Quoted:
Howdy guys, new to NV and looking for advice.
I've read many NV posts, and talked to sales managers of various sites.
and still not sure exactly how far up the food chain I'll have to go to meet my NV needs.

I'm in search of a monocular or clip on that's weapons mountable and  will give me the ability to detech/identify/shoot at @200 yards.
Use of an IR illuminator is acceptable. I'm on a budget and currently looking at used Gen 2 options.

Question:
Is the ability to  detech/identify/shoot with a weapons mounted monocular thru a red dot out to 200 yards
with an IR illuminator or laser possible with Gen 2 technology?

Quoted:
First, I have minimal NV experience so take it for what it's worth.  I am a budget NV owner.  I hesitate in spending the $3000+ to get into a good Gen3 system.  So I look for shortcuts that don't compromise my use.

I think there are reasons why Gen3 is a lot better than Gen2 but it isn't always the case.  The lone hog hunting trip I went on was with Gen3 PVS-14's.  They worked great when the moon was above the mountains.  Before it would crest the tops, it was a lot of blobs and blurs that were detectable but not identifiable.  When the moon came up, it was a totally different world, crisp and identifiable out to the edge of our line of sight at 400 yards(at least between a pig and a deer and a turkey and the rocks/shrubs, not to the point you could determine if it was John Doe or his brother Jim Doe).  That said, if it were something I planned to do most nights, and not just the nights with good moonlight, I'd want an illuminator.  If I had to choose between a trophy deer and not, it would be tough at 200 yards.  It was easy enough to know that I was looking at a herd of pigs at 200 yards, near full moon with no clouds and no added IR light.  For my use, that was as much identification as needed.

The point is, while Gen3 is typically a better choice for situations where you absolutely can't have an IR light, if you are in a situation where it isn't a concern, then the better Gen2/+ options may work just as well.  You will get quite a bit longer life span out of a Gen3, so if buying both new is a choice, the extra expense can easily be made up by the extra life expectancy if you plan to use it long term.  For me, a well priced Gen2+ unit and a good light will do everything I want and last quite a while.  While 5,000 hours is a much shorter lifespan than Gen 3, I also realize that if I spent a couple nights a week using the optic for a couple hours, I'll get 10+ years out of a new Gen2+ unit, on average.  5,000 hours is a lot for a casual owner.  For someone using them 5 days a week for 6-8 hours a day, the time goes by in a couple months.  It's really all about how you plan to use them and how often/long they will be used.

What I would suggest is to grab a used gen2+ system on the cheap and see how it does.  I will say that the unit I have (an ATN Night Spirit 2) has a CCTV Ultrak lens, which was a big improvement over the stock lens.  On very bright nights, I struggle to see a big difference between the PVS-14 and the Night Spirit.  On dim nights, the PVS-14 was significantly better.  On really dark nights or indoors, both required an illuminator.  If you have the budget, I'd grab the best you can get.  If you don't, or aren't sure if its for you, some of the inexpensive Gen2+ units on the used market can be had at the high end of Gen1 prices and may be made to work well in most situations when paired with a good illuminator.

As for weapon mounting, the trend has certainly shifted to head mounted with an IR laser mounted on the weapon.  That works for a lot of realistic situations, is quick, is easy to aim, and doesn't require you monkey around with getting everything set just right.  It also doesn't have the issue of the light lost through the day time optic (be it a low magnification scope or a red dot).  We did shoot with one weapon mounted Gen3 clip on optic in combo with a low magnification scope, and it worked well for the shooting aspect, not so much for walking, detecting, etc.  If I was going to sit in a stand and shoot at pigs, it's not a terrible setup.  If I had to hike/move much or identify things such as humans, I'd much rather a head mounted unit so I wasn't pointing the rifle at an unknown source and I could use it while moving.

There is nothing wrong with starting with the best.  You know you won't be in need of an upgrade any time soon.  Most of the quality NV stuff has good resale, especially Gen3 options.  So if you do start at the best and want out, you won't lose the house.  That said, some of the roughly $500 used Gen2/+ options won't lose much if anything should you want out and will allow you to give it a try and see how it does.  If it works, great.  If not, sell it for roughly the $500 you paid and be out a little time and effort.

Quoted:
I'm def leaning towards the Gen 3 arena.
It sounds like a helmet mounted pvs14 gen 3 with laser is the ticket.
Its something from hours of reading all you guys' comments has lead me to lol.
I really appreciate all the NV guys taking the time to share your experiences/knowledge.

I've been searching for a serviceable IR laser at a good price point.
Any suggestions?

Quoted:
A PVS14, weapon mounted on anything larger than 5.56 is asking for trouble I presume?

I've considered buying a bringback PS14 CGT from Apex  just to give it a whirl with Gen 2 before moving on
to Gen 3. If I knew it would be useful I probably would roll the dice on one BUT I don't want
to get stuck with a subpar unit. That being said, at the price point the PS14 Gen 2 is going for, personally experiencing a Gen 2 monocular before
moving up to a PVS14 seems tempting

Quoted:
All apologies I'm still trying to learn how to correctly respond to a board post lol

Quoted:
First off Gen 2 technology is a wide berth. What we in the US consider Gen 2 is just another type of photocathode that will amplify light to other nations. I am not going into a science lesson here but Gen 2 can be as good or better than many Gen 3. I like to see folks keep that PVS-14 on your head and use an IR laser. You can use it on a RDS up to 5.56 with a magnifier to get the range you need.

Quoted:
Yeah, it's a blast.  Perfect solution for me.  The right image for the right money.  Got a helmet and mount coming to give hiking a try, should the weather get warm.  It is what it is, but it more than meets my needs.  May give my hand at building one next but this is the perfect starting point.

Quoted:
A PVS14, weapon mounted on anything larger than 5.56 is asking for trouble I presume?

I've considered buying a bringback PS14 CGT from Apex  just to give it a whirl with Gen 2 before moving on
to Gen 3. If I knew it would be useful I probably would roll the dice on one BUT I don't want
to get stuck with a subpar unit. That being said, at the price point the PS14 Gen 2 is going for, personally experiencing a Gen 2 monocular before
moving up to a PVS14 seems tempting

Quoted:
I set it up with an ach rhino mount and j arm the ps14 is an amazing piece of equipment for its price I have about 50 hours on mine

That being said it does have its limitations on very dark nights you will need ir illumination before the gen 3 stuff target Id suffers a bit at distance vs gen 3 I would say I can Id an animal clearly at 75-100 yards on a clear night with some supplemental ir

For the price it can't be beat its a great first dive into NV and when you want to get serious with the hobby and upgrade your stuff it makes for an excellent loaner setup

Fwiw I'm now running a gen3 autogated unit and the carbon fiber team wendy helmet and I'm looking to buy a sentinal or bnvd by the end of the year this hobby is a slippery slope once you get hooked!