Best night vison scope

[Zinilin]

..IR is just like that. Doesn't take long to get disoriented with IR either.
"...use the scope in a non-dark situation..." IR is for complete darkness. Burns out with added light. .

I think you have confused IR with photo-multiplier. IR is not damaged by visible light, photo-multipliers are.

[lone-wolf]

"...rat hunters on YouTube..." Aren't from around here.

Apparently you haven't seen my chicken barn during a bad spell of rats.
Rats in Canada aren't bullet proof, they're as nocturnal as any other rat on youtube, the rat hunter's equipment can be purchased in Canada, and you can put them to the same work.

So thanks for another pointless post.

[sergiol83]

If you are on a budget (below $1k), a digital night vision will be a good choice. Something like ATN's new 4K X-sight. A good NV scope is NOT cheap, they cost as much as thermal scopes. If you can afford 4th GEN night vision - buy that! Truly amazing tech. But as I said, if you are not looking to spend a lot of money, you can find good night vision scopes here.

[Buster]

I have the xsight 2, 3-14, with the auxiliary battery as well as the upgraded IR illuminator.

Up until the other day I had only used cheap batteries in the scope, battery life was absolute shit. But I've now tested out some platinums, and they are so good that I'll probably not pack that auxiliary battery around anymore.

On a pure black, can't see your hand in front of your face night, with the base IR illuminator clear identifiable/shootable range is about 400m. With the 850 pro illuminator it's out to around 650m.

Inside 200m that 850 pro is too bright and washes out the image. For the most part the illuminator included with the scope is all you need.

Inside 150m with the base model illuminator and inside 400m with the 850 pro, images are so clean and clear it may as well be a black and white photo. Very good image.

I'm quite impressed actually.


But to be honest, the unit has some imperfections. Using the focus knob is important. If you are focussed on a target at 50m, you can't see anything at 100m and vice versa. As ranges extend it is less finicky. So it's not very good for scanning.

The best image quality settings also come with slower refresh rates, you get blurring while moving the scope but an excellent image when steady, and I mean STEADY. However the lowest quality has no blurring, but it's so good that there's no need for the other settings.

I have it mounted to my xcr-l. I have had it on other rifles and used different ammo, and the profile feature is excellent. If I change ammo or swap to a different rifle, selecting the appropriate profile does indeed
Keep it on target. Obviously zero should be checked when swapping rifles due to mounting irregularities but switching ammo should be of no concern in regards to checking zero.

If I could go back in time, I'd buy it again. But now there's the 4K model that is so much smaller/lighter. With the recent ITAR changes, I'm wondering if the thermal units will be available? I'd like one of those too.

[Buster]

Now with all that said, I do feel like the ideal setup for me would be more along the lines of head mounted nv gear and a nv compatable see through halographic optic

[Swampdonkey]

It's expensive, but worth it.

I may have been wrong here. Between the lag, narrow field of view, and glare contrast, I'm about to stop using weapon mounted nightvision. Too hard to follow the shot and maintain situational awareness.

I don't have money for a proper headset, but that's the next priority.

[lone-wolf]

I may have been wrong here. Between the lag, narrow field of view, and glare contrast, I'm about to stop using weapon mounted nightvision. Too hard to follow the shot and maintain situational awareness.

I don't have money for a proper headset, but that's the next priority.

What weapon mounted ones were you using?

[Swampdonkey]

What weapon mounted ones were you using?

Sightmark Wraith. Digital IR, good enough for use under Schedule C of the BC Wildlife Act.

I've played with other systems, but the all have those same issues to an extent. I've resorted to pitlamping with a red floodlight. Thermal Imaging seems to work better than infrared.