new user here has some night optics/lighting questions

S

SOILhunter

New member
been lurking in the shadows for quite some time, and my addiction to this is growing so i am trying to expand to night hunting trips along with the day hunting... My question is, Is night vision really worth it? Is a good light capped in green or red gonna give me good results? So far i have looked around on the web for both NV i will probably stick to the pulsar digisight, but i dont waqnna do this without hearing about some high quality lights... any info is greatly appreciated. Any links and pics of your weapon with your trusted way of doing it is welcome. sorry for the long post and thx for reading and or replying. my price range is 0-1500$ because i dont wanna jump in over my head...
 
In my opinion, yes night vision is really worth it. However you do get what you pay for so trying to get something for under 1500 means you are probably looking at a Gen 1 device which I do not recommend for hunting purposes. Gen 2 will work but the range is limited and it will give you a fuzzy sight picture. I am not familiar with the Pulsar Digisight but you can find others here on PM whom have tried them. The best advantage with night vision is you are not using conventional lights which tend to spook coyotes especially. There are some other advantages but it really depends upon the system you choose to go with. I can talk to you about them if you want to call me. Good luck with your search, Kevin
 
I think one thing that gets overlooked with night vision is that most guys concentrate on the scope and overlook the scanning issue.

If you plan to shoot with night vision you need to address scanning with night vision. Trying to scan through your scope is going to get old very quickly. Not to mention how many times you will get busted due to excessive movement and missing yotes that are outside your limited range of motion.

I think you would be more successful using red lights for scanning and shooting than trying to scan and shoot with a single gun mounted night vision scope. But you know what they say about opinions......

 
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just beacause i have set a price range doesnt mean that i will stick to it... Even though it is my goal to i will not skimp when spending this much money. gman what you think aabout digisight and have you ever shot another quality scope that you can compare it to?
 
I use an mx160 gen 3 mono from high tech redneck with the jack rabbit adapter and ir illuminator. It works great, you can scan with the mono and then attach it to a normal riflescope when you are ready to shoot. Kevin is a good guy to deal with and I couldn't be happier with the mx160.
 
Originally Posted By: Gman757I think one thing that gets overlooked with night vision is that most guys concentrate on the scope and overlook the scanning issue.

If you plan to shoot with night vision you need to address scanning with night vision. Trying to scan through your scope is going to get old very quickly. Not to mention how many times you will get busted due to excessive movement and missing yotes that are outside your limited range of motion.

I think you would be more successful using red lights for scanning and shooting than trying to scan and shoot with a single gun mounted night vision scope. But you know what they say about opinions......



I will be using mine both for hogs and 'yotes, which is why I like the PVS-14 monocular as I can take it on and off the rail to scan or shoot with.
 
Soil....

There are lots of options.....all it takes is money...more money = more options.

I seem to have found what works for me. I scan with Luna Gen 1 binoculars and shoot with the Digisight N550. In my situation night hunting is usually a close range event (100 yds or less) so this seems to be a good combination so far. The Gen 1 binoculars seem a lot better than a Gen 1 scope I tried and I am told it is because a thicker lens is required for the scope. I would recommend NOT buying a Gen 1 scope.

With lower end night vision ir emitters are a must. Both units I use have built in emitters and I have add-on ir units to increase viewing distance and clarity. The ir emitters really help to light up eyes when scanning just like when using scan and kill lights.

The big plus factor for me using the Digisight scope is the day/night capability. It's nice to be able to use the scope late afternoon and into the night. The PVS-14 or the mx-160 would afford the same capability since they are just add-on devices for your day scope.

As I stated before it all boils down to how much you want to spend and what equipment fits your particular hunting environment. It's a fact that you get what you pay for dealing with night vision but you don't necessarily have to get the top of the line either.

I have about $2100 invested in the units I have. I could have reduced that by getting a monocular to scan with instead of the binoculars.

Here is the minimum I would go with:

Digisight N550 $1250
Luna 5x monocular $275
IR flashlight (for scope) $60

That puts you just under $1600 and you can add a long range emitter later if you see the need.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/pulsar-n550-digisight-night-vision-scope.aspx?a=762739

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/luna-optics-5x-night-vision-monocular.aspx?a=481493

http://illuminationgear.com/14322/26971.html


If you decide to step into the $3000 plus range there are lots of posts and sponsors on the forum that can help you decide on a high end unit.

The next major investment for me will be a FLIR unit to scan with and the only way I can justify the cost is multi use capability. ( I boat at night frequently)



 
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FLIR would be nice but wow... With the digisight is there any lag with it being digital or does it keep up with a runnig target i pig hunt every year and after the first shot things tend to get a little interesting. so i need something that is gonna gonna keep up with the target! I believe i read this somewhere is the only reason i am asking..
 
Originally Posted By: SOILhunteri may ust have to drive up and see htrn pretty hard to drop this much money on something you havent put your hands on...
Give me a call (217-322-6142), and well set up an appointment. Always glad to show off our NV scopes......and you are right it is hard to drop 2 to 3K for a piece of equipment that you haven't even touched. That is why we offer a 30 day satisfaction guarantee with NO ($0.00) restocking charges if you want to return the merchandise. That is probably the best offer out there in the NV world.

Kevin
 
Originally Posted By: Gman757I think one thing that gets overlooked with night vision is that most guys concentrate on the scope and overlook the scanning issue.

If you plan to shoot with night vision you need to address scanning with night vision. Trying to scan through your scope is going to get old very quickly. Not to mention how many times you will get busted due to excessive movement and missing yotes that are outside your limited range of motion.

I think you would be more successful using red lights for scanning and shooting than trying to scan and shoot with a single gun mounted night vision scope. But you know what they say about opinions......



+1 did that been there, went with flir hand held and kill light
 


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