Rod Outback
2015-08-15 22:35:44 UTC
To the folks that arent dead...
I have plunged back into the world of Night Vision scopes; it was about 24
months ago when I made the mistake that is the Pulsar NV750 Rifle Digiscope.
The whole mess of trying to get the damn thing to work had left me rather
jaded with the whole concept...
However, the increasing Puppy incursions require me to re-address the idea.
This time around, I have elected to go the scope attachment, rather than the
complete NV rifle scope. I'm sure the dedicated NV scope is the better
choice if you are making your living from it (like you got the contract for
the moggies in Weipa), but a REALLY good NV scope (even a digital one) will
cost significantly over $5K.
The Pulsar failed on three counts, in my opinion;
1). We couldnt get the damn thing to hold a Point of Aim; even on a .243. We
wonder if the recoil is upsetting it, but the specs state it is able to
handle rifles bigger than .308. I do now have the .223 set up to try it
out(fitted a rail), but I've pretty much given up on it.
2). The rocket scientists at Pulsar have built it with a screen the size of
your ocular/eyepiece lens, despite it being possible to make it any size
they like. You need to be faily close to the damn thing to see it properly,
and that isnt a nice idea for any rifle with a decent recoil. Also, the
height of the scope (it has integrated mounts so you cant swap them out)
means you cant weld your cheek to the stock to take aim. They should have
made a screen 3 times larger, and set it up for long eye relief.
3). Even with the crappy screen, the NV750 scope has REALLY crap battery
life. the only option is external power, and even that doesnt play nice
with the internal batteries(It's configured to draw power from one or the
other, but no option to draw external power, and also charge the internal
batteries at the same time)
I'm really pissed with this scope; it had a lot of promise when it arrived,
and I could see it having a lot of use.
So, the past 24 months of trying to get the NV750 useable, has left me
against the idea of dedicated NV rifle scopes, or at least ones that I could
actually afford.
So, the other day, I decided to trial a Nite Site 'Eagle' NV scope
attachment. Nite Site make 3 versions of their scope attachments, and the
'Eagle' is the longest-range version. Supposedly, it's good for 500 metres,
but I'm something of a sceptic that any NV manufacturers use the same sized
metres as I use.
The 'Eagle' has a clamp that goes onto your scope barrel, and looks like it
can live there most of the time. It's plastic, so I have a couple of spare
ones on order. They come supplied with a 25mm, and a 30mm clamp, which
should cover most scopes..
The box that then slots/clamps onto the top of your scope, houses the large
set of IR emitters, and a 5" screen at the back. This is your sighting
screen.
There are a couple of heavy rubber sleeves supplied, of which one will fit
over the eyepiece lenses of most rifle scopes. The digital camera unit
slides into the back of this sleeve, and also contains the on/off switch,
and the sockets for leads from the battery, and the Emitter/Screen unit(also
a socket for a video recorder). The battery is about 15cms long, and is
about 7 cms wide, and around 1 cm thick. There is a velco sleeve supplied
for strapping the battery to your rifle stock, or your belt. Battery's rated
at 5500Mah, and is supposed to give you 3 hours on this model, at max. IR
output. IR output is adjusted by a knob on the very top of the IR unit.
Given we rarely shoot past 150 metres at night, I expect we can run it
around the 70% output or less. This will increase battery life by at least
an hour. I have ordered a second battery, though I expect we may not need it
very often.
All up, the unit takes around 10 minutes to fit onto the rifle, and would be
a lot quicker the next time, when you know what goes where.
So, last night I fitted the 'Eagle' to the Redfield scope on the Krico .243,
and just after sunset, went up to the shearing shed to find a few test
subjects...
So, this system isnt perfect by any means:-
1). The heavy rubber sleeves have a little amount of movement in them, and
so it's possible to have the view off centre. Not hard to resolve quickly,
and just more fiddly than anything. I didnt find the rubber sleeve moved
around at all when shooting, but theres just a bit more preparation before
firing your first shot.
2). The rubber sleeves add to the diameter of the rear of your scope
eyepiece. I hadnt realised how little room there was when I open the Krico
bolt, and so had to remove the sleeve/camera to reload each time. Fitting
this setup onto the Rabbit Gun when I got home, I find I have a LOT more
room between scope and bolt knob, and so it's not an issue. I'd guess you'd
want around 1cm clearance between the bolt knob and the scope at all times,
for this not to piss you off.
3). The battery life is still a question mark, and though a Velcroed sleeve
is supplied to strap the battery along your rifle butt, I found that wasnt
the most ergonomic of solutions. I think there is a belt loop in the Velcro
sleeve, so it can be mounted on your belt.
4). The different sighting position takes a little adjustment, and probably
works best from a rest with a bipod. I found it rather weird to not be 'one
with the rifle'...
5). The Sleeve takes a bit of wrangling to get it over the eyepiece lens.
6). Depending on your scope design, you might find it difficult to adjust
zoom on the fly. To be honest, I do most of my low-light shooting at around
6x, so I dont find this much of an issue.
HOWEVER, on the plus side:-
1). You dont need to sight this unit in; it's not affecting the existing
scopes POI.
2). The screen is bright, and easy to see from a distance. During daylight,
the screen is in colour, but B&W at night.
3). The whole setup has an on/off button, an IR output dial, and you can
manually adjust the focal point of the camera. There arent a lot of buttons
to get confused about!
4). The battery does seem to last a reasonable amount of time, wheras the
Pulsar battery was dropping as you watched...
5). The zoom on your rifle scope is what you have with this system.
6). You have the same scope reticule to work with, so you still retain
things like holdover points etc.
7). The IR emitters certainly do light up objects well out beyond 150
metres. I find back around the 65-75% is about as high as I need, to be
able to see everything I would be inclined to shoot at. However, if I am
using this on one of the Nightforce scopes at max zoom, I'll probably
appreciate the spare IR light being on tap.
So, how did it work?
Well, I only pokked a couple of test subjects, as this was when I discovered
the issue with the bolt knob interfering with the sleeve. However, I nailed
2 large adult Pokk-Hoppies, and they were both around 85 metres. Both I
aimed at centre of chest with a 95gn Ballistic Tip, and both went down,
after staggering around for a few seconds. By the time I packed up and
drove over (5 minutes?), they were both dead.
The different sighting position seems odd at first, but I didnt find it hard
to hold the crosshairs on the spot. I dont think it allows for quite as
precise shooting as I can do with the Rabbit Gun and a spotlight, but I'd
have high confidence in Pokking a cat out beyond 120 yards with this rig,
which is awesome in pitch darkness.
When I came home, I set the rig up on the Rabbit Gun. If there had been any
roos within 150 metres of the house, I'd have tried the ERG out, but no-one
wanted to play with me...sniff.
These scope arent cheap; the 'Eagle' is around $1700 for 500 yards effective
range, and even the 'Viper' is around $850, and only offers 100 yards range.
There is a "Wolf in between for around $1150, and it does around 300 yards.
However, the most recent dingo battle demonstrated the need for being able
to shoot in complete darkness. And we havent won the war, by any means...
I luck out in that I can claim toys like this as a tax deduction, but it
would be a struggle to justify if it's just a hobby.
So, it LOOKS like this might be a really good addition, but time will tell.
[Not really sure why I bothered writing this, but it's freaking cold outside
this morning, and I'm wanting it to warm up enough to venture into the
gunroom for another session loading up a few more rounds..]
-------
Cheers,
Rod...Out Back
-------
For Photos I've taken since June 2013:
http://s1035.photobucket.com/user/Rod_Outback/library/
For a Roundup of photos taken until Flickr ruined their site in 2013, have a
look at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rod_outback/
I have plunged back into the world of Night Vision scopes; it was about 24
months ago when I made the mistake that is the Pulsar NV750 Rifle Digiscope.
The whole mess of trying to get the damn thing to work had left me rather
jaded with the whole concept...
However, the increasing Puppy incursions require me to re-address the idea.
This time around, I have elected to go the scope attachment, rather than the
complete NV rifle scope. I'm sure the dedicated NV scope is the better
choice if you are making your living from it (like you got the contract for
the moggies in Weipa), but a REALLY good NV scope (even a digital one) will
cost significantly over $5K.
The Pulsar failed on three counts, in my opinion;
1). We couldnt get the damn thing to hold a Point of Aim; even on a .243. We
wonder if the recoil is upsetting it, but the specs state it is able to
handle rifles bigger than .308. I do now have the .223 set up to try it
out(fitted a rail), but I've pretty much given up on it.
2). The rocket scientists at Pulsar have built it with a screen the size of
your ocular/eyepiece lens, despite it being possible to make it any size
they like. You need to be faily close to the damn thing to see it properly,
and that isnt a nice idea for any rifle with a decent recoil. Also, the
height of the scope (it has integrated mounts so you cant swap them out)
means you cant weld your cheek to the stock to take aim. They should have
made a screen 3 times larger, and set it up for long eye relief.
3). Even with the crappy screen, the NV750 scope has REALLY crap battery
life. the only option is external power, and even that doesnt play nice
with the internal batteries(It's configured to draw power from one or the
other, but no option to draw external power, and also charge the internal
batteries at the same time)
I'm really pissed with this scope; it had a lot of promise when it arrived,
and I could see it having a lot of use.
So, the past 24 months of trying to get the NV750 useable, has left me
against the idea of dedicated NV rifle scopes, or at least ones that I could
actually afford.
So, the other day, I decided to trial a Nite Site 'Eagle' NV scope
attachment. Nite Site make 3 versions of their scope attachments, and the
'Eagle' is the longest-range version. Supposedly, it's good for 500 metres,
but I'm something of a sceptic that any NV manufacturers use the same sized
metres as I use.
The 'Eagle' has a clamp that goes onto your scope barrel, and looks like it
can live there most of the time. It's plastic, so I have a couple of spare
ones on order. They come supplied with a 25mm, and a 30mm clamp, which
should cover most scopes..
The box that then slots/clamps onto the top of your scope, houses the large
set of IR emitters, and a 5" screen at the back. This is your sighting
screen.
There are a couple of heavy rubber sleeves supplied, of which one will fit
over the eyepiece lenses of most rifle scopes. The digital camera unit
slides into the back of this sleeve, and also contains the on/off switch,
and the sockets for leads from the battery, and the Emitter/Screen unit(also
a socket for a video recorder). The battery is about 15cms long, and is
about 7 cms wide, and around 1 cm thick. There is a velco sleeve supplied
for strapping the battery to your rifle stock, or your belt. Battery's rated
at 5500Mah, and is supposed to give you 3 hours on this model, at max. IR
output. IR output is adjusted by a knob on the very top of the IR unit.
Given we rarely shoot past 150 metres at night, I expect we can run it
around the 70% output or less. This will increase battery life by at least
an hour. I have ordered a second battery, though I expect we may not need it
very often.
All up, the unit takes around 10 minutes to fit onto the rifle, and would be
a lot quicker the next time, when you know what goes where.
So, last night I fitted the 'Eagle' to the Redfield scope on the Krico .243,
and just after sunset, went up to the shearing shed to find a few test
subjects...
So, this system isnt perfect by any means:-
1). The heavy rubber sleeves have a little amount of movement in them, and
so it's possible to have the view off centre. Not hard to resolve quickly,
and just more fiddly than anything. I didnt find the rubber sleeve moved
around at all when shooting, but theres just a bit more preparation before
firing your first shot.
2). The rubber sleeves add to the diameter of the rear of your scope
eyepiece. I hadnt realised how little room there was when I open the Krico
bolt, and so had to remove the sleeve/camera to reload each time. Fitting
this setup onto the Rabbit Gun when I got home, I find I have a LOT more
room between scope and bolt knob, and so it's not an issue. I'd guess you'd
want around 1cm clearance between the bolt knob and the scope at all times,
for this not to piss you off.
3). The battery life is still a question mark, and though a Velcroed sleeve
is supplied to strap the battery along your rifle butt, I found that wasnt
the most ergonomic of solutions. I think there is a belt loop in the Velcro
sleeve, so it can be mounted on your belt.
4). The different sighting position takes a little adjustment, and probably
works best from a rest with a bipod. I found it rather weird to not be 'one
with the rifle'...
5). The Sleeve takes a bit of wrangling to get it over the eyepiece lens.
6). Depending on your scope design, you might find it difficult to adjust
zoom on the fly. To be honest, I do most of my low-light shooting at around
6x, so I dont find this much of an issue.
HOWEVER, on the plus side:-
1). You dont need to sight this unit in; it's not affecting the existing
scopes POI.
2). The screen is bright, and easy to see from a distance. During daylight,
the screen is in colour, but B&W at night.
3). The whole setup has an on/off button, an IR output dial, and you can
manually adjust the focal point of the camera. There arent a lot of buttons
to get confused about!
4). The battery does seem to last a reasonable amount of time, wheras the
Pulsar battery was dropping as you watched...
5). The zoom on your rifle scope is what you have with this system.
6). You have the same scope reticule to work with, so you still retain
things like holdover points etc.
7). The IR emitters certainly do light up objects well out beyond 150
metres. I find back around the 65-75% is about as high as I need, to be
able to see everything I would be inclined to shoot at. However, if I am
using this on one of the Nightforce scopes at max zoom, I'll probably
appreciate the spare IR light being on tap.
So, how did it work?
Well, I only pokked a couple of test subjects, as this was when I discovered
the issue with the bolt knob interfering with the sleeve. However, I nailed
2 large adult Pokk-Hoppies, and they were both around 85 metres. Both I
aimed at centre of chest with a 95gn Ballistic Tip, and both went down,
after staggering around for a few seconds. By the time I packed up and
drove over (5 minutes?), they were both dead.
The different sighting position seems odd at first, but I didnt find it hard
to hold the crosshairs on the spot. I dont think it allows for quite as
precise shooting as I can do with the Rabbit Gun and a spotlight, but I'd
have high confidence in Pokking a cat out beyond 120 yards with this rig,
which is awesome in pitch darkness.
When I came home, I set the rig up on the Rabbit Gun. If there had been any
roos within 150 metres of the house, I'd have tried the ERG out, but no-one
wanted to play with me...sniff.
These scope arent cheap; the 'Eagle' is around $1700 for 500 yards effective
range, and even the 'Viper' is around $850, and only offers 100 yards range.
There is a "Wolf in between for around $1150, and it does around 300 yards.
However, the most recent dingo battle demonstrated the need for being able
to shoot in complete darkness. And we havent won the war, by any means...
I luck out in that I can claim toys like this as a tax deduction, but it
would be a struggle to justify if it's just a hobby.
So, it LOOKS like this might be a really good addition, but time will tell.
[Not really sure why I bothered writing this, but it's freaking cold outside
this morning, and I'm wanting it to warm up enough to venture into the
gunroom for another session loading up a few more rounds..]
-------
Cheers,
Rod...Out Back
-------
For Photos I've taken since June 2013:
http://s1035.photobucket.com/user/Rod_Outback/library/
For a Roundup of photos taken until Flickr ruined their site in 2013, have a
look at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rod_outback/