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RovyVon GL4 Pro, any one tried it? (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 5/24/2024 10:11:44 PM EDT
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Has anyone played with this in real life yet? The video below seems to like it. No connection to the device or the YouTube video.  The BEST Budget IR Device I Have Ever Seen |
"I am gonna laugh my ass off looking out the air vent of the box car watching some of you shot in the head in a ditch when you finally realize it's time to resist." stolen from RR_broccoli
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I have one for my MP5. It shines on a PCC. I wouldn't use it for beyond 75yds. It is 100% a rip on the XVL2 but, IMO, more usable since it doesn't have that ass-tastic 'Maxvision' flood that Surefire went with. It does have a flood but there's also a distinct hot spot which makes it more usable (I've used both). |
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When it first came out, everyone was like "Oooh. Cheap multifunction!" but then reviews were that it was weakish on all beams. Hey, it's a pistol laser/light... but people wanted it to be a rifle long distance thing too. So they just recently released a "XL" version, and then went for broke with a full power version as well (progressively more expensive with each power bump, but still under $500 for the midline one.) You can see the power levels between the three versions.  Edit to add: watched the YouTube video you posted. I agree with the Tuber guy that too much IR laser can result in a bloom problem. People often go buy the most amped up Chinese deathray because "Muh fullpower!" but if it's a twinkling glare that washes out the target, then it's not particularly useful. The FP version of this might get into those issues. I'd rather have a boost in the white light reach and brightness, personally. Possibly settings that could lower output for close in. Add those features and that would make this a more "does everything" compact unit. Review footage showed the white light seemed lacking there compared to the Surefires he used. Personally, I'd think the middle "XP" model is the sweet spot of their product line. Higher IR illuminator, double the vis laser power (matters in bright conditions) and a higher power IR laser - but not FP overpowered - at a mid price. |
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Originally Posted By ThatGuy01: I have one for my MP5. It shines on a PCC. I wouldn't use it for beyond 75yds. It is 100% a rip on the XVL2 but, IMO, more usable since it doesn't have that ass-tastic 'Maxvision' flood that Surefire went with. It does have a flood but there's also a distinct hot spot which makes it more usable (I've used both). Got a picture of it setup on your MP5? |
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Originally Posted By ThatGuy01: https://i.imgur.com/n4m1d3C.jpeg That looks nice. You happy with it? Was thinking of picking one up to run on my Flux Raider or SP5. You happy with it? Good enough for 100-125m range and in? |
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Yep, no complaints. I've only used it once at night so far but it's held zero. I'm still playing with mounting solutions but this is the best option I've found by far for the MP5. Not too many cantilever mount options out there unfortunately. I've shot it out to ~70-80m at night with no issues, I think 125m might be pushing it but still doable. |
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Originally Posted By PineappleDevil: The illuminator is good for at least 100 yards on mine. The illuminator is better than the civ power Dbal A3 illuminator on high. I wonder if a beam shaper could be made for it? Who is it that does something similar - Villain Wpns Syst? |
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Originally Posted By TheRat: The QD clamp fitting or not fitting on the rail is what's stopping me from ordering one. Seems like a dice roll, especially since I'd be putting it on an APC9. If they made the clamp adjustable, I'd probably spring for one. Supposedly a new mount design is suppose to be coming with new models soon. Thats what I am waiting for. |
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I have one on my CZ Bren 2. It's holding up after one range session. Its a floody illuminator, but I think it will be useful to at least 100-150 yards. Hasn't lost zero yet. Attached File Edit: two range sessions. I noticed that the click adjustments on this thing are enormous. It must be something like 2 MOA per. Definitely designed for a pistol. |
"It is the tradition that a Kentuckian never runs. He does not have to."
Beard vs. United States
Beard vs. United States
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Originally Posted By ThatGuy01: Yep, no complaints. I've only used it once at night so far but it's held zero. I'm still playing with mounting solutions but this is the best option I've found by far for the MP5. Not too many cantilever mount options out there unfortunately. I've shot it out to ~70-80m at night with no issues, I think 125m might be pushing it but still doable. Out of curiosity, what is the cantilever mount for? Wouldn’t you be able to mount it on the rail at 3 o’ clock? |
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I just got one of these in from Cold Harbor Supply. It has the new version of the rail clamp arm with the cuts, which is good because without those it wouldn't have fit on the Magpul Mlok to Pic rail I put it on. Initial impressions are it feels well built, haven't gotten any shooting time yet. |
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Originally Posted By D_Man: I just got one of these in from Cold Harbor Supply. It has the new version of the rail clamp arm with the cuts, which is good because without those it wouldn't have fit on the Magpul Mlok to Pic rail I put it on. Initial impressions are it feels well built, haven't gotten any shooting time yet. @D-Man dunno if you’ve got the ability to film but I’d love to see how well targets are illuminated at 50yds with one if these on IR illum & white light illum. |
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Originally Posted By bdover: @D-Man dunno if you’ve got the ability to film but I’d love to see how well targets are illuminated at 50yds with one if these on IR illum & white light illum. See if this 4MR Ranch video helps:  RovyVon Showdown | Budget IR |
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Originally Posted By bdover: @D-Man dunno if you've got the ability to film but I'd love to see how well targets are illuminated at 50yds with one if these on IR illum & white light illum. |
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Originally Posted By ashiha: Has there been any talks of them making a new version that has more throw on the IR illuminator? I haven't heard anything about that, and it's hard to see how they'd be able to pull it off in this form factor. Realistically, it has enough throw for a pistol optic as it is. That said, I do think there's a pretty substantial market for a one-and-done-type device that integrated a high-candela WL and a high-throw IR illuminator. The CTF-2 came close, but lack of a co-aligned vis laser and crane port made it fall a bit short. If it was a 100% integrated solution made overseas, I expect they might be able to deliver something pretty impressive. |
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Originally Posted By erwos: I haven't heard anything about that, and it's hard to see how they'd be able to pull it off in this form factor. Realistically, it has enough throw for a pistol optic as it is. That said, I do think there's a pretty substantial market for a one-and-done-type device that integrated a high-candela WL and a high-throw IR illuminator. The CTF-2 came close, but lack of a co-aligned vis laser and crane port made it fall a bit short. If it was a 100% integrated solution made overseas, I expect they might be able to deliver something pretty impressive. Originally Posted By erwos: Originally Posted By ashiha: Has there been any talks of them making a new version that has more throw on the IR illuminator? I haven't heard anything about that, and it's hard to see how they'd be able to pull it off in this form factor. Realistically, it has enough throw for a pistol optic as it is. That said, I do think there's a pretty substantial market for a one-and-done-type device that integrated a high-candela WL and a high-throw IR illuminator. The CTF-2 came close, but lack of a co-aligned vis laser and crane port made it fall a bit short. If it was a 100% integrated solution made overseas, I expect they might be able to deliver something pretty impressive. To be honest, it isn't even really about the throw for me, but the excess of spill. I don't really need my own feet illuminated when pointing the thing forward. Usually even indoors you get enough illumination from reflections that something with that much spill is just complete unnecessary. I'd even be fine with it if they just blocked the edges off. That 4MR video really shows how nuts the spill really is and the Brassfacts video expounds on why it's an issue. If that and the QD fitment issues get resolved, I'll definitely buy. The good thing about these Chinese products that I've noticed is that they tend to iterate on versions much quicker than we're used to here in the west. |
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Still out on the horizon of purchases for me, but eventually I want to put together a PCC and so far this looks like it would make the perfect MFAL for it. I don't mind real good IR flood on something like a Pistol or PCC that is being used primarily for short distances. So, I think they made a good choice there, but the only thing I would say I wish they had done differently is make the mount a bit more user adjustable/tightening so that you could fit it to more options. Seems to be on ongoing issue with Chinese MFALs is that they just don't lock up on every rail, which is also an issue with U.S. rail specs, but the former is easier to fix than the later. |
| I have the IR only version and just used it at a night match last night on a PCC. For that application, I think it's great so far. The illuminator being flood only works since you're not using a PCC for distance, and having no white light means the settings are manageable to grope through in the dark. |
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The YouTube channel "Thin Line Defense" has done a video on it and pointed out the difficulty in switching between visible laser& light and IR light & laser modes. He also pointed out the very poor performance of the visible white light. Another critical comment that he had was that the battery life was very short, listed at just 30 minutes and that is probably under ideal room temp. So, it's a battery hog. Like other reviewers he pointed out issues with the mount not working for every pic rail he tried it on. Hopefully the above issues will be addressed with subsequent models. The one thing I've noticed about Chinese manufacturers is that they do seem to be quick to implement changes based on feedback. |
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Originally Posted By KaerMorhenResident: The YouTube channel "Thin Line Defense" has done a video on it and pointed out the difficulty in switching between visible laser& light and IR light & laser modes. He also pointed out the very poor performance of the visible white light. Another critical comment that he had was that the battery life was very short, listed at just 30 minutes and that is probably under ideal room temp. So, it's a battery hog. Like other reviewers he pointed out issues with the mount not working for every pic rail he tried it on. Hopefully the above issues will be addressed with subsequent models. The one thing I've noticed about Chinese manufacturers is that they do seem to be quick to implement changes based on feedback. |
"It is the tradition that a Kentuckian never runs. He does not have to."
Beard vs. United States
Beard vs. United States
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Originally Posted By D_Man: Probably just that it's such a small dial with so many positions. Hard to manipulate easily in the dark and with gloves on, etc. That seems to be his critcism of it, that in practical use terms under NODs it's too difficult to use that tiny dial. That and the visible light being anemic. Setting up a pressure switch to have a visible override would probably go a long way. |
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Originally Posted By KaerMorhenResident: The YouTube channel "Thin Line Defense" has done a video on it and pointed out the difficulty in switching between visible laser& light and IR light & laser modes. He also pointed out the very poor performance of the visible white light. Another critical comment that he had was that the battery life was very short, listed at just 30 minutes and that is probably under ideal room temp. So, it's a battery hog. Like other reviewers he pointed out issues with the mount not working for every pic rail he tried it on. Hopefully the above issues will be addressed with subsequent models. The one thing I've noticed about Chinese manufacturers is that they do seem to be quick to implement changes based on feedback. It's a 299 dollar unit? What the hell do you want? Most white light flash lights have an hour to two hours of run time. With a single cell, 123 powering the unit, that's not bad considering how much else that one battery is responsible for. The mechanism on the XVL2 which the GL4 copied is complete trash. It is one of the least intuitive and ergonomic systems i've ever used in any piece of hardware. The XVL2 switch was so tight that you would basically tear thumb nails off trying to rotate the thing between settings. Gloved hands? Forget it. That unit was 1200 bucks and Surefire couldn't figure it out. The GL4 will never be as awesome as you want it to be unless they deviate and come out with a completely different unit designed from the ground up. As it stands, the unit is extremely functional and an absolute steal at that price. You can't have your cake and eat it too. |
Mike_Golf says: "You're not an ethical hunter and likely an asshole to boot."
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Originally Posted By KaerMorhenResident: That seems to be his critcism of it, that in practical use terms under NODs it's too difficult to use that tiny dial. That and the visible light being anemic. Setting up a pressure switch to have a visible override would probably go a long way. I thought it was fine, not the best, but totally workable. As top mounted on my APC9, rotate clockwise for IR settings (it's got a stop at position 3, which is laser and illuminator), rotate counterclockwise for visible (in my case just the laser since I have the version without white light.) For it being a cheaper laser/illuminator unit for PCCs, I'm thrilled. Wouldn't use it on a full size rifle, but then I wouldn't use a rubber mallet to drive large T-posts either. Right tool for the job and all that. |
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Originally Posted By Magsz18: It's a 299 dollar unit? What the hell do you want? Most white light flash lights have an hour to two hours of run time. With a single cell, 123 powering the unit, that's not bad considering how much else that one battery is responsible for. The mechanism on the XVL2 which the GL4 copied is complete trash. It is one of the least intuitive and ergonomic systems i've ever used in any piece of hardware. The XVL2 switch was so tight that you would basically tear thumb nails off trying to rotate the thing between settings. Gloved hands? Forget it. That unit was 1200 bucks and Surefire couldn't figure it out. The GL4 will never be as awesome as you want it to be unless they deviate and come out with a completely different unit designed from the ground up. As it stands, the unit is extremely functional and an absolute steal at that price. You can't have your cake and eat it too. This is 100% the truth. IMHO, the GL4 Pro improved on the Surefire system. It's a 4-in-1 that you can mount on a pistol, hold zero, has decent enough performance, and only costs $300 (or less!). It's not the best WL, or the best IR illuminator, but there's no unit out there that does it all better. I moved over to the GL4 Pro from the VIR II, and have had zero regrets so far. |
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Originally Posted By Magsz18: It's a 299 dollar unit? What the hell do you want? Most white light flash lights have an hour to two hours of run time. With a single cell, 123 powering the unit, that's not bad considering how much else that one battery is responsible for. The mechanism on the XVL2 which the GL4 copied is complete trash. It is one of the least intuitive and ergonomic systems i've ever used in any piece of hardware. The XVL2 switch was so tight that you would basically tear thumb nails off trying to rotate the thing between settings. Gloved hands? Forget it. That unit was 1200 bucks and Surefire couldn't figure it out. The GL4 will never be as awesome as you want it to be unless they deviate and come out with a completely different unit designed from the ground up. As it stands, the unit is extremely functional and an absolute steal at that price. You can't have your cake and eat it too. Agreed. After spending some time with this LAM, I like it a lot. It is not perfect, but neither is the TLR VIR II that I have a bunch of and love to pieces. The windage and elevation adjustments, IR illuminator throw, versatility, and battery access blow my TLR VIR IIs out of the water. My only gripes about the GL4 PRO are below. 1. So far, due to the distance between rear of light body and rail lug, the only pistol that I have that it fits on is a full size 1911. I think this could be addressed by having the replaceable lug set further back toward the rear of the light. I wanted to put one of these on my VP9 and TX22 Competition but those won't fit. 2. The mount being EXTREMELY tight, as in need mallet to mount and screw driver to pry off tight. That said, I'd rather have too tight than too loose. 3. I don't love the feel of the switch, but that is probably because of how much time I have behind Streamlight and Surefire switches. I can't say the mode selector is a pro or con since it is a necessary evil for a MFAL. I like the simplicity of the TLR VIR II switch BUT that has fewer function modes so simplicity is easier to achieve. For the price (or even double the price), these are absolutely incredible. |
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The mount is legitimately a weak point of the design. The lever was a clever idea, but isn't adjustable enough (and is also very prone to side movement if the lug doesn't fit the gap PERFECTLY). Doesn't seem that hard to fix, so I'm surprised I don't understand the hate on the selector. Choose a mode, and you're done. Compared to the XVL2, which doesn't even friggin' have the label on the side with the selector, it's totally fine. You aren't going to have a super intuitive selector when there's seven modes on a tiny device. |
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I just purchased one of these on a Prime day deal for $247. It’s showing’Out For Delivery’ so I’m getting excited. I have a VIR-2 that I like a lot but I just wanted a bit more IR volume. I almost bought the IR only version that is being sold (the one that deletes the white light) but from what I have read it isn’t all that better of a throw that the 4-in-1 unit plus it would have been $100 more. It’s also the exact same size. I plan to run a secondary white light like a Scout light and use this for its IR capabilities and just have the visible stuff as a back up. If I need a white light, I need it NOW and I don’t want to be fiddling for a recessed dial switch in the dark. It’s hard enough to find the VIR-2’s extremely simple switch in the dark. Without adding bulk to my rifle, I would have a back-up white light and visible aiming device if I had either a light failure or an optic failure. The added bonus of the lasers being slaved is nice too, but I’ve never had any trouble zeroing an IR laser as long as my RDS is zeroed. They make a slightly smaller version for $200 that deletes the IR light. If they made a version of that in IR only light I would grab a couple of those too. |
They're marked down to $247 on amazon currently, with some other lower models down even further. 
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Originally Posted By scostu: Updated/facelift model….. https://www.rovyvon.com/collections/rail-mounted-lights/products/rovyvon-gl4-pro-4-in-1-rail-mounted-light-new I have to stop clicking back into this thread  My principle gripe was the length of rail required to mount this thing, if that has been resolved (in the exact manner I proposed by email 6ish months ago) then this LAM is now a home-run. Minor improvements are still possible, but nothing is perfect.
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Originally Posted By fordkicksass: I have to stop clicking back into this thread My principle gripe was the length of rail required to mount this thing, if that has been resolved (in the exact manner I proposed by email 6ish months ago) then this LAM is now a home-run. Minor improvements are still possible, but nothing is perfect.Also looks like they made the slots cut in the QD arm a bit wider, so it should be able to close on a bit wider rail now, but I'd still really prefer it just have a screw clamp. |
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Originally Posted By fordkicksass: Agreed. After spending some time with this LAM, I like it a lot. It is not perfect, but neither is the TLR VIR II that I have a bunch of and love to pieces. The windage and elevation adjustments, IR illuminator throw, versatility, and battery access blow my TLR VIR IIs out of the water. My only gripes about the GL4 PRO are below. 1. So far, due to the distance between rear of light body and rail lug, the only pistol that I have that it fits on is a full size 1911. I think this could be addressed by having the replaceable lug set further back toward the rear of the light. I wanted to put one of these on my VP9 and TX22 Competition but those won't fit. New version: This issue is FIXED via the multi-position rail lug. It will now fit all the pistols I wanted it to including VP9 Tactical and TX22 Competition. Very happy about that. 2. The mount being EXTREMELY tight, as in need mallet to mount and screw driver to pry off tight. That said, I'd rather have too tight than too loose. This issue appears to be at least greatly improved on the facelift version as I did not need a mallet to mount it and it does not appear loose on the two rail I have tried it on so far. 3. I don't love the feel of the switch, but that is probably because of how much time I have behind Streamlight and Surefire switches. The new switch is, IMHO, a MONSTER improvement over the old version. It is not nearly as sensitive and prone to ND as the original. It now approximates the X300 switchology for as far as push for temporary on and flip up/down for constant. This is a big deal for me. I can't say the mode selector is a pro or con since it is a necessary evil for a MFAL. I like the simplicity of the TLR VIR II switch BUT that has fewer function modes so simplicity is easier to achieve. The new version has a fold out piece to help w/ moving the mode switch. I'm not as thrilled with this since I have gotten use to the old switch but the orientations are still the same for different modes. Switching QUICKLY from IR to white light is still impractical, but I haven't yet seen an elegant solution to this sort of problem for a pistol MFAL. For the price (or even double the price), these are absolutely incredible. So, I received the facelift version of the GL4 Pro yesterday. See my above quote about my thoughts on the old vs. new. I'm going to shoot it tomorrow to get a preliminary feel for that. TL/DR: IF it holds zero, this is a no-brainer BUY if you want a pistol MFAL. |
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I’m pretty happy with mine. The IR and white light are pretty floody so I made a hood that limits it a bit. The switch is awful. Any thoughts of being able to switch it in the dark is an illusion. On a rifle or PCC you really need a secondary white light and just use the GL’s white light as a backup. So it started its life as a Poopouri cap. Some Dremel work opened it up and it actually snapped into place. Attached File Attached File Then I cut it down shorter and taped it in place. Attached File Attached File Still not an ideal beam, but at least it’s not lighting up my feet. Under NODs it’s a lot better too. Attached File |
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Originally Posted By treasurediver: I’m pretty happy with mine. The IR and white light are pretty floody so I made a hood that limits it a bit. The switch is awful. Any thoughts of being able to switch it in the dark is an illusion. On a rifle or PCC you really need a secondary white light and just use the GL’s white light as a backup. So it started its life as a Poopouri cap. Some Dremel work opened it up and it actually snapped into place. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/256972/2BFC8A87-1E6C-4435-BA67-33E0E4FE7F1B_jpe-3419805.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/256972/6167B03E-D31F-4CA1-A186-FA79525FA887_jpe-3419806.JPG Then I cut it down shorter and taped it in place. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/256972/1FCB064C-91A7-495C-92E8-7CEAEFE4DBA3_jpe-3419792.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/256972/5B8A3BB6-63DB-4BC8-8B2B-892FFE29B491_jpe-3419813.JPG Still not an ideal beam, but at least it’s not lighting up my feet. Under NODs it’s a lot better too. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/256972/2B27D309-F7CE-4B73-9776-6715B8C06AE4_jpe-3419812.JPG not a bad idea finding a "cap" that works , i need to warm up the 3d printer and make something that does the same thing. or find some poopouri lol |
We're the middle children of history
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Originally Posted By treasurediver: Yep. I’m embarrassed to say where I was when the idea struck me to use THAT cap. Originally Posted By treasurediver: Originally Posted By Slyce: not a bad idea finding a "cap" that works , i need to warm up the 3d printer and make something that does the same thing. or find some poopouri lol Yep. I’m embarrassed to say where I was when the idea struck me to use THAT cap. You might say the idea dropped out of nowhere 
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More of my mods to make the GL4 a better LAM for my 300BLK. The switch is a nightmare in the daylight. It’s IMPOSSIBLE at night. Even the new little loop they added to the newest model doesn’t really solve the issue of switching from IR to OFF to Vis. I cut this little piece of steel to fit into the grooves of the switch then kicked it out enough to clear the adjustment caps allowing a 360 degree rotation. I epoxied it in place then added a light-cured knob. In reality I want to access IR dual/OFF/VIS dual. The rest of the settings are still accessible, but I’ve basically turned it into a three position switch that can be found in the dark and in a hurry. Attached File Attached File Attached File |
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Originally Posted By treasurediver: More of my mods to make the GL4 a better LAM for my 300BLK. The switch is a nightmare in the daylight. It’s IMPOSSIBLE at night. Even the new little loop they added to the newest model doesn’t really solve the issue of switching from IR to OFF to Vis. I cut this little piece of steel to fit into the grooves of the switch then kicked it out enough to clear the adjustment caps allowing a 360 degree rotation. I epoxied it in place then added a light-cured knob. In reality I want to access IR dual/OFF/VIS dual. The rest of the settings are still accessible, but I’ve basically turned it into a three position switch that can be found in the dark and in a hurry. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/256972/2ABCEF3F-7ED3-446C-81C5-B2CBDDE04117_jpe-3441046.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/256972/3B60BC4D-3F5A-4EBD-BCF8-FB8A00A651D6_jpe-3441048.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/256972/B0A74F93-1F03-405C-BE53-0032488EEF13_jpe-3441050.JPG Nice! looks like part of a zipper cut and bent lol. but i'm sure it makes a big difference, cause it damn sure is a pain to try and swap settings under nods with the current "switch" |
RovyVon GL4 Pro, any one tried it? (Page 1 of 2)
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