Affordable
- Offers basic features
Crimson Trace Laserguard for Ruger LCP
If you want a trusty Ruger LCP laser, Crimson Trace’s Laserguard is your wise option. For starters, the Laserguard is a Ruger LCP laser, which releases a red beam when used. Its best feature lies in its automatic activation button. Once pressed, all you need to do to operate it is to aim at your desired target. Many fans loved this attribute. Plus, you can turn its red laser off when you either holster or point it down. As someone who also owns a Laserguard myself, I can attest that such a laser sight feature exists.
For its framework, the Laserguard uses a combination of hard polymer and rubber. These two materials give this laser sight a black, sturdy, and scratch-free appearance. Plus, it doesn’t need gunsmithing when attaching this laser sight to your handgun. Instead, you can fasten it to your pistol’s trigger guard with only a single click. Also, this laser sight runs at a 1/3 N Lithium battery. The battery allows you four hours of continuous use. The video below shows a brief review of what the Laserguard is and how it works:
Another feature worth mentioning is its adjustable windage and elevation parts. This lets you configure the laser sight according to your shooting preferences. Plus, Crimson Trace itself factory sighted this laser at 50 feet. Hence, you can attach it to your Ruger LCP and start aiming and firing.
Buying a Laserguard also comes with a 3-year warranty from the manufacturer. With such a warranty period, you can make the best out of this laser’s repairs with low charges. For gun compatibility, the Ruger LCP .380 is the best fit for this laser.
- Includes an automatic on/off activation button
- Consists of hard polymer and rubber
- No gunsmithing services needed for installation
- Already factory-sighted at 50 feet
- Comes with a 3-year warranty from the manufacturer itself
- Only runs up to 4 hours of continuous use
- Very pricey
LaserLyte Sight Trainer
The Sight Trainer by LaserLyte is a Ruger LCP laser that performs well when used in dry firing sessions at home. Available in standard black, this cost-effective laser produces a red light once activated. It prides itself the most on its three functions: constant on, pulse, and trainer. You can choose any of these modes depending on what you need while practicing your shooting. For instance, ”training mode” shows a solid dot or a streak via sound activation. This notifies you if your shooting performance has good accuracy or bad technique. Hence, you can test your own shooting skills without a shooting professional’s help. It saves a lot of time and money if you ask me.
Next, let’s talk about the kit that comes with this laser’s durable housing. This kit contains two pieces to ensure that it fits your Ruger with no issues. Also, the Sight Trainer includes the screws required to help attach this laser to your gun. Like the Laserguard, you don’t need any gunsmithing service to help you install it. Instead, a printed manual is also present in the kit so that you yourself can affix the laser to your firearm. Sportsman’s Guide made a quick specs rundown of the Sight Trainer through this video:
Moreover, the Sight Trainer’s push-button activation is ambidextrous by default. Regardless of your dominant hand, you can press the button once to power it on/off. Plus, this laser also has an auto-off function to help preserve battery life. After 6 minutes of inactive use, the laser switches itself off.
In training mode, this laser works well with all LaserLyte Trainer Targets. Plus, it can fit many Ruger models like the LCP, LC9, and LC380. In brief, you can get all this laser’s premium qualities for only the price of $89.
- Has three different modes of function
- ”Training mode” tells you if you have good shooting accuracy or not
- Includes a user manual for easy installation
- Automatic power off after 6 minutes of inactivity
- Has an ambidextrous push-button activation
- Affordable
- Can fit many Ruger models
- Cheap materials
- Susceptible to easy breakage if mishandled
LaserMax CenterFire Laser Sight
The CenterFire is a red laser that has an all-black tough nylon housing construction. You can expect this laser to have superior integration with your Ruger’s frame. One of its main features is its automatic time-out function. Therefore, it turns off after 10 minutes of inactivity. This helps prevent unintended battery drain.
Like the previous option, the CenterFire contains an ambidextrous tap on/off switch. This encourages safe firearm handling, letting you power it with your dominant hand. Furthermore, its laser light emits a less than 5mW power output upon use. As such, a strong beam comes out, bright enough to spot even during daytime hours. Additionally, this laser is programmable for steady or high-visibility pulsated beams. YouTuber Gemsroadwarrior shows you how to install the CenterFire on your Ruger LCP:
The Centerfire uses a 1/3 N Lithium battery for its main power source. As such, you can expect this laser to have a 4-hour battery life of continuous use. Also, you can adjust its windage and elevation parts in any way you like. To make the best out of this laser’s sight radius, fasten it under your Ruger LCP’s bore. Unlike many Ruger LCP lasers, the CenterFire also goes well with rifles like the AR-15.
- Has tough nylon housing construction
- Automatic power off after 10 minutes of idle use
- Includes an ambidextrous tap on/off switch
- Laser light produces <5mW power output
- Is programmable for steady or high-vis pulsated beam
- Is compatible with handguns and rifles
- Has only 4 hours of battery life
- Sight comes with basic features
Conclusion
For the best budget Ruger LCP laser it has to be the Viridian Compact Red Laser Sight. It illuminates up to 1 mile at night and up to 25 yards in daylight settings. Viridian did a fantastic job with this laser as well. It appears to be a part of the Ruger LCP frame because it fits so perfectly. If you go with this option, you’ll get the most powerful red laser as well as a very useful accessory.
If you’re willing to spend a little more, go with the Crimson Trace Laserguard for Ruger LCP. This is a fantastic product that does exactly what it should. This is a must-have laser for the Ruger LCP and therefore our top pick for this article. It’s simple to set up, configure, and operate. In circumstances where the flawless form isn’t possible, it will improve accuracy.
In conclusion, choosing a laser for your Ruger LCP is never an easy feat. But at the end of the day, picking the right laser for your gun is all that matters. Which of these Ruger LCP lasers do you want to buy next? You can share your answers through our comments section below!
Jeez, what about the Armalaser? Capacitive touch on, $98, 5 year warranty.
armalaser is great, the brightest laser i’ve seen, and it’s green
I agree but that’s a little misleading, it comes on automatically more or less when gripped!