by B.B. Pelletier
Before we begin, I have to tell you that last Thursday’s post about light, shootable air rifles got the biggest response we’ve ever received over a two-day period. Apparently, I struck a nerve.
Paul at Pyramyd Air asked for this post about lasers to help him explain them to his customers. I’m sorry it took so long to get back to finish it, but the gas springs sort of distracted me.
Today, I’ll discuss mounting and aligning the laser with the bore, battery life and switches. I’ll also discuss one particular very nice laser that I know a lot about.
Mounting
Lasers attach to airguns with either an 11mm dovetail clamp or a Weaver dovetail, which fits either a Weaver or a Picatinny base. Since you want the laser to stay aligned, the mount should be rugged enough to withstand whatever recoil plus general handling bumps the gun is likely to suffer. Most laser come with mounts since they have 3/4″ tubes instead of 1″ tubes. If you don’t get a ring mount with the laser, B-Square makes one for an 11mm dovetail and I believe a Weaver dovetail, as well.
Some lasers, like the Walther PPK/S laser have the mount built right into the laser body so there are no extra parts to look for. But, most lasers are separate tubes that come with some kind of clamp to attach to a gun. It’s the clamp that comes in different dovetail sizes that you must be aware of.
Scope mounts are now being offered with additional mounting dovetails for lasers to ride piggyback with the scope. While they look really cool and tactical mounted on top of a scope, they’re exposed to every bump the gun takes, so be sure they’re mounted rigid enough to stay put.
Aligning a laser
I think the easiest laser to align on today’s market is the AirForce LS-1. When I used to attend trade shows for AirForce Airguns, I had to mount and align the lasers there at the show. The way we shipped our guns to the show required that all the accessories be packed in their separate boxes, so on set-up day I had to mount scopes and lasers on 6-8 guns. I let the lasers go until last, because if the show had opened, I would align the laser with the scope while talking to a customer. Anyone who had even owned a laser before was immediately impressed with me holding the rifle with one hand and aligning the laser with the other while sighting through the scope. The only thing easier would be magic!
The AirForce laser has two thumbscrews that push on the laser tube inside the device for windage and elevation, in the same way scope adjustments push on the erector tube. A third screw tensions the tube to lock it after the adjustments have been made. Don’t be surprised if the dot doesn’t move straight in any direction, because it never does. It’s always left or right with a little up and down, or vice-versa. Also, when the locking screw is tightened, it will move the zero a little, so you back it off in the direction it will move, then nudge it to the aim point as you lock it. These are things you figure out in the first 10 minutes.
Every other laser I’ve used has Allen screws in the body to make these adjustments. That means you need a separate tool, you can’t make both adjustments with one hand while holding the gun with the other, and they just take a lot longer to adjust. Once adjusted and locked, though, both mechanisms hold equally well.
One final point about aligning a laser. Unless you have a bright green laser you won’t be able to see it very far in daylight, so align it for a close point of aim like 20 feet. Then sight the scope for 20 yards. That covers you for all distances in-between through interpolation with either sight.
Battery life
There are two common types of laser batteries: either several button batteries in series or one CR123A camera battery. Serious lasers like the AirForce LS-1 use the 123A. They say the battery lasts a minimum of 20 hours of run time, but I’ve been using one to play with cats for three years and it still has the original battery. Several of my other lasers with button batteries gave about an hour of use before they died. The more expensive lasers use the 123, the cheaper ones use buttons. If my life depended on the laser, I’d get one that uses a 123 (some now used two). Look for an exciting new laser, tactical flashlight combo from Leapers that uses 123s. The price will probably be good.
Switches
Switches are a big subject when it comes to lasers. The LS-1 has a 24″ pigtail cable with a pressure switch at the end. You can locate it anywhere on the rifle you like with adhesive-backed Velcro that comes with the unit. With a cable that long, the LS-1 isn’t suited for use on a handgun, but there are plenty of other units that are.
Some lasers have a simple spring-loaded push switch that doesn’t let you leave the laser on. It has to be pressed all the time it works. Others allow on/off or push switch operation, depending how you set them up.
The thing about laser switches is people don’t think about them when they buy the laser. Then, the first time they try to use it, they become instant experts on what they wish they had. Here’s my guidance. If you have a laser that uses a 123A battery, try to get an off/on switch. If it uses button batteries, a push switch will prevent you from running down the battery.
Well, that’s about it for the laser designators you’ll see for airguns. Even the inexpensive ones are incredibly bright, so you must use care at all times when using them.
BB,
Thank you for a year’s worth of knowledge and insight. I’ve enjoyed being a part of it all. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Merry Christmas to all!
Kind Regards,
Michael in Florida
Michael,
Merry Christmas back atcha!
B.B.
Merry Christmas BB and all.
Thanks for all the knowledge and good cheer.
Bruce in RI
Bruce,
Merry Christmas to you, too.
B.B.
This is a bit off topic but I noticed Canadian air gun dealers have models that are no longer available here. Why? Is it slow sales?
Thinking of a laser for my C600. Do you have any recommendations? The only type that immediately comes to mind would be a trigger-guard mounted unit.
Thanks
Will
BB & All,
May each and every one of you have A very Merry Christmas and A Happy Healthy New Year. May the 2008 Blog be as good or better then 2007 (which was great)
Merry Christmas all,
BobC NJ
Merry Christmas to all!
This is a fun bunch to hang around with, and y’all made the past year a bit brighter than it otherwise might have been. Thanks!
BB – my paltry 2 dozen airguns doesn’t compare to your collection… so I don’t feel so bad! In all honesty, though, wifey doesn’t give me any flack about them, I guess she hears too much about hubbies that indulge in far less innocent distractions.
Surprisingly enough, it’s the parents I hear it from! Then again, since I live in NJ and they live in PA… they are often the intermediate recipients of guns I order from vendors that don’t go to NJ.
Will,
I haven’t heard of this being done, but our readers are up on everything.
Does anyone know of a laser for a Crosman 600 pistol?
B.B.
Canadian airguns,
Canada has had different models for as long as I can remember. That’s going to happen both because of laws and the different tastes of a nation. In Germany Diana still makes and sells the model 30 gallery BB gun.
The U.S. market has been small, historically. Other countries have imported a great many models we’ve never seen here.
B.B.
BB,
Merry Christmas.
Thank you for every word you have written. Especially the day before Christmas!
I bet pyramid does well this time of year.
all the best,
sumo
Sumo and everyone,
Merry Christmas to all of you.
B.B.
What air arms pellet would come closest to the size of a kodiak pellet, in this I mean for it to fit the bore of my gamo 1250 the same between the 5.50mm,5.51mm and the5.52mm?
Robert 1250
B.B.
Can airgun scopes be used on firearms? I know the reverse is not true.
Isn’t it a little weird that when I transfer my BugBuster scope between my IZH 61 and Crosman 1077 that I need to change the vertical adjustment by 200 clicks at 20 feet?! That’s about 5 inches. The scope stays zeroed well for each gun. BUT, one of these adjustments–I think it is the IZH 61 setting–feels at the very limit of the scope’s adjustment. The click adjustment is stiff and positive ordinarily, but I have to really apply extra force to get the final clicks. I’m guessing that there is a spring under tension in the scope in a way that is not good for the long-term. Is that right?
To all, in this season, I think there was a great question from last week’s blog that got overlooked: What airgun would Jesus shoot?…
Well, I’m sure that he would have access to the Steyr L110 that set a world record in airgunning as well as the Feinwerkbau/Anschutz line of target rifles. However, his mission was to blend in, so I don’t think it would be any of those, and we could probably discount all PCPs and other high-end guns. He would want something not only available to all but that has lasted for generations for maximum appeal. This sounds like it could be none other than the Benjamin 397. I agree. His chosen profession, though, had to do with fixing things, so he might also want a gun to modify. That would probably be the QB 78….
Seasons greetings to all.
Matt61
Vince,
It’s good that you have family in Pa. I don’t, but I do know where Cabela’s is (smile).
Have A good Holiday,
BobC NJ
Robert 1250.
Since Air Arms pellets are considerably lighter than Beeman Kodiaks, I would go with the 4.52mm head size for greatest resistance.
B.B.
Matt61,
Firearms scopes can be used on airguns.
The difference between your IZH and 1077 is large but I’ve see larger. The resistance you feel is because the erector spring is being compressed to the limit. That won’t hurt anything, but at the other end, when it is totally relaxed, the erector tube can move around with every shot, and that’s where real scope shift comes in to play.
Merry Christmas,
B.B.
How do you feel about the gamo varmint hunter laser and flashlight? is the laser accurate and strong?
CritterController
CritterController ,
I would never put a tactical flashlight on an airgun. The laser is cheap but all lasers are useful for shots at close range, once they are adjusted.
B.B.
Just mounted a laser sight, just like the one pictured here, to my Armscor airgun. l noticed the red dot does not center on the crosshairs when sighted at different range. Shall have to field test it anyway. Thanks for the informative article.
Roger,
Welcome to the blog.
Try this. Shine the laser against a solid wall — like the side of a building. Then move the rifle side to side, so the wall ids farther and nearer, because of the angle. Watch the laser move up and down against the crosshairs!
B.B.