Weapon Mounted combo White / IR Illuminator options? - Page 1

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Weapon Mounted combo White / IR Illuminator options?

Posted: 3/16/2021 12:54:01 AM EDT

Been running older incandescent M951 Surefire with an IR filter. Works great as an IR light, but the white light leaves something to be desired. Battery life is also a drag.

Started shopping the market for a replacement, but there doesn’t seem to be much out there for White / IR Illuminator combos. Thought the market for them would’ve picked up a bit with night vision growing in popularity.

Any thoughts or suggestions on what’s available would be appreciated. For instance, the Inforce WMLx, am I wrong to dismiss it for the body being constructed of a polymer like material?

Posted: 3/16/2021 1:04:39 AM EDT

[#1]

Love my X400V-B mounted at 6 o clock
But that runs as my LAM as well, always an option to add in a high power white light as needed while still keeping it down to two gadgets mounted out front. Havent seen anything civvy powered on the market that really does any better as a single unit

ETA
350 lm white and a modlite switch to promote that FWIW at a 25 buck upcharge

Posted: 3/16/2021 1:10:39 AM EDT

[#2]

X300V/tape switch
M300V

Posted: 3/16/2021 1:17:38 AM EDT

[#3]

Quote History

Quoted:
Love my X400V-B mounted at 6 o clock
But that runs as my LAM as well, always an option to add in a high power white light as needed while still keeping it down to two gadgets mounted out front. Havent seen anything civvy powered on the market that really does any better as a single unit

View Quote

Thanks for sharing your insight. I’ve looked into the vampires a bit. Like what they have to offer, but thought it might be a challenge to operate. I will take a closer look though.
I run a OTAL on the top rail, and have a tape switch that runs both light and laser.

Posted: 3/16/2021 1:21:31 AM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:
the Inforce WMLx, am I wrong to dismiss it for the body being constructed of a polymer like material?

View Quote

I have yet to really see detracting reasons for this, but do see recommendations for alloys > polys
The important thing to me is circuitry/shock resistance. So in for info on that... like streamlight, they are American

Quoted:

Thanks for sharing your insight. I’ve looked into the vampires a bit. Like what they have to offer, but thought it might be a challenge to operate. I will take a closer look though.
I run a OTAL on the top rail, and have a tape switch that runs both light and laser.

View Quote

And they are ok, the selector ring on the LAM part seems a bit delicate and snaggy, so duck tape lol
After reading this i would be considering the above post, a 300V/XT00 to wire in with your OTAL. However the toggle-on/off on the XT00 is like the Streamlight’s TLR-2

if not a little easier to accidentally hit, for that again duck tape or paracord to hold that in the position it most commonly stays in. Still nice to have a off button though IMO

Posted: 3/16/2021 8:00:08 AM EDT

[#5]

I’ve been happy with my M640V. I was a little concerned about it only having 350 lumens of white light (most of my rifles have 1000 lumen HL-X’s or CD Rein’s) but it’s not terrible. Works well in conjunction with a LS221R lazer.

Posted: 3/16/2021 8:46:41 AM EDT

[#6]

If you can swing it, it is far better to divorce your white light from your IR illumination. The compromise solutions are vastly short on both. For me, I pair a mawl with a better white light like a Cloud Micro Rein or Modlite PLHv2 and get the best of both.

Posted: 3/16/2021 11:28:53 AM EDT

[#7]

Vampires seem to be about the best thing going but agree with the above that dual heads tend to be a bit 'meh' at both IR and vis when it comes to output.

What we need is for Modlite to make a dual PLH/850IR head. That would be phenomenal

Posted: 3/16/2021 11:35:49 AM EDT

[#8]

Surefire XVL2

Posted: 3/16/2021 1:05:49 PM EDT

[#9]

Quote History

Quoted:
Vampires seem to be about the best thing going but agree with the above that dual heads tend to be a bit 'meh' at both IR and vis when it comes to output.

What we need is for Modlite to make a dual PLH/850IR head. That would be phenomenal

View Quote

I don't think they'd ever do that; from a tactical perspective you'd always want white light on demand. A vampire head that requires the head to be rotated to switch modes doesn't allow for that and the other option would be to make their own tailcap that can switch it via a vis override port but that makes everything very complicated.

I'm still waiting for Modlite to refine their IR heads with a v2 so they don't wash out the user's tubes when using it.

Posted: 3/16/2021 2:14:11 PM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:

I don't think they'd ever do that; from a tactical perspective you'd always want white light on demand. A vampire head that requires the head to be rotated to switch modes doesn't allow for that and the other option would be to make their own tailcap that can switch it via a vis override port but that makes everything very complicated.

I'm still waiting for Modlite to refine their IR heads with a v2 so they don't wash out the user's tubes when using it.

View Quote

Yeah, the 850 head I have one one of my night fighting rifles blows out the image if used indoors. Gain takes care of it eventually, but it's not ideal.

Posted: 3/16/2021 3:36:29 PM EDT

[#11]

Streamlight TLR VIR 2 with a modified 69130 battery door so I can use a pressure switch.

Also have a Surefire M300 Vamp.

Posted: 3/16/2021 4:41:00 PM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

Quoted:
Streamlight TLR VIR 2 with a modified 69130 battery door so I can use a pressure switch.

Also have a Surefire M300 Vamp.

View Quote

@revengeismine
that’s what i like to see, how is it working so far?

Posted: 3/31/2021 1:26:05 AM EDT

[#13]

Quote History

Quoted:
Streamlight TLR VIR 2 with a modified 69130 battery door so I can use a pressure switch.

Also have a Surefire M300 Vamp.

View Quote

C'mon man!

Don't leave us hanging.

How's that work?

Posted: 3/31/2021 2:03:02 AM EDT

[#14]

Streamlight TLR VIR 2 with a modified 69130 battery door....

Please share.

Posted: 3/31/2021 1:10:39 PM EDT

[#15]

How bad is the red glow on the surefire Vs? I was thinking about getting an m600v head but saw that it puts off quite a glow. Are all of them like that?

Posted: 4/1/2021 12:45:04 AM EDT

[#16]

My M300V and X300V have about the same throw as their dedicated white light only counterparts, but are noticeably less bright with far less flood. So weak hotspots and poor flood. They’re white light isn’t nearly bright enough for defeating photonics barriers and forget about them being powerful enough for their white light to shine through daylight and brighten a second story interior room.

The problem is what’s the alternative for civilians? Go with a heavy D2 or MAWL? Have twice the weight with two different lights on your rifle, one IR and the other white light only? It is what is and I’m not happy with how heavy my rifle is with a DBAL and one M300V, can’t feature slapping more weight on it.

Posted: 4/2/2021 6:08:39 PM EDT

[#17]

It would be nice if LEP light tech. could produce a light capable of both white and NIR. Dual switches one for wight light the other for NIR. Put an adj. lens for near or far. LEP are like a white LASER with zero spill if needed. Look it up, very cool. As of now the LEP spectrum makes little usable NIR.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7M9XXUMGeY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFQQlM_koKc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0tEax6SMtc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brwqvbuezXo

Posted: 4/9/2021 10:44:05 AM EDT

[#18]

Quote History

Quoted:

C'mon man!

Don't leave us hanging.

How's that work?

View Quote

agreed, don't leave us hanging

Posted: 4/9/2021 10:49:48 AM EDT

[#19]

Attached File

As other members have stated, general concensus is to divorce your white light from IR. I run 2 separate. Surefire M600 on its own Modlite button and the Malkoff 750mW IR only hooked to a Taps Sync so it can fire with the Holosun LS117IR. Surprisingly light. I did the math before I bought everything because it was between this and the dbal D2, and this actually comes out lighter and cheaper, and that includes the mounts and switches.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Weapon Mounted combo White / IR Illuminator options?

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