Night hunting optics package - thoughts?

6

69icarus

New member
Ok gang.... been really researching until my head hurts! What I'm about to pull the trigger on is a Pulsar HD19a and a Armasite Vampire 3x with the CORE technology. Cost roughly 2475.00 total.

My plan is to use the Pulsar for scanning and the Vampire to shoot. Expecting around 200yd kill zone.....

Does anyone have any first hand experience with this combo? Worth it? Recimmendations?
 

First, the Vampire. Have you seen the review Kevin at High Tech Redneck did of the Vampire? It's not bad for a Gen 1. I imagine for the money and for short range use, the Vampire would be OK. Not great like Gen 3 etc, etc., but OK and acceptable. The biggest issue I see with it is the 3x magnification. 200 yard shots in the dark will seem pretty far away, so the Vampire may not fill your need for that kind of range.



I recently purchased the Armasight Spark Gen 1 monocular with the advertised Core technology (supposedly the same as the Vampire). It is darn good for a Gen 1, much better than the old dedicated Gen 1 scope I had before. It has exceeded my original expectations. The resolution is every bit as good as a Gen 3 monocular (personal experience), you just need a good illuminator and need to focus it half way or so to give a tight focus in order to get range out to 100 yards. Again, it's not Gen 3 and never will be, but for the money and considering the resolution, it's not bad and will fill the needs of some hunters. I plan to use it for spotting hogs at feeders in or about 100 yards. While I would like a PVS-14 Gen 3, for my intended purpose the Gen 1 Spark will serve me well, and that's the key. Use equipment that will work for YOUR situation.

I read a review someone did on the Core Technology in another forum. His review didn't seem to indicate the technology was anything special. I don't know what Armasight has done one way or the other, but I can say my Gen 1 Spark is a neat little device. It is clear and has good resolution, especially for the money.

Have you considered a Sightmark Photon digital scope for shooting? I have the 6.5x model and like it for the price.

Pertaining to the Pulsar 19A, I know that DoubleUp uses it with very good results. He was shooting with a Photon 4.6x digital scope but has since graduated up to a Pulsar 50 thermal. Maybe he will chime in with some good advice.

 
The hd19a is great, I like mine. From the looks of video I believe if conditions are right you could kill one at 200 yards. I have a nemeis 2+ quick silver 4x & I have killed them out to 280 yards. Just make sure you get Kevins 850 nm ir. Buy what you can afford & make it work. You don't always kill them even with gen 3. Just remember you will almost always need an ir on when using gen 1.
 
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Old Cat, i have seen Kevin's reviews of the Nemesis too and they look pretty good. How is the resolution through the eyepiece vs. what the camera shows? Is the resolution smooth and clear?

I have been thinking about the Nemesis 6x but also wonder how the "green" nodels look. Do you have any experience with those?
 
While my setup is a little different than described above...I will weigh in.

I run a 3.5-15 NXS with my simrad on new night rig. I love it because it is lower mag for the ones that come in closer. Also, I feel I can get on target much faster when switching from my PVS head mount to simrad. That being said. Last week I was walking into a set and spotted two coyotes out in cut hay field looking for mice. I got tripod set up and gun ready. They were at 236 yds. With the 3.5x it was very easy to see them and ID the target. However, I zoomed in a fuzz to get a little more comfort with the shot. I believe I ended up around 7-8x? My point is that at 3.5 you could make the shot if comfortable, but the extra magnification is awful handy. A lot of being successful at night has to being confident in your setup and practicing frequently, IMO.
 
I got to use and see a members photon earlier this week and was extremely impressed with the quality and clarity of the scope. I was gonna get a vampie but may be leaning towards the photon
 
69I, I've had quite a bit of experience with the Photon 4.6XT. I've probably killed a half dozen coyotes beyond 200 yds. with it, but it takes a good 850IR illuminator to do that. The Achilles heel of the Photon 4.6 is FOV. It is pretty narrow at around 24 ft. at 100 yds., and the 6.5 is slightly less. While either scope will allow you to make killing shots beyond 200 yds. they make it hard to get on called coyotes that are coming fast. Also shifting from thermal to NV sometimes is difficult to pick up the animal with the NV. That would of course be true with any NV device.

Although I haven't looked through the Vampire, Kevin at HTRN, has a pretty good video using showing the various yardages for night hunting. If you are primarily calling, the 3x power should be adequate to 200 yds. and certainly better for the close shots.

With that said, I have 3 of the Photon 4.6XT models, and even though I am now shooting with a Pulsar XD50A thermal, I don't plan on getting rid of any of them. I have one on my rifle that I keep set up for the bait site, another on an AR for anyone who goes with us and doesn't have NV, and one on a Ruger 10-22 for quiet elimination of coons and possums.

It takes practice to switch from thermal to NV, and it was frustrating to me at times, but my hunting partner does it quite successfully and pretty easily.
 
Thanks for the feedback... I've watched Kevin's video but I also like to get info from 1st hand experience in hunting conditions if I can. I think I'm in that "buy once - cry once" mode now so I'm considering possibly looking towards a great thermal scope and a NV device to get into and out of stands and also to make a quick ID then back to the thermal for the kill. So I'm very open to suggestions! ha..
 
Thermal is great, but if you are going to positive id at long distance you better get gen3. Key word here is {positive}. I can id quit a ways with my thermal, because I know how coyotes move and act, from experience, as can anyone else with experience. That being said the trigger is not pulled until positive id with gen3. Good luck
 
If you want my .02 I would definetly recomend the pulsar hd19a. For the price it is an outstanding thermal scanner. If your wanting a positive Id i think you should keep looking at night vision scopes. Buddy of mine just got a gen 2+ Armasight nemesis in white phosphorus from kevin at htrn and it is a very nice scope for the money. We were comparing his and mine and out to 200 yards using infared there was very little difference. Mine is an Armasight Vulcan gen 3a tube and it was more clear after say 250 yards and brighter without infared on but taking into consideration the range you'll be shooting at night the nemesis seems to be a great scope. Another option would be to get the scanner and use a red light mounted to kill I think would be effective as well if money was an object. If money becomes no object I would go for a gen 3 as nothing is better at id. Lots of options out there good luck
 
Just sort of curious as to how many hunters here think they can make a consistent kill shot on a coyote at 300 yds. even if they are able to identify it. Having made some 200 to over 300 yd. shots at night, it isn't a gimme by any means in my book. So, how important is it to ID before they are in normal shooting range when calling? We do make some over 200 yd. shots, but most of the animals we call are under 100 and many under 50 yds.
 
The average shooting distance when calling (here in IL) is about 100 yards at night. The longer shots typically occur on a second or multiple coyotes that run a good distance after the first shot like on the video post below. I don't know what my average kill shot is on those over 200 yards but it is most certainly not a good as 100 and in !



Kevin
 
Kevin that scope is really nice in the video. I so need to make a road trip over and see you and check out the toys and maybe you can set me up with some of those cool toys....
 
Originally Posted By: old catI shoot at 300 yards, because they won't come to 100 yards. Couldn't have said it any better! Some just won't come closer, so send them a "message".
 
+1 on the Nemesis. Have the D740 which is my primary scope but bought the Nemesis also from HTRN to have a second for taking sons and friends out and have been very impressed with it. I'ld say you are getting 70% of the D740 for less than half the price. Can make shots out to 300 with full moon and out to that with the torch. Get the new adjustable one from him. It is great. Adjusts all the way from no glow but enough light to get eye shine all the way up to full illumination. First 1/4 to 1/3: 0 to very little glow from lens. Very covert. No experience with Vampire but Kevin has been very accurate on his estimations of their capabilities. Pulsar work fabulous for scanning. Couldn't be without it.
 
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