Viridian has released a trigger-guard-mounted green laser for the Springfield Armory XDS, part the company’s growing REACTOR series.
REACTOR Series lasers include free holsters, have bi-color battery indicators, and provide multiple modes of operation, along with Viridian’s ECR instant-on feature. Viridian President Brian Hedeen said, “Our rail-mounted C5L fits the XDS perfectly. Our fans wanted the smallest, lightest green laser possible for their XDS.” The $199 Viridian R5-XDS is a complete carry package with a belt holster (constructed of leather and polymer) included. Additional holster options are available from many leading holster manufacturers.
There’s a lot to advocate for the included Enhanced Combat Readiness (ECR) holster, however. It goes to work when drawing the gun from the included pocket holster—the unit activates instantly and automatically. The user does not need to fumble for buttons or adjust shooting grip to activate the unit.
Once installed and zeroed, the shooter presses the Reactor’s master on/off button to choose the desired presentation, constant or pulsing mode.
After choosing a mode, the shooter holsters the pistol with the laser on. The Reactor will shut the laser off when holstering the pistol. As the shooter draws the weapon, the laser lights automatically when taken out of the holster.
Many shooters worry about the laser not being powered and want to be able to check its status easily.The Reactor’s state-of-charge indicator sits directly below the master on-off button and it lights whenever the unit’s mode changes or the pistol is unholstered. The LED light directly below the master on/off button will illuminate for 2 seconds.
If battery power is above 20%, the light will show green. If battery power is below 20%, the light will show red. A red light on the state-of-charge indicator means to change the batteries immediately for continued use.
Note: Prices in this article are as of December 2014 and subject to change without notice.