So I shoot my PVS-14 with an ACRO on a Glock and it works great.  Super easy to aim and shoot.  I'm looking at picking up a new weapon light and wondering if I should get one with a IR laser.  Any practical use to this?  Anyone shoot handgun/NODs with a laser and like it?

ETA - It's easy to find a holster that fits a X300V, not so much a X400V.

Thanks.

The laser can be used for shooting out of position or as a backup IR sight.

You can also use it as your primary aiming method under NODs, while your ACRO is on a visible setting in case you want to transition to it without fiddling with buttons.

I use the Crimson Trace IR laser grip on both 1911s and Beretta 92s. With the laser grip there are no holster issues and it's very handy under NODs!
Good luck finding any for sale as they seemed to have gone dry in the marketplace.

Trex does a holster for the x400. I have the dangle switch on mine which allows you to fire the pistol and laser one handed which allows for awkward firing positions. 95% of the time it's better to just use your dot.

There are a very few companies that list or at use to X400 holsters. IMHO going with a StreamLight TLR VIR II that will fit 99% of the TLR2 and sometime TLR1 holsters is a better option and worth loosing the additional 25 or so meters the X400V has over the TLR VIR II. Also the Streamlight simple 3 position switch, IR laser/Illuminator, off and 500 lumen white light with a single cell 123A trumps the complicated X400V-B-IR switch with a 350 lumen white light mode.

Depends on your opponents capabilities

Pistol red dot rendered the pistol IR laser obsolete. Stick with the X300V.

Responses pretty much confirm my thoughts.  Lasers aren't the best aiming solution for handguns, NODs and IR just make it worse.  I am very fast and accurate with the red dot under NODs, I know that works.  Lasers suck, but it would be nice to have as a backup or alternate aiming solution.  I'll probably try the Streamlight.  Thanks for the input.

I am also on the passive red dot train. IR laser is more of a pain in the ass than it is worth and most pistols are going to red dots anyway. Skip nightsites if you can as they can compete with the red dot at night. I use the Dawson tall on everything.

I just wish they had a dual-illumination RMR with a dot smaller than 7MOA. I had a 9MOA dot dual-illum RMR on my G17 for a year until I encountered a match with a plate rack at 40yds. 9MOA dot on top of 6" plates at 40yds was a recipe for failure

For me having a secondary aiming solution with IR light capability to a RDS is better to have then not. Just be sure to overlap your IR laser to your already zeroed RDS at the furthest distance possible, that way your hold overs will be the same. Also the sliding 3 position switch trump's the X400/300V twisting of the head to go from IR to white light in a hurry or possibly ND white light by mistake can be detrimental.

been saying that since about 2015...

i do have an FNP45 Tac with osprey and laser and had a holster made for it.  it's very effective, quiet, and fun.   but it's so big i prefer my EDC with rmr.

I've settled on an X300v and an SRO.  It's awesome under NODS, and the best pistol dot IMHO.

I had this discussion the other night with a friend. I like the TLR-VIR-II but there are pros and cons in my opinion. I’ve actually switched back to a normal Surefire X300 for handguns.

Pros:

- you can shoot passive or active.
- you can shoot without necessarily being behind the gun. As long as you can see the laser in target you’re good to go. Downside of this is the possibility of bad recoil management causing a malfunction.
- it’s easier to stay on target with a laser vs a white light in cold temperatures. With a white light you fire one shot and get hit with a cloud of smoke in front of your face.
With a laser it’s much less noticeable.
- fast target acquisition because you can use the laser or the red dot so whichever you see first wins.


Cons:

- The last pro is also a con in my opinion. The laser can be faster to get on targets vs the red dot because you can activate it on the way up to your presentation. The con for me is because I pick up the laser first it makes me less focused on picking up my sight. This is more of a personal issue for my and I need to practice more with a red dot.
- the light portion is normally weaker compared to a dedicated light.
- when using the red dot with the laser there is a second dot (laser) on target. Typically not a big deal but the two dots might not align depending on the distance. Most targets aren’t a big deal unless you want a precise shot.

I got a TLR VIR II before getting any pistol RDS, so that was my first exposure to shooting pistols under NV effectively.  I was impressed by it tremendously.  I tried a Holosun HS507C ACSS and loved it both with and without NV.  The combination of the two along with non-tritium irons that are usable through the optic is pretty excellent, there is a lot of flexibility there with really no more bulk than a standard pistol/light combination.  If I had to pick just one, I'd rather have the optic and a good white light...  but I don't have to pick one so I pick both

Passive for sure.

Concur on 507c ACSS from Primary Arms. Awesome device that even on its lowest setting was not overly bright under NODs. As Will mentioned above, the matter of inadvertently leaving the NV setting on a RDS equipped model is a potential issue. Lost the desire for pistol Lasers many moons ago since anything requiring long range shot revert to the long gun instead.

My SRO Is way more functional than any laser or illumination.

Passive is the way, especially with commonality of NVD.

Now those pesky thermals are another story.

My hot take as someone with binos shooting at typical pistol distances (10-15yds):

If you are great with a red dot pistol, active won't add much, but can be useful in weird positions.

If are not-so-great with a red dot pistol, active can help a fair bit.

If you are just using irons, obviously, active is a necessity.

At night matches, the guys shooting passive pistol get smoked by the guys shooting IR lasers ever single time.  It's not even a contest.

Being able to shoot pistol passively is an important skill.  But having a TLR-VIR ii and knowing how to do both (not to mention having a white light option if needed) is by far the better answer.