PLTB450 on a SCAR5 5.56 rifle? Thoughts.

[Down with Umbrella]

I go to the range quite often and the number one complaint I hear is "my laser isn't bright enough" or "I can't see the dot even as dusk"
Laser MaX is a company that sells high dollar lasers for rifles (<5mw). I am ashamed to say I bought one a few years ago for an obscene price. Recently I metered it hoping it would be over spec It's not. Didn't even register on my LPM which means it must be under 10 mw according to radiant X4 customer service.

The idea
The theory would be like something in my signature pic.

I would like to build a laser that mounts on a picatinny rail. I like the PLTB450 because the divergence seems to be better. Size wise I want to keep it short so I was thinking one 18350 battery with an X-boost V7 set to about 1.1A to give me a hair over 1W.
The host I will use is special stainless tubing I get from work.

Questions
Can The diode even withstand the recoil? I seriously have my doubts
Is this a good driver/battery set up?
Should I consider other diodes and wave lengths?

I know green is the most visible but for the price & power output I was thinking blue. The 520nm is an option too. Hm.

Also note this is for range use not for service And the laser will serve to point in a general direction. Not precision shooting.
Thanks guys!
Sorry if this has been covered but I would like some people's current ideas.

 

[shokkunlasers]

I don't know if and how long it will survive the recoil but many members have diode lasers on their guns and they all seem to work just fine.

The PLTB450 is a hair better in divergence than the m140 but lower in power.
I would recommend you the newest GB on the PLTB450B its as powerful or a bit stronger than the m140 while being 450nm instead 445nm and roughly the same divergence as the old PLTB450 :beer: http://laserpointerforums.com/f55/open-osram-pl-tb450b-1-6w-substitute-m140-86408.html

Personally I think its a bit dangerous to have a high powered laser on a gun but if you handle a gun right you won't point it at something you don't want to shoot loaded same goes for me with lasers so in the end it doesnt matter

 

[BShanahan14rulz]

Perhaps the fancy high-dollar laser sight has some shock absorbing mounts or something, that somehow don't misalign after every shot. Perhaps you could recycle the housing and optics, while supplying your own diode and driver, or just mod it as a separate project, with a <5mW 450nm or some other exotic wavelength.

 

[Livinloud]

A ton of members here have lasers on their guns but if you ask them, they never shoot them with the lasers on so no way we can answer your question.

Fyi you won't be able to use a laser at the range if everyone doesn't have proper laser glasses since you are putting their eyes at risk. Bullet fragments, casings and other metal fixtures to hold targets plus lasers is a horrible idea and you'd be putting everyone in risk

 

[Down with Umbrella]

Thanks for the input!
I wouldn't be able to use the laser max because it's extremely compact.

I don't know if and how long it will survive the recoil but many members have diode lasers on their guns and they all seem to work just fine.

The PLTB450 is a hair better in divergence than the m140 but lower in power.
I would recommend you the newest GB on the PLTB450B its as powerful or a bit stronger than the m140 while being 450nm instead 445nm and roughly the same divergence as the old PLTB450 :beer: http://laserpointerforums.com/f55/open-osram-pl-tb450b-1-6w-substitute-m140-86408.html

Personally I think its a bit dangerous to have a high powered laser on a gun but if you handle a gun right you won't point it at something you don't want to shoot loaded same goes for me with lasers so in the end it doesnt matter

As for the group by I am sticking with lower power 1watt so I do not need the M140 or comparable power.

Fyi you won't be able to use a laser at the range if everyone doesn't have proper laser glasses since you are putting their eyes at risk. Bullet fragments, casings and other metal fixtures to hold targets plus lasers is a horrible idea and you'd be putting everyone in risk

The lasers tail switch would be hooked up to a pressure switch so it would only be on when aiming down range. The ranges here in Maine (if I'm not shooting in the sandpits) are mostly out door. Also I am a firm believer in not pointing a gun at something you don't intend to shoot. If there was a possibility of putting someone else's eyes at risk I would not expose them.
With that said I feel as tho there are clear benefits to a 1watt blue.

 

[Down with Umbrella]

The 520 is an option also and maybe safer but would it be just as effective as the 450?

 

[shokkunlasers]

I would recommend you to look into the gun thread there are guns with 520nm and 445nm sights :beer:

 

[Tmack]

Talk to member mhemling. He specializes in this area.

 

[Down with Umbrella]

I got some good info doing a little bit of research. I might shelf this project for the time being till I figure out what I want to do. Thanks!

 

[Tmack]

Would be cool if you could mount it with some sort of shock absorber, but still rigid enough to hold accuracy. Almost like a steering stabilizer on a motorcycle. Something to hold the position, but dampen the force. That would solve the most common problem with mounting lasers on guns.

Man, I always find myself digging in the old " ghetto rig toolbox" in our convos lol

 

[Down with Umbrella]

I have a rubber hose I was going to stretch over the heatsink to go between the heatsink and host like a liner. Today I also filed a warrantee repair for the laser max...Maybe they'll fix it.
Haha ya Tmack, where there's a will there's a way. I love home DIY projects and
I love my steering stabilizer on my bike. Saved my skin a few times.

 

[Tmack]

Lol more than a few. Can you believe some of the old zx1000 didn't have them. They called them widow makers for a while lmao. I was riding a 2007 GSXR 750. Put 14000 miles on in two seasons. Well sort of seasons ,,, in had no car. Rain , wind, 11 degrees, I was flying down 95. Triple digit speed, or the thing was parked

 

[KRNAZNBOY]

Idea here. The diode you want to keep still and on target so i wont touch that, but if you could have the wires leading to and from the driver suspending the driver inside the host, then the wires would absorb the shock.

Assuming you have good solder joints, this shouldnt be a problem

:beer:
--Matt

 

[Bacon]

I was actually looking at the laser max some time ago. I read that its really just for 5-10yrds past that and its not very accurate. I instead decided that all that money on more bullets would improve accuracy to some degree
-edit- *Derp.. just general direction, OK. Well I have some stories of my m140 getting dropped / slammed / abused. Works like a champ and can take a serious beating. I run it for mins and stuck it in a freezer to cool of once too. (I almost hope it dies so i can justify a bigger one)
Other than that I have a really crappy pen 405 that is kinda picky. and I assume any dpss would be a disaster on something like a firearm.

But if you make your laser sight too bright you wont need bullets. Just zap holes in stuff :evil:

 

[lzrppl]

I have used quite a few different laser diodes on 300 win mags and 338 Lapuas without any problems with shock or recoil. I have found that 200mW down to 85mw from a green laser diode is plenty of light to see the dot all the way out to 1000 meters and during the day with full sunlight. It is ridiculous to spend big bucks on a super diode if you do not need it. Even with red diodes, 300mw to 400mw does great. You should buy a green module off of Ebay from China spec'd out at 100mw to 200mw and put it in a host that can be built for a case positive diode (most green diodes are driven by an IR diode), thus case positive. You can even build a 500mW 808nm laser that will work like a high powered spotlight for night vision equipment. There are even picatinny mounted rings, on Ebay, that have windage and elevation adjustments that will easily hold a flashlight host. Private message me and I can help you with links and what not.

 

[Down with Umbrella]

Izrppl ^^ great info. Thanks for responding, sometime next winter I might be getting a night vision scope for coyote hunting but Right now I'm still doing research on those. The 808 wouldn't be a bad idea for that application.
Soon I'll have the new 120mw PL520 build done and I'll see how apparent that is in low light and during that day.
Update on the Laser max sight: the manufacturer took it back and is fixing its cheap a**.
Again thanks for all the input!