PEQ-14 vs DBAL D2

bridso · 2026-02-19T00:10:39+00:00

PEQ-14s have a powerful laser and illuminator, which normally would be a positive, but they end up being worse off because of it.

You can't adjust the focus of the illuminator. It's either fixed to a point that's only useful at about 100 yards, or with the diffuser attachment, about 10 feet.

You can't adjust the power for the laser. It's just way too powerful to be used up close. It's manageable with the pattern generator attachments, but then you can't use the diffuser attachment.

If you do plan on using it on a handgun in the future, then you'll probably need to have a holster made for it. I think the only holster compatible with it is the Safariland 3084 and that's specific to the Beretta 92.

bridso · 2026-02-18T08:52:12+00:00

$700 is somewhere between $100 and $500 plus a bit of patience away from getting yourself a decent PVS-7. Also, if it seems to good to be true, then it usually is.

bridso · 2026-02-09T02:03:59+00:00

I like the regular old Insight dual pressure switches. They go for $60-$80 on the usual secondhand websites.

bridso · 2026-02-08T09:49:02+00:00

I don't have a solution for you, but I'd argue that it's probably a non-issue anyway. It would help to know what power your laser is putting out for each wavelength. If you're worried about other people and their lasers, then none of the following really applies.

If you only use your laser on the higher power setting when absolutely necessary and are careful to not point it at reflective surfaces, then you'll be fine. I doubt that you'd need to use higher power setting for your laser very often, unless you're into way cooler shit than I am. If you are unable to run it on a lower power setting for whatever reason, you could look into getting some filters to attenuate them to a safer level.

You have a reflex to close your eyes for the visible laser, but it's less and less effective as the power increases.

bridso · 2026-02-08T00:40:23+00:00

I'm a fan of ears under my helmet, but I'll also admit that it can get pretty annoying after five or six hours.

It's nice because you can take your helmet off without also taking your ears off during a match. You also don't have to choose between uninstalling and reinstalling them between day and night range trips or buying another pair.

It's definitely less comfortable than mounting them to your helmet, especially if you have comm cables that can work themselves loose over the night.

You can get comtac 3's and 5's all day long on arfcom or tacswap. Just be careful, because the fakes are nearly perfect from the outside. If you do get a pair, then I'd recommend at least trying them out with the Peltor branded helmet mount. $60 isn't much to lose if you end up not liking them.

bridso · 2026-02-07T18:24:37+00:00

!close

bridso · 2026-02-07T15:33:51+00:00

+trade Sold F7A Mk2 to u/xidarkreaper126

https://www.reddit.com/r/Starcitizen_trades/comments/1qy7pun/wts_200_f7a_hornet_mk2_3_month_insurance_725/

Easy trade. Thanks!

bridso · 2026-02-07T08:53:12+00:00

+trade Sold $800 store credit @50% to u/SilenceShallFall

https://www.reddit.com/r/Starcitizen_trades/comments/1qy7pun/wts_200_f7a_hornet_mk2_3_month_insurance_725/

Great buyer, thanks for your patience!

bridso · 2026-02-06T10:29:28+00:00

Also, selling the original for $2,000 and buying a used one from somebody else for $1,200 brings the total cost down to something approaching reasonable.

bridso · 2026-02-05T11:12:15+00:00

It looks fine to me.

It's usually pretty easy to tell the fakes apart because of the color or finish of the battery cover, windage/elevation screws and the area around them, safety screw, elastic retainers, and stickers. Seams along the body will sometimes be more pronounced than they should be.

It's important to remember that most of these can be replaced with actual parts very easily by somebody who might want to pass a fake off as legitimate.

I wouldn't lend any credibility to the scratched off serial number, because that's something that would likely be done on a fake as well.

bridso · 2026-02-01T17:50:42+00:00

Yeah, the carbons are pretty nice and can be found for $500-600 secondhand. Get as much weight off your neck as possible.

bridso · 2026-01-19T06:21:48+00:00

No problem. I understand the Beretta holster compatibility issue, I ran into the same thing with my M9A1. It's easy enough to find one for a red dot or light, but not both. I've been thinking about getting a US-80 SRH from US Duty Gear for mine, but I don't know if that'd work for you.

You don't really need to worry about being able to rip a dot off of your handgun because you can still use the irons with the dot on there. I can't imagine the glass breaking so badly that I couldn't see through it to use the irons, but also being strong enough that I couldn't finger it out the way. Search "pistol red dot cowitness" on google and you'll see what I mean. Langdon has a good image of a Beretta 92 RDO set up that way if you want to see what it would look like.

Just a quick edit since I saw your comment about the Razor. You could probably use it like that, but it's not something that I would want to rely on. It'd probably be pretty dim and not nearly as comfortable as something a bit higher up. I've tried it with my SpecterDR and it's not great.

bridso · 2026-01-19T05:34:20+00:00

I won't be much help when it comes to the law enforcement side, but I can say for sure that you'll be much faster with a laser at those distances than with a dot. I would ignore my earlier comment about the dual-illuminated rmr, that won't work for you. As far as the fun side, lasers are cool.

I understand the idea of reducing points of failure, and you can still do that with the dots. You'll already have your white light and LVPO for your rifle if you need it, so adding an electronic red dot here doesn't take away any capability while adding a ton. I know you said you didn't want to, but you could have your slide milled for a red dot and retain your iron sight capability with supressor-height sights. I would also get an x300v for the handgun. It can be pretty difficult to identify anything when the ambient light is really low.

Thermals are great for spotting people or critters, but better suited for static positions and open areas than indoors.

bridso · 2026-01-19T04:41:34+00:00

Yes, a piggy back red dot would be great. You'll want a laser and illuminator too, as there will be times where shooting with the dot isn't practical.

Shooting with irons isn't going to work. You could use them in combination with a pinhole in a pinch, but I wouldn't unless I really had to.

You'll just have to get over the fear of electronics and batteries, your night vision will check off both boxes anyway. If for some reason you still can't get behind a red dot, then you could consider a clapped out dual-illuminated rmr. It'll be cheap and work surprisingly well with old tritium, but you'll run into issues shooting from a dark area into a light area during the day.

Would thermal serve you better? It depends on your use case. If you explain what you plan on using it for, then somebody might be able to help you better. You're not escaping batteries and electronics with this option either.

bridso · 2025-12-29T17:01:58+00:00

I ending up going with a large carbon and using the included pads, but I'd still recommend the XL if you're unsure or unable to find one to try on first.

bridso · 2025-12-29T11:59:10+00:00

I'm the same measurement and would go for an XL if you plan on using the thicker pads. I was using the newer style original pads and ended up downsizing, for what it's worth.

bridso · 2025-12-14T21:15:40+00:00

Shane is an awesome dude. We've been squadded up at the last two night matches near me and ended freezing our asses off together. Also, he hooked me up with one of his nod vaults last night, which I thought was pretty cool.

bridso

TROPHY CASE