gutthans from United States, FL Public Profile

New purchase, to replace a stolen Celestron unit, for range spotting. The hard case and soft carry bag were impressive and immediately caused problems with my wife thinking I had just spent HUNDREDS of dollars!

Lots of positives for a low-cost unit. Heavy construction with a nice table-top bench tripod accessory. Clear glass and more than adequate for picking up small-caliber hits on 100 yd. targets and 200 yd. splatter hits. Dials are decent with no grittiness or slop. Sighting is quicker than with 45* viewfinders. Fine adjustments are easily done without disturbing your setting. Might be somewhat water-proof, but I am not testing out that marketing. No fog or internal condensation to date, so it seems to be sealed as advertised.

The only true drawback is the placement of the tripod mount pad behind the balance point of the body. It's very forward (nose) heavy making it necessary to tighten the vertical adjustment (leverage arm) very firmly. This results in a little difficulty shifting the scope vertically once set, in spite of the attached arm.

Definitely a worthwhile expense for the purpose. A good bet for a glamping excursion, but too large and heavy to pack on a hike where weight is a consideration.

An edit to an earlier review: I now own 3 of these Viridian lasers, 2 green and 1 red. They work flawlessly, hold zero, and can be adapted to non-M-LOK handguards fairly easily.

I have new data on the laser beam spread over yardage to add (now that I have a helper):
@ 25 yds. the beam is approx. .250"
@ 35 yds. the beam is roughly .375"
@ 50 yds. the beam is roughly 1.0"
@ 100 yds. the beam is somewhere around 2.50" (not the 6.0' I first thought at night).

These were taken during an overcast day, in the field against a white 8" pie plate. The beam is recognizable further out, which is why I purchased another for a scoped 5.56 rifle. We stopped at 100 yds. though as that seems to be an ideal ballistic trajectory zero distance for the laser when combined with standard 'iron' sights and scopes up to about 150 yds. for the 55 and 62 grain bullets. My first greenie is set to a 50 yd. zero for a .300 Black 220 gr. sub 'truck pistol' as the trajectory is nearly flat until 50 with a constant fall after that.

The center axis will be below the bore and it takes a little ballistic charting to get the best aim point for a particular weapon/cartridge/sight set.

Why?
I tired of scraped fingers and chunks of peeled skin from the 'wonderful' G.I. Spoon loading of rounds.
How Fast?
Grab a mag; grab the StripLula; pop the 'lula on the mag; grab a loaded clip; insert the clip; push the loader down. 5 seconds, maybe 6 for the first ten rounds and 3, maybe 4, for the next ten.

It's true, that you ought to have pre-loaded clips (which you can dummy-up at home while watching Netflix) but saving the hassle of carrying and not dropping loose rounds, or trying to load ammo one cartridge at a time, especially in the woods or sand...makes loading the clips worth the small amount of additional effort.

The StripLula is a great design with loading AND emptying uses. You won't be hurting your flesh to load quickly. It's a consistent Israeli-made product. I have 8 of them, several over 9 years old. Same design; same material; all still used. I have one in every range bag; one in the closet; one in the workshop; one in each Go-bag. Don't leave home without it.

First, these are perfect as intended to be used. The green insulation must stay on in some products (e.g Viridian HS-1) because the battery well is brass and the battery grounds at the end, not sides as in some other products.

Second, it is higher amperage (170) than almost all of the other (160) makes; it does last longer.

Third, as good a shelf-life as anything comparable.

Fourth, you CAN remove the green, if it's going to be stacked or used in a self-grounding product. If you are a true DIY kind of person, you could make your own shielded batteries with a cheaper make and dielectric shrink tubing, but why bother? These are clearly marked, ready-to-run, and insulated properly for the application.

Does exactly what I bought it to do: Find targets from the hip, quickly, in the daylight and night, and fit my round handguard (which ISN'T an M-Lok!).

I have a 'thing' with Nordic Component handguards and use them on every weapon built to-date. I like smooth surfaces and don't mount a lot of pieces/parts. My latest (and first) pistol build was no exception. I wanted day/night aiming in one unit. I wanted something intuitive without switches or pads. Viridian has a terrific answer, but everyone said 'It's designed for M-Lok only. Well, that isn't totally true.

Yes, I used 1/8" longer bolts; yes, I bent two washers to hug the ID and 'lock' the mounting nuts in. Yes, I did (gently) grind off the center locating bump to allow the fore and aft locators to drop in to the corresponding slots. Done in less an hour (including thinking time).

Florida sun is bright! Green is easy to see (on tree trunks) under direct light to about 20 yards. In shade that stretches out to about 30-35 plus. Dark-colored target boards add a little more yardage because they're flat and reflect more beam. Light targets reflect too much sunlight and start washing out after 15 yards or so (unless shaded).

Night-time distance is very good. The laser does spread as you go out though. It's an unavoidable but progressive enlargement. The 'spot' is between 5" to 8" getting out to 80-110 yards so knowing your (approximate) ballistic curve will be needed. Depending upon how you zero, the 'spot' will be POA/POI f

Out of the box and rifled within an hour of getting it, and that included the teardown of the older rifle stock.

The comfort and quietness of the over-mold is outstanding. The OD Green color is consistent and blends into the brush very well. Fitting the receiver/barrel took minor sanding to get a full free-float on the bull barrel. Trial fitting showed contact along the chamber area on one side and a quick rub with 80 and then 220 grit (about 20 passes each) gave me .005 clearance (paper thickness) all the way to the receiver. It's light and easy to carry. Included studs for a sling are nice. Length of pull (14"+) and comb put my cheek weld in exactly the right spot for my scope.

Somehow, it's less stressful to handle and shoot than the factory tupperware stock. I can't explain it, but I can now feel my trigger pull more keenly and hold on target longer than when using the stock Ruger. Weird right?

Received it yesterday and installed it almost immediately after inspection. Finish was perfect. Bore was fine, but did get a few pass-throughs with a bore snake to remove very tiny shavings from the rifling. Fit was excellent (after recommended light sanding)to the barrel stub.

Already has a scope mounted on the donor receiver. Elevation was dead-on and windage just needed to walk a little to the right from the factory barrel setting.

Shooting produced several 'same hole' shots. Groups were less than .250" at roughly 23 yards with CCI subsonic rounds (and that was in a hurry to get shots out while the chainsaw was running next door). Very pleased with out-of-the-box performance at short range. Will stretch it out later as I upgrade the scope.

FYI: I used 220 and then 400 wet/dry to bring the stub into exact fit. Just like polishing a crankshaft journal. Several videos online of that technique so you don't take too much off or make it uneven. A drop of synthetic ATF and push while rotating.

This was my third Condor 42" bag. The other two are still going strong after more than a year, multiple carries (range, woods, guard drill), with no appreciable wear and just slight fading. Stitching is solid. Velcro and buckles make securing quick and opening painless. The latest version has relocated the 'D' rings by a few inches outwards, but function remains the same. The interior is well suited to adjustable stocks (I can leave mine extended in the pull I prefer), and cushions well for those 'throw it in' moments. I keep all needed mags, targets, cleaning tools, and such in the storage pouches to keep 'hands free'. Although slightly more costly than many alternatives, I am well satisfied with the overall life-span and usefulness. I prefer having identical equipment for each weapon as this minimizes my 'learning curve' and aids me in ease of use.