Are You A Night Vision Eliteist?

[UtopiaTx]

I have been shooting now for 51 years, reloading my own for multiple pistol and rifle calibers for 40 years and have lately been interested in night vision. I am really amazed with the attitudes of many that have a extra 6k-8k for top tier 3rd. generation NV. Most of us know that 1st. generation isn't the greatest, Gen. 2 a great deal more useful and of course Gen. 3 spectacular in most instances. What bothers me is the turse comments and lack of helping others out that may not have so much money to spend. I've done enough reading on my own to pretty much know what I need to know when I finally buy but it wasn't due to much help on the Internet forums that have NV sections. There have always been caliber snobs who put down rounds they do not like but it seems to me the NV crowd is a step above the rest. Is it just me? Ok, Off my rant. I have a little over 4k saved up so far for a decent NV scope and hope to have additional funds in the next few months. Until then I'll hide out on the NV forums and quietly just lurk.

 

[Trueno]

I've always daydreamed about owning some type of NV but the $...meh. Fast-forward to a few weeks ago when I bought a used cheapo setup from a pawnshop.

Aries 390 Paladin, a Gen1 marketed by ATN, came with an externally mounted illuminator. Used, total was $360 out the door. Non-zoom, 4x fixed magnification. Very clear field of view, it'll do fine here in the hood for a poboy like me, think it's gonna get mounted on my AMD-65 (Hungarian 7.62 AK). It's heavy and somewhat bulky but I'm hoping to get used to it.

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[IXLR8]

I am just curious, what would you use it for? I think almost everyone would like to own a NV scope. Realistically unless you own land, or are an avid hog/varmint hunter I don't see the use in it.
At the NRA show I did try some of the Armasight models. I like the clipon in front of your current scope. The optics are pretty cool with infinite focus that allows you to use your day scope and clip it in front of it for night use, keep the point of aim of the day scope.
Armasight CO-MR-HD Gen 2+ Day/Night Vision Clip-On System High Definition - High Definition Night Vision - Day/Night / Day and Night Systems / Day and Night Systems - Item: #NSCCOMR0012GDH1 - www.armasightstore.com

 

[Younggun]

I've been curious about getting a cheap set up and running it with a varmint light.

Not sure if it would work or not. Would be nice if it would give good visibility at 200 yards.

By cheap set up I mean probably a gen 2.

 

[UtopiaTx]

I am interested mostly for pest control as I do not generally shoot animals for no good reason. I live on land where feral hogs tear up the crops I plant, racoons get into barns and feed sheds and cause all sorts of damage and Armadillos make it impossible to have anything nice planted around the house. I am all for leaving well enough alone but sometimes the damage is a bit much. Over the years I have trapped literally hundreds of Racoons on the creek behind the house with Hav-A-Hart traps but you have to drive them over 2 miles away to let go or they return withing a few weeks. I've marked some with a dot of spray paint on their backs and sure enough they always find their way back unless driven pretty far away.

 

[Younggun]

NOOOOOO! Not tha dillos

 

[pdkillr]

Get in touch with TVNC tell them what you are trying/wanting to do. They will not bs you and will get you the best for your $. I'm not affiliated with them just a satisfied customer. Buying NV is like buying a supressor. There are a lot of used car salesmen out there. In other words will tell you anything to get you to buy one from them. That is why I deal with SRT for my supressors and TVNC for NV. Would be glad to answer any questions or help you aout I have thermal and NV been using for about 7 yrs now.

 

[UtopiaTx]

"NOOOOOO! Not tha dillos"

You should try mowing acreage where there are dozens and dozens of huge armadillo holes where the tractor's front wheels falls into the hole and just about throws the driver off the tractor. We have one field here where you have to wear the seat belt and mow in 1st. gear the holes are so big.

 

[Younggun]

We have a couple armadillos, got a bunch of holes from jack rabbits.

Just always had a soft spot for dillos. Never been able to shoot one. Just let'em root around and go on about their business.

 

[UtopiaTx]

Get in touch with TVNC tell them what you are trying/wanting to do. They will not bs you and will get you the best for your $. I'm not affiliated with them just a satisfied customer. Buying NV is like buying a supressor. There are a lot of used car salesmen out there. In other words will tell you anything to get you to buy one from them. That is why I deal with SRT for my supressors and TVNC for NV. Would be glad to answer any questions or help you aout I have thermal and NV been using for about 7 yrs now.

I have never had the chance to look through more than 1 NV in the Gen 2 range and was wondering.....In the Gen 3 category the "Pinnacle" or "Alpha" tubes appear to be the top of the line with the fewest "spots" on the viewing field. Do the "standard" Gen 3 scopes have so many spots that it is hard to see at night? I can't seem to imagine how many spots one in talking about and how large on the different "quality" ranges there appear to be in Both gen 2 and Gen 3 NV scopes.

 

[Younggun]

If you get a gen 3 or gen3+ you will be in love. It will spoil you and make everything else look like crap.

Not a NVG expert, just my limited experience.

 

[UtopiaTx]

We have a couple armadillos, got a bunch of holes from jack rabbits.

Just always had a soft spot for dillos. Never been able to shoot one. Just let'em root around and go on about their business.

I spend 1/2 the year in Utopia which has caliche for soil and the armadillos have a hard time making any types of decent holes. My other home is in Brookshire just West of Houston and here we have the richest Brazos River bottom soil any farmer could lust after. Here the armadillo holes are huge and deep and once a field gets covered in coastal bermuda it can be dangerous just walking around. There is no shortage of armadillos here. As I said in my earlier post, I really do not condone killing animals for fun or pleasure but sometimes the damage done by some is pretty outrageous.

 

[Younggun]

I wasn't trying to harp on you.

Nuisance animals sometimes have to be dealt with. I love my jackrabbits but it's only gonna be another year or two be for some form of population control will be required.

Sucks cause the old ones are pretty tame and those are the ones it would make sense to start thinning with.

I just like armadillos.

 

[grumper]

I have never had the chance to look through more than 1 NV in the Gen 2 range and was wondering.....In the Gen 3 category the "Pinnacle" or "Alpha" tubes appear to be the top of the line with the fewest "spots" on the viewing field. Do the "standard" Gen 3 scopes have so many spots that it is hard to see at night? I can't seem to imagine how many spots one in talking about and how large on the different "quality" ranges there appear to be in Both gen 2 and Gen 3 NV scopes.

Has nothing to do with spots. One of the Pinnacle Gen 3 PVS-14s I seen had a spot right in the center of the view, apparently it wasn't big enough to disqualify it from being mil-spec.

Pinnacle is a type of coating on the intensifier tube. Normal Gen 3 tubes have a thicker film that lets less light pass through and be amplified. "Gen4" devices have no coating at all so they can amplify light better, but they get damaged easier and have a much shorter life span. Pinnacle is a slightly thinner film that lets more light through but doesn't gimp the lifespan of the tube.

Yes, it's worth it. But you have to decide how you will be using the device before you go and purchase one. Monocular or weapon sight? One you can swap around from a helmet to rifle or permanently mounted on your weapon? What caliber? Certain devices don't handle recoil over a certain size round. Are you happy peering through a tube behind another tube? (that's what a PVS-14 behind an Aimpoint looks like, you can't see crap!)

Probably a good idea like others said to give TNVC a call and ask them questions, tell them what you want to do with a NV device and see what they suggest.

 

[SC-Texas]

No, But Gen 1 sucks donkey balls.

Gen 2 is good enough to about 100-150 yards.

Gen 3 is where its at.

 

[Sapper740]

No, no NV elitist here though I am looking for a set of NV goggles to both be able to maneuver in the dark and make use of the NV compatible EoTech HWS on my AR. I like what I'm seeing in the ATN PS 15-4 which are 4th generation goggles and are on sale right now on Sportsman's Guide. No feral hogs to hunt around here but should the SHTF there could be large groups of feral Liberals roaming my neighborhood looting, raping and burning. Also, remember what happened after the Rodney King verdict? I've been trolling some of the on-line forums that represent Trayvon Martin's demographic and should George Zimmerman be acquitted, which I'm hopeful he will be, I think we'll see country-wide riots that will put the one's in L.A. to shame. I hope that the feral Liberals will satiate their blood-lust before they hit my area, but if they don't, I want to be prepared to protect my "Alamo".

 

[Renegade]

Me no. Not a SUV snob either.

 

[matefrio]

I can't wait to get a thermal camera\scope\sight. Soo many things I want to try out.

 

[Sapper740]

The only "real" Hummer is an M998 and thank God they aren't going to be made in China!.

 

[Younggun]

Actually, that's not a hummer, it's a HMMWV.

Hummers were made by GM on SUV frames


And what's wrong with the M1097s? They're HMMWVs too.