I am a bit new to the idea of an IR laser, and could use a little help - I know there is an outpout limit on what a civilian end user can purchase, and I am not sure "reasonably" priced and quality ones are out there.  I don't need a 1,000 yard IR laser, just something that works within 200 yards and might work indoors in a pinch.  Not  necessarily looking to homebrew one, an actaul production unit with a waranty (or I could go used too) is my preference.

Any advice/help would be appreciated!

These are the only civilian legal IR lasers that I know of.



http://www.tnvc.com/shop/category/laser-systems/

It really depends on your definition of "reasonably priced". At this point there's only a couple options, all made by LDI. The Class 1 IRs will work great for your purposes.

From the link so you don't have to wade through C1 and C3 lasers:
EOLAD (IR laser mounted on an Eotech)- $1100
DBAL I^2 IR/Green- $896
DBAL I^2 IR/Red- $741
ITAL or OTAL (IR only)- $525

They're great lasers from all reports. I have an IR/Green one, but due to unforeseen circumstances when I bought it, I've only gotten to play w/ the green laser.

There are a couple of cheaper options:

LaserMax UNI-IR runs $350ish
DIY Beamshot 1000 conversion $150

Do an archive search on the DIY Beamshot.  But basically you get a Beamshot 1000 red laser and replace the red laser diode with a IR laser diode.  It isn't hard, although a tad tricky to put it in as you need three hands to get it in.

He said he didn't want a DIY

Also, on the Uni-Max, while it looks like a great pistol unit, there have been a few reviews on here by some guys who have them, and they've been rated so-so at best.
Pulsing laser vs a steady beam. No click adjustments causing zero issues.

Some info on it here: http://lightfighter.net/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1726007013/m/13220441763

It's a shame its gaining such low reviews, I was one of the first asking Laser-Max to release a Class1 version of their Uni-IR, but for ~$350 I'd step up the extra $175 for an OTAL.

Thanks for the info guys.  I realized TVNC had some shortly after posting, and it looks like thre are a couple of options in my price range.  I would rather pay a little more for a factory built unit that lasts a long time than cobble something together - I am all for home WECSOG but in this instance I want something a little more guaranteed.

I understand that he is looking for a ready made unit, which is why I listed the Lasermax unit.  I have dealt with Dawg180 in the past and am trying to throw him a bone.  I was in the same boat as well when I first started looking for IR lasers.  I took it from his post that, while not looking for a home brewed, he wasn't overlooking it.  Having owned a PEQ-4, DBAL I2, LPL-30 pointer, GCP-2A, LAM-1000 and the DIY Beamshot, the Beamshot is the sleeper of the group.  For the money, it performs well and has been more reliable than my DBAL I2 with the known battery drain problem.  I even had one of the new .7mw version (July manufacture date).  So buying a Laser Devices doesn't mean no problems.  I also don't really want to mess with electronics.  When you think DIY, you think having to detach wires and re-solder them on.  But it isn't the case with this.  You carefully unscrew the head (which does have thread locker), pluck the red laser diode (carefully so you can reuse it if you want) and put the new one in (with three hands).    

In fact, for $400.  You can have an IR laser, visible red laser and a Surefire 952V light (w/ both IR & visible light).  So for less than the cost of a Otal class I laser, you can be pretty well set up.  All for the 'cost' of about an one hour research on the DIY and one hour labor.  While not as trick as a LAM-1000, still an extremely flexible system.

Sorry, I was typing while you responded.

That is good rationale, thanks for posting this!  

Do you have a link to the conversion info?  Also could you do a breakdown of how to get a visible laser, IR laser, and Surefire with both IR and Visible for $400?

One red beamshot, one IR beamshot, and a used M952V from the EE, I would think.

I had no idea the beamshot had a socket for the diode. That's very convenient. Most lasers have the diodes soldered in.


Anyone know what wavelength is best for night vision?

As stated above me.  A red visible Beamshot 1000 is $50.  Buy 2 of them.  The IR laser diode head was $90ish.  A Surefire 952V is $200ish on Ebay.  It will be bulky, but it will give you everything you need.  I like the day/night lasers as you can train (AKA plink) with the day light laser and be practiced for night shooting.  Lasers definitely take a little getting used to.  I really shows you how unstable you are, particularly with a pistol mounted laser.

Here is the post showing you how to do it yourself:

DIY IR laser


Don't make the mistake I did and think all Beamshots are interchangable.  I got a Beamshot 1001, which has a head that is about 1/3" too long.  The body, switches and mounts interchange.  I could have built a spacer, but I went ahead and got a 1000 instead.  The tricky part in putting the IR diode back in.  There are 2 spring loaded detents at 90 degrees from each other that hold it in place.  I made a tool with some sheet metal that I folded into an 'L' to hold them down while I pushed in the laser diode.  If I had a third hand, I would have done it extremely quickly.  But working with what God gave me took me about an hour of playing with it and making the tool.

I am not 100% up on the various wave lengths and only have a elementary understanding of it.  But there are a bunch of post on it in the night vision section.

Unless you are a paying member, I don't think you can view anything that has been archived.
Here's the laser unit that is needed for this conversion:
http://www.alltronics.com/cgi-bin/item/M904_5S/search/M904-5-904nm-5mW-Infrared-US-Lasers-Diode-Module

I, and just about everyone else, ordered them from that supplier(Alltronics). The head of the
Beamshot uses threadlocker, so you will need to heat it up with a hairdryer, etc. to get it to
break loose. Just go slow and don't crush the housing tube.

ARKAR

Hey all, late to the party.  I am going to try either this or the old x-ray film over red laser trick in order to get a cheap IR laser which hopefully can easily go between my P226 and AR.  What I'm trying to figure out is whether the Beamshot 1000 works on a pistol - that plus the mount looks pretty big and bulky and possibly pretty far below the bore for parallax purposes.  However, I would love to hear that people are in fact doing it - anybody have a pic of a Beamshot 1000 on a pistol?

Thanks.

I have one and I do not have either of those problems.



 

I've never heard of this trick, and I don't see how it would work.
Red lasers emit no waste IR.
Unless x-ray film is made out of some optically nonlinear material (I don't think it is), then you're not going to get IR from a red laser. Even if it was, you still have to worry about collimation.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_18/349088_Anybody_have_experience_dimming_a_red_laser_for_NV_aiming_.html

After re-reading this thread, I may just try the rubber cap with tiny aperture and no film - would hopefully make the beam quite small.  Just looking for a good laser unit to try it with - would like it to mount both to my P226 and AR, and be a solid enough unit to last and hold zero but not break the bank.  I'm hoping Beamshot 1000s will fit the bill, but just want to confirm that it works on a pistol.  I have the Beamshot 8200 3-laser one and think the housing/interface is about perfect, but I want a separate laser for this project - wish they made a single-red laser variant of the 8200.

I have an IR OTAL that has not exhibited any battery drain. I would not bother with the DBAL I2, as far I'm concerned the one I had was super underpowered (still not that thrilled with the OTAL but at least it's somewhat better) and the batteries drained out of the I2 in about a day and a half to two days while in the "off" position.

That doesn't turn it into an IR laser, it just turns it into a dim red laser. But yes, it will work if you don't mind the possibility of something spotting it.

Yeah, I know, but a dim visible laser suits my needs just fine.  I don't believe the beam itself will be visible except in fog, and the dot on target is the least of the target's concerns at that point.  Still hoping somebody can confirm if the BS1000 is a good choice for pistol.

They do make pistol mounts for the Beamshot 1000.  In fact, I think I have one for a S&W 5900 series that came with one of mine.  I'll play with it and see if I can get it mounted up to my Sig rail.

Man, I really appreciate it - thanks ihon!

...and having reread all the available info yet again, I may just go with the IR conversion on the BS1000.  Anybody know if I'd need a LIF to protect my PVS-14s if i do it?  Can't imagine so but would rather be safe...

No, you will not need a LIF for your NVD.  Just be careful when pointing it at highly reflective items like you would with a standard laser.

Great - thanks ihon.

Sorry, I don't have the right mount.  I thought I had one, but it is missing several parts as I bought it used on Ebay for the laser body.  I only have a barrel clamp currently, not a rail mount.  But if you go on the Beamshot website, they do offer a bunch of pistol & rail mounts.  They also have a universal rail mount as well.  You can also get a 1" to 3/4" delrin reducer from Brownells and mount it in a quick detach 1" scope ring (Warnes are fairly cheap and very durable).

Fantastic - think I'll do just that.  I really appreciate you going the extra mile for me, ihon.  Now to attempt the IR conversion!