new to lasers here and i have a couple of "curiosity" questions.  what is the maximum distance a laser can be noticeable, on the target, during daylight hours?  what distance do you consider "close" for cqb?

Depending on the laser the distance will be different. Using a 5 milliwatt red laser (maximum non-registered power) I can't see the dot beyond a handful of feet without using the iron sights to find it. Nearly useless.

for outside daylight you will probably have to go to green laser. Red is dead after 10-15 yards. Of course green lasers are expensive
$600 and up.

Surefire is coming out with the L80, a green laser. [url=http://www.surefire.com/cgi-bin/main.pl?pgm=co_disp&func=displ&sesent=0,0&strfnbr=6&pgname=L80]L80[/url]

I generally find lasers useless in daylight, but the red Surefire laser (L76?) has a 7 moa dot.  I haven't seen it, but 7 moa has got to be a lot more visible than the 1-2 moa dots from the units I already have.  MSTN says it's really bright and easy to see, and works well enough for close daylight work.  Personally, I am also waiting for the L80 green laser.  However, I wonder if the perceived extra brightness of a green laser, outweighs the color contrast.  What I mean is this - the Trijicon ACOG TA01NSN uses an amber reticle, which they claim is brighter/easier to see.  I find the color contrast on targets worse than when I use red reticles (don't they loose that amber reticle when pointing at sandy/tan targets like in IRAQ?).  I was watching SG-1, and the green laser used on their P90's put a dot on a target that was seen, but not very contrasting.  I think a red dot would have more contrast.  A green laser, on a green colored target, hmm....  I hope I am wrong about this, cause the green laser is my last hope for visible lasers, and I am REALLY counting on that big 7 moa dot Surefire uses.

What do you guys know/think???

Guestimation on the price tag for the L80?

Haven't seen a price yet.

This is a super-tough question as it depends on a bunch of variables including: lighting conditions and target color.

Let me share my experience and I hope it help.

Full-sun with no clouds. Nothing. 5-10 yards. White target will really help. Black? Forget it. It really is possible to see out to 20 yards or so, but the laser is not valuable as an rapid aiming tool. i.e. visible, but not as quick as irons.

If you put shade or cloud cover into the mix. We are in Oregon, so its always cloudy, the range really increases, even if the sun is overhead. I have found a laser a great tool out to 20-25 under these conditions. Futher, depending on light level. At extended ranges under these conditions its a tossup as to which is quicker. Laser or irons.

Two things to think re: why a laser sight. Most shootings occur during reduced light conditions. I think latest NIJ is 75%, but someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

With a rifle, laser allows total heads-up sighting and improved vision. I'm not talking hip-shooting, but not having to line-up behind a site can be a huge advantage.

We have the red SureFire module on one of our house guns and it is nothing but fast, fast, fast...

Hope this helps...

-Z