What night vision scope do you use? And how do you use it.

[cj7hawk]

Ah OK thanks mate. I was sort of thinking that if I could have a car mounted iluminator(if thats legal) I would use that type of setup.

Are you planning on shooting deer or something where you're not supposed to spotlight? If so, then it might not be legal.

Otherwise I don't have enough information to answer that question.

Regards
David

[Marco]

Ah OK thanks mate. I was sort of thinking that if I could have a car mounted iluminator(if thats legal) I would use that type of setup.

did you have this in mind watch from 2:38 ----> 3:33

hiqEZg3jQJo

[cj7hawk]

LoL!...

I remember that... I put NV into my Starion some years later after seeing that.

Anyway some cars ( Cadillac Deville, BMW ) came with such NV built in - very useful for seeing animals on the road at night past headlight range.

And it works rather well.

It's probably not really legal to drive with as the sole means of navigation, but does give an early warning of approaching danger.

Though you can drive offroad with NV entirely AFAIK.

Regards
David

[Plowboy]

Ah OK thanks mate. I was sort of thinking that if I could have a car mounted iluminator(if thats legal) I would use that type of setup.

Are you planning on shooting deer or something where you're not supposed to spotlight? If so, then it might not be legal.

Otherwise I don't have enough information to answer that question.

Regards
David

Haha no only after foxes eating my lambs and rabbits and the odd bonus cat! I found that lightforce make an IR filter for their lights. Does this do the job? And if so does anybody know if there is an IR filter that will fit to a powerbeam spottie?

[cj7hawk]

Ah OK thanks mate. I was sort of thinking that if I could have a car mounted iluminator(if thats legal) I would use that type of setup.

Are you planning on shooting deer or something where you're not supposed to spotlight? If so, then it might not be legal.

Otherwise I don't have enough information to answer that question.

Regards
David

Haha no only after foxes eating my lambs and rabbits and the odd bonus cat! I found that lightforce make an IR filter for their lights. Does this do the job? And if so does anybody know if there is an IR filter that will fit to a powerbeam spottie?

Spotlights with IR filters are pretty easy for the animals to spot - they won't notice as much or at first, but they will eventually notice as some of them don't come home.

But mostly it will work OK. You can use IR torches from Ebay too... More effective and don't cost much... But either way, range is still limited with Gen1... About 100m. You may get more but don't plan for it.

Regards
David

[Tony Z]

I currently use a PS 22 CGTi with a good IR illuminator. I have tried a Gen 1 scope but found it not really what i needed. Gen 1 is really very limited in range but can be boosted with a good IR source where my current SightMark (Yukon, Pulsar, all the same scope different label) is able to recognize a pig easily to 150 meters in pitch black night. Take the IR away and it is not that good at all. 50 meters maybe on a very dark night. I am talking about an additional IR torch here, not the one supplied with the scope. With very little gain and its limited range, i do not use the Gen 1 scope at all even though others that have looked through it find it quite good.

What i have found is that there is no compromise with this sort of forward mounted NV. The better the day optics, the better the night optics are with the PS 22. I had a 3x9 VX111 Leup initially and it was good, but not great. 200 to 250 meter recognition in half moonlight and about the same with the IR source in pitch black night. I recently moved up to a Swaro Z6 1.7x10 specifically for NV use and it is like day and night (sorry for the pun) between the two scopes with the PS 22 fitted. The recognition range in half moon is 350 meters and again about 250 meters with the IR in pitch dark. The limit in a pitch black night is the IR where i am in the process of upgrading to a better source. In full moon, the recognition range is quite startling at beyond 400 meters. If anyone had any reservations about the quality of optics in scopes for daylight use or if there really is that much in it, place a PS 22 in front of them and the advantages quickly materialize. The Swaro with its crystal clear glass and incredible field of view make it far and away the best Gen 2 unit i have looked through. Once found, a target can be zoomed on right up to 7 or 8 power without the dreadful grain creeping in that i found with lesser optics.
There is a bit of a ground swell in NV and pig hunting/control up this way and many of my friends either have got or are in the process of getting some sort of NV. I have had a look through a lot of gear from the very cheap to the somewhat restricted gear the Army guys bring back from overseas after doing a bit of horse trading with the yanks. Some of the Gen 3 stuff is unbelievable in its gain ability in very low light levels. But what we need to remember is that this is not a war so NV does not need to be passive. Gen 2 or 2+ with some of the brilliant IR illuminators about are all you need, providing they are of the right wave length to not spook game. In a full moon and on a clear field, Gen 2 will see far enough that it can exceed the distance we normally shoot in daylight.
The PS 22 may not be for everyone, but it means that your day rifle is quickly converted to a night rifle. It retains the same eye relief and firing position which is the single biggest reason why i went against a dedicated NV scope. At 40 to 45 mm eye relief for the average NV scope, and the Quasimodo posture one has to assume when using these scopes, the choice was easy. After playing around with a number of NV scopes i found that there was not a single one that did not have some really silly attribute that was guaranteed to be an issue at some point. Things like focus knobs or the reticule intensity knob being on the right hand side and easily knocked when opening or closing the bolt. Others had serious mounting issues like the ATN Crusader that required ridiculous elevation of the scope to clear the bolt because if mounted with the rail provided, the bolt cannot be closed or cycled at all. All had issues of some sort. But if i had a choice it would be the D740 or 760 or the Night Arrow 4 or 6. They seem a little better thought out but are not all that great. Just a compromise.

The PS 22 has other attributes that no dedicated scope has in that it can be adapted to a spotting scope, a camera and of course, a rifle scope. They can sort of be used as a monocular but they are really not suited for this and at 1x, pretty well useless.
Recent night testing of the Leup and the PS 22 showed that the day zero and accuracy was retained at 100 yards where at 200 yards and beyond a six inch disc was an easy target. At night it is like using your rifle in day time except it is a bit heavier and a little more forward biased. Neither of which i find a problem. I shoot the rivers and open plains till its black and within a few seconds the scope is taken out of the backpack and fitted ready for the night. The only thing i really hate about this set up is that at some time or another you have to go to sleep.

[cj7hawk]

I currently use a PS 22 CGTi with a good IR illuminator.

It sounds like you got a good one The PS22 has a less-than-great reputation internationally for POI-shift and consistency but a guy in Europe has been working out how to get them back on target and adjust the boresight alignment to improve operation.

If you get a PS22, it's worth following what he's been doing as he's also posted instructions elsewhere on how to re-align the internal lenses of the PS22 scopes in case the POI shift ever becomes an issue. http://marcsnightvisionblog.blogspot.com/

You are right about Gen2. With a decent illuminator they will go far. There are advantages to purely passive operation, one being that you can see the overshoot area quite clearly without the illuminator affecting the ABC, but unless you're nearby other farms and farmhouses, that's moot and NV is still safer than spotlighting. They still use extra IR in the US too and they have the better gear.

In your case, the CGTi tube is one of the better tubes ATN sells and should have fairly good performance and resolution.

Please tell us more about the situation in your area with people moving to NV for pig hunting/control if you will? I'd love to hear more.

Regards
David