IR laser recommendations

[Chris]

I'm setting up an AR-10 for a little night time hog hunting in Texas. I've got a decent setup in terms of rifle and NVG but I need to add a decent IR laser so I can actually aim the damn thing in the dark. I've tried shooting w/ a IR red dot but it's a huge PITA. So, I would appreciate any suggestions for a decent IR laser that won't break the bank. I don't need mil-spec and I can't drop 2k on a laser but I do need something that will hold zero under the recoil of a .308. Any suggestions?

[MP5_Rizzo]

Sorry no help on IR Laser recommendation but good luck on your Texas trip.  I made two trips in one hog hunting in Texas, my first and last.  The hunt was successful and eventful.  Night hunting is the best no doubt but to really find the hogs you have to go where no human in their right mind would think of going.  I think I pick briars and thorns out of my flesh for six months after that trip and not something I'm really up for again anytime soon.

[btq96r]

What kind of NVG/IR dot setup are you using?  If you can troubleshoot that part to a point of satisfaction, then maybe you can save what is bound to be a hefty purchase.

[Chris]

EOTech w/ IR visible red dot for the sight and a gen 3 ATN NVM14 for the monocular.

I tried it w/ the monocular mounted on the rifle and that worked ok, but I couldn't look at anything without sweeping it w/ my muzzle.

I tried it w/ the monocular on the head band mount and that was great for being able to look around but getting everything aligned so I can see the red dot is extremely difficult.... which has led me to the laser.

 

[Omega]

Sounds like you can use something like the PEQ-2 we used (up to 15 or 16 by now), they project an IR laser which is only visible with some kind of night vision.  But probably will break your budget unless you find a good deal.  Why not a night vision scope?  Use the goggles to scan the field, flip up and acquire your target with the scope.

Here is a decent priced one and gets decent reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/Sightmark-Photon-4-6x42S-Digital-Riflescope/dp/B00NZ98OKG/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1475086440&sr=1-1&keywords=sight+mark+photon+digital+NV

Edited September 28, 2016 by Omega
Add link

[btq96r]

Yeah, if muzzle sweeping while target scanning is something you need to avoid, behind the dot isn't feasible. Maybe if you could find a quick detach mount it could work, but this being such a speciality item, that's bound to be a challenge.

This laser looks like a good fit for your needs while being about as friendly as it gets for this kind of kit. If you don't need an IR light, than it helps keep the cost down as seen here. Comparison shop a bit on the products, but this site gets good reviews from what I see.
https://tnvc.com/shop/ldi-otal-class-1-ir-laser/

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk just to give Oh Shoot something to be grumpy about.

[Chris]

35 minutes ago, Omega said:

Sounds like you can use something like the PEQ-2 we used (up to 15 or 16 by now), they project an IR laser which is only visible with some kind of night vision.  But probably will break your budget unless you find a good deal.  Why not a night vision scope?  Use the goggles to scan the field, flip up and acquire your target with the scope.

Here is a decent priced one and gets decent reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/Sightmark-Photon-4-6x42S-Digital-Riflescope/dp/B00NZ98OKG/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1475086440&sr=1-1&keywords=sight+mark+photon+digital+NV

That's a good alternative I hadn't considered. 

[Chris]

32 minutes ago, btq96r said:

Yeah, if muzzle sweeping while target scanning is something you need to avoid, behind the dot isn't feasible. Maybe if you could find a quick detach mount it could work, but this being such a speciality item, that's bound to be a challenge.

This laser looks like a good fit for your needs while being about as friendly as it gets for this kind of kit. If you don't need an IR light, than it helps keep the cost down as seen here. Comparison shop a bit on the products, but this site gets good reviews from what I see.
https://tnvc.com/shop/ldi-otal-class-1-ir-laser/

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk just to give Oh Shoot something to be grumpy about.
 

Nice. I didn't know they came that cheap.

[btq96r]

7 hours ago, Chris said:

Nice. I didn't know they came that cheap.

Basically, the laser I linked looks like a modern'ish version of the old PAQ-4C.  The site says it's good out to 400yds...not sure how far you're shooting with a .308 rifle, so be cognisant of that if you make a purchase. 

The real money for gun mounted night vision accessories comes in if you want the IR illumination light in addition to an IR laser.  They're really nice to have for military situations, and if you're under anything obstructing natural light.  But if your field of view is good, all you need is a laser for aiming during hunting, that model should fit the bill.  Illumination from moonlight is your friend in those situations, and I'd say Texas is a good area to take advantage of it.

[dcloudy777]

Steiner/Laser devices OTAL.  It's built like (and shares many components with) the PEQ-series lasers the military uses, but is Class-1 (which means "eye-safe" and unrestricted) and is a simple, IR-only unit, so it's much, much cheaper. 

https://tnvc.com/shop/ldi-otal-class-1-ir-laser/

 

I really like mine a lot.  At under 4 bills it's pretty much unbeatable.

 

Hell, give me a couple or boxes of 5.56 ammo so I can re-zero it, you can borrow mine for your hunt. 

Edited September 29, 2016 by dcloudy777
addendum

[Junkstack]

3 hours ago, dcloudy777 said:

Steiner/Laser devices OTAL.  It's built like (and shares many components with) the PEQ-series lasers the military uses, but is Class-1 (which means "eye-safe" and unrestricted) and is a simple, IR-only unit, so it's much, much cheaper. 

https://tnvc.com/shop/ldi-otal-class-1-ir-laser/

 

I really like mine a lot.  At under 4 bills it's pretty much unbeatable.

 

Hell, give me a couple or boxes of 5.56 ammo so I can re-zero it, you can borrow mine for your hunt. 

I came to post this one too. Good option.

[Mike]

Selling my DBAL if you're interested in that.  Worked great on my AR with my PVS14 for coyote hunts.