Night Vision Scope
So, I just got a night vision scope. I was wondering should I zero it night? And what distance? It’s only a x1.5 magnification, pesting only out to about 50y, hopefully coyote but mostly bunnies. Feedback, recommendations, etc..? Thank you in advance.
All Replies
Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
And do you know why the “good” stuff is so expensive? Because the primary customer is the U.S. Government. It is not coming out of their pockets, so they will pay whatever the price. Which means our taxes go up so they can spend more of our money and that means I have less to spend on my toys. 😥
Expensive in Sweden and also in the us i guess.
Waiting to try new laser ir torch with my atn ps-22 gen 2 🙂 Will try to get pictures!
Do not smoke it!
The Pulsar 550//750 is not a Gen 1 night vision device. It is entirely different in that it is digital, has an OLED display, and it costs several times as much as the Gen 2 NV devices. ($4750.00 USD) The digital performance is several generations beyond the amplified light tubes in Gen 1 and Gen 2 devices. They simply can’t be compared as they are two entirely different technologies. Think 1960’s cathode tube vs. 2005 solid state improvements. That’s like a 100 years in technology terms!
At least your Gen 2 device has a vision enhancing grid to produce a much sharper and clearer view than the POS Gen 1 devices.
I would recommend pulsar n750. It is à gen1 but with really good reech out. 150-200 meter detection of à rabbit. Included ir torch is good!
Expensive in Sweden and also in the us i guess.
Waiting to try new laser ir torch with my atn ps-22 gen 2 🙂 Will try to get pictures!
Do not smoke it!
LOL! Not even a reach around?! 😯
I have hesitated for many years to pick up Gen 1 because deep in what little mind I have, I knew I would not be satisfied with the performance. I am sure they can do the job, especially with the additional light, but for me it is a want and not a need. I will wait to get what I want and if I cannot swing it, as I have been told throughout the years, “You are old enough for your wants not to kill you.”.
I used to own one of those filters that you mentioned. Back in the mid 80s Isreal dumped a bunch of surplus IR goggles on the market. They came with the filter lense to mount on spotlights and such. They were a disappointment also.
Marineonenine, I do apologize for hijacking your thread. Perhaps Hoot’s words of wisdom will be of assistance to you.
Edge…I picked up a full 5 watt 850nM light on Ebay in the $30 range. I attached it to my pcp with a picatinny light mount on the side of my gun. Just a single mode off/on click switch on the end is needed. Now considering the current NV guns come with a built in light that never exceeds half a watt (450mW) you just don’t have enough light to see clearly for any real distance. I’m thinking 100 feet tops on a dark night. At least that’s my experience here in the mountain woods.
With all the Gen 1 and Gen 1+ (you are right, no real diff…) the IR light is the key to being able to see what you need to see. My ATN MK410 has the 1/2 watt IR light included. It does ok, but when I turn on my 5 watt IR then things get a lot crisper and brighter with a wider field of usable vision.
The best idea I ever heard was a forum member with a 1 million candle power halogen rechargeable spotlight, with an 850nM filter on it. It apparently lit up the whole damn neighborhood. Now that’s some serious illumination! I never could find what filter he used, so I never got to that degree of illumination. Anyway, the 5 watt additional light is a great help and I strongly recommend that you supplement the OEM IR light with something more powerful. I still use the OEM, but when I’m in search mode, I use both lights. When the range is down to 50 feet or so, I can get by with just the OEM light.
All Gen 1 NV are a piece of shit no matter how you cut it. It’s owned and controlled by the Russian Federation, no real improvements have ever been made, nor will they ever. It’s a closely controlled, overpriced market. That’s why most people don’t use them. But…I can’t afford $1500 to $2500 for a Gen 2, much less a Gen 3 NV. So, we push the Gen 1 to it’s limits with more powerful illumination, and it manages to get the job done. You just have to be willing to live with the “fish-eye” image, marginal clarity, and short range limitations.
Those are my thoughts, and I know others may disagree, but this is what I have paid dearly in time and dollars to learn. I hope this helps a bit in making your choice.
H 😯 😯 t
PS: I don’t like the ATN MK410, but I don’t hate it nearly as much as the other ones I have tried. It’s faint praise, but that’s all the damn thing’s going to get from me! $550 and I didn’t even get a kiss!
Thanks Hoot! This is why I have hesitated to drop the bucks on starlight. My experience has been with military grade NV in the 70s and 80s. I have tried to ignore the marketeers’ hype about gen1+, figuring it is just newer made gen1. Distance is not so much the issue with me as is clarity. As you pointed out, I can always add a little more light. Whether I can figure out if that is a ‘possum or a skunk and which end is which is more important to me.
The scope is only as good as the available light, and the power of your IR illuminator.
Further, the “magnification” on a NV scope is not as stated. 1.5 X. is not really magnified. There is an earlier post in this section that describes this in detail when a forum member purchased an ATN MK410 that supposedly had 5X. It’s worth reading.
I believe the best distance you will get depends on what the game size is, what kind of terrain you are shooting in, and how much ambient light exists on that particular night. Example, coyote, full moon, light snow on the ground, open field. That would get you way out there. 50+ yards. Dark night, wooded area, artificial light, possum sized game, perhaps 100+ feet for a certain kill.
These are not mil-spec scopes. The one used in the Nam had about 10,000X amplification of starlight. The ones I’ve seen for sale are more like 1,000X amplification. Gen 1 is extremely limited in range, clarification, and image quality. So plan on close shots. About the only control you have is choosing a Gen 1 with the largest objective lens available. . The bigger the lens the better the light transmission. Never believe the images shown in the catalog.
Few can afford even the Gen 2 NV. About the only improvement you might make is to purchase an auxilary IR light to improve the image and extend your range. The usual IR light on a Gen 1 is rated at 450mW. You can purchase IR 850nM lights on Ebay that are a full 5 Watts. Try to find one that has a focusable lens so you can pan out and not “blind” or wash out your image. 5 Watts will extend your range and visibility with the stronger light. Remember to get the exact nanometer wave length of your device. Most NV rifle scopes use 850nM wave length.
There you have it. Not everyone will agree, but it’s generic information, not brand specific.
Regards
Hoot
I have been considering a Yukon for some time now. How far can you obtain a clear image at night with yours?
I sighted mine in the day at 20yrds to get close, then 30 yrds at night, I used some illuminous paper to zero it in on, works great.
I have read it is best to zero the eyepiece during daytime, that’s the “Diopter” part of focus. Turn the adjustment all the way clockwise, and focus on an object at the range you are most likely to be shooting. When the image becomes clear and has the least grain, that’s where you leave it.
At night, you focus the front lens as mentioned above, be sure to use the IR light, and lastly, tune in your reticle for the exact amount of brightness that gives you a good crosshair, but does not affect the target image.
Remember, you only have the center of the optic to be concerned about. Normally with a Gen 1, you might get 25% of the lens image, in the center, to work with. It’s not the scope, it’s the curse of Gen 1, and Gen 1+. So focus on the center of the image and ignore the “fisheye” distortion around the rest of the image.
You probably already know most of this, but someone reading might not have come across it before.
Regards,
H 😯 😯 t
It shouldn’t matter, zero it in daylight with the cap/filter on or zero it at night without it. Both zeros are same. Likely easier to zero it in daylght when you can pinpoint the bullseye a bit easier.
I have an AMT, I zeroes in daylight with cap on, it works well in dark too.
good luck
It does have a lens/filter cover for ‘daylight’. The brand is Yukon.
There are filters you can place over the lens so you can sight in during the day. The scope should have came with one.
What brand and scope is it?
Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
You sight in at night with a cereal box and a small flashlight laying inside just make sure your target is high on the box. then after each shot its like a light bright
PS stay away from the ATN models. They work OK, but the magnafication isnt what they claim