Night Vision goggles.

[AugustusMcCrae]

I'm interested in getting either a NV scope for my SHTF rifle or just getting some plain NV goggles.

Is it possible to get decent quality NV optics without going over $600? If yes, what brand & model? If not, what's the best set closest to that price? I can't afford anything like $1000 or over.

I plan to use them mainly for observing nature but it would be nice to have something in case of riots or similar troubles.

I noticed some online at Dicks that looked to be within my price range so if anyone here has any experience with them I'd appreciate any reviews.

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1062666&cp=2367824.2282096.2282220&view=all&searchSort=TRUE&s=A-StorePrice-DSP&parentPage=family&searchId=2282220

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2477544&cp=2367824.2282096.2282220&view=all&searchSort=TRUE&s=A-StorePrice-DSP&parentPage=family&searchId=2282220

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=684960&cp=2367824.2282096.2282220&view=all&searchSort=TRUE&s=A-StorePrice-DSP&parentPage=family&searchId=2282220

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2477543&cp=2367824.2282096.2282220&view=all&searchSort=TRUE&s=A-StorePrice-DSP&parentPage=family&searchId=2282220

[Telperion]

Everything I've read says that it's not worth bothering with anything less than 3rd gen gear for serious use.

[aubie515]

IMO, you would be wasting your money on NV under $600. Save up more money or choose another option. There is a reason why the 3rd and 4th gen NV are so expensive.

[Jeff White]

Buy goggles or a monocular. You can use them with a laser mounted on your weapon to aim. That way you haven't tied down an expensive piece of equipment to one use.

I'll echo what others have said about 1st and 2d generation night vision devices. Don't waste your money.

Jeff

[Lucky]

I've got a gen1 monocular that I take camping, and it's not perfect but it's better than nothing. I found a company that makes NV goggles Gen1 and 3 and sells from the factory. Not very cool looking, but you save money.

The 20A goes for $320, and the 27's go for $2375. It might take multiple e-mails to get a response. (communists)

There's a US company that's supposed to sell them, but they make contacting the manufacturer look easy. For the extra $100 you buy a bit of peace of mind, because I'm not sure the US company is reputable. Though I guess using a credit-card would give you protection. I'm still trying to get through to the company, if I have luck I'll let you know.

The way I read it, even with the cheapest NV goggle model you'd be able to see a scout scope or forward mounted red-dot, and possibly even line up iron sights.

http://www.binocularsmart.com/night-vision/svdsilenced.jpg


Manufacturer: http://www.baigish.ru/eng/products_c/night_visi/night_visi1/

Distributor: http://www.binocularsmart.com/night-vision.shtml

[Jeff White]

The way I read it, even with the cheapest NV goggle model you'd be able to see a scout scope or forward mounted red-dot, and possibly even line up iron sights.

I had trouble with Trijicon night sights looking like flares on the top of my pistol when shooting with AN/PVS-5s. Unless you had a red dot with NV settings on the diode, it would probably be unusable with any night vision.

Jeff

[pdowg881]

I've always seen them in harbor freight catalogs for a couple hundred. But I don't know anything about Nv gogs.

[Derek Zeanah]

I used some PVS-14's with an Aimpoint Comp-M2 and they worked fine on all settings, believe it or not. Odds are better amplifiers deal with those really high contrast situations with less blooming.

[Lucky]

J.W. yea I think that glowing sights could easily bloom all but the most expensive NV tubes. The multi-thousand $ goggles are designed so headlights or streetlights don't wash them out, so I'd assume tritium inserts would work better with them.

But with cheap Gen1 tubes, in a dark area, I think one could see irons pretty well, anything black shows up really well. I'll dig my camping stuff out and check.

SHTF I'm assuming most lights would be out. Gen1 gets a bad rap, because in reality it's not going to be a contest of who has the best gear.