Tell me about night vision scopes

L

lonegunman

New member
anybody have any experience with them?

Whats the difference between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generations?

Are Aries scopes good?

What brands do you recommend, and what do i need to know to make the right decision?

What about the Trijicon ACOG sight? is that a night vision device, or just designed for low lighting?

Also, do you think these things are gonna stay legal much longer?

--sorry for all the questions-- any help is appreciated.
 
First, go read this:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/nightvision3.htm

The good scopes are made in the U.S.A. I have US and Russian units and have used Israeli and scopes from Belarus, stick with U.S. units.

The ACOG is not a NV scope. It is a fiber optic and tritium illuminated reticle scope. There is an Aimpoint dot scope that has an IR dot available that was designed to be used on the M4 with a PVS-14 mounted behind it.

They should stay legal since the technology is not considered that advanced anymore, though there may be some areas where certain use or possession of certain types may be illegal, like in Calif. There was a restriction on taking units out of the country, you needed State Dept. approval to export a unit. I do not know if that is still the case.

For all your NV needs:
www.auroratactical.com Ask for Ron Whitherspoon, he is the owner. You will be able to catch him in Oct at Knob Creek if you want to see him or at the office in Arkansas. He also does the large Tulsa (if not in conflict with Knob Creek), Indy 1500, Houston Astrohall, Dallas Market Hall, Reno, and Phoenix gun shows.
 
If you want Clarity go with US Optics every time. The Russians make some good stuff but our Night Vision stuff is way better. Most of the Russian stuff is a little too fuzzy for my taste. Most of the Night Vision scopes I have seen are heavy and bulky.

What kind of gun are you thinking of mounting one on?
 
Do a search on nightvision and you'll find lots of info and sources. I've seen people recommend just about all the "name" brands/dealers so it's kinda like everything else. Try something out before purchase if you can, but beware of the bathroom/closet test sites, it's not the same as being outdoors. Buy one with a money-back guarantee with plenty of days on it (30?) to be able to try out the unit in different night time settings, i.e. new moon(no moon), full moon, city, country, etc.
I tried out a Patriot Nightscope from C.Crane a little while ago and found it didn't work well for me even with it's wimpy I.R. unit. It was a reconditioned U.S. Gen II tube, for $799. I returned it for a full refund.
I then tried an AMTco. Nightstorm Gen I (made in Russia) for $299, and I've used it on half-moon nights and I like it fine. The I.R. is much better. Looking at the U.S.Nightvision monocular in U.S. Gen I at $389, I might be willing to go for that instead. Want to buy an AMT Nightstorm used approximately 1 hour?
The only other NV unit I've ever used was for Uncle Sam and that was in the late '70s.
WSmac
 
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