Recommended IR illuminator for Long Range Shooting in Night

[harry_x1]

Hi All,
I am new to long range night shooting hence seeking advice from other experienced folks. I have a 338 lapua AI AXMC which shoots a mile easily. I just bought an eo tech night vision clip on, link below. Am looking to now add some kind of a long range illuminator which can help me shoot 1200 yard plus in night. Is there some illuminator out there which can help? I see lot of discussion regarding MAWL C1/DBAL 2 etc. But will these illuminators work for my use case?

EOTech: CNVD-LR (M2124-LR) Clip-On Night Vision - White Phosphor

The CNVD-LR is a rugged, long-range clip-on night vision device designed for higher-caliber weapons and snipers for long-range identification and engagement.

www.milehighshooting.com

thanks for your assistance on this.

Harjeet

 

[GreenMushroom]

Have you looked at the Luna? It's laser based and full power once you take the filter off. It's just an illuminator and doesn't have a laser but it's zeroable and a lot cheaper especially when compared with a mawl. I'm curious what you think of the cnvd-lr. I'm considering picking one up down the road.

Eta there's a nice video out there that compares the Luna, D2, and mawl if I remember right.

 

[Old Man with Gun]

Unless you are shooting known distance, your ability to range distance will be a major factor. I would add how you will do that to the equation.

 

[nutation]

I can second the Luna ELIR for something to start off with, or as a backup, without the logistical headaches that things like full power PEQ-15s can bring. The beam width is adjustable down to very narrow, though depending on the setting you'll see some prominent Newton's rings - an optical effect causing dark rings like the rings of a tree - in the spotlight. The power cranks up quite high, and can easily blind you, so treat it similarly to how you'd treat a firearm. On the other hand, you can carefully control the brightness with the adjustment knob, which is just a rheostat, so you can finely adjust the power. I've only shot out to 1000m with mine, but it should easily be able to illuminate much farther than that.

For the low price, there are certainly a few tradeoffs made. The peak wavelength, 785nm, is very close to the visible spectrum, and it spills over into the red region a bit, so there is a visible red glow from the laser. I haven't looked back at the laser myself from downrange for obvious reasons, but from the splash it appears to be about as bright in the visible spectrum as a nearly dead flashlight. The plastic housing flexes easily, so it can be tricky to maintain a precise zero. The rail clamp sucks, and is Weaver spec rather than Picatinny, so the laser can shift back and forth in the rail even with the screw tightened down. The adjustment mechanism is very crude, but replacing the adjustment screws with thumbscrews improves things a bit. I usually have to make a slight adjustment to the zero every few shots. If the battery cap isn't on tight, it can cut out for a split second under recoil. Overall it's a decent laser in a crappy housing, for 1/5th to 1/10th the price of comparable units.

 

[NHPiper]

I perst 3 will have a pretty clean illuminator, or a dbal a2.

be careful with that 338 lapua using the CNVD-LR. They are only rated to 308. The internals are epoxied in place versus the much studier methods used with pvs27 or pvs30, which are 50bmg rated.

 

[SkyScrapin]

Are you shooting 338L with the 24LR? It’s rated for 308w, and there’s no guarantee it will hold up to the magnum recoil.

While I’m a huge fan of the 24LR myself, you may need the UNS LR A2 for the higher recoiling rifles. We carry these and are happy to share insights on the various illuminator options.

Like mentioned, unless you’re shooting on a square range with know distances, beyond point blank range you will need a LRF solution.

PM me your number and I will give you a ring tomorrow or Monday, whichever works for you.

 

[NHPiper]

@SkyScrapin is a solid dude and can def hook you up

 

[cschastain2]

@SkyScrapin is a solid dude and can def hook you up

I agree…He’ll hook you up!

 

[cschastain2]

There’s a PEQ LA-5B for 2800.00 and a new Steiner A-3 Model #52307 for 2200.00 50/50/50mW on TACSWAP.com right now

Those are really good prices and both are outstanding full power Laser Illuminators

 

[cschastain2]

TACSWAP

 

[stefan73]

A de-neutered Luna will work for you. JRH https://www.jrhenterprises.com/Night-Vision-Accessories_c32.htm has the Luna and accessories for it. Robert is a member here and solid guy from everything I have seen.

There are other toys but the luna will probably work and the rheostat is a nice feature. Just be careful and treat these high power IR systems like a loaded weapon.

If you really need more range the IZLID would be another option with illumination out past 800m. But, you are getting into unobtanium.

 

[harry_x1]

Hi all - so I did end up buying and trying three diff solutions 1) Full power 100mw peq 15 2) luna 3) a high power handheld IR flashlight from lightforce.

The most amount of illumination came from that large hand held flashlight. However it was best to lit up a large area and did not focus very well for long distance. The best solution was/is the full power peq. Luna is also great but for some reason it just does not perform at same level as full power peq. $ for $ luna is the way to go, but if you have the mullah then full power peq is best IMO. Thanks all for sharing tips/knowledge, it helped me a lot.

Lightforce Enforcer 140mm LED IR Handheld Searchlight

Lightforce Handheld Infrared Searchlight with Red or White Visible Light Options

tnvc.com

 

[upSLIDEdown]

Hi all - so I did end up buying and trying three diff solutions 1) Full power 100mw peq 15 2) luna 3) a high power handheld IR flashlight from lightforce.

The most amount of illumination came from that large hand held flashlight. However it was best to lit up a large area and did not focus very well for long distance. The best solution was/is the full power peq. Luna is also great but for some reason it just does not perform at same level as full power peq. $ for $ luna is the way to go, but if you have the mullah then full power peq is best IMO. Thanks all for sharing tips/knowledge, it helped me a lot.

Lightforce Enforcer 140mm LED IR Handheld Searchlight

Lightforce Handheld Infrared Searchlight with Red or White Visible Light Options

tnvc.com

Maybe a dumb question, but did you “tweak” the front end of the Luna to make sure you were getting the full potential out of it? Lol

 

[cschastain2]

Gotta “Tweak it”

 

[harry_x1]

Maybe a dumb question, but did you “tweak” the front end of the Luna to make sure you were getting the full potential out of it? Lol

It had some kind of a filter which I removed … hopefully I did it correctly… luna was way better than the low power peqs but marginally lacking compared to full power peq.. I will do a comparison video and share it in couple of days time.

 

[upSLIDEdown]

It had some kind of a filter which I removed … hopefully I did it correctly… luna was way better than the low power peqs but marginally lacking compared to full power peq.. I will do a comparison video and share it in couple of days time.

Just making sure.

 

[Dough300]

Night Vision - IR Laser/Illuminator advice

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www.snipershide.com