Night Vision

[Andy17]

hi all,

I am currently considering buying a night vision scope to mount on my airgun(FAC 30ftIbs) and would like to here anyones opinions on different scopes, eg. what there like when out rabbiting/ratting etc. I was looking at the soviet bazaare scopes that fit on the back of yuor normal scope(XVD-04L), whats your opinions of this scope for shooting rabbits out to max 50-60yards?? and/or do you think i'd be better off with a slightly more expensive gen2 scope that is permantley fitted on??,(just dont want to go to expensive really).

thanksin advance to any replys

yis andy

[Fisherman Mike]

Andy, Night vision scopes and monoculars/binoculars are devided in to two

categories as you probably know..

 

Gen 1. £180 - 500 sovs.

 

Gen 2. £1400 - plus

 

I had a Gen 1 Deben riflescope and a Expedition 600 monocular and they were frankly both ****... £750 down the toilet...I couldnt see anything but a green haze.

 

I now use a red filtered lamp and 56mm Objective scope with Illum. ret. for my night work.

 

My friend has a Deben NVRS 2.5 titanium Gen 2 scope which I have used on my Logun and it is a different animal altogether. Only set back is the price tag but this is proper Gen 2 technology and that how much it is.

 

None of the Armed forces in the world use Gen 1 rifle scopes or night viewing equipment, not necessarily because they can afford something better but generally because it is ****.

 

FM.

[pigeon master]

Hi guys,

 

if you want the best scope around then keep your eyes open for the Army CWS sight on ebay, I saw one go for £260 quid the other week and when you consider these units are super gen 3/4 and cost around £3500.00 then as you can imagine, you will be getting a great scope.

 

You would need a fitter to make some adjustments for a standard air gun or rifle but well worth it.

 

Don’t go and get yourself one on these Russian sights they are low quality and most run on 1st generation photo cathode tubes which burn very easily and can only cope with moon light.

 

Take my advice as I have used about every different type of image intensifier the world has to offer from weapon sights to holographic head up displays used by the worlds special forces, most of what you can buy are poor but with some patience you will come across one of the best weapon sights in the world on ebay.

 

1st CWS, Common Weapon Sight can be used from 1m up to 500m

2nd Maxi kite can be used from 1m up to 800m

 

If your really lucky you might even find the infrared laser which mounts to the gun and once viewed through a head mounted unit what ever the laser is on it will hit, once zeroed of course.

 

The PM

 

The PM

[BOLTA]

Hi,

 

If you like to compare Soviet Bazaar´s XVDs to a normal Night Vision sight of the same Generation - the normal night sight will beat the XVD regarding resolution and brightness every time, no doubt about that.

 

To take the XVD first. If you want to have a decent and clear picture with this setup then you have to buy a least a Gen. 2 monocular and best a Gen. 3 monocular. Forget about any Gen. 1 monocular with this setup, unless you are shooting in towns with a lot of lights around you. Second, you have to have a least a 50mm obj. scope with a good night coating on so you won´t get a "too dark" image. The daytime scope takes A LOT of light away from the NV unit - never forget that.

Shooting rabbits out to around 50-60 yards with the setup should probably not be done unless you have the correct level of light around you to give a clear picture. Around 40 yards max. would be more like it, still best to keep your shooting under 30 yards if possible.

 

For normal NV sight, many airgunners choose a Gen. 1 sight for their rabbits hunting because of the low cost. With the correct level of IR light these sights can be used out to around 50 yards with good accuracy. Still, I would personal prefer a least a Gen. 2 NV sight if I should buy a Night Vision sight today. Although they are more expensive than Gen. 1 you get a higher picture quality than Gen. 1.

Gen. 1 may be good for shooting rabbits out to around 50 yards, depending on of course the light level present, but it is not enough for scanning a big field for rabbits - a Gen. 2 or higher is much better of doing this.

 

I hope you can use the information given but anyway it all comes down to how thick your wallet is then choosing NVs.

 

Cheers - Bolta

[Andy17]

hi guys thanks for the replys,

I do like the look of the gen 2 I think its a deben one with the titanium body and I think its a light green colour?? looks good. Was really just lookin at the russian ones because you can fit it onto the back of your daytime scope which means i wouldnt have to keep changing them around, but i'll go with the vote and get a gen2 at least that way i can mount it on a .17hmr if all goes well with the FLO.

Thanks yis andy

[squintshot]

Just eat lots of carrots!!!

 

 

 

Squint

[Pigeon_decoyer]

Hi, would anyone know any links to any websites that would have night vison pictures?

Cheers

PD

[apbuild]

Paris Hiltons infamous home video was shot using night vision!!!!!

 

 

If you are seriously into night shooting, you need the best night vision you can get. Generally, magnification, even on the better brands is limited to 3x or 4x. A red filtered lamping unit is a better option.

[BOLTA]

If you are seriously into night shooting, you need the best night vision you can get. Generally, magnification, even on the better brands is limited to 3x or 4x. A red filtered lamping unit is a better option.

Hi,

 

Yes, it is true that lamp option is more economic than to buy a NV sight. No doubt about that and it is the way many folks are going because of the higher cost of a NV unit.

 

You are also true about that magnification level of many NV units is limited to around 3-4x but you can also get magnification levels up to 8x to 10x if you need that high. These units with high magnification have a larger obj. size because they have to let more light in than low magni. scopes have to for getting a clear picture.

 

Cheers - Bolta

[1 of 5]

Fact - the higher the mag the worse the picture. Gen 1 doesn't produce a great picture to start with so using a doubler to boost to 6x or 8x isn't going to let you see any more. Tried gen 1 and went back to a lamp. The gen 1 couldn't tell the difference between a hedgehog a cat and a rabbit at 15 yards - literally.

[BOLTA]

Hi 1 of 5,

 

You are absolute right about Gen. 1 NV sights. Putting a higher magnification on these scopes isn´t a good idea at all - to dark an image.

 

If you want higher magnification above 4x you have to use Gen. 3 NV equipment to get a useful picture. But the units over 6x is normal only for special forces operation for longer distance shooting.

 

Cheers - Bolta

[1 of 5]

The tale of the Hedgehog.

 

With a D141 gen 1 on my S10 on the allotments I have permission on I saw the reflection in the eyes of something on one of the lawned areas. I stalked into position just 15 yards from the quarry. Now there are quite a number of cats who help out with the pest control around the allotments and not wishing to dispose of someones prize pussy I wanted to be sure of the ID of the creature. Just as I was taking up my final shooting position the quarry was alerted to my presence and flattened itself to the floor as I lifted the gun to use the sight. I could see the eyes clearly but the outline was vague so I waited in the knowledge that both cats and rabbits will display such behaviour. After 15 minutes the creature moved ambling off to the right and only as it was walking could I see that I'd spend the best part of half an hour stalking and watching a hedgehog. Next day the D141 was up for sale and I went back to the lamp.

 

I've seen through a handful of other units and would only trade a decent lamp for GOOD Gen2 or better. Some poorer Gen 2 isn't upto it IMO. Gen 3 is very good. Either way it's best to keep the lamp too and get an IR filter for it to illuminate the NV

[The Sniper]

1 of 5,

 

Good story mate. I like a man who can laugh at himself.

[Elma Fud]

Nice one... 1 of 5

 

Up to now we've managed to shoot 34 foxes lamping on a local pig farm, since February. But there are a couple of lamp shy foxes kicking about. I know it’s only a matter of time before they make a mistake and we'll mop them up as well.

 

I borrowed a friends Gen 2+ and went out foxing on my local pig farm. It was brilliant to watch foxes in their own environment. With the aid of this night sight we managed to watch not one fox but 4 milling about the pig huts and chasing rabbits. I tried a squeak but they took no notice. I drove my vehicle closer (without any lights on) trying to close the gap on the brushers. But when I got closer to the foxes, I found that they had all done a runner.

I'm now convinced that these foxes recognised the sound my vehicle and associate it with danger.

Next week we will try the same fields on foot and work our way in closer.

I'll let you know how we get on..

 

EF