Armory Sponsor
Posted: 1/27/2011 12:54:36 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Clasky][Edited]
|
Alright gentlemen, here is my initial report. we have them on the shelf and ready go as we speak.
DBAL-I2 Class1 I'm working on getting the OTAL and ITAL versions up right now, but they are also in stock. Let's start with the function. To start off, these are low power units to make them eye safe. While a standard issue AN/PEQ-15 or AN/PEQ-15A is at least 5mW with higher power units available, the average civie doesn't need this kind of range anyway. Outside targeting, one of the main functions of an IR laser is communication- especially with Aerial Units. They can be used to point out distant targets to air or other ground teams. But, this needs to be mitigated with the fact that you can really only point out as far as you can see with your NVGs. While Gen3 can see a long distance, positive ID of a potential threat under non magnified NVGs becomes somewhat difficult past 100 yards. The longest shot I have made off hand in this capacity was with an AN/PVS-7B and an Israeli-made IR Laser from ITL on my weapon at just over 200 yards. While anecdotal, the vast majority of laser use in my career has been at ranges of 100 yards in. This is perfect for the new Class1 lasers since they are maxing out at 100 yards. The manual says they are good to 75 meters. I took my trusty laser rangefinder out over the past couple nights and decided to get my own test data. 75 yards yielded a very visible pointer. I was very impressed with the beam divergence because the shape was quite circular. But, I was able to push it out to 100 yards + (albeit the pointer tended to start dropping off quick past about 115 yards). But, it performed very well. The photos you see on our website are during cloudy/no moon conditions. The nice thing about the lower power is that it lends itself very well to CQB applications. The problem with the full power units is that they bloom all over the place at close range. Depending on the environment, this can be exacerbated by light colored walls. It is often hard to make pinpoint accurate shots at close range because of the large halo produced by the back splash. The lower power of the Class1 lasers produces reduced splash and more accuracy potential. One of the things I was worried about was the affect of an IR illuminator in addition to the reduced power laser. I afraid that the illuminator might wash out the pointer. I generally run an illuminator and pointer in tandem during MOUT/CQB scenarios. The DBAL-I2 Class1 substitutes the IR Illuminator of the full power version with a visible Class IIIa laser. This is because traditional IR illuminators built into multi function laser units like the DBAL are built from lasers as well (Class IIIb). They require a higher output to create the wide, focusable beams. There is really no way to produce this affect with 0.07mW (the maximum output for eye safe). So, a handy visible laser was substituted for the illuminator in the DBAL-I2 variant. As stated previously, the visible laser is available in red or green. Now I know some of you are saying "what about the LED IR Illuminators like the ELR torch-V and Surefire Vampire?" Yes, you can get a very impressive, eye safe, IR Illuminator out of an LED. But, the components would not fit in the legacy body housings of the DBAL-I2, OTAL, and ITAL. So, you just gotta use an auxiliary IR Illuminator. This brings us to another great feature: LDI is using legacy body housings for the Class1 units. This is extremely exciting because they make (in my opinion) the most robust Mil Spec laser housings on the market. All housings are precision machined and milspec coated aerospace grade aluminum. The mounts are removable, but there is no reason to do so. LDI launched their extremely impressive HT throw lever mount last year and it quickly became my favorite throw lever mount. Chappy had a big hand in the design, but suffice to say, it is very strong, well-made, and self adjusting. The last part is important. I tend to not use a lot of throw levers on my guns. I jumped into the whole throw lever thing with everyone else several years ago, but came to the conclusion that I am rarely (if ever) removing accessories from my guns once they are set up. So, throw levers just added extra weight and snag points. My job requires that I have extra bells and whistles like IR lasers on my guns anyway, so every shaved ounce counts. But, most lasers came with throw lever mounts. LDI used to use ARMS mounts. Back in the day, I would replace them with Larue mounts. The problem was the LT mounts required the wrench to adjust the tension to varying dimensioned rails. Once the mount was attached, the space between the adjustment nut and laser body was too tight to fit the wrench. So, adjusting it was a PITA. But, LDI's new HT mount is completely self-adjusting, doesn't have a bunch of small breakable parts, and is as strong as the LT mounts (in my opinion). Also, the metal to metal contact with the rail is a major plus for durability - unlike the ATPIAL. There are a lot of fly-by-night companies that have tried to develop and market civie-legal IR lasers over the years. Most fell on their faces. The few that worked, were never durable enough to make it past airsoft. So, along comes LDI with true civie-legal IR lasers in MilSpec housings that have been proven in the fight against Hadji. They function well, test better than the stated specs, and even have benefits over standard power units in CQB situations. I am very impressed with the performance of these units. They fill a large empty space in the market. |
Tactical Night Vision Company - TNVC
www.tnvc.com
(909) 796-7000
ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
www.tnvc.com
(909) 796-7000
ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
|
I bought one of these and the following is my experience with it. Runs a little long. Copied from where I posted on another board.
Whoever did this for civilian legal knew what they were doing... Well, I bought one (green laser version). When it got here, I took it out with the PVS-14 that I also got from Victor. I noted that all the city areas we normally run stuff in were pretty much lit up from street lights and all the normal white noise. Victor advertises this item working well in the 75-100 yard range. It does..... And some more under these conditions. There were SOME lighting conditions where I had to leave the 14's cap on and use it in Day mode.. Went in a dark BIG assed warehouse. Again, 25-75 yards, NO problems. I took it to the Hardrock 1000 yard range, wide, flat, and open, in a full moon. I could SEE the beam at 500 yards, but it was so wide that it was not really a pointer there, but more illuminator. This is a big dot out there and not usable for aiming at all. Then, I took it to my other range, 600 yards, steel at every 50 yards, and this is not a flat, wide, and open range. There are shadowed areas. Full moon. Same result as above. Then I drove it through the woods in the Rhino, woods, food plots from 50 yards to 200 yards long, with all conditions light wise under the full moon. I saw the dot every where I point it under these conditions. The green laser is brighter, just like Vic said. Didn't flare out/bloom on the 14 or the 22. Didn't flare or bloom on natural items in the food plots, but it did on steel. At this point, I mounted it on a 16" Rock River AR-15 with an Aimpoint M3/2 moa dot. Zeroed it at 100 yards. I was like, ok, this is easy, too easy. 200 yard hits on a 24" wide plate all night long. Good hits at that. I went to 300 yards and got hits on the plate, but the beam is as wide as the plate at 300. Requires more shooter discretion on aiming for the best hits. I was impressed enough to buy another unit, IR laser only, for the 308 hog gun (16" AR-10) and I am waiting for it to arrive like tomorrow. What else did I find? 100 yard zero with either 223 or 308, 200 yard hits are easy in the full to 3/4 moon we shot in. The drop is not enough to worry about minute of coyote or MOHog. At 300, the 14" or so drop AND beam width is enough to matter so this is NOT a long range device. Thats what the PVS 22 and 3.5-10 scope is for. What I did notice pretty easy was when the assistant on the PVS-22 was heads up and not HUA, whatever I looked at out to 500 yards with the unit, HE could hit... As the moon-light goes down we continue the experiment. Walk out back door, go to bench, look at 200, fire three rounds, see what happens. I'll report back when I can't hit the 200 yard target. Edited 03/23/2011: Further information: Got new ITAL, put on 16" 308 AR-10. ITAL or DBAL using PVS-14. No moon due to heavy eastern cloud cover, full starlight in the west to be decent light with the PVS 14, some smoke from controlled burning. There was enough light that I could see everything clear in the 14 when observing the range from the bench. No problems seeing the dot or laser in the 14. But there were problems. Walking the range with the PVS-14, I could see the targets from 25 to 200 through the 14 very clear until I put the dot on it at 200 which I think is due to the dot's size (more below). I could still see and get hits at 100 and in on the silhouette, about 2 minute of hog at 100 and shrinking as I got closer. The problem: While I can easily see the dot, there was not enough light to pick up the 200 yard target with the dot on it, the dot brightness kills/masks/covers the target in this lowered light situation. This was reiterated again on the night of the 24th. Should add to you that I had no problems in this light with the PVS 22 and scope seeing the target and getting hits. Tonight, with the 14 and ITAL or DBAL, I need a IR illuminator on the rifle. I illuminated the target at 200 on the 24th and it worked. And, small aside point, it is way more difficult getting hits with the 308 due to weight and recoil than it is with the 223. 24th Continued: I tried both laser and IR from 7 yards to 200 yards. I confirmed again that the dot size is minute of hog or coyote. This is NOT a precision aiming device. I could keep the hits inside 3-3.5 MOA 100 and in when I had the PVS 14 weapon mounted. It got worse when I went helmet mounted because its hard to implement the fundamentals of marksmanship heads up on a bouncing dot. At 200 yards, weapons mount on the PVS14, the hits went to 5-6 MOA, until I illuminated the target. They shrunk a little there. Helmet mounted was not worth discussing, I will not shoot at any animal helmet mounted past 100 yards. Shot from a bench and bag, this unit will fool you into thinking you are better with it than you are. Off the bags and PVS14 weapons mounted, no illuminator, you will be MOHog/Coyote if you can shoot worth a shit. Helmet mount AND off the bags, I was not worth a shit past 50 yards because of my lack of practice shooting this way. I plain sucked at this. This in no way takes away from the sights' ability. It will work as advertised from 25 to 75 yards and this is about where most people will do the best due to the size of the dot and how much of the target it covers. It will work past that, and is working past that for me to 200 yards in full moon to 3/4 moon AND off bags. Anything less than 3/4 moon requires help from an illuminator at 200. And a really good level of skill at that distance. ITS NOT FOR EVERYBODY PAST 100 YARDS. I'd buy another one when a good tax refund check comes in. Thats all for now, I will report back when I get the crop damage permit and we get some more shooting time on live targets. |
Armory Sponsor