Night vision questions

[john2007oliver]

Well i am lookng to get nv in a month or so. Most likely from someone on here.

Would i be best getting a seperate gun to keep it on?

How much would i look to pay for a good one, both second hand and brand new?

Have you any links or could you explain how nightvision works etc?

Can you reccomend any nv scopes?

What is your general experience with night vision? Worth it or not?

Will nightvision scopes be broken on a springer/gas ram (hw90k?) Or should i look for a PCP too?

thanks John

[Oblivion]

I picked up a good quality second hand one for about 200 quid with two I/R illuminators you can get new ones for that but generaly their not to good quality...

it does make the eye releife for your scope a little aqaurd so if you really want to get the best out of it , id avise you move your scope as far forward as you can posibly get it

Be VERY Carefull not to expose it to normal light never turn the unit on in daylight and when you have it on your rifle scope never point it in a direction where there is artificial light as this will damage the unit

As far as usage goes , iv not had to much trouble getting rabbits with mine, Their eyes reflect the Infrared extremely brightly so you can pick them out very easy judging your distance can be a little trick as its hard to reference you will also find that once you focus your equipment for a perticular distance if you try to look at anything else it will be out of focus

The advantages are that if you keep quite and use a moderated rifle the rabbits have no idea your even there iv been able to get very very close with it , and they dont become lamp shy either :rolleyes:

2 other down sides if you hit a rabbit you have to go find it and you cant just switch on a torch without first shuting down your N/V unit, the other problem is if there are other shooters on your land you dont make your presence known to them they will have no idea your their unless you tell them so be carefull.

[rabbitman]

i dont recommend any one to put a nightsight on a recoiling airgun.I did it myself for a few years with no problem but may have just been lucky.A good jolt did finish off the scope.The choice of NV is currently very large.I would suggest you do your homework and try to see through as many different type scopes as you can.Many manufacturers frankly lie about performance.
A second consideration is can the scope be upgraded to gen 2 or gen 3 at a later date .Many can't and therefore can't grow with you.
You can buy cheap gen 1 night sights from £90 upwards.
Sights which are upgradeable are predominantly from the Dedal range or Newcon stable.Gen 1 expect to pay £600 up.

[john2007oliver]

ok cheers lads

[Lefty Gunz]

There is a VAST a,mount of info on here about all the aspects of nv, presumably you have done a search?

Are they worth it? Imo using nv is fantastic, shooting rats and rabbits in complete darkness is great fun and you will find the advantages of having it will give enable you to be far more succesful than when you use a lamp.

Make an informed choice and you wont regret it.:)

[C3PO_1]

Very, very silly statement here maybe ... but I thought rabbits cd see in the dark?!?!

[funkedup]

try here
http://www.binocularsmart.com

I was quoted £254 posted for the Falcon NCS-03-PRO.

Thought you might like to have a look, seems as though it would be plenty good enough for an air rifle :D

[funkedup]

Just a suggestion for the people who don't wish to spend loads.

Yes I agree with you theory of swapping, but what if you have one rifle dedicated to ratting and left it on as a ratting set up.

Also, rats at 35yds? why?

You can get within 15yds if you do it right and maybe even 10, then the low mag works wonders, quicker target aquisition.

it is always up to the individual and the individuals budget, just thought I would share an option with others. :rolleyes:

[Baldie]

Just a suggestion for the people who don't wish to spend loads.

Yes I agree with you theory of swapping, but what if you have one rifle dedicated to ratting and left it on as a ratting set up.

Also, rats at 35yds? why?

You can get within 15yds if you do it right and maybe even 10, then the low mag works wonders, quicker target aquisition.

it is always up to the individual and the individuals budget, just thought I would share an option with others. :rolleyes:


You're right, it's a personal thing.

Young eyes can cope with lower mags anyway. :)


TBH that unit looks like a bargain. Does it focus down to 15 yards out of interest? I thought (perhaps mistakenly) these were fixed parallax and started becoming focussed at about 25/30 yards?

[LagomorphHunter]

I had a dedicated NV (NS156) and although it was very good, as Rob said, tied up the rifle and meant rezeroing every time I swapped scopes. A real pain.

I therefore sold it and bought a second hand XVD-04, with an additional illuminator, there was an identical one on the for sale for £225 recently, very good price.

It works well, however to make it great, get the laser illuminator. Just bought one off Rob, its the business. Rob knows what he's talking about BTW.

You do really need to check your dayscope is good enough however, I had to re parallax mine, and on my son's scope, was no good.

I'd save up your pennies, and buy the add on system from Rob, with the laser illuminator. You will not be dissapointed.

[Baldie]

I had a dedicated NV (NS156) and although it was very good, as Rob said, tied up the rifle and meant rezeroing every time I swapped scopes. A real pain.

I therefore sold it and bought a second hand XVD-04, with an additional illuminator, there was an identical one on the for sale for £225 recently, very good price.

It works well, however to make it great, get the laser illuminator. Just bought one off Rob, its the business. Rob knows what he's talking about BTW.

You do really need to check your dayscope is good enough however, I had to re parallax mine, and on my son's scope, was no good.

I'd save up your pennies, and buy the add on system from Rob, with the laser illuminator. You will not be dissapointed.


You have to be careful you don't oversell a concept though. Many people don't want an add-on system because they'd prefer not to compromise.

I had a sales enquiry only hours ago (an hour in fact) where the fella wasn't going to have an add-on system no matter what it did. Doesn't help if you force this stuff down peoples throats. ;)


That said, I hope to add a ground-breaking (money-wise) 'dedicated' solution to my web site over the weekend. (If the digital camera ever arrives). ;) :D

[john2007oliver]

Looks like i will have to save my pennies then, can't quite understand though, will i need to save up for a PCP + nv + add-on? If so what is the total, if i wish to buy secound have, i should be looking at?

[funkedup]

an add on, if you wish to add it to your normal scope or a night vision scope if you want it to be a permanent fixture to the rifle.

Recoiling rifles sometimes damage the NV scope, you are always best off checking with the retailer to find out if they would withstand the recoil of your rifle as some airguns have a sharper recoil than some rimfires/centerfires.

Probably better of fitting one to a PCP from a weight point of view ie AAS200, nice and light rifle with a heavier scope would balance up to that of a heavier rifle and standard scope.

its all about preference

[Baldie]

Looks like i will have to save my pennies then, can't quite understand though, will i need to save up for a PCP + nv + add-on? If so what is the total, if i wish to buy secound have, i should be looking at?

Good quality second hand PCP anything from £200-£300.

Scope and mounts, another £100-£200. [Though you might have these already.]

New add-on system new at circa £560 with IR laser iluminator illuminator. "Newly-new" sometimes seen in the Sale section from £250 to £425.

There will be a new Airgun Only system available from next week at £499. :)

A 'Pro' system for £675 [IIRC] that will include a 3-12x44 sidewheel scope and mounts. :)

[funkedup]

http://www.airgunbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=159444

PERFECTO!!!

sell the scope and you have some towards NV :D

[Baldie]

http://www.airgunbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=159444

PERFECTO!!!

sell the scope and you have some towards NV :D


Actually, NV hunting with air is a PITA because of the lack of ability to judge distance easily. It's best done with a rifle that provides the flattest trajectory, so I would recommend .177 where possible. Flatter the arc the better.

[LagomorphHunter]

Agreed on the .177, I have enough trouble in the day, let alone getting the distance right with NV. I also use a red laser with three bits of camera negative to turn the wick down for the NV, works a treat and really helps me get it right.