Any practical scenario to IR laser and illumination combo on a PISTOL?

[TxFlyFish]

For home defense and occasional backwoods/hiking protection. I understand the benefits of visible laser and light in separately mounted on a non CC pistol. If the additional IR capabilities do not add significant bulk or battery drain to the system is it worth it to upgrade to an IR/visible system? I understand that there is another 3k investment to the NV. Again this is on a pistol

[Slagger]

Ive personally used NVGs on many occasions and will have to say that nvgs suck close quarters. they cut down your viewing angle and odds that you actuall become a complete ghost to an intruder is rare. now if you are thinking survival preparation for when [color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color] hits the fan, then its an excelent idea.

now if you were to have a red laser light combo i would say thats great.

[MarkCO]

I really don't see the benefit on a pistol, given the price of admission. Sure, there might be some very remote set of circumstances it would be useful in, but very rare.

That said, I do have an IR laser (and green and a red dot) on a 16" AR. I mounted an inexpensive NV monocular on the rail. I call it the poor mans NV rig. For night time hunting, it is awesome. For actual defensive use, too restrictive. I have had the opportunity to use, with live fire, the current state of the art NVG and in all honesty, I would rather use my "normal" set-up. Sure, some due to familiarity, but also to to field of view.

In the military, where they work a lot under cover of darkness seeking out the opposing force, sure, I would want the best system money could buy.

3G can buy a lot of practice ammo and a lot of lighting options.

[TxFlyFish]

Thanks for the advice! I'm asking this because I feel like now is a good time to get into NV with the availability (or very soon release) of dual IR/VIS pistol mount devices, eg crimson trace LGD, surefire x300v, streamlight TLR-VIR Most of which are similar in dimensions to their VIS only counterparts.

[ClydeFrog]

I'm not quite sure why or what you'd need a IR type laser system for on a sidearm.

I could see the benefits if you were a SWAT cop or ACE/DEVGRU type commando but for most gun owners/hunters that seems a tad extreme.

Clyde

[MTT TL]

Thanks for the advice! I'm asking this because I feel like now is a good time to get into NV with the availability (or very soon release) of dual IR/VIS pistol mount devices, eg crimson trace LGD, surefire x300v, streamlight TLR-VIR Most of which are similar in dimensions to their VIS only counterparts.

Just because you can buy such a thing does not mean it will serve any useful purpose. I guess you could impress your friends.

[Ben Towe]

It's a cool concept, but real world applications would be very limited. A $3,000 pair of NV goggles are going to be very basic gen 3 single tube style. No depth perception and no peripheral vision which I would consider vital in CQC/home defense situation. The next step up would be dual tube style with little depth perception and still no peripheral vision. Price seems to run in range of $10,000 to $16,000. Beyond that would be the quad tube gen 4 goggles, offering depth perception and a bit of peripheral vision (97° field of view, normal field of view for humans is 200°). The price? A cool $65,000, and restricted to LE/military. And if you bump one table, drag your foot on the floor one time, or the floor creaks at the wrong time, it would give away your position anyway. That's not to mention the fact that you need a solid support to mount the goggles to even come close to properly utilizing them in a fight, which means purchasing a kevlar helmet that they can be mounted to. That will burn another $800 or a bit more. There's also the fact that you'll have to get this rig put on, strapped down and turned on, in the dark, possibly while half asleep. Someone flips on a light, you'll be blinded. A flashlight shined at you? Blind.

There are reasons they are used for highly specialized offensive operations by the military (I'm not aware of any LE agency that uses them although some may very well do so). They simply aren't viable for anything else with current technology.

I think buying an excellent weapon light and getting some good CQC weapon training would prove a far better use of of your money.

[Jammer Six]

No.

[dayman]

If you extend "home defense" to include "defending your field from coyotes", and change "pistol" to "rifle" it would be a pretty sweet set up.
An IR laser NV combo is really more of an offensive tool than a defensive one.

Also on a semi-humorous, but semi-serious note, if you did ever wind up defensing your home while wearing NV you might wind up facing a bit more legal scrutiny than you would if you used a traditional light.
The idea kind of conjurers up images of the climax of "the silence of the lambs", and it might not be all that hard for a prosecutor to convince a jury that you were some sort of weirdo that likes sneaking around in the dark killing people.

If you want NV and have money to spend, you could install some NV security cameras. That way you could check out the house/lawn without having to get out of bed. And, there's nothing like visible cameras to stop a burglary before it happens.

[skizzums]

i see lots of benefits if i was an assasin

[Double Naught Spy]

IR lasers for HD purposes are not currently trending, so the answer is NO.

I remember when people thought visible lasers were just for assassins and military nuts as well.

[ClydeFrog]

I agree with post #7.
If you want to learn more about high tech NVGs in 2013, read the non fiction account of Trident Spear, No Easy Day.

The tier one SEALs & counter terrorist units use the $65,000.00 IR/NV gear.
The SOAR or air support crews/pilots also had these high tech devices.
The NVGs were expensive because they gave the operators a 220 degree field of view & allowed them to ID targets, field weapons faster & more accurate.

It's not something you'd pick up at a army-navy surplus store or gun show but it works well for tier one special ops units.

Clyde

[Frank Ettin]

Seems to be a consensus. No reason to beat the subject to death.