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Nite vision for beginners

Catfish

I have been playing around with nite vision for for at least 15 years now and would like to pass along some of what I have paid to learn. Gen 1 stuff is very impressive if you have never seen nite vision before. It is also very cheap compaired to gen 2 and gen 3. That is for a very good reason, it is very low tec. compared to the later stuff on the market. Gen 3 + is the latest you can buy and you can see in some very low light without an ir lite. Gen 2 is far better than gen 1, but you will need an ir lite much sooner. At present I have a Core tec., about the same as gen 2, rifle scope and gen 3 goggles. I can glass an area without an ir lite with the goggles, but usually need an ir for the rifle scope. My opinion as of now, gen 3 + is the way to go if you can afford it. If now gen 2 with a good ir lite will work. I have also played with thermal, a $ 2000 unit, but feel you will need to spend much more to come close to gen 3 nite vision for nite hunting. Now as for gogles, I have the PVS7`s and they work great, problem is they are very heavy and with the head gear on you will get a head ache wearing them. I think the 7`s, which is a monocle would be much better. My nite AR has both a scope and an ir laser on it. The laser is great for fast shots, but the scope works better for longer shots where you have more time to aim. The more you spend up front on nite vision the fewer time you will have to replace it.
 
Catfish,
Great timely info for me. Trying to take out 2 very large and aggressive coyotes that are wiping out the local fawn population. They are very smart and for the most part nocturnal. Can you post some pics of your set up and provide any more advice? How far can you shoot with your current setup? I have a bait station at 265 yards. Is this distance doable with your setup? Thanks in advance.:)

Paul
 
Love it !! I got the ATN Thor-HD 384x288 smart HD scope.it has GPS, compass, range finder, WiFi, video recording, ballistics calculator , Bluetooth, everything one could almost want in a scope.:D Everything about it is almost changeable, reticle, color, brightness, different rifle calibrations, etc. I also got the extra battery pack, which comes in handy, they eat up batteries.:rolleyes: I purchased mine from Optics Planet, with some discounts. They go for around 2k, there are five of us that have them now.
I have mine mounted on top of a suppressed M&P 15-22 for our permit hunts...



I had a gen 4 night vision, any kind of light will mess with it..
 
Catfish is right, it does get addictive...and there is some good advice in his post, on where to start (budget will allow) with night vision. Then there's thermal, which (imo) is superior..
 
Interesting thread. I am interested in thermal imaging. How about somebody that has messed with this stuff doing a report. Product, type, max. range, cost???? Or point us to a legitimate report.

Catfish, more in-depth information, please.

Bill
 
bsekf said:
Interesting thread. I am interested in thermal imaging. How about somebody that has messed with this stuff doing a report. Product, type, max. range, cost???? Or point us to a legitimate report.

Catfish, more in-depth information, please.

Bill
Click to expand...
IMO, it's easier for you to set ur budget then I can, or others will give you a recommendation. The Pulsar xd38 is a "Best bang for your buck" the IR Reaper 640 is amazing scope but it's $7500. A great scope for the money.
 
Paul 265 yds. would be pushing my set-up, but should be do able, but probably not 100%. I did take one at 215 yards but have not tried longer range yet. If your going to be shooting over a bait pile I would recommend a bolt gun is 22-250 or 243.
bsekf I don`t know what your looking for. If you have a specific question I`ll try to answer it.
I really have not played with the thermal and nite vision together enough to get a real goo feel for the differences and advantages of each. I have a lot more experience with nite vision and am a lot most confident with it at this time. I have a couple of friends playing with suppressors. Seem like the next thing on the list. One shot 3 coyotes in less than 15 min. just waiting at the end of a corn field while it was being shelled.
 
Okay here goes, lots of questions on this subject, thanks in advance if could answer a few.
Is the difference between night vision and thermal exactly what it sounds like ?
With night vision can you pick out objects, critter, fence post, terrain or another hunter out at night ?
Thermal picks up the heat signature from a living creature correct? What is in the background ?
All night related optics I've seen have an accordion type eye piece, does this need to be pressed tight around the eye?
What if you wear eyeglasses?

Kent
 
In thermal heat has a color, and you can see everything else clear. Night vision everything is mostly all one color, and critters can be picked, just like a daylight scope.
EDIT: no the eye price doesn't have to be used in complete darkness. In fact some of our guys remove them for full eye piece view.





https://www.atncorp.com/channel
 
Punkinslinger said:
Okay here goes, lots of questions on this subject, thanks in advance if could answer a few.
Is the difference between night vision and thermal exactly what it sounds like ?
With night vision can you pick out objects, critter, fence post, terrain or another hunter out at night ?
Thermal picks up the heat signature from a living creature correct? What is in the background ?
All night related optics I've seen have an accordion type eye piece, does this need to be pressed tight around the eye?
What if you wear eyeglasses?

Kent
Click to expand...
Hi Kent,I run a helmet mounted PVS 14 and I just leave the rubber eyepiece off.
I prefer the PVS 14 in conjunction with an IR laser on the rifle.
It keeps me from scanning with a loaded rifle and I don't have to shoulder the rifle in the traditional sence.I can navigate weather walking /stalking or driving lights out with that setup.I do own a thermal camera to help locate animals it's not really used that often.
I would also recommend an IR flashlight to help see into the shadows they make a big difference with gen 2 stuff also.
Happy hunting
John
 
JFM33 is doing what I started doing with the gogles, but due to their weight I went mostly with the scope. Having never owned a PVS14, I am still sure that it would be far superior to the PVS7 for nite hunting. They are much liter, and by only using 1 eye you have the other for a scope instantly, and you can still shoot from the hip with the laser.
 
Thanks for the great info guys. Seems like the thermal units have a decided advantage with heat signature recognition. Can I assume that you don't need an IR illuminator with a thermal unit? With equally priced products would the clarity of the view be comparable for the most part between night vision and a thermal unit? Sorry for all the questions, just want to make an informed decision and hopefully purchase at some point. Great post and great info.:):cool:

Paul

www.boltfluting.com
 
boltfluter said:
Thanks for the great info guys. Seems like the thermal units have a decided advantage with heat signature recognition. Can I assume that you don't need an IR illuminator with a thermal unit? With equally priced products would the clarity of the view be comparable for the most part between night vision and a thermal unit? Sorry for all the questions, just want to make an informed decision and hopefully purchase at some point. Great post and great info.:):cool:

Paul

www.boltfluting.com
Click to expand...
Hi Paul, I would like say that thermal complements my night vision.
You are correct you don't need an Ir flashlight with thermal.
It all depends on how you are planning to hunt ,and what animals your hunting and the terrain.
If I was still hunting over a bait /gut pile around 150yrds thermal would be ideal.As long as there are no glass windows in the blind thermal will not see through glass.
The setup I use allows me to navigate from one set to another for yotes it also allows me to stalk hogs in wooded environment.
As far as price point I think a PVS 14 is the most versatile.It can be weapon mounted or put on a light bump helmet.
Hope that helps
John
 
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