sightmark photon night vision

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sniper81

New member
looking at the 4.6x42s model, going to put it on my howa mini in 762x39, dont have the money for a high end night vision scope so are these any good, going to be using for yote hunting mainly
 
No bells and whistles which is why it works good, It NEEDS IR to work good though. About to get rid of mine because we can't use IR in Mass, I tried to make it work with moonlight but it won't.
 
I just used Burris Signature XTR QR rings with the adjustable plastic inserts. I needed the inserts. My gun was shooting like 4" low, and I ran out of up adjustment with the scope. I did not like the scope shimmed that high, but the rings with the full set of inserts took care of it. The scope has a relatively small range of up/down and left/right adjustment.
If there is a weak point of the Photon (I have the 4.6 XT) it is the way you have to mount on the tube, and the lack of a built in mount on the camera part. I still feel it is a good buy and about the cheapest usable night vision you can get when coupled with an IR illuminator, which almost all night vision needs anyway.
 
I'm sure you know The 4.6x42s is not made anymore. I just had mine replaced/ upgrade to the new model under warranty. I never used it and just sitting around a few pixels inside turned black and it flashed inside like a picture show. Sightmark upgraded it to the new 4.5 version that has a better IR built in. It also videos and records sound along with having an upgraded chip that gives a fourty percent better resolution for a crisper image...which IMO it definitely needed done. Rabbits in my backyard looked pretty fuzzy at 20 yards. I haven't received they new one yet but it's on the way. I did notice on My old modeI that I would needed a better IR after about 60-75 yards... I bought one that could make me see out to 400-500 yards clearly.

Before I bought it I did a buch of research and watched YouTube videos on the sight and add on IR. I ended up buying both...and not using them. Playing around with the 42s I never could get it to focus clearly as I saw it on some of the videos. I just finished a deer tower and plan on putting the new one to use.

They have a few of the old models at optics planet for $389. Just spend another $200 for a IR and your in Business.

I haven't tried the new one yet to tell you if the trade off with the new built in IR will shoot out far enough that you don't need an aftermarket IR to go with it...if its bright enough your better off getting the new model with 40% better resolution upgrade with sound and video recording to boot.

I bought the matching sightmark QR mounts and the seem to work descent so far.
 
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Besides the advertised better resolution of the RT over the XT, does anyone have personal experience that indicates that's true? If so, is the resolution noticeably better or negligible?

I have a 6.5x XT and curious if the RT is better enough to make an upgrade.
 

The double magnification results in more distortion, but is nice to have when making a shot when needed. I am just wondering how much improvement there is with native magnification, if it is truly 40% better in real life vs. advertising.

 
The updated replacement optic came today. I never tested it out, it got boxed back up and sent back. Apparently sellmark Corp tests all their optics before sending them out and in the process someone cranked down on the scope rings when doing so. There is a ring cut about 3/4" around the tube with its bluing gone and a a ding about 2 " up the tube. Sellmark sent me a call tag to replace it.

I can tell you it's definitely heavier without the batteries in it vs the old Xt with batteries installed.


I guess it will be another week before I can test it.

I'm mounting it on my Remington ltr 223 and using sightmark QD SM34002 mounts. Any suggestions on a extended picantinny rail brand? Sightmark told me to stick with a zero MOA and extended version.
 
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That's a bummer to have to send it back, and also not good that Sellmark released it in that condition. I hope their customer service doesn't take a negative turn.

Looking forward to your assessment once you get a new scope. I am also curious about the recommendation to use a 0 MOA mount since many of the XT scopes required a 20 MOA to allow for keeping the crosshair relatively centered in the ocular view. Would be nice to think the new scopes are better in that regard, but I'm not holding my breath.

 
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