Night Vision IR laser suggestions

I have two laser max lasers. And they both still work fine after 4 and 4.5 years of use. Both pressure pads are long dead. But I live without the pressure pads.
The main problem I have is they aren't waterproof. But I clean the contacts with isopropyl when I change the batteries.

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Other than that, I have a steiner CQBL It is pretty nice. The pressure pad still works, but that's because I dont use it :D The down side is those are around $700 on Amazon. These are 6 oz.

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Also have a PEQ-4c. It is 8 oz and rather larger. But it works fine.

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And have an AIM2000 which is smaller than the CQBL, but probably impossible to find.

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If you are using the laser to shoot with, then the laser max will do fine, don't need anything fancy to shoot yotes out to 150yds standing unsupported with a laser.
 
Thanks @wigwamitus

I figured somebody might know of something similar I wasn't aware of, but I guess I'll stick with laser max.

What part is it you have failing in the switch from water?... Considered di-electric grease to keep water out of the connection if that's the culprit?

I just got the pressure pad a few weeks ago, so I have no clue of the longevity failure.
 
Ok to the "switch", now we are talking about the built in switch, not the pressure switch. When the built in switch contacts get wet, either the laser won't turn on or it won't turn off. Usually it won't turn off. But cleaning the contacts has resolved that symptom and I haven't had a problem after I started doing that.

All pressure pads fail. So, if you really like them, stock pile them, otherwise, do what I do and use sparingly to preserve them. :)
 
The laser max works but I just found the beam to be little larger and not as crisp defined as I would like . I don't know if it is just the quality of the cover lens over the diode ? , or the focus of the laser diode ?
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I see bloom in the laser max when zeroing on the targets ... I mitigate that by turning on the illuminator on my head. I don't see bloom when aiming at the critter or just a tree out 150yds checking things ...
On the targets the illuminator actually washes out the bloom :)

I have a vis light (RGBW 3 lumen gerber recon) on the other wise of my helmet, so don't need a vis light on the forearm for hunting critters that don't shoot back. Don't need the weight ...

Thing is you can buy 4-5 laser max for the price of one cqbl ... and the laser max are very small and light. A little bit harder to zero. But you can get used to anything.

The cqbl is the most expensive laser I have since I got the peq-4c and the aim2000 on ebay ...

I have the cqbl, peq-4c and aim2000 on my three "carbines" (sbrs in atf speak) and one laser max on the .22lr and the other laser max on the moosberg T930.
 
It is going to be hard to come up with something sub $400. Here is your best bet and but it runs around $529. I've been running the LaserMax UNI laser in green. Haven't put it through its paces much. I know folks at the company and will reach out to them to see about weather resistance. Knowing the company if something goes wrong I am sure they will make it right. I know it doesn't help when you can't always check the IR to ensure its working like you can a visible. Is this an operational thing?

 
Stream-light makes one w/a white light as well. Much easier to zero than a Lasermax, but a little bigger an heavier as well. I have one on a Ar an it gets the job done. Bolt guns I use Lasermax. The streamlight seems to subtend much smaller than the Lasermax to me.
 
The PAQ-4's come up on Ebay from time to time as well as others, but I wouldn't pay a whole lot for one and it'd have to be in great condition. As far as military lasers go, they're the cheapest and oldest. They're also "eyesafe" with a fixed output of .7mW IIRC and they're good to 300m in good conditions, they're potted (epoxy filled) like most quality IR lasers so they're solid despite being cheap (actually, I never seen one go to shit despite that). Lots of smoke, dust and other shit can reduce the range on that. But if I only needed a small, light IR laser that's probably the one I'd look for and I've got experience with a few hundred of those. Depending on how you use it, you may not need or want the switch --it has a paddle that works pretty well when mounted on the top rail and most guys only used switches if they were 203 gunners.

Wigwam... Leave it to him to have the holy grail Nivisys Atilla 200! If you ever let that go, PM me first please! I fucked up big time and let one of those slip through my fingers. Nothing like it but probably not what you're looking for. The weaker Atilla's aren't really worth it IMO.

If you like shooting at night, and if you can swing it, those PVS30's that KAC are selling are a killer deal. They're actually upgraded PVS26's. New they're $12k, the military buybacks are $4.5k. That's 1/3rd the price and even the low FOM models are hot shit (I've got one with a low FOM but it has a perfectly clear image so that kinda makes up for it in my book). Definitely a game changer IMO. I even took out a loan after a divorce (it was a trifecta --raise my credit, proof I can take out a loan like that, and because I figured I'd never see a deal like this anytime soon). It's paid off now, a lump payment prevented me from paying a lot in interest. Now it's mine and I didn't destroy my savings doing it. You'll be in the market for a high power 1km IR illuminator next though!

Finally (rather firstly I guess) I'd call up TNVC and see if they may have some demo models or some such they could set you up with. TNVC is my goto for all NV shit, stellar CS that's really above and beyond, don't blow smoke up your ass, honest and don't try to up sell you on a bunch of shit or lie about the attributes of the gear.
 
Some of these units don't seem readily available or I keep finding them discontinued... so I'm not sure what prices would look like when they come up

But the three I can find readily available

Lasermax uni ir rifle kit ~ 200
Steiner otal-c ir ~ 400
Surefire tlr2 ir ~ 400


Also found
Holosun ls117 for ~250
But I'm not seeing much info on these, so I'm guessing they are not ideal?

So at this point I guess the otal is the next readily available suggested option as a possible upgrade...

I see the otal most commonly mounted 12 o clock on rifle, I'm curious if there any merit to using the otal at 9 o clock and using the switch on the rear instead of the pressure pad since it's more likely to be a failure point?

I'm guessing from the adjustment methods on the otal-c it will at least be much more friendly to sight in than the set screw adjustments of the lasermax?

Thanks for the insight
 
Yes, the Steiners ... well any of the more expensive ones ... are easier to zero than the laser max with the tiny hex wrench ... but I'm so used to it, that I forget about that. :)

While the offset lasers are designed to look around the front sight posts, they can work on the 3 o'clock as well.
 
I have mine at 3 o’clock. It doesn’t care.

I like that it’s all metal, rougher than hell, and mine have had very good beam quality.

Also, mine regularly make it to 1km of distance under a clip on. You can clearly see the beam.
 
I just grabbed an eotech laser battery cap with IR laser, and it works well from what I have seen up here in alaska with almost 24 hours of light, I will have to update this in the Fall when we have night again.
 
I paid $400 something for my paq-4c on ebay about 4 years ago ... I see one that sold for $260 just looking now ... but it said it was missing some of the mounting brackets ...
They pop up now and then on ebay ...
 
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I used the Attila my first tour in Iraq, awesome piece of kit. What are the average prices for good PAQ 4's?

I use an ATILLA 200, tough to beat for sure.

To answer the OP's question, my favorite laser is the Steiner CQBL. The slaves visible and IR laser make zeroing very easy. It seems to be built very well while maintaining a small, light footprint.
 
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I just grabbed an eotech laser battery cap with IR laser, and it works well from what I have seen up here in alaska with almost 24 hours of light, I will have to update this in the Fall when we have night again.

If that's what you're looking for, then you ought to check out the Mepro Mor. It's designed to be used on a Tavor, so it's a little taller than a typical sight on an AR and thus irons don't typically line up (but the top notch in an ARMS 41 will line up with the front iron in the bottom of the sight). It's a tri-power amber reticle using tritium, fiber optics and batteries to boost it. It has built in IR and red lasers, both 5mW output. The tape switch has a velcro band but it can be cut off and velcro glued to the just the switch and installed that way. It's what I did. The lasers and the sight are slaved together, so zero one you zero 'em all. Adjustments are akin to the Elcan sights where the base adjusts and the unit is solid. They run about $1400 but can be had for less if savvy. Some places have vet discounts too.

It's a solid sight and all in one makes it nice for very short SBR's and such. They also make a 3x magnifier for these too. Supposedly they're the sight issued to Israeli SF, and like I said, for the Tavor. But it'll work fine on an AR and it's QD too so even if your sights don't line up it's no big deal. You usually lose the optic if it fails anyway, especially if it's QD.

The 5mW IR laser is really nice too and what I think should be the civilian limit. If it was, people wouldn't be so attracted to full power units. 5mW works well past 300m and even in shitty conditions, so it's ideal IMO. Not eyesafe, but not overpowered either for safe use. The red laser I guess is nice, maybe it has it's uses. A selector switch goes from off, two or three battery powered sight positions and then the two laser positions. It's pretty nice actually. Uses 2 AA batteries but can run on one in a pinch. Thick plastic housing, it's pretty solid and supposed to be tough enough for use by the IDF.

I guess due to it being mfg.'d in Israel, that the FDA rules don't apply to it. Like those Newcon laser units made in (Russia?) and sold from Canada. There aren't many quality lasers made overseas that you can get here, but this seems to be one of 'em and powered at just the right level IMO for most uses on a rifle.

This is how I'd go, and how I did go, for an all in one unit, sight and lasers. I wouldn't mind having another actually. They can also be had with just a red laser, and I think there's a green laser option but don't quote me on that.