Marmite scope

[activeviii]

I bought a Photon a few days ago. I have been waiting for ever and ever but one came up at the right price.

On my little 22LR i have a 12x50 nighteater, its done me very proud but the rabbits, what few there are, run as soon as a light source is on them. i owe a butcher a dozen rabbits and have been struggling to get a single rabbit to stand still. so what better way to try the Photon night scope.

 

I put it on with a set medium mounts, leaving 1mm clearance once the doubler and lens cap was on. the front cap that comes with the double has a small iris hole with works just fine for setting up in the daylight. on the side is a weaver for my T20ir that i make, the mount was a little big so a file later and all good.

set up in the garden at 30mm over @25meters.

 

went out that night for a test run, spotted a rabbit a little way of so got onto the sticks and started to play with settings. the eye shine was not great, it had a halo around it but still workable. the straight thing was that the rabbits showed up as black again the grey foliage, this makes it easier to spot. happy with the setting, T20 on full and tight focus, the scope on minium, rabbit at 50 meters, pull the trigger and missed and missed again, and again. 3 times i misses, on the 3rd try i saw the bullet in front of the rabbit, made the adjustment and fourth shot in dropped.

walking over to where I thought it was and i couldn't find it. ended up another 30 meters away.

 

It took a little getting use to but by the end i had 9 in the bag on a place that rabbits dont hang around for long. if i could have got to grips with the range better then i think i could have most definitely doubled the bag. the rabbits, when shot or shot at, just stay there. not a care in the world. if they run its only a few feet.

 

Loving this, makes shooting for me a little easier. not so good for the person with you but on your own its great.

 

There are a few gripes, but there is with any night vision, as a basic form it is usable but is you wish to up-grade it then for not a lot of money you get something a little bit good.

the way i see it is, you by a cheap car and then spend more on getting it better, same with the photon. spend the basic you get the basic, few pounds and you have a very good bit of kit.

 

ok, the first night i had halo shine on the eyes, not a problem, i just aimed for the middle.

Range, with the laser, forget it, not on rabbits. rats yes. add my T20ir and its then a stupid distance, but not a good sight picture. no depth and very 1 dimensional. you can use it but i want a little better.

I was told to try a IR 850 filter. i did and it made very little difference, just darker image but some depth added.

 

 

 

yesterday, after reading a lot on the forums i had a bit of a play around with filters and apertures. the front flip up that comes with the yukon doubler had a pin hole in it, this gives a good sight picture in the day time. then i noticed that with a little bit of pressure you can pop the middle out of it. after reading about a 20mm hole helps with the night view i thought i would give it a try and see. this would save me making a cap with the 28mm hole that is said to be the optimum.

 

Next was the adjustment of the coaster, a plastic ring clip used on sea fishing rods to lock the reel in place. this around the focus ring on the photon makes for easier fin tuning when out in the field.

 

then i had to detune the sharp image on the T20 as the lines where off putting when looking thought the scope.

 

 

right, last night i went to check the zero as the night before i wasn't happy.

 

found a box and put a hole in it with a car key. next i lit a tea light candle and put it in the box.

walked back 50 meters and look down the scope. with the 20mm hole in the scope cap i could see the light in the box, a little adjustment on the coaster and it was night and clear. turn the T20 torch on and i could clearly see the writing on the box. the image was a mile better than the night before.

I put 2 shots at the box from 50 meters, i could see the light in the key hole but couldnt find the bullet holes. so i moved to 25 meters and tried again. still couldn't see the holes. walked to the box and there was the holes, in the box. very strange. i could see the key hole but not the bullet hole.

i now know im on the box so go back to 50 and have a play with scope. turns out that if i flip the cap open and use no illumination that i can see all the holes. close the cap and i only see the one key hole, its bigger than the bullet hole. if i turn torch on i see only the key hole.

scope is now set 30mm over at 50 meters. (bull @70. 2" PBZ 41-79meters)

 

Off to find the rabbits. no halo on the eye, no flat image, there is depth. still hard to judge the distance but ths is spot on. first rabbit is now in the bag, well it would be if i didnt leave the bag at home.i have a bit of a look around 2 small fields. and shoot 3 more rabbits, 2 of them sat side by side, i shoot the first and the second once just looks at his mate as if to say 'haha, get up stop messing around' reload and he is over as well.

 

on way back to car i have a scan with once of the red T20 torches and pick up a fox, about 2-250 meters away, on to the photon and red torch off. im stood there watching this fox, plan as day without a care in the world, sniffing around and just doing foxy things. this is at 250 meters and i can see it, my god im liking this. i give a little squeak to watch the reaction, bad move, he runs into the hedge and out of sight, oh well good to see none the less. im almost back at the car and have another quick scan to where i last saw the fox. he is now 100 meters, just sat there looking at me.

Again im on the sticks looking and watching in the scope. after a short time, he gets up and starts moving around, with the tight field of view in the scope i lose sight. red torch oon finds him about 50 meters away. back on the photon with only the T20ir, the fox just keeps walking towards me, i have never every seen this sort of thing before, under a red lamp they know your there, very rare do they go about their business with a red lamp on them. if they did it is 100 meters away, this one is now 25 meters and heading at me, i have 4 gutted rabbits on the floor, wind is straight at the fox, they would normally of run by now but this one is still coming. at 20 meters i sniff. this stops his in his tracks. i stop him permanently. I wouldn't normally shoot a fox with 22rf but he is 20 meters away. stood still, looking towards me. ( yer i have them on my fac)

 

 

1 hour playing with the scope and zeroing and then 30 minutes in a field. Am i happy with the photon? Yes more than happy.

 

I bought it with very low expectations, with a little playing i have put any doubts to bed. i will be getting another once the pennies are in the pocket.

 

Make it easy as i got carried away up there a bit.

 

Photon, out the box is an air gun scope. the illumination is pants but will get you by for 25 meters. rabbits and rats watchout.

 

photon with a good infrared light source. either the T20 type i make or the smaller maglight type dave-g makes will see you good for a few hundred meters. but target is small in the 5x scope

 

Add Marky610 adaptor and a yukon double, either 1.7 or 2, both the same. and them you have a 8x scope. pop the centre out of the double flip up and the image gets even better.

 

A coaster for seafishing reels to go on the front focus ring and you get easy tuning.

 

 

i did use a red torch from time to time as the distances are hard to judge but something new so will have to get use to it.

 

 

there is a new lens and mount but at the moment i have had time to order it, i will soon and if it does work then its only £15 for both.

the torch makes these scopes.

 

im shutting up now.lol.

 

thanks for reading

 

Phil.

 

 

 

 

 

[moorvale55]

A good report, many thanks.

[activeviii]

I think, with the amount that is outstanding to shops, that TJ's have no reason to ask Yukon to make adjustments. in a business sense they are there to make money, if the scope i selling then no need to spend money on R+R to make the same money.

 

Yes a MK11 would be nice but as the scope is, and for the money, i think it works. if you want a better scope then, yes, you will need to add to it.

 

I would like to think that Yukon, Thomas jacks and like, do look into these forums and do know there is a market for an update/ modified scope but as they have orders to fill then they will fill them. once things slow down then they turn up with MK11. backs sense to me.hehe.

 

as a basic model it works, no denying it but really an air rifle range. we want it to go further as we want them on our full bores so, we need to modify and adjust to make it work. thats my take on it anyway

[Drongo]

Renewed hope in the scope now....

 

Just awaiting return of the scope from Ronnie Sunshines....

 

Also possibly regretting ordering all the bits for my version of an evo20...

[activeviii]

have a look on the nightvision fourm. loads going about there and a lot of good people on there. there's even a grumpy one that you can laugh at too.

[bullet boy]

Good write-up and well done for persevering with it!

[telf]

good write up,i found with mine when i got it about 3 months ago that it was fine with no mods out to 70-80yds but now have the adapter and doubler on it and am very pleased with them,but i will give it a go with the middle of the flip up popped out and see what its like,for the price even with the modifications i dont think you can go wrong,if zeroing at night get a piece of reflective strip cut into 10mm squares,lights up like rabbits eyes(tip off the nv forum) i have some if anybody cant get it

Edited December 11, 2013 by telf

[activeviii]

make sure its the flip up with the 1.5mm hole,that came with the doubler. not the push on that cam with the Photon,

 

for zeroing i just took an empty wine box. my wife emptied it, honest, then pop a small hole in the middle. then light a tea light candle and put inside. it makes it very easy as you can then see your shots without having to keep walking back and forth. pain in the legs otherwise when doing a 100 meters a shot.