[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Cheap NV scope. (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 3/13/2013 9:25:20 PM EDT
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http://www.opticsplanet.com/armasight-opmod-gen1rs-1-0-limited-edition-gen-1-night-vision-riflescope-3x-power.html
I'm well aware that NV is expensive stuff and aware of the fact that you get what you pay for in pretty much every aspect of life, but I'm curious if anyone has ever seen NV that cheap or maybe even has that model? Might be worth a shot at under $400. |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Are there even any NV units around $1000 that are worth having? Not really. You get with you pay for with NV. It isn't like some optics where you can have a cheap Chinese knock off that will be decent enough. |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Are there even any NV units around $1000 that are worth having? Not really. You get with you pay for with NV. It isn't like some optics where you can have a cheap Chinese knock off that will be decent enough. That's kind of what I figured. |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Are there even any NV units around $1000 that are worth having? Here's the thing: a $3000 PVS-14 isn't 3x as good as that bargain Russian one from Bass Pro Shop or whatever, it's 300x better (not really an exaggeration) so you're paying a significant chunk of the price for a tiny fraction of the performance. I was looking at a budget unit when I was initially shopping for NVG but ended up with a MuM and it was one of the best decisions I've made 
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Sure thing bud. I have a gen 1 atn on a .22. It is excellent for smacking coons out of trees. I used to use it on an ar 15. I was able to hit steel plates out to 300 with really good infrared. That is the key there- infrared is a must. I use a gen 2+ on my ar systems for coyote hunting. I use a luna laser for infrared. I will tell you right now nothing beats the luna. I have "the torch" and it does not even come close. I use it on the .22 for killing muskrat and coons. Gen 1 is useful when you have a realistic view of what you can/want to do with a 500 ish scope. If you save twice as much you can have a gen2 or better, but infrared is still a must. There is going to be a lot of TNVC fanboys who are about to tell you that anthing that is not gen 3 is garbage and you have to spend $7k+ to have NV you can enjoy. These guys probably work in an office and have soft hands. Or, work in ND in the oil fields and have really hard hands and shitty family lives. Research it, OP |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Are there even any NV units around $1000 that are worth having? Here's the thing: a $3000 PVS-14 isn't 3x as good as that bargain Russian one from Bass Pro Shop or whatever, it's 300x better (not really an exaggeration) so you're paying a significant chunk of the price for a tiny fraction of the performance. That sounds crazy, but it is pretty accurate. The cheapy Gen 1 stuff I've played with wasn't even remotely comparable to the Gen 3 stuff I used in the Army. Gen 1 is like walking into a room with a cheap flashlight that has near dead batteries. Gen 3 is like turning on the light switch. |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Are there even any NV units around $1000 that are worth having? Probably not in this end-is-near climate, but I put a PVS7a together out of parts ( by slowly gathering them from people cheaply) for $200 a few years ago with a 2nd gen tube & a new lens. The mount cost me more than the goggle. The Bushnell Tactical monocular was decent (usable and clear anyhow) for cheap gen 1, but it looks like it's no longer available. You might be able to find a gen 2 PVS4 for that. Your best move would be to just save for a gen 3 monocular like a PVS14 or MUM. |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Sure thing bud. I have a gen 1 atn on a .22. It is excellent for smacking coons out of trees. I used to use it on an ar 15. I was able to hit steel plates out to 300 with really good infrared. That is the key there- infrared is a must. I use a gen 2+ on my ar systems for coyote hunting. I use a luna laser for infrared. I will tell you right now nothing beats the luna. I have "the torch" and it does not even come close. I use it on the .22 for killing muskrat and coons. Gen 1 is useful when you have a realistic view of what you can/want to do with a 500 ish scope. If you save twice as much you can have a gen2 or better, but infrared is still a must. There is going to be a lot of TNVC fanboys who are about to tell you that anthing that is not gen 3 is garbage and you have to spend $7k+ to have NV you can enjoy. These guys probably work in an office and have soft hands. Or, work in ND in the oil fields and have really hard hands and shitty family lives. Research it, OP lol yeah, you got me. You sure did. Because I didn't get issued PVS7D's and PVS14's as an infantryman in the Army or anything. I just sit at my desk and repeat what I read on the internet when people ask for advice. |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Are there even any NV units around $1000 that are worth having? Probably not in this end-is-near climate, but I put a PVS7a together out of parts ( by slowly gathering them from people cheaply) for $200 a few years ago with a 2nd gen tube & a new lens. The mount cost me more than the goggle. The Bushnell Tactical monocular was decent (usable and clear anyhow) for cheap gen 1, but it looks like it's no longer available. You might be able to find a gen 2 PVS4 for that. Your best move would be to just save for a gen 3 monocular like a PVS14 or MUM. Why do people always suggest a mono when it sucks to get it behind a scope in order to actually shoot a coyote or something you will actually do in real life? |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Sure thing bud. I have a gen 1 atn on a .22. It is excellent for smacking coons out of trees. I used to use it on an ar 15. I was able to hit steel plates out to 300 with really good infrared. That is the key there- infrared is a must. I use a gen 2+ on my ar systems for coyote hunting. I use a luna laser for infrared. I will tell you right now nothing beats the luna. I have "the torch" and it does not even come close. I use it on the .22 for killing muskrat and coons. Gen 1 is useful when you have a realistic view of what you can/want to do with a 500 ish scope. If you save twice as much you can have a gen2 or better, but infrared is still a must. There is going to be a lot of TNVC fanboys who are about to tell you that anthing that is not gen 3 is garbage and you have to spend $7k+ to have NV you can enjoy. These guys probably work in an office and have soft hands. Or, work in ND in the oil fields and have really hard hands and shitty family lives. Research it, OP lol yeah, you got me. You sure did. Because I didn't get issued PVS7D's and PVS14's as an infantryman in the Army or anything. yeah and with a 14, how far before your aiming laser bloomed out the target? Is the op going to clear some rooms back here in the states? fixed power saves money and gets more fur in the shed. |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Are there even any NV units around $1000 that are worth having? Probably not in this end-is-near climate, but I put a PVS7a together out of parts ( by slowly gathering them from people cheaply) for $200 a few years ago with a 2nd gen tube & a new lens. The mount cost me more than the goggle. The Bushnell Tactical monocular was decent (usable and clear anyhow) for cheap gen 1, but it looks like it's no longer available. You might be able to find a gen 2 PVS4 for that. Your best move would be to just save for a gen 3 monocular like a PVS14 or MUM. Why do people always suggest a mono when it sucks to get it behind a scope in order to actually shoot a coyote or something you will actually do in real life? Use a laser to aim. You can also mount the monocular behind your scope, but it sucks to scan (not to mention walk around) with your NV on your rifle. You aren't stuck with PEQs anymore, there are several affordable ir weapon lasers out now. |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Are there even any NV units around $1000 that are worth having? Probably not in this end-is-near climate, but I put a PVS7a together out of parts ( by slowly gathering them from people cheaply) for $200 a few years ago with a 2nd gen tube & a new lens. The mount cost me more than the goggle. The Bushnell Tactical monocular was decent (usable and clear anyhow) for cheap gen 1, but it looks like it's no longer available. You might be able to find a gen 2 PVS4 for that. Your best move would be to just save for a gen 3 monocular like a PVS14 or MUM. Why do people always suggest a mono when it sucks to get it behind a scope in order to actually shoot a coyote or something you will actually do in real life? I preferred the mono because I liked having one eye able to see "normal." It made it easier to move around with the unit helmet mounted. With the PVS7D I was always tripping over shit because nearby stuff was never in focus (I had it focused for longer ranges because I was on the lookout for bad guys to shoot at). My eyes were also both always adjusted to the "goggle view" so if I tried to look under them or something I couldn't see shit till my eyes adjusted to the low light condition. |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Are there even any NV units around $1000 that are worth having? Probably not in this end-is-near climate, but I put a PVS7a together out of parts ( by slowly gathering them from people cheaply) for $200 a few years ago with a 2nd gen tube & a new lens. The mount cost me more than the goggle. The Bushnell Tactical monocular was decent (usable and clear anyhow) for cheap gen 1, but it looks like it's no longer available. You might be able to find a gen 2 PVS4 for that. Your best move would be to just save for a gen 3 monocular like a PVS14 or MUM. Why do people always suggest a mono when it sucks to get it behind a scope in order to actually shoot a coyote or something you will actually do in real life? Use a laser to aim. You can also mount the monocular behind your scope, but it sucks to scan (not to mention walk around) with your NV on your rifle. You aren't stuck with PEQs anymore, there are several affordable ir weapon lasers out now. hehe boy you got that right. Scanning with rifle mounted nv sucks. |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Sure thing bud. I have a gen 1 atn on a .22. It is excellent for smacking coons out of trees. I used to use it on an ar 15. I was able to hit steel plates out to 300 with really good infrared. That is the key there- infrared is a must. I use a gen 2+ on my ar systems for coyote hunting. I use a luna laser for infrared. I will tell you right now nothing beats the luna. I have "the torch" and it does not even come close. I use it on the .22 for killing muskrat and coons. Gen 1 is useful when you have a realistic view of what you can/want to do with a 500 ish scope. If you save twice as much you can have a gen2 or better, but infrared is still a must. There is going to be a lot of TNVC fanboys who are about to tell you that anthing that is not gen 3 is garbage and you have to spend $7k+ to have NV you can enjoy. These guys probably work in an office and have soft hands. Or, work in ND in the oil fields and have really hard hands and shitty family lives. Research it, OP lol yeah, you got me. You sure did. Because I didn't get issued PVS7D's and PVS14's as an infantryman in the Army or anything. yeah and with a 14, how far before your aiming laser bloomed out the target? Is the op going to clear some rooms back here in the states? fixed power saves money and gets more fur in the shed. These aren't overpowered like .mil lasers and won't bloom out your target. http://tnvc.com/shop/category/class1-civilian-legal-infrared-lasers/ |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Are there even any NV units around $1000 that are worth having? Probably not in this end-is-near climate, but I put a PVS7a together out of parts ( by slowly gathering them from people cheaply) for $200 a few years ago with a 2nd gen tube & a new lens. The mount cost me more than the goggle. The Bushnell Tactical monocular was decent (usable and clear anyhow) for cheap gen 1, but it looks like it's no longer available. You might be able to find a gen 2 PVS4 for that. Your best move would be to just save for a gen 3 monocular like a PVS14 or MUM. Why do people always suggest a mono when it sucks to get it behind a scope in order to actually shoot a coyote or something you will actually do in real life? I preferred the mono because I liked having one eye able to see "normal." It made it easier to move around with the unit helmet mounted. With the PVS7D I was always tripping over shit because nearby stuff was never in focus (I had it focused for longer ranges because I was on the lookout for bad guys to shoot at). My eyes were also both always adjusted to the "goggle view" so if I tried to look under them or something I couldn't see shit till my eyes adjusted to the low light condition. Man that is one thing I never wanted to try- when I get done looking out my scope, with my scope eye it is so fucked it is unreal. Don't get how you guys managed to stumble around with a monocular. No offense to you in my previous posts or anything. What is the diff between the 7 and 14? |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Are there even any NV units around $1000 that are worth having? Probably not in this end-is-near climate, but I put a PVS7a together out of parts ( by slowly gathering them from people cheaply) for $200 a few years ago with a 2nd gen tube & a new lens. The mount cost me more than the goggle. The Bushnell Tactical monocular was decent (usable and clear anyhow) for cheap gen 1, but it looks like it's no longer available. You might be able to find a gen 2 PVS4 for that. Your best move would be to just save for a gen 3 monocular like a PVS14 or MUM. Why do people always suggest a mono when it sucks to get it behind a scope in order to actually shoot a coyote or something you will actually do in real life? I preferred the mono because I liked having one eye able to see "normal." It made it easier to move around with the unit helmet mounted. With the PVS7D I was always tripping over shit because nearby stuff was never in focus (I had it focused for longer ranges because I was on the lookout for bad guys to shoot at). My eyes were also both always adjusted to the "goggle view" so if I tried to look under them or something I couldn't see shit till my eyes adjusted to the low light condition. Man that is one thing I never wanted to try- when I get done looking out my scope, with my scope eye it is so fucked it is unreal. Don't get how you guys managed to stumble around with a monocular. No offense to you in my previous posts or anything. What is the diff between the 7 and 14? 7 is dual eye, one tube, 14 is one eye' one tube. |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Sure thing bud. I have a gen 1 atn on a .22. It is excellent for smacking coons out of trees. I used to use it on an ar 15. I was able to hit steel plates out to 300 with really good infrared. That is the key there- infrared is a must. I use a gen 2+ on my ar systems for coyote hunting. I use a luna laser for infrared. I will tell you right now nothing beats the luna. I have "the torch" and it does not even come close. I use it on the .22 for killing muskrat and coons. Gen 1 is useful when you have a realistic view of what you can/want to do with a 500 ish scope. If you save twice as much you can have a gen2 or better, but infrared is still a must. There is going to be a lot of TNVC fanboys who are about to tell you that anthing that is not gen 3 is garbage and you have to spend $7k+ to have NV you can enjoy. These guys probably work in an office and have soft hands. Or, work in ND in the oil fields and have really hard hands and shitty family lives. Research it, OP lol yeah, you got me. You sure did. Because I didn't get issued PVS7D's and PVS14's as an infantryman in the Army or anything. yeah and with a 14, how far before your aiming laser bloomed out the target? Is the op going to clear some rooms back here in the states? fixed power saves money and gets more fur in the shed. I used PVS14's and PEQ2's to engage targets at 500 yards on machinegun qual ranges and known distance rifle ranges. What OP is going to do with his depends on whatever he wants to do with it. People buy stuff like this for a variety of reasons. |
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These aren't overpowered like .mil lasers and won't bloom out your target.
http://tnvc.com/shop/category/class1-civilian-legal-infrared-lasers/[/quote] Like I said, I use the luna. All i shall ever want for, save a real pvs22.[/quote] Isn't the Luna an illuminator? Those are aiming lasers. |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Sure thing bud. I have a gen 1 atn on a .22. It is excellent for smacking coons out of trees. I used to use it on an ar 15. I was able to hit steel plates out to 300 with really good infrared. That is the key there- infrared is a must. I use a gen 2+ on my ar systems for coyote hunting. I use a luna laser for infrared. I will tell you right now nothing beats the luna. I have "the torch" and it does not even come close. I use it on the .22 for killing muskrat and coons. Gen 1 is useful when you have a realistic view of what you can/want to do with a 500 ish scope. If you save twice as much you can have a gen2 or better, but infrared is still a must. There is going to be a lot of TNVC fanboys who are about to tell you that anthing that is not gen 3 is garbage and you have to spend $7k+ to have NV you can enjoy. These guys probably work in an office and have soft hands. Or, work in ND in the oil fields and have really hard hands and shitty family lives. Research it, OP lol yeah, you got me. You sure did. Because I didn't get issued PVS7D's and PVS14's as an infantryman in the Army or anything. yeah and with a 14, how far before your aiming laser bloomed out the target? Is the op going to clear some rooms back here in the states? fixed power saves money and gets more fur in the shed. I used PVS14's and PEQ2's to engage targets at 500 yards on machinegun qual ranges and known distance rifle ranges. What OP is going to do with his depends on whatever he wants to do with it. People buy stuff like this for a variety of reasons. Yeah that is true. I bought gen 1 to make sure I really was dedicated to the whole NV game. Once I had it, it wasn't worth getting rid of. So now I use it to kill pests in the barns on a .22. Since I am an avid yote hunter, that is my take. I am not military oriented as a rancher, so I am happy with gen 2+. |
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These aren't overpowered like .mil lasers and won't bloom out your target.
http://tnvc.com/shop/category/class1-civilian-legal-infrared-lasers/ Like I said, I use the luna. All i shall ever want for, save a real pvs22.[/quote] Isn't the Luna an illuminator? Those are aiming lasers. [/quote] Yeah it can be narrowed down for one, but they can also be spread out like an illuminator. They just started selling them again after the FDA pitched a bitch about the previous ones being too powerful- you can find them at modarmory.com They are wonderful- they are so light. |
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I've been pretty happy with the binocular PNV-57 I got.
Yes, it's heavy, cumbersome, you have to jury-rig a portable 12 or 24v DC power supply and socket interface, there's no english documentation, and it was probably packed up in storage for the last time before your parents met. BUT! It's solid, it's Russian peasant-proof, for Gen 0 it's actually pretty decent image quality, it's two tubes / two eyes, it comes with spare parts and all kinds of neat former Combloc goodies in the storage case, and it's less than $200. Show me another two-tube NV binocular available for less than $200 that isn't green cellophane over the end of a pair of toilet paper tubes. |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Are there even any NV units around $1000 that are worth having? Probably not in this end-is-near climate, but I put a PVS7a together out of parts ( by slowly gathering them from people cheaply) for $200 a few years ago with a 2nd gen tube & a new lens. The mount cost me more than the goggle. The Bushnell Tactical monocular was decent (usable and clear anyhow) for cheap gen 1, but it looks like it's no longer available. You might be able to find a gen 2 PVS4 for that. Your best move would be to just save for a gen 3 monocular like a PVS14 or MUM. Why do people always suggest a mono when it sucks to get it behind a scope in order to actually shoot a coyote or something you will actually do in real life? I preferred the mono because I liked having one eye able to see "normal." It made it easier to move around with the unit helmet mounted. With the PVS7D I was always tripping over shit because nearby stuff was never in focus (I had it focused for longer ranges because I was on the lookout for bad guys to shoot at). My eyes were also both always adjusted to the "goggle view" so if I tried to look under them or something I couldn't see shit till my eyes adjusted to the low light condition. Man that is one thing I never wanted to try- when I get done looking out my scope, with my scope eye it is so fucked it is unreal. Don't get how you guys managed to stumble around with a monocular. No offense to you in my previous posts or anything. What is the diff between the 7 and 14? I think the 7 and 14 uses the same tube (I could be wrong there), the 14 just is a mono and the 7 is a goggle. Some guys swore the 7's "looked like shit" but I never saw any real difference. No worries about the other posts. I'll admit I'm pretty NV spoiled. A couple years ago I bought a Russian 1pn58 to go with my AK's.. heard it was somewhere between gen 1 and gen 2 quality. I sold it the day after I got it. Thing was useless without the IR floodlight from hell..lol No interest in something that needs an insane floodlight, so I'm done with cheap NV after that. |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Sure thing bud. I have a gen 1 atn on a .22. It is excellent for smacking coons out of trees. I used to use it on an ar 15. I was able to hit steel plates out to 300 with really good infrared. That is the key there- infrared is a must. I use a gen 2+ on my ar systems for coyote hunting. I use a luna laser for infrared. I will tell you right now nothing beats the luna. I have "the torch" and it does not even come close. I use it on the .22 for killing muskrat and coons. Gen 1 is useful when you have a realistic view of what you can/want to do with a 500 ish scope. If you save twice as much you can have a gen2 or better, but infrared is still a must. There is going to be a lot of TNVC fanboys who are about to tell you that anthing that is not gen 3 is garbage and you have to spend $7k+ to have NV you can enjoy. These guys probably work in an office and have soft hands. Or, work in ND in the oil fields and have really hard hands and shitty family lives. Research it, OP lol yeah, you got me. You sure did. Because I didn't get issued PVS7D's and PVS14's as an infantryman in the Army or anything. yeah and with a 14, how far before your aiming laser bloomed out the target? Is the op going to clear some rooms back here in the states? fixed power saves money and gets more fur in the shed. I used PVS14's and PEQ2's to engage targets at 500 yards on machinegun qual ranges and known distance rifle ranges. What OP is going to do with his depends on whatever he wants to do with it. People buy stuff like this for a variety of reasons. Yeah that is true. I bought gen 1 to make sure I really was dedicated to the whole NV game. Once I had it, it wasn't worth getting rid of. So now I use it to kill pests in the barns on a .22. Since I am an avid yote hunter, that is my take. I am not military oriented as a rancher, so I am happy with gen 2+. Look through a nice gen 3. (Real US gen 3, not combloc "gen 3") You'll want one, I promise. It's so bright & crisp & the illuminator is not nearly as necessary. |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Are there even any NV units around $1000 that are worth having? Probably not in this end-is-near climate, but I put a PVS7a together out of parts ( by slowly gathering them from people cheaply) for $200 a few years ago with a 2nd gen tube & a new lens. The mount cost me more than the goggle. The Bushnell Tactical monocular was decent (usable and clear anyhow) for cheap gen 1, but it looks like it's no longer available. You might be able to find a gen 2 PVS4 for that. Your best move would be to just save for a gen 3 monocular like a PVS14 or MUM. Why do people always suggest a mono when it sucks to get it behind a scope in order to actually shoot a coyote or something you will actually do in real life? I preferred the mono because I liked having one eye able to see "normal." It made it easier to move around with the unit helmet mounted. With the PVS7D I was always tripping over shit because nearby stuff was never in focus (I had it focused for longer ranges because I was on the lookout for bad guys to shoot at). My eyes were also both always adjusted to the "goggle view" so if I tried to look under them or something I couldn't see shit till my eyes adjusted to the low light condition. Man that is one thing I never wanted to try- when I get done looking out my scope, with my scope eye it is so fucked it is unreal. Don't get how you guys managed to stumble around with a monocular. No offense to you in my previous posts or anything. What is the diff between the 7 and 14? I think the 7 and 14 uses the same tube (I could be wrong there), the 14 just is a mono and the 7 is a goggle. Some guys swore the 7's "looked like shit" but I never saw any real difference. No worries about the other posts. I'll admit I'm pretty NV spoiled. A couple years ago I bought a Russian 1pn58 to go with my AK's.. heard it was somewhere between gen 1 and gen 2 quality. I sold it the day after I got it. Thing was useless without the IR floodlight from hell..lol No interest in something that needs an insane floodlight, so I'm done with cheap NV after that. You sound just like my best friend who is ex army- he is spoiled when it comes to scopes. 
Cheap NV is just something that you have to take for what it is- it needs a shit ton of help, and so long as you don't have a foe who can see IR, have fun with it and kill yotes. |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Sure thing bud. I have a gen 1 atn on a .22. It is excellent for smacking coons out of trees. I used to use it on an ar 15. I was able to hit steel plates out to 300 with really good infrared. That is the key there- infrared is a must. I use a gen 2+ on my ar systems for coyote hunting. I use a luna laser for infrared. I will tell you right now nothing beats the luna. I have "the torch" and it does not even come close. I use it on the .22 for killing muskrat and coons. Gen 1 is useful when you have a realistic view of what you can/want to do with a 500 ish scope. If you save twice as much you can have a gen2 or better, but infrared is still a must. There is going to be a lot of TNVC fanboys who are about to tell you that anthing that is not gen 3 is garbage and you have to spend $7k+ to have NV you can enjoy. These guys probably work in an office and have soft hands. Or, work in ND in the oil fields and have really hard hands and shitty family lives. Research it, OP lol yeah, you got me. You sure did. Because I didn't get issued PVS7D's and PVS14's as an infantryman in the Army or anything. yeah and with a 14, how far before your aiming laser bloomed out the target? Is the op going to clear some rooms back here in the states? fixed power saves money and gets more fur in the shed. I used PVS14's and PEQ2's to engage targets at 500 yards on machinegun qual ranges and known distance rifle ranges. What OP is going to do with his depends on whatever he wants to do with it. People buy stuff like this for a variety of reasons. Yeah that is true. I bought gen 1 to make sure I really was dedicated to the whole NV game. Once I had it, it wasn't worth getting rid of. So now I use it to kill pests in the barns on a .22. Since I am an avid yote hunter, that is my take. I am not military oriented as a rancher, so I am happy with gen 2+. Look through a nice gen 3. (Real US gen 3, not combloc "gen 3") You'll want one, I promise. It's so bright & crisp & the illuminator is not nearly as necessary. Oh I have, and they are indeed nice, and I will get one as soon as I am not spending all my money maintaining equipment and animals. Looking at a D-760 or the like. My point is you don't have to start with the most expensive to enjoy a night out killing predators. 
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So the ignorant question I have to ask: why does it cost so much and will an inevitable Gen IV, V, etc. drive the cost down of what would be considered effective units(the current gen III)? Just curious. I fear by the time that happens we will either be too old to enjoy them, or they will be outlawed or some such bullshit. 
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Sure thing bud. I have a gen 1 atn on a .22. It is excellent for smacking coons out of trees. I used to use it on an ar 15. I was able to hit steel plates out to 300 with really good infrared. That is the key there- infrared is a must. I use a gen 2+ on my ar systems for coyote hunting. I use a luna laser for infrared. I will tell you right now nothing beats the luna. I have "the torch" and it does not even come close. I use it on the .22 for killing muskrat and coons. Gen 1 is useful when you have a realistic view of what you can/want to do with a 500 ish scope. If you save twice as much you can have a gen2 or better, but infrared is still a must. There is going to be a lot of TNVC fanboys who are about to tell you that anthing that is not gen 3 is garbage and you have to spend $7k+ to have NV you can enjoy. These guys probably work in an office and have soft hands. Or, work in ND in the oil fields and have really hard hands and shitty family lives. Research it, OP Can you provide a link or where to look up that Luna laser you have? I'm not having much luck. |
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Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Sure thing bud. I have a gen 1 atn on a .22. It is excellent for smacking coons out of trees. I used to use it on an ar 15. I was able to hit steel plates out to 300 with really good infrared. That is the key there- infrared is a must. I use a gen 2+ on my ar systems for coyote hunting. I use a luna laser for infrared. I will tell you right now nothing beats the luna. I have "the torch" and it does not even come close. I use it on the .22 for killing muskrat and coons. Gen 1 is useful when you have a realistic view of what you can/want to do with a 500 ish scope. If you save twice as much you can have a gen2 or better, but infrared is still a must. There is going to be a lot of TNVC fanboys who are about to tell you that anthing that is not gen 3 is garbage and you have to spend $7k+ to have NV you can enjoy. These guys probably work in an office and have soft hands. Or, work in ND in the oil fields and have really hard hands and shitty family lives. Research it, OP Can you provide a link or where to look up that Luna laser you have? I'm not having much luck. modarmory I got mine frome here. Edit- you don't want the damn led IR illuminator by luna. LED is for girls. You want the one that hurts the worst, the $400 laser. |
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So the ignorant question I have to ask: why does it cost so much and will an inevitable Gen IV, V, etc. drive the cost down of what would be considered effective units(the current gen III)? Just curious. Think of the technology involved: the NV is multiplying light hundreds of times. Then there are the issues of durability, being able to withstand the recoil of a rifle (you can mount a PVS-14 on a rifle), focal planes/depth perception, and so on. Quality product typically costs quality money. The Chinese can make some really good knock off stuff for cheap even then, the best Chinese scope doesn't hold a candle to a Schmidt and Bender, or even an SWFA. As for driving down the cost of Gen III, it depends on by how much. If you're wanting Gen III to be the price of Gen I now, then wait a decade give or take. Maybe five years if you're lucky, but I doubt it. |
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So the ignorant question I have to ask: why does it cost so much and will an inevitable Gen IV, V, etc. drive the cost down of what would be considered effective units(the current gen III)? Just curious. Probably, thats how technology tends to go. But there is no telling when that will be. It could also be that the "next level" of NV would be so ungodly expensive that it won't do much for the prices of the Gen 3 stuff. |
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So the ignorant question I have to ask: why does it cost so much and will an inevitable Gen IV, V, etc. drive the cost down of what would be considered effective units(the current gen III)? Just curious. It's unbelievably complex & delicate & there are a lot of tubes that don't meet standards. Very expensive to make, if you read about how it's done you'll be amazed we can even make them. Not many other countries can manufacture comparable quality tubes- even if we made all the manufacturing processes public. It's crazily precise & miniaturized - tens of thousands of little fibers. Amazing stuff. |
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The Zeiss Orion 80 is the only generation 1 scope I am aware of that is any good. I bought one for $430 when they first were imported. They are considered generation 1 but they are really a cascade system of multiple tubes, which gives it about the same performance as early PVS-4 gen2 devices. Between gunbroker and ebay you can find one for around $700, then put an arms stanag qd picatinny mount on it. Mine is very robust and performs great. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Gen 1 night vision is absolute garbage. That 3x zoom is going to zoom you right out of its very limited range. Pointless all around. Sure thing bud. I have a gen 1 atn on a .22. It is excellent for smacking coons out of trees. I used to use it on an ar 15. I was able to hit steel plates out to 300 with really good infrared. That is the key there- infrared is a must. I use a gen 2+ on my ar systems for coyote hunting. I use a luna laser for infrared. I will tell you right now nothing beats the luna. I have "the torch" and it does not even come close. I use it on the .22 for killing muskrat and coons. Gen 1 is useful when you have a realistic view of what you can/want to do with a 500 ish scope. If you save twice as much you can have a gen2 or better, but infrared is still a must. There is going to be a lot of TNVC fanboys who are about to tell you that anthing that is not gen 3 is garbage and you have to spend $7k+ to have NV you can enjoy. These guys probably work in an office and have soft hands. Or, work in ND in the oil fields and have really hard hands and shitty family lives. Research it, OP Can you provide a link or where to look up that Luna laser you have? I'm not having much luck. m******* I got mine frome here. Edit- you don't want the damn led IR illuminator by luna. LED is for girls. You want the one that hurts the worst, the $400 laser. Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Why do people always suggest a mono when it sucks to get it behind a scope in order to actually shoot a coyote or something you will actually do in real life? I preferred the mono because I liked having one eye able to see "normal." It made it easier to move around with the unit helmet mounted. With the PVS7D I was always tripping over shit because nearby stuff was never in focus (I had it focused for longer ranges because I was on the lookout for bad guys to shoot at). My eyes were also both always adjusted to the "goggle view" so if I tried to look under them or something I couldn't see shit till my eyes adjusted to the low light condition. Man that is one thing I never wanted to try- when I get done looking out my scope, with my scope eye it is so fucked it is unreal. Don't get how you guys managed to stumble around with a monocular. No offense to you in my previous posts or anything. What is the diff between the 7 and 14? So. new person, who is such an expert on night vision that he doesn't know what the difference between a pvs7 and 14 is, that he trashes TNVC, a site sponsor, and people who know what gen3 can do, and can buy gen3, and knows how to use it. Then, he post a site to buy stuff from that is banned from ar15 ......   |
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Do your research and make damn sure your not buying CMOS based night vision. While it does work somewhat, it is nowhere near the real Image Intensifying Tube type scope or bino's.
I have a gen 1 monocular from ATN that I picked up for $125 from Big 5 sporting goods. It works nice and crisp out to about 30-40yds! Beyond that it gets blurry until no image can be seen (100yds+)! After a few mins of using this device in pitch black, my eye starts throbbing, and I end up with a mild headache. I will be buying binoculars next time around. |
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comparison on generations of nightvision devices.... from tnvc http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_18/329958_.html review of a digital nightvision scope that seems okay if you have to have nightvision and can't afford gen2 or 3 stuff - xgen http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_18/363342_XGen_review_and_evaluation___Digital___Gen1_Level_NV__.html and a cheap diy riflescope you can make from it, which would still give you gen1 performace (jury still out on how high a caliber it will handle) http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_18/386985_Is_it_possible_to_build_a_night_vision_riflescope_for_under__300_.html&page=1&anc=bottom#bottom you'll need a strong IR illuminator for it,. though, but.... if you do a diy route, go to dealextreme.com (now dx.com) and get one of their ir modules, or for a flashlight, their wf-502b 3w ir flashlight head, a body, and batteries (yes, it is from china, and could take up to 4 weeks to get to you from customs). another suggestion - if you are going to be hunting animals, just make a diy head mount, and put a red laser on your rifle |
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what are your needs and plans with nightvision? There is a nightvision forum you can peruse, also, to give you background on deciding what you actually may want.... - it's in the armory section one consideration on gen2 and 3, is that the tube life on a gen2 is much less than gen3 - maybe 3000hrs vs 10000+ for gen3, while the price differential isn't that much more (about 1K? usually) so it may be worth it to just save the extra money and go for a gen3, rather than a gen2. |
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http://www.opticsplanet.com/armasight-opmod-gen1rs-1-0-limited-edition-gen-1-night-vision-riflescope-3x-power.html I'm well aware that NV is expensive stuff and aware of the fact that you get what you pay for in pretty much every aspect of life, but I'm curious if anyone has ever seen NV that cheap or maybe even has that model? Might be worth a shot at under $400. To answer the OP: Don't bother with Gen 1 unless it is cascaded. It is more or less total shit otherwise. Systems I've personally owned: PVS-2 PVS-4 PVS-7D PVS-14* *Still own this one. Guess why. Now, for the issue of budget night vision: PVS-2 $500 - Cascaded 1st Gen (three electrostatic inverter 1st gen tubes in a row). It is about the size of a coleman thermos, weighs 6 lbs, has an obsolete mounting system (external sight adjustment, offset, unbalanced), and suffers from fisheye and streaking/flaring. The flip side to this is with the mounting system removed it makes a passable 4 power spotting scope, and the cascaded arrangement gives it a gain (light amplification) that is actually comparable to Gen 3. Mind you the resolution of the image is no where near Gen 3, but it will be able to function on overcast or moonless nights without the absolute need for active infrared illumination, unlike the next step up (Gen 2, PVS-4). Band edge for this tech is about 800nm, which is pretty much just barely inside if the short wave infrared spectrum. Visible red ends at 780nm. For comparison, Gen 2 and Gen 3 can "see" into the SWIR to about 850nm and 900nm respectively. The price points for the above systems are roughly 500, 1200, 2000, and 2800. I bought the -7D first, sold it and later got the -14. I only got the -2 and -4 just for shits n giggles, but if it's all you can afford, the -2 will make a passable beginner device, though I would recommend saving up and just springing for a -14 straight off the bat. It really is the jack-of-all-trades when it comes to NVG's. If you want to learn more about this stuff before you drop any coin then swing by the NVG section located in the Armory. ETA: A decent weapon laser sight can be made from a beamshot and an IR laser diode for about $130. After getting my -14 this was a stepping stone I used until I could afford a more robust an purpose build IR laser/illuminator device. Another Gen 1 cascaded scope that is actually a bit better than the PVS-2, but has dried up in the market some, is the Zeiss Orion 80/I (Fero Z51). It runs on C batteries, has internal aiming adjustments, and has much better mounting systems. Best of luck. |
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http://www.opticsplanet.com/armasight-opmod-gen1rs-1-0-limited-edition-gen-1-night-vision-riflescope-3x-power.html I'm well aware that NV is expensive stuff and aware of the fact that you get what you pay for in pretty much every aspect of life, but I'm curious if anyone has ever seen NV that cheap or maybe even has that model? Might be worth a shot at under $400. Gen 1 is not worth the effort or expense. You can just ALMOST see better with naked eye than Gen 1 Gen 2 SHP at a MINIMUM.... Even then the difference between 2 and 3 is amazing... Save your pennies and get a real nod. |