LPC Model 16: An AR With a Huge Helium-Neon Laser Built In

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2 жыл бұрын

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Laser Products Corporation got its start in 1979, with a laser sight mounted atop a Colt Trooper .357 Magnum revolver. Shortly thereafter they introduced a range of other small arms with lasers fitted, including the Mini-14, Remington 870, and AR-15/M16. The whole line was intended for police use, as a way to aim the weapons in the dark. The lasers were large helium-neon gas tubes with rechargeable batteries. The LAPD did acquire Remington 870 shotguns with Laser Products laser sights for the 1984 Olympic Games security, and the laser also made an appearance in the movie Terminator (1984). These two things helped raise the status of the company, and they would go on to become Surefire, still around today in the same industry. Total production of the LPC Model 16, however, appears to be not more than a few dozen units. They were made in cooperation with Colt, as the upper receiver was modified substantially to fit the (factory-zeroed) laser assembly.
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@keenanmcbreen7073 2 жыл бұрын

A 40 year old Nicad battery with ANY life in it after that long is crazy.

@Blubbstock 2 жыл бұрын

Nickel Cadmium is actually pretty robust. It does not degrade like modern lithium batteries.

@jimjamauto 2 жыл бұрын

@@Blubbstock They degrade in different ways. Look up NiCd Memory Effect.

@BulletMagnet83 2 жыл бұрын

@@jimjamauto As a former airsoft player who lived through the NiCd age, I concur. The battery is more amazing to me than the giant laser mounted on top of the rifle! NiMH was a godsend and Li-anything is basically witchcraft.

@andersjjensen 2 жыл бұрын

@@Blubbstock Ahhh... what? Modern 16850 cells are orders of magnitude better than anything from the NiCad days in every single respect. They handle more charge/discharge cycles, they don't have memory issues and they handle harder charging/discharging... Just don't rupture them.

@rubiconnn 2 жыл бұрын

@@Blubbstock I think you are thinking of NiMH batteries. NiMH batteries are extremely robust but aren't common anymore due to their large size and toxic manufacturing.

@davidmorningstar 2 жыл бұрын

I want us all to appreciate for a moment how absolutely peak cool it was to be an LAPD Olympic Security guy in 1984 with your mirror shades, fingerless gloves, jacket sleeves pushed up and your LASER SHOTGUN.

@22beesjustvibin67 2 жыл бұрын

ok, I'd shit if someone even walked at me in that get-up

@twizz420 2 жыл бұрын

@@worldcure7883 just report his comment for spam so other people don't accidentally click on it

@snakeplissken2148 2 жыл бұрын

i would ask myself if i have been teleported to some kind of halflife blackmesa stuff world 🤣

@holepunch1829 2 жыл бұрын

got a picture of it?

@AshleyPomeroy 2 жыл бұрын

Your job? Make sure no harm comes to O J Simpson.

@unarmored9973 2 жыл бұрын

I can't believe my $5 "made in china" pen laser that runs off a single AAA is like 100 times brighter than that behemoth.

@marcogenovesi8570 2 жыл бұрын

the gas leaked and it's much dimmer than it was when new. That's normal for lasers from that time

@DFX2KX 2 жыл бұрын

@@marcogenovesi8570 I wonder how feasible it'd be to put more gas in it. The battery issue could be worked around with a 3D printer, buck converter and an 18650 or two.

@unarmored9973 2 жыл бұрын

@@marcogenovesi8570 Ah yeah that makes sense. I assume gas lasers aren't a very consumer friendly product.

@JMKnoetze 2 жыл бұрын

@@marcogenovesi8570 so that explains it. thx

@matthewlovibond900 2 жыл бұрын

@@unarmored9973 I knew someone who developed a laserquest ripoff back when that sort of thing was new and cool using gas tube lasers. Between having to replace the tube every time a kid dropped a gun or bashed it into a wall too hard and being sued by real laserquest he went bust pretty quickly.

@WardenWolf 2 жыл бұрын

Oh how far we've come with laser efficiency. Diodes rather than chemical lasers, and much, much brighter from tiny batteries.

@marvindebot3264 2 жыл бұрын

I suspect that one was a lot brighter when new.

@marcogenovesi8570 2 жыл бұрын

the gas leaked and it lost power, it happens with old gas lasers

@marcogenovesi8570 2 жыл бұрын

@@marvindebot3264 yes it was

@realtsarbomba 2 жыл бұрын

@Just wow That's awful, how can someone record little kitten being tortured?

@sathos 2 жыл бұрын

Gas lasers are still very much in use…just more for when you want to slice something haha

@spl00terintruder76 2 жыл бұрын

there it is, a phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range

@TheCheat_1337 2 жыл бұрын

You know your weapons buddy!

@noviceplays708 2 жыл бұрын

@@TheCheat_1337 there it is on the wall

@danlevy9478 2 жыл бұрын

wrong

@JohnADoe-pg1qk 2 жыл бұрын

Here is something in the 40 watt range, but it's not plasma... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/gLN2mNNq05bNqoU.html (Edit: spelling)

@rob6850 2 жыл бұрын

@@JohnADoe-pg1qk that was awesome. Thanks for sharing!

@romgl4513 2 жыл бұрын

You can make replacement batteries easy, the body can be 3D printed and the internals replaced with modern lithium cells and a simple control charge/output circuit. The originals, as the Indiana Jones saying goes, belong in a museum.

@ilmt 2 жыл бұрын

Given NiCd accumulators are still produced it might not be that hard to refurbish the old packs. But that depends how easy would those be to disassemble.

@anandchundi6805 2 жыл бұрын

my thoughts exactly, It'll probably run on any 14.4v battery

@PavelNygryn 2 жыл бұрын

@@ilmt It's better to create new battery pack and keep originals intact as valuable piece of history. Ofc you can create new NiCd battery pack and use original charger.

2 жыл бұрын

Yea make new once or replace cells in the old once. Im more for the making brand new once. Should be pretty simple and strait forward for anyone doing basic electronics. The advantage would also be that they would last MUCH longer then the originals ever did, I sure hated those old battery's in my RC cars back in the 90s for all sorts of reasons. Also I dont like that charger thing, if precautions where not taken it seems that you can swap polarity. maybe there is a diode in there or something idk.

@44R0Ndin 2 жыл бұрын

A good place to get these custom battery packs (and as others have said, you can still get NiCd batteries of all the common sizes and many uncommon sizes as well) is any hobby shop that caters to hobby-grade RC wheeled vehicles. They should have the equipment available to solder and/or spot-weld together any arrangement of Ni-Cd cells. As for the housing, 3D printing is probably NOT the way to go, as the normal "housing" for such Ni-Cd battery packs (and many lithium battery packs as well) is simply a sleeve of large diameter, thin, plastic heat-shrink tubing. You just can't get the wall thickness of the 3d printed items to a similar level as the thickness of that stuff, which is literally a little bit thinner than a sheet of construction paper (minus the fuzz on some construction paper types). Or any place that makes custom battery packs in general, they'll be able to do what is needed. The only issue is that they might have problems sourcing the connectors for the battery since they're so old.

@agate_jcg 2 жыл бұрын

The laser dot was probably a lot brighter in the '80s. Helium-neon tubes have a limited lifetime, the helium eventually diffuses out through the glass tube and they get dimmer over time. Also, it probably shouldn't buzz, unless there's a loose connection or bad insulation in the high-voltage circuitry.

@ZGryphon 2 жыл бұрын

I wondered about that. The undervoltage batteries probably don't help either.

@claytonisler7343 2 жыл бұрын

I love the idea of the "AVOID EXPOSURE" sticker placed on what's already the business end of a rifle.

@denisonsmock5456 2 жыл бұрын

There is something about old tactical equipment that I just love. A lot of it just wasn't at the point where it could be downsized so its all just so in your face giant. Where it seems to offer a practical solution yet at the same time it seems so impractical.

@HALO-2304 2 жыл бұрын

Same! The "retro" tactical equipment is just fascinating to me. A number of years ago, I had a collection of Wilcox Night Stalker gear from the 90's. I had a light unit, two laser aiming modules and several handgun mounts. I wish I still had it because I'd lend it to Ian in a heartbeat.

@dudeinadoughboy4327 2 жыл бұрын

One of my favorites is the US WWII night vision scope

@jameskazd9951 2 жыл бұрын

@@dudeinadoughboy4327 those were wild, they put them on M1 carbines and i bet the sighting system weighed just as much or more than the rifle.

@EzekiesAcheron 2 жыл бұрын

@@jameskazd9951 I wouldn't doubt it fucking does XD

@22beesjustvibin67 2 жыл бұрын

@@jameskazd9951I think some of the complaints were that the sight would make the rifle start to angle to the side after too long because the sight was so heavy

@EnigmaticPenguin 2 жыл бұрын

I really want to see what this looks like with a underbarrel shotgun mounted.

@neonwhitea.1548 2 жыл бұрын

They should mount the laser mounted 870 underneath

@vernstein3877 2 жыл бұрын

CHUNKY

@floridasoldat 2 жыл бұрын

@@neonwhitea.1548 lmao and some picatinnies for lasers on each side

@Jalfred92 2 жыл бұрын

@Just wow ignore this link, it's just spam from some cult.

@conzmoleman 2 жыл бұрын

@@Jalfred92 what a relentless spambot, too. so annoying.

@MravacKid 2 жыл бұрын

Man, if you made a laser of that size today it would *be* the weapon. :)

@darthkarl99 2 жыл бұрын

One that big made with todays tech would overheat and melt instantly. Modern lasers are more efficient but they still output more energy as heat that light.

@JohnADoe-pg1qk 2 жыл бұрын

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jZx2lbiazt3ZpIU.html You can argue about 'same size' but the laser wins. 😁

@logicplague 2 жыл бұрын

Check out Styropyro's channel, he could upgrade this into a literal DEW.

@darthkarl99 2 жыл бұрын

@@worldcure7883 To be clear it can be done, but it's not as ample as scaling up to this size, you have to add on a whole bunch of cooling which makes the thing bigger. I've been nerding about lasers for decades so i'm well aware we can make some brutal weaponry out of them. What i was addressing is you can't just scale up the little ones. Sorry if i was unclear.

@tlshortyshorty5810 2 жыл бұрын

what I was going to say lol

@SuperMeatMachine 2 жыл бұрын

Ian is one video short of covering all guns from the Terminator gun store scene.

@Honor_and_Steel 2 жыл бұрын

Which one is he missing?

@JM_BoltActionGunStuff 2 жыл бұрын

@@Honor_and_Steel plasma rifle

@Honor_and_Steel 2 жыл бұрын

@@JM_BoltActionGunStuff I thought so, it's just been so long I forgot what all he asked for

@Getpojke 2 жыл бұрын

@@JM_BoltActionGunStuff In the 40-watt range 🔫😁

@XtreeM_FaiL 2 жыл бұрын

@@JM_BoltActionGunStuff I tought he did not had one. At least not in 40W range.

@comfortablynumb9342 2 жыл бұрын

I remember seeing something like that in the middle 80s on an AR-15 that dad's friend had. Dad was a cop and had lots of friends with lots of neat toys. The lazer I saw was like a Maglight size with 4 D batteries mounted on the handguard, not exactly the same but close. As a 10 year old i was impressed. A toy laser pointer from the dollar store is more powerful now but at the time I thought it may as well have been a Star Wars blaster.

@nunyabidniz2868 2 жыл бұрын

A decade earlier in the '70s, they tried marketing a laser-aiming device [can't call it a sight!] for the AM-180. As kludgy as it was due to the cutting-edgeness of the technology, you've got to admire someone who thinks that by adding a bunch of gear that's bigger than the actual gun it's attached to is going to close the sale! Still, the demo of drilling thru cinder block walls w/ your 22lr machine gun because you can hold it on an exact spot while doing a dump of the 180-rd hat box of a magazine *was* pretty impressive...

@TheCatLady65 2 жыл бұрын

Wow, "D" batteries! Haven't heard that said in a while😛

@Hansengineering 2 жыл бұрын

Peak 80's. Also, Surefire making extremely proprietary packs and then dropping them from production is STILL SOP.

@J.DeLaPoer 2 жыл бұрын

I laughed hard at this. Truth!

@redram5150 2 жыл бұрын

That's even bigger than the laser they strapped to an AR in an episode of Miami Vice. Man, the old days were wild

@Weazel1 2 жыл бұрын

If I remember correctly, that’s the same type of laser they put on the Valmet that Reese uses in The Terminator.

@SovietYunyun 2 жыл бұрын

If I remember correctly, it was in "Bushido" episode of Miami Vice. There was CAR-15 with a laser and a 90 round drum in the hands of a bad guy in the end of the episode.

@downunderrob 2 жыл бұрын

The British TV show, The Professionals had an episode where the star was an AR-15 with a laser sight. That was 1982 if I recall.

@SuperFunkmachine 2 жыл бұрын

@@downunderrob 20 Dec. 1980, yes i just checked imdb.

@AshleyPomeroy 2 жыл бұрын

Apparently it was an AR10, with a Lewis drum. I think the laser was a dummy.

@HellbirdIV 2 жыл бұрын

Microization of technonlogy has come a hell of a long way in 50 years .The battery alone is bigger than most modern AC adapters, and the charger is the size of a book!

@marcogenovesi8570 2 жыл бұрын

it's more due to the fact that this laser is very very not efficient at all so you need a big battery

@myparceltape1169 2 жыл бұрын

To avoid damage to the enemy soldiers' eyes do not use a wavelength in the visible region. That means you need a suitable detector and a link to a visible display. Now you know where the rifle is pointing move it till it is pointing at the target. Lock on. The internal calculator works out elevation for you and you raise or lower the muzzle as required. Shoot and hit in calm weather or decide on your own judgement if there is a wind but keep the same elevation.

@randymagnum143 2 жыл бұрын

@@marcogenovesi8570 a power cell that size today could have more than 5000 mah.

@marcogenovesi8570 2 жыл бұрын

@@randymagnum143 that's not much for how inefficient that laser is

@randymagnum143 2 жыл бұрын

@@marcogenovesi8570 iget that, but that power cell doesn't have buta fraction of a modern battery. Laser tech has come a long way, and so has power storage.

@dddddyyn 2 жыл бұрын

@Forgotten Weapons The slots and screws in the gasblock/laser from 7:13 to 7:22 are your windage and elevation sighting adjustment.

@harropizza 2 жыл бұрын

nothing makes an already cool gun cooler like a giant fricken lazer

@nunyabidniz2868 2 жыл бұрын

No, no, nothing makes *sharks* cooler than a giant fricken laser on their heads...

@boingkster 2 жыл бұрын

@@nunyabidniz2868 my cycloptic colleague informs me this isn't possible. What *do* we have?

@user-bc8ff8oi8k 2 жыл бұрын

If I'm gonna rock a laser I'd rather have it on a convenient, compact picatinny rail system. Have fun lugging this hunk of junk around the field lmfao.

@Kingwoodish 2 жыл бұрын

This laser needed quick detach rings so it could be detached from the rifle and used as a club.

@nunyabidniz2868 2 жыл бұрын

Too bad it would be a "one & done" thing: that gas tube isn't *that* much more rugged than a tube for a fluorescent light fixture!

@BSKustomz 2 жыл бұрын

I always thought it was hilarious how huge lasers used to be. I remember being in the science lab in middle school and they had a wood grained tabletop laser that looked like a projector to use in some of the experiments. while around the same time I went to the fair and bought a double barrel green flame torch lighter with 6 diffuser laser pointer pistol from the knife/bong carnie trailer that was tiny

@jeffpraterJSF 2 жыл бұрын

Hahahha that’s the first thing I do when I go to a fair or a mall. Where’s the guy that sells bongs and ninja weapons?

@fetishartist137 2 жыл бұрын

Remember "Real Genius" when they were trying to build a super laser for a B-1 Bomber?

@LostNspace-jn1ds 2 жыл бұрын

@Jeff Prater Lmao 🤣 best combination ever bongs and ninja weapons 👌 only in AMERICA!! 💪💯😂

@Pocahonkers 2 жыл бұрын

When I looked at the thumbnail I thought "Boy this must've been a commercial disaster". Then Ian very quickly corrected from "commerically viable" to "commerically marketed". And when it was revealed that LPC became Surefire it was apparent that these must've actually sold to _somebody._

@donaldasayers 2 жыл бұрын

I remember our Physics teacher in about 1975 being really excited as he demonstrated a new helium-neon laser. It was huge. He demonstrated getting reflection diffraction patterns off an engraved ruler at an low angle of incidence. Years later I casually did the same demo as a teacher, using a laser pointer I had just confiscated.

@gregdaweson4657 2 жыл бұрын

"I had just confiscated." ~someone sounds like a wet blanket.

@flavorman9159 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, let the children point lasers in their eyes and blind themselves.

@tarmaque 2 жыл бұрын

When I was in high school (maybe junior high? Early 80's) I picked up a copy of a Scientific American magazine from the library that had an article on how to build a CO2 laser from scratch. Complete instructions. Being a kid with no money or access to shop equipment I never built one, but I read and re-read that article for several years dreaming of the day I could build a real laser. Many many years later I spent some time programming metal cutting lasers for an industrial metal fabrication company. That was a whole lot less cool, but still interesting. These were 1kw+ machines made by Amada. We had a Mitsubishi laser too, at 10kw. A beast that could cut 1" plate and had a 10 foot by 20 foot table.

@helbent4 2 жыл бұрын

@@tarmaque I wonder how hard it would be for you to build that laser now, eh? Eh? Still cool, just saying.

@marcusborderlands6177 2 жыл бұрын

@@gregdaweson4657 yes. Lasers are prohibited for a reason. When I was on HS there wasn't a person in that age range I would trust with a laser.

@wilsonlaidlaw 2 жыл бұрын

There are companies who specialise in replacing the cells in old rechargeable packs (mostly for classic cameras with motor drives, professional flashguns and early digital cameras). I have just had a battery pack for a 1990's Rolleiflex 3003 camera refreshed. The four original dead NiCad cells were replaced with four new NiMH, cells, which are the same 1.25V nominal each but over double the capacity. It was not an expensive job at around €50 + postage.

@ukironman1 2 жыл бұрын

A good old fashioned ''Heeney'' laser. In laser spectroscopy, we generally utilise HeNe lasers for calibration purposes of more complicated setups. This is because it produces a brilliant red laser light, with a well defined emission at 632.816 nm (or 1.959 eV) in air.

@tikazombie37 2 жыл бұрын

I really love hearing Ian going "this is kinda cool" I aspire to be like him, someone who really likes his job

@AsbestosMuffins 2 жыл бұрын

makes you appreciate what they had to do to get the laser sight in Terminator to show on camera so well

@logicplague 2 жыл бұрын

I remember hearing that the battery pack was down Arnold's jacket sleeve when he was using it, they literally couldn't fit it all on the weapon.

@walterscientist 2 жыл бұрын

They had a similar AR-15 with a giant laser sight in one episode of the British TV show The Professionals - the original one from the seventies.

@christinepearson5788 2 жыл бұрын

Loved this, remember the adds and when Terminator came out and everyone wanted a laser sight that didn't yet exist.

@jamesmitchell1471 2 жыл бұрын

They still put the carry handle on the top lmao. Could they have put it under the barrel?

@Pimpdaddy_payne 2 жыл бұрын

Yes we still need this so let’s put it on and make the gun uncomfortably tall.

@samhyde6395 2 жыл бұрын

To be fair you'd probably be carrying this heavy gun around alot more than actually using it.

@brucelownhole 2 жыл бұрын

Or the in the grip or spare space in the butt?

@Nedula007 2 жыл бұрын

ARNOLD NEEDS A WAY TO GET IT TO ZA CHOPPAAAA!!!!

@prestonarnold5094 2 жыл бұрын

Probably but would have been off balance I would think

@matthewspencer5086 2 жыл бұрын

There was a laser-sight a year or two before this: it was exhibited in the Science Museum in South Kensington, mounted on a "military look" air-rifle and it was celebrated as being the "first" of its kind. It was stolen, by someone who stuffed the whole thing, including the air-rifle, under their coat and simply walked out with it. A matter of some consequence for one of my school friends, because his father worked at the museum and I think he owned the air-rifle in question. Another exhibit was a laser "training gun" meant to simulate using a (magically recoil-less) L7 GPMG. I got to have a go on this, and about all it taught was how to point a machine-gun: it wasn't jumping around, making a loud noise and spitting out empty cases and belt-links. Anything that existed when I was a schoolboy seems to be ancient even by the standards of this channel.

@krissteel4074 2 жыл бұрын

I'd like a gun with my laser please! The fantastic leap in laser technology over the years is kind of profound, when I worked with them first back in about 2000-01 for telco systems I'd order a laser unit from the supplier, it'd be 100k with a signature required, about the size of a large video card for a computer and would arrive at my desk with 2 armed guards. By the time I'd stopped working in telco around 2015 the same laser was the size of a USB flash drive, probably 10x the capacity for data transfer and about a couple of hundred bucks. Admittedly, more complicated than sticking a dot on the wall to entertain kittens with, but its great to see the old gas tube beasts and where it came from

@loger_2floofyboogaloo278 2 жыл бұрын

wait what were they for? telco was early data transfer tech right?

@krissteel4074 2 жыл бұрын

@@loger_2floofyboogaloo278 They still use lasers all through telecommunications networks, its got good levels of reliability and data density compared to anything in the RF spectrum. So it gets used a lot in the backhaul areas which just link sites together or need to go cross country underground.

@metalgear6531 2 жыл бұрын

The armed guards part amazes me the most.

@krissteel4074 2 жыл бұрын

@@metalgear6531 To put it into context, that's just one card, there would be about another 6-10 in the rack x 2 high and a variety of other cards ranging from anywhere between 20-200k each, the rack itself and at the end of the day for one site you could expect about 2-3mil just for that. Multiply it by about another 10-12 major hub sites and many dozens of smaller, less expensive routes. I'd also have one 'hot to trot' so to speak to do training, configurations and ready to drop into anything that fell over, as well as replacement cards for all the different bits we've got floating around on the network. So when someone drops many 10's of millions of equipment on your doorstep- they kind of want to know 'who' is getting the gear and that it will end up where its supposed to go. No Fedex just chucking it on your doorstep while you were out! Plus when I'd get spares in, I'd also be sending back the busted and dud ones to be repaired and refurbished. So for me, I want to know it was sent and make sure its getting there.

@metalgear6531 2 жыл бұрын

@@krissteel4074 And this is all some sort of laser based communication system, right? All this security and state of the art tech wouldn't just be for the sake of a light show, after all.

@benokanruzgar8863 2 жыл бұрын

Next time, show those laser target stuff in a dark smoky room. That would bring the 80's cool to it 😎

@williamsohlstrom1530 2 жыл бұрын

Ian: "It works fine inside" **Demonstrates** Me on my phone: "I can't see shit, Ian"

@Immopimmo 2 жыл бұрын

Looks like it would make a great prop in a 1980's action. Even as a sci-fi blaster thingie.

@desert_jin6281 2 жыл бұрын

Imagine that ! Non-solid-state laser -in-a-bun- on-a-gun. Thanks for showing !

@FrontSideBus 2 жыл бұрын

That reminds me of the time when the SAS used to mount D-cell MagLites on top of their MP5's which were almost bigger than the weapon itself lol.

@jnievele 2 жыл бұрын

Could the laser have been stronger back then? Maybe some of the He-Ne filling leaked out over the decades?

@userJohnSmith 2 жыл бұрын

Definitely, I have several lab grade dead ones on a shelf from that era.

@rob6850 2 жыл бұрын

@Just wow no...

@vaikkajoku 2 жыл бұрын

Helium is probably mostly gone.

@demonprinces17 2 жыл бұрын

Probably it's the electric source that determines strength

@andrewrutter6767 2 жыл бұрын

That was my thought too... CO2 lasers loose significant power output in a few years, after 40 I'm surprised that thing puts out any light at all!

@matthayward7889 2 жыл бұрын

I was hoping Ian would mention Arnie’s “.45 long slide with laser aiming”. I wasn’t disappointed. Edit: I wouldn’t want to damage such an original piece, but imagine what styropyro could do with that laser!

@bmhater1283 2 жыл бұрын

Styropyro will literally turn this into a literal Star Wars blaster

@loger_2floofyboogaloo278 2 жыл бұрын

wouldnt need to put it on a firearm. itll burn holes in your target or atleast blind them

@burhanbudak6041 2 жыл бұрын

I think the longalide 10mm has been covered.

@Gamingboy69 2 жыл бұрын

If he got hold of it, the actual ammunition it shoots out would be the least of your worries. :-P

@doyouwanttogivemelekiss3097 2 жыл бұрын

it reminds me more of Sylvester Stallone in City Cobra, personally

@bebopwing1 2 жыл бұрын

So as a 14.4 volt pack, there's going to be 12 1.2 volt ni-cads in there. You can cut that pack open with a Dremel and tack weld in new cells to rebuild the battery. I used to work at a place where we would rebuild hard to find custom packs like that all the time.

@kna3577 2 жыл бұрын

I remember one of the first laser disc machine around mid 80s, it was a “gas laser” but they mounted on what can be best described as a two ton aluminum ingot. It was heavy! Thank you for this informative video.

@ethanspaziani1070 2 жыл бұрын

Oh that's dope looks like something straight out of the original Terminator movie

@sumetrandom3833 2 жыл бұрын

Very interesting and now I know what laser is on Terminator's long slide .45

@cohort6159 2 жыл бұрын

I remember seeing these things in ads. By about 1990 a solid state red laser was available in a 1" tube package that I got for $100 and put on my 10/22. Things changed very quickly in the laser world in the 80s.

@ge0arc244 2 жыл бұрын

When your laser sights are just as big as your Firearm! I was halfway expecting it to be able to cut thru steel.

@engineeredlifeform 2 жыл бұрын

I remember my local gunshop stocking the 'LS45' laser sight, sometime in the late 80s, and it being rather expensive, but already less than half the size of this beast, and iirc it ran off couple of 9v batteries. Fast forward to today, and we're spoiled for choice and form factor.

@dantherpghero2885 2 жыл бұрын

"The .45 long slide, with laser sighting." "These are brand new; we just got them in. That's a good gun. Just touch the trigger, the beam comes on and you put the red dot where you want the bullet to go. You can't miss. " The Terminator (1984).

@spellxthief 2 жыл бұрын

i love this! all the LPC models look like they'd fit perfect in a space western like Firefly. the mini 14 is my favorite aesthetically

@markkeyser 2 жыл бұрын

Cool product! We used HeNe lasers in a load of different applications in the early 80's one of which was in ocean dredging. It was used during the day-light hours being set up on a tripod and 'plumbed' to a starting point on shore - in this case, for an outfall line from a sewerage treatment plant that ran across a harbor and a few miles out to sea. On the and of the laser we put on what was called a 'fan' lens that converted the 'dot' to a vertical 'plane' of laser light which could be viewed from the back of the dredge. A crew member would walk back and forth across the dredge until he saw the 'flash' of the laser and this would indicate whether the dredge was 'on line' or not. We also used the HeNe's on large steam turbines in order to align the center line of the turbine. The advent of solid-state diode lasers was a huge improvement up to the present where they're used in the machine-tool industry in order to check normal geometry (straightness, flatness, & squareness) with phenomenal accuracy. Flatness, for example can be measured using a laser to within .0002" in 10 feet. Amazing technology!

@londonjolly9174 2 жыл бұрын

Holy cow, I just noticed in the advertised mockup gun (4:15) the activating button for the laser appears to be a second trigger, meaning that awful trigger laser that Ian and Karl looked at a few years ago at SHOT was already an awful idea proto-Surefire had!

@THX..1138 2 жыл бұрын

That laser was probably much brighter when it was new. Chances are high most of the gases have leaked out of the laser tube over the years....Those old lasers were probably never as bright as a laser pointer you could get for a $1.25 the at the Dollar Tree, but still probably a lot brighter than it is today.

@ActualizedOrg Жыл бұрын

So... what size bear can that laser cut through?

@nap10001 2 жыл бұрын

This is one of my favorite guns of all time. I wish it was in more 80s action movies

@DrSabot-A 2 жыл бұрын

All that bulk just for a small laser that you couldnt even see outside of the dark, while nowadays a pointer toy the size of a finger could shoot at someone in a skyscraper. I've never really realized how compact light technology got

@DFX2KX 2 жыл бұрын

yep. A Diode-Pumped laser the size of this thing could actually do a bit of damage. CO2 or COIL would happily burn you from a few hundred yards...

@randomidiot8142 2 жыл бұрын

@@DFX2KX what size though? And how fast would it burn? Something relatively compact seems out of the question for inflicting damage other than to the eyes, unless the exposure was unrealistically and impractically long. I really want an optical weapon for discreet varminting, and it seems impossible even when I take charging and battery size out of the things to consider.

@huggleskuishy 2 жыл бұрын

I kept sitting here thinking “man those lasers look like that pistol from Terminator!” I probably got more excited than I should have when you finally said it.

@rmod42 2 жыл бұрын

Ian, you forgot to do the air quotes when you say "laser" Also, cutting edge '80s tactical equipment always looks so, so rad. Oh the days before quad rails and PEQ boxes...

@Getoffmycloud53 2 жыл бұрын

Beautiful from an applied technology viewpoint, how far we have progressed in miniaturizing the technology and performance in electronics, including laser technology and battery technology.

@mitchellboling2941 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video, and shout-outs, Ian! If there's anything in our inventory you'd like to see, don't hesitate to reach out. - Mitchell @ Wraith

@dwayneelizondomountaindewh6073 2 жыл бұрын

i love seeing this stuff it's so cool. makes me think of Kurt Russel's gun in tango and cash . bet you all thought i was going to say the terminator

@anonymouslee2083 2 жыл бұрын

Man, my back hurts just IMAGINING carrying that thing on a march all day!

@andrewallan6802 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ian! As a kid growing up in 70s/80s UK i can remember a couple of British TV show episodes that must have been influenced by this and they’ve stuck with me! The Professionals was one and The Return of the Saint. So much so that years later when I got my hands on a tiny laser pointer and aimed it at a colleagues chest across the room his immediate reaction was to talk about The Professionals!

@neobrutalist5233 2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely love it. So ridiculous.

@My135 2 жыл бұрын

Oh great now everyone’s going to be calling their surefires lpcs

@SteamCrane 2 жыл бұрын

Realize that this is contemporaneous with the Brick Phone. Awesome that it lights up at all!

@kalashnikat3709 2 жыл бұрын

Wraith Defense is a solid company, can't say enough good things. The guys that run it are active in the gun community and just genuinely awesome folks. Super cool to seeing them on one of my favorite channels !

@angst_ 2 жыл бұрын

I wonder if the gas has leaked out over time making it weaker.

@joshuabessire9169 2 жыл бұрын

Remember back in the day when they put sights on bolt action rifles to shoot down airplanes? Put lasers that size with modern power on our M4s, and tell the troops they can volley fire at incoming ballistic missiles (I know it wouldn't really work. You think a squad armed with Arisakas could hit a B-29?)

@CeylonMondegreen 2 жыл бұрын

Hit, possibly, though I reckon to no avail.

@masterofdesaster8 2 жыл бұрын

Images of John Malkovich shooting an RPG mid-flight are flashing in my mind...

@nelsonglover3963 2 жыл бұрын

No, but in sure that a platoon could fend off a strafing fighter, certainly enough that the pilot would be worrying more about getting shot than where he's shooting.

@andrewlavoie6034 2 жыл бұрын

Well those sights really were relics of a time where planes had cloth wings and such, and that type of volley firing could have been effective

@ScottKenny1978 2 жыл бұрын

@@andrewlavoie6034 and even P51 Mustangs had cloth covered rudders.

@2ftg 2 жыл бұрын

The HeNe tube is likely quite weak after all these years. The helium also leaks out over time and diminishes tube output.

@TheRausing1 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome that the company who made this is still making lasers today

@patrickseaman 2 жыл бұрын

Back in the early 80's I taught NRA rifle and other classes. I put together a mini-maglight with two pieces of wire making a crosshair pattern in front of it with a focusing glass in front to project a crosshair on the wall as a simple training aid.

@bravo6959 2 жыл бұрын

They put the the sights under the carry handle I’m scared

@PhilipFear 2 жыл бұрын

I remember tinkering with a laser sight that was self ranging for hunting bows back in 1988 and was having the same problem, only able to see the dot in the dark.... But what I did find while trying to figure a design using the large, heavy, power hungry and expensive laser tubes of the day.... The first of the Laser Diode IC chips starting to become available to the electronics market... But while it answered my problems of cost (dropping $500 to $50 in one slashing move) and although still bulky by todays standards, remarkably smaller and power friendly compared to the laser tube.... I still couldn't see the dot in the daylight.... And as it was supposed to be a hunting sight, being only able to see it at night was a major design flaw I couldn't overcome.... But it was a blast trying to figure out.....

@janrobertbos 2 жыл бұрын

Sir, you never cease to amaze me with your OUTSTANDING videos! Greetz from the Netherlands!

@martinlarsen7354 2 жыл бұрын

Man... It's a cool system and I love that is preserved. But the US wall socket design gives me the creeps something fierce.

@DFX2KX 2 жыл бұрын

Since we have split-phase power (240 volts goes into the building, each outlet uses one end of the 240 line and a neutral, hence 120v), it wasn't considered worth it to make EU-style shielded prongs. bridging them with your fingers stings, but it's unlikely to kill you. Some appliances do shield them, it's just super rare. You can get shielded prongs for our 240 plugs, though, and that's way more common (though still not universal which boggles my mind).

@nunyabidniz2868 2 жыл бұрын

The worst part of US electrical sockets is we use 60hz juice, which is too close the most people's resting heart rates (typically in the 60-70 bpm range] so that it is prone to fibrillating those who are shocked... That's why many [most?] other countries use 50hz, in case you wondered the why for the different cycle choice.

@martinlarsen7354 2 жыл бұрын

@@nunyabidniz2868 Had not heard that. Maybe not the best option :)

@DFX2KX 2 жыл бұрын

@@nunyabidniz2868 that is very interesting. I also didn't know this.

@jakubp.6987 2 жыл бұрын

Its a laser weapon!

@thederangeddonkey5888 2 жыл бұрын

It would have been cool to see a way to retain mostly base iron sights by mounting it onto an AR-18 since with the lack of a buffer tube you could design a battery that would’ve been mounted in the stock instead.

@oldesertguy9616 2 жыл бұрын

I remember these coming out and wanting one so badly, until I realized exactly how limited the use of lasers on firearms actually are. I became a police officer in 1980 and I got to see a lot of cool ideas that turned out not to be so practical. I was also not aware that Surefire came from this company.

@echoistfromold6792 2 жыл бұрын

I'm sure that's a prop for Terminator, not a gun.

@mrs.vasquezz 2 жыл бұрын

Why

@echoistfromold6792 2 жыл бұрын

@@mrs.vasquezz I mean, it would fit with Future War, as depicted in the first movie. With lasers, bulk, boxiness and all.

@kevintang5473 2 жыл бұрын

OMG that huge laser, it must be able to simply blind whoever you are aiming that! Wait, it's not even visible in daylight? OK...

@billbillson3129 2 жыл бұрын

Wow! Really cool, Ian thanks for sharing!!!

@mrivantchernegovski3869 2 жыл бұрын

That's a beautiful Colt lower ,crispy deep roll marks ,that colour,Og pistol grip and stock,when Colt made really nice rifles.

@tufab3494 2 жыл бұрын

This is what I call a true cursed gun

@sh7de553 2 жыл бұрын

A fine weapon for the Imperium of Man

@codyayo6158 2 жыл бұрын

I LOVE 80s and 90s tactical, its either huge or hose clamped on and i love it dearly

@bn-tc2tk 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for mentioning Terminator, because it was all could think about as soon as I saw the thumbnail

@philmerrifield1163 2 жыл бұрын

Its amazing to think that was state of the art tech when it came out, my son actually said "dad what's that it's ancient" 😁

@avilhelm1697 2 жыл бұрын

I LOVE these videos on old attachments! I hope to see one on the earlier Laser Lok for the AM-180.

@quironmiranda2591 2 жыл бұрын

Austin Powers Dr. evil decides to equip his henchmen with this “LAZZZER” sight

@stephenwalters9891 2 жыл бұрын

Back in 1980, when I was a lad in the UK, I heard an interesting story on the news. It mentioned that a new rifle with a laser gun sight was being exhibited at a London exhibition. A few days later, there was ANOTHER news story, saying the that same rifle/laser sight had been stolen from the exhibition. What a small world! Stephen

@ZacharySkan 2 жыл бұрын

It's crazy how far we've come. We went from this to laser light combos small enough to put on a compact handgun/pistol.

@timblack6422 2 жыл бұрын

The changes in tech, amazing

@anselmdanker9519 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for posting this very unique fire arm laser combination. Brings back memories of old TV movies ,not sure if this particular model was shown way back.

@KathrynLiz1 2 жыл бұрын

Yes the old gas lasers needed a lot of power for relatively low emission. Since the development of high power LEDs the whole thing is easier. Lasers work because they emit only one frequency of light, which means that it is easy to focus them accurately with a half way decent lens, eliminating most of the 'scatter' that is inevitable with mixed frequency light (each frequency refracts differently). The solid sate 'lasers' are not really lasers at all ("laser" being an acronym for Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation) but are made just to emit one frequency of light, usually red because green, the other usual option, is a mixture of blue and yellow and therefore subject to more scatter. Even so, lasers are pretty useless outdoors in daylight..... but in daylight outdoors you don't really need them.

@loupiscanis9449 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you , Ian .

@spondulixtanstaafl7887 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome, thanks for this great content.

@carlroach8642 2 жыл бұрын

Outstanding, thank you.

@J.DeLaPoer 2 жыл бұрын

I don't have words for how much I love this.

@Mamiya645 2 жыл бұрын

Man what a wonderful piece of the past. I remember when our city buses had pressure pads like that, two going on each side of the ceiling along the length of the thing, had to reach up and press it if you wanted to get off.