In the world of night vision and NVG accessories, there’s two extremes. Cheap airsoft gear that won’t last, and expensive, quality equipment. On rare occasion, a company offers an option that’s both affordable, and durable. That’s the price point the Holosun LS321g resides in, but does the product deliver the quality? Let’s dig in.
Tech Specs:
- Class IIIa visible green laser @ 5mW
- Class II infrared laser
- IR illuminator
- 7075 aluminum anodized housing
- Quick release rail mount
- CR123 battery
- From 8-5000 hours battery life depending on mode
- Activation button and included pressure pad
- IP67 immersion rating
- 8.6 ounces
- 3.6″x2.2″x1.6″
The LS321g is a straightforward unit. Bolt it onto your gun, and use the rear mounted switch to choose your operating mode. Going clockwise there’s IR laser low, visible laser low, off, visible laser high, IR laser high, IR illuminator, and IR laser high with illuminator.
I don’t really like the choice of how those were arranged, it would be nice to have all visible laser options to one side of the “off” position, and all IR on the other. I’ll survive it though.
After the LS321g is mounted and turned on, it’s time to zero. I opt to cowitness the IR laser to my red dot, a tried and true “dot to dot” field expedient method we’d often use in 2nd Ranger BN when emergency situations would require a swap out. Since I now always have the luxury of verifying zero, it only takes a couple rounds to make sure you’re on target after cowitnessing using NVG’s and looking through the red dot optic to match the laser to it.
This works in reverse as well, as I’ve swapped daytime optics and was able to use the “dot to dot” method to zero it off of the IR laser’s zero. Through three thousand rounds of suppressed fire (and a lesser amount unsuppressed), the Holosun LS321g hasn’t needed to be rezeroed once due to zero drift. Amazing torture test? No! It’s just my real world experience, and those Barnes 110gr Tac-TX rounds aren’t cheap.
Hands-On at the 3-year mark
Due to an error on my behalf swapping this from one site to another, this review didn’t go up when it should have… in 2022. So, here’s a more experienced hands-on rewrite!
When I say that I’ve used the LS321g a lot, I mean that I use it almost every night. My homestead has some decent acreage, and we’re the first sign of civilization that the wild critters see when they head west through tens of thousands of acres of timberland and state forest. I’ve dropped numerous coyotes and racoons who were after my poultry birds with this IR laser, as well as mountain beavers that were destroying a neighbor’s orchard.
The illuminator has spotted countless deer that needed to be chased from fruit tree saplings and the garden, not to mention one bear that was sniffing around the beehive. Elk? I’ve peacefully watched a few herds over the last few years, hoovering up the last apples on the ground as they head for higher hills. I’ve even taken care of a couple Boomers (mountain beavers, not the Generation) that were wrecking a neighbor’s orchard via roadway/pond destruction.
But more than all those successes, I’ve done the job so many of us knows so well: I’ve investigated. What was that crashing through the woods? Why are the chickens acting weird? Why is our nearly-mute dog barking? Here’s me with my suppressed SBR Noveske Ghetto Blaster, Holosun LS321g, and ancient ANVIS-9’s tromping around in the middle of the night. I don’t mind the task, it’s peaceful and sometimes productive.
Though I’m no poacher during the easy rule of law, it’s nice to constantly reassure myself that if we had another Great Depression (or other catastrophe) my ability to sneak up on things in the woods during full dark remains undiminished.
Most of the time, there’s not much to see besides deer skulking about. But every time I’ve killed a predator trying to find a gap in the chicken fence, it’s because I was already out there looking, instead of waiting until it was too late. As an interesting note, in the last three years I’ve only killed one predator that I spotted with a flashlight.
The battery life is advertised from 8 hours to 5000 hours depending on mode. For me, I’m nearly always on IR laser high + IR illuminator. I don’t leave it on constantly, I scan in the direction needed for 10-30 seconds, then off. I average about 1.5 CR123A batteries a year.
Use and abuse:
All the above experience? We’re talking four seasons. I shoot this gun regularly for work, in daytime temps up 100 degrees F. I tromp through the snow during the winter, and endure the rain all spring and fall. This gun (and Holosun laser/illuminator) regularly rides in my Hilux, bouncing around the dirt roads on out mountaintop neighborhood. Nothing about this gun says “safe queen”.
Detailed Performance:
The IR illuminator is absolutely effective out to 100 yards. After that it does fall off a bit, where a more focused beam could be effective. The IR laser is more effective, easily visible on target at 200 yards, assuming you can positively ID the target.
The green laser though? It’s definitely not “sunny day” bright. Maybe at 50 yards if you’re aiming into a shady spot while a cloud passes over. During most of the morning and the evening it’s visible out to 100 yards, but even then it’s pretty weak outdoors. Indoors of course it’s plenty powerful. Don’t buy this if you need a green laser primarily.
While comparing these numbers to full power units usually only available to military and LEO doesn’t sound like civilian units hold up, the truth is that even among NVG owners, few people are going to have the opportunity to shoot safely past 100 yards under cover of darkness, aside from a dedicated NVG range. Those who do will usually seek out a full power unit.
Here’s a few pics taken under NVG of the IR laser and illuminator.
At 100 yards the laser is still extremely bright. The illuminator is wimping out a bit, but was still strong enough to cast my shadow. Having spotted plenty of critters at 100-150 yards I can attest that the illuminator isn’t doing a ton in that range, certainly not as much as a vintage PAQ-2, but the laser is definitely going strong out to 200 yards.
Bargain?
Well, since this product is a few years old, the price has dropped considerably. Right now the Holosun LS321g is selling for $659 on OpticsPlanet, and ~$70 less if you’re willing to risk Amazon. Is that worth it? To me the answer is a resounding YES. The Holosun LS321g has been entirely reliable for the last three years, giving me a fantastic IR laser and illuminator combo that is small, light, and effective.
If you’re in need of a solid IR laser/illuminator, definitely consider the Holosun LS321g.
–Jens “Rex Nanorum” Hammer
@Rexnanorum
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