I have this thing about condensing the accessory functions on my go-to rifle down into one unit. It started with seeing the Burris DBAL with a fastfire mounted on top, and I knew I wanted to have something like that. Well now Burris seems to have sold that product line to Steiner and the unit I'm interested is now too expensive to buy just to gut out the IR illuminator and add on a white light.

So, Assuming I don't care about having a laser (IR or visible) until I invest in night vision, are the airsoft DBAL's going to have a body strong enough to confidently attach a m-rds to? The G&P DBAL looks like an ideal candidate as it has [IIRC] an aluminium body and a decent rail mount. Or perhaps the plastic ones, for this purpose are okay as long as they have a metal rail mount retrofitted?

If Steiner offered their -D2 with an empty socket where the IR illuminator went, and then priced it at ~750 I would save for that, no question. But there is no middle ground anymore for this kind of thing, and I'm not paying $1200+ for a laser module unless it comes with a rifle under it.

*I'll add, this rifle will keep its Aimpoint PRO and M951 until I have a solid solution for my idea.

I guess I just don't understand where you're trying to go with this.  You label this as your "go-to" rifle, but you're possibly looking to sacrifice your very solid/reliable accessory choices (AP Pro + SF WL) for an airsoft copy of a laser with an MRD mounted on top?  Why?  I mean, what capability will this add that you don't possess now?

This isn't even touching on your idea of modifying the actual internals of this LAM (once again, for what reason I'm not sure) to add a white light to it (which it isn't designed to accept in the first place) which will definitely effect the functionality/reliability of the LAM even further.

Not trying to be a dick, but this just seems like one of the worst examples of "a solution in search of a problem" that I've ever seen.

I fully understand it's a solution in search of a problem, that is painfully obvious to me. This is my ultimate 'druther, as it were. As the boldface sentence at the end of my OP states, the Aimpoint and Surefire are only being replaced when I am confident that this...idea is going to be able to replace them functionally.

http://www.nitevis.com/images/DBAL-D2_10.jpg

That, that's what I'm trying to replicate, but with a white light in place of the IR illuminator. The idea is to condense everything down into one unit I can stick behind the front sight post; red-dot, illumination, and leave the option open for future implementation of aiming the rifle with night vision. Again, if that Steiner unit in the pic were more reasonable in price I'd have no qualm about diving into the unit and replacing the IR flood emitter with a 5000k visible emitter, that would be easy if it's not so potted as to totally deny entry.

http://www.opticsplanet.com/sellmark-lopro-combo-grn-laser-220-lumen-light-de.html

Like that, but not a total piece of garbage, and with a Fastfire riding on top.

At this point, I don't need a laser at all. By the time I have the scratch to buy night vision that doesn't require an IR floodlight, I'm confident the aftermarket will have what I'm looking for or I'll also be prepared to spend the money on a Steiner -D2. I'm just asking those who have bought these copies to stick on their block-II/Mk18 clones for photos if the cases feel durable enough to mount a red dot and stay zeroed.

Well, let me start off by saying that I think you're being a little shortsighted in a couple different areas here.

First off, you readily admit that you don't really have a need for a laser at this point in time, so why are you heavily basing this plan around mounting all your shit to a LAM?  I understand it's probably the easiest commercial option at this point (kind of), but it seems like an unnecessary waste of that capability (IR/VIS Lasers) for the cost.  If cost is a factor, and all you're really trying to do is have a white light/RDS in one unit, why not pick up an MRD, get a picatinny mount/riser for it, and figure out someway to mount a white light to the mount?  It'd be cheaper and accomplish the same goal.

Now, if your entire plan is to mount all this stuff on a LAM for the sole reason that you plan on purchasing NODs in the future, this is where you're being even more shortsighted.

Even with Gen 3 NV, you ARE going to want an external IR illumination source (there's a reason why a lot of LAMs come with them).  Your plan, as of right now, has you purchasing a LAM (however much it costs) and disabling one of it's major features (and one you'll need with NV) in favor of a white light.  With that gone, after the purchase of NV, you'll have to spring for a separate IR illuminator, thereby negating the whole purpose of this project to begin with.  

Once again, maybe I'm just not understanding what your end goal is (other than "I just want to bolt all my shit to one mount").  In any case, the Wilcox RAPTAR is damn near as expensive as the DBAL D2, but offers a more seamless addition of the white light capabilities (although it offers no provision to mount an MRD directly to the unit).

So you're trying to clone what exactly for a mk18 build?

I'm so confused on what's going on...

Your assessment is entirely fair, and I appreciate you setting me straight on that subject, it's clear I needed that. I assumed the point of gen-3 was not needing external IR.

So then this is purely a fashion project(with function given equal importance to form) and I am simply after a flashlight that looks like a DBAL that will still provide a solid mount for a micro rds. When such time comes to purchase night vision a Steiner unit will likely find home opposed my Surefire on a double-rail on the front sight block and the micro-RDS relocated or I go down to irons on it. Or if that Wilcox comes down in price or someone makes a similar product for less.

I don't NEED a light that looks like a laser module. I WANT it because it looks cool. I want it ONLY if it can be as solid and reliable to the degree that I need it to be. I admit to having been undereducated at first about the purpose of a laser module. I am still a couple years away from being in a position where I will have discretionary funds for night vision. Dispensing with the laser aspect, I am still after a DBAL-styled light that will provide a rugged, solid mount for a m-rds. After seeing a photo of the -D2 mounted at the 12:00 position I realize it won't mount low enough to let a m-rds cowitness, which lessens the attractiveness of that idea, but it doesn't change that I still want a DBAL-styled light. But this project has of late been forced pretty low on the totem pole, so nothing will be coming of this for awhile.

fair assessment right there.

Save your $$, buy Gen 3 NOD, THEN buy LAM.


ETA: Don't buy DBALD2 and then rip it apart to change IR illum to visible illum. Instant warranty void. Instant downgrade in value and utility.

I've found an all-aluminium airsoft -D2 on eBay, if I do any chopping apart of anything it will be on that. I don't know what exactly makes a laser's zero shockproof, that will require research and experimentation. But I'm thinking I might be able to figure out a way to get an IR and white light LED on the same chip in the reflector.  But as said, this project is pretty low on the priority list. I have to pay for my dog's surgery, buy and build a new engine for my car (plus konis, brakes, good rubber, and helmet), buy more ammo, put an optic and light on my M16A1 clone, and then...then, I'll have the money to put into this little project. We might as well just stop bumping it to the top.

Though I do thank those that did post.