Night Vision Halo LR running review

Any idea what front cap would replace the junk one they send from the factory? I ordered a rear 0-32 per your recommendation.

I doubt Vortex makes a cap large enough. The maw on the LR is ~65mm across. The O-56 *might* work. I'll give it a try and will let you know. Might have to give the O-56 a bit of a circumcision and use adhesive on the inside so it doesn't slip off.
 
@TheHorta the 56 vortex defender works rather well actually. This was a post I made in another thread


So I had a couple extra vortex defender caps....

Just so happens that the 56 objective defender cap will stretch over the front end of my LR!! It actually seems to be working really well... Looks half dumb... But works great!

I'm even trying a eye piece defender and using a zip tie for the ocular end as well

I'll report back after I get a couple nights on it
IMG_20191204_212949.jpg
You can review the thread here if you like
 
Last edited:
@TheHorta the 56 vortex defender works rather well actually. This was a post I made in another thread
You can review the thread here if you like


Schweet.
 
23 June 2020
76 degrees F
Raining
Winds 10-12

It's been raining on and off the past few days so I figured I'd take a little look and see if the pigs had been out to play. While I was on the way to the ranch the weather forecast updated indicating it was going to rain earlier than anticipated, I was already half way so I figured screw it. When I got to the ranch it was raining sideways so I just sat in the truck for a bit while the rain passed. The rain never really quit, but it slowed down to a mist and I went for a spin. All I managed to kill was a possum that was up near the horse stalls, saw him clear as day at about 75 yards and turned him to jello. After making a couple passes through the place the rain was picking back up so I loaded up and went to leave. Rain was coming down hard, but I fired up the halo to take one last look across a hay field as I pulled out and I spotted a group of deer at about 150 yards. Didn't have on my NVGs so I couldn't range and it was raining sideways.
LR-13.jpg


I leaned my rifle up against the window and snapped this pic through the eye piece with my iPhone. This pic really impressed me despite how it looks. This is on the second level of zoom, it's raining sideways, I'm sitting in my truck with the ac blowing on ice cold and with all those conflicting environmental factors I get this great image of a deer. I mean hell you can see the individual ear tips clear as day. What really continues to impress me with the LR is the performance in shitty conditions. The possum I shot earlier in the evening was clear as day in misty conditions.

Now I did have one moment of absolute wtf is going on last night with the optic. In my haste to beat the rain last night I didn't case my rifle, just tossed it and my NVGs on the back seat and took off. Made the 45 min drive to the ranch and when I first powered up the LR I couldn't see a damn thing. WTFFFFF, I turn on my light and discover heavy condensation on both lenses. The damn ac in the truck had cooled the optic to maybe 60-65 degrees and the moment I took it out both lenses said fuck you and started to sweat. Well not being able to see that because I powered up while looking around with my NVGs lead to my wtf I'm looking at a sea of grey experience. I went back to the truck and got a NF leans cleaning deal and got everything squared away. After getting the condensation off of the lenses I was good to go. Moral of the story.... case your damn rifle.
 
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7 July 2020
89 degrees F
81% humidity
Winds 4-6

Went out last night and did a litter over watch at the horse ranch. Didn't manage to draw blood, but the slow night gave me an opportunity to take a few videos with my iPhone. One of these days I'm going to break out the dvr and learn how to use it. I was set up on the tripod watching over 3 different little ponds hoping to catch them coming to water, but no such luck this evening.
LR-1.jpg


Horses near the stables at 730 yards.

LR Horses.JPG

I manage to get it focused right about the time I end the video....figures


Right as I was getting back into the gun a deer came by at about 250 ish



Still nothing, but smiles with the LR.
 
25 July 2020
0330H
79 degrees F
88% humidity
Winds 10-13

Bumped into a kitty the other evening as we were driving back to the trucks. We had stopped to take one last look down a long sendero and we spotted something low to the ground and moving way too rapidly to be a pig. The grass was waist high so all you could see was flashes of it as it worked through the grass. I didn't have time to laser it, but I'd say it was out at around 250 yards and moving quartering towards us. It was moving in the direction of the ranch gravel road so without time to grab tripods we took a rest on the 1/2 windshield and held at the gravel road waiting for it to cross. As soon as it broke from the grass it was plain as day that it was a large bobcat. The road is only about 10' wide so as soon as it broken into the open I let a round loose, my partner let a round loose just a fraction of a second behind me. The cat spun like a top into the waist high grass and I put a third security shot into it while it flopped around. I would say total time from wtf is that to hammer down was no more than 10-12 seconds. If we wouldn't have had the units up and running in the range no way we'd have been able to get on her quick enough.
116046853_10104599404588518_8119697986528153096_o.jpg


Overall this unit just keeps crushing it and I have zero complaints other at @Max_R not releasing a helmet mountable for me to use yet. Be pretttttttyyyyy cool to give money to NV instead of China.....
 
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25 July 2020
0330H
79 degrees F
88% humidity
Winds 10-13

Bumped into a kitty the other evening as we were driving back to the trucks. We had stopped to take one last look down a long sendero and we spotted something low to the ground and moving way too rapidly to be a pig. The grass was waist high so all you could see was flashes of it as it worked through the grass. I didn't have time to laser it, but I'd say it was out at around 250 yards and moving quartering towards us. It was moving in the direction of the ranch gravel road so without time to grab tripods we took a rest on the 1/2 windshield and held at the gravel road waiting for it to cross. As soon as it broke from the grass it was plain as day that it was a large bobcat. The road is only about 10' wide so as soon as it broken into the open I let a round loose, my partner let a round loose just a fraction of a second behind me. The cat spun like a top into the waist high grass and I put a third security shot into it while it flopped around. I would say total time from wtf is that to hammer down was no more than 10-12 seconds. If we wouldn't have had the units up and running in the range no way we'd have been able to get on her quick enough.
View attachment 7383718

Overall this unit just keeps crushing it and I have zero complaints other at @Max_R not releasing a helmet mountable for me to use yet. Be pretttttttyyyyy cool to give money to NV instead of China.....

Love your reports, but hate that you schwacked a cat. Those things are fuckng majestic. Unless they present a clear and present danger, I leave them be. Same reason I won’t schwack a hawk when they take one of our chickens. Poultry can be easily replaced. Hawks can’t.
 
Love your reports, but hate that you schwacked a cat. Those things are fuckng majestic. Unless they present a clear and present danger, I leave them be. Same reason I won’t schwack a hawk when they take one of our chickens. Poultry can be easily replaced. Hawks can’t.

Honestly bud I’m in the same boat that stacking cats isn’t something I’d do if it were my place. This particular piece of property the land owners wants every predator drilled. If stacking Ms.Kitty gains landowner trust so be it. This particular rancher has gotten me onto several other large ranches in the area, a happy rancher is a good rancher.
 
You guys are not alone in that.

Landowners choice.
They have a big pond with ducks, geese and a very large chicken coop. Several years ago he was getting hit pretty hard and adopted a scorched earth policy against predators. On the total opposite end of the spectrum I have another place I hunt where they don’t want any predators shot, but want all the possums nuked. Something to do with a disease that can be given to horses. Another place wants the raccoons shot, but not the possums because they eat bugs.
Whatever the rancher wants, so long as it’s legal, is what I’ll be doing. I’m a guest on their property and I consider myself lucky to have string together enough ranches to ride for 4-5 hours a night in the ranger and never see the same area twice. Personally on our place and family land we lower the boom on yotes, but everything else gets a pass, including pigs if they act civilized and stay near the feeders so the little kids in the family can T off on them from the deer blinds.
 
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Is that little for a female bob? I could count the number of cats I’ve shot on one hand, I figured she was about average for costal Texas area.
It's actually a nice sized bobcat. It's just a small predator. ;)
Bobcats are pretty cute, but they can be destructive. Do you guys have mountain lions down there?
bearb.jpg
 
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It's actually a nice sized bobcat. It's just a small predator. ;)
Bobcats are pretty cute, but they can be destructive. Do you guys have mountain lions down there?
View attachment 7383971
Rumor has it they are in the area, but I’ve never personally seen on and we have a camera on a gut pile for funzies.

If I came across a bear in the dark under nods I might shit my pants lol
 
The bobcats here can top out at 45lbs on Camp Pendleton. I used to see them darting across the roads while following my shooters out to range at 4:30 in the morning. The mountain lions could top 200lbs. I saw one, one day, when a SgtMaj I knew, was whacking bunnies (we'd run into each other all the time, as we frequented the same areas). Anyways, he whacks his daily limit (5), and I was on the other side of the valley glassing for my 5th, when he goes down to pick his up. As he got near his 4th bunny, a mountain loon hops outta the brush, snatches the bunny, and hauls as back to cover. Could have been more than 20 yes from the SgtMaj.

That's when I saw how frigging big cats can really get (Pendleton didn't allow predator hunting back then). I think the SgtMaj nearly pee'ed himself (said so himself).
 
Took a new job a few month ago/ bought a house on some acreage and just been generally busy af, but I’m still hammering away with the LR. Nothing of note until last night. I went out in the shittiest conditions for thermal I’ve ever been in. 65 and mist/ fog so thick I had to drive 10-15 mph under the speed limit.

Exhibit A- light bar on the ranger on
491454CC-BABF-4208-86BE-D6458A985682.jpeg


I pulled up to the first pasture and despite all the bs weather I was able to spot a little group of pigs 400 yards or so away. Now it’s the only time I’ve had my CE at 3 and gamma on 2, but it was working. White hot worked the best, I normally run black hot...go figure

0A931B7E-4AA2-4768-9709-D2CD814BD047.jpeg

The 18” grendel put it on em, but not any harder than the 12” grendel.

I’ve had the unit out a lot, it’s been dropped, rained on, loaned out on and on and on, it just keep performing. If any LR owners just have to have the new LRX I’ll take the outdated LR off your hands.
 
Took a new job a few month ago/ bought a house on some acreage and just been generally busy af, but I’m still hammering away with the LR. Nothing of note until last night. I went out in the shittiest conditions for thermal I’ve ever been in. 65 and mist/ fog so thick I had to drive 10-15 mph under the speed limit.

Exhibit A- light bar on the ranger on
View attachment 7535045

I pulled up to the first pasture and despite all the bs weather I was able to spot a little group of pigs 400 yards or so away. Now it’s the only time I’ve had my CE at 3 and gamma on 2, but it was working. White hot worked the best, I normally run black hot...go figure

View attachment 7535052
The 18” grendel put it on em, but not any harder than the 12” grendel.

I’ve had the unit out a lot, it’s been dropped, rained on, loaned out on and on and on, it just keep performing. If any LR owners just have to have the new LRX I’ll take the outdated LR off your hands.
Consider your self lucky. Hard to believe the 10 cent scope cap they put on made it through. the first drop.
 
Consider your self lucky. Hard to believe the 10 cent scope cap they put on made it through. the first drop.
Ya I've heard people bitch about breaking them, hasn't stuck me yet.

Everything breaks eventually, I purchased from nvision because eventually I'll hand grenade it doing something stupid and all indications from my communication with them and reports from others is that the customer service is great.

But yes it's flimsy af
 
Just found this thread and have been researching, asking and looking into the Halo-LR as my first ever night vision. Does anyone ever use it in clip-on mode? Is it decent for that, or better to just use as a stand-alone optic? Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences.....it's making my decision easier for sure.
 
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Just found this thread and have been researching, asking and looking into the Halo-LR as my first ever night vision. Does anyone ever use it in clip-on mode? Is it decent for that, or better to just use as a stand-alone optic? Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences.....it's making my decision easier for sure.
I wished it worked as a clip on, to my knowledge it doesn't work as a clip on.

@Max_R
 
Although, that said, as long as you used the Halo reticle, you *could* run it in front of a day optic. I’m going to put it in front of an Elcan just for S&G’s.
If you could get the scope to focus through the eyepiece you could just dial the offset and use your reticle I guess..
Subtending would be crap though...
At some point I guess we are just better to swap day scope and night scope though, and maybe add a small laser to set up as a reference to confirm zero when remounting maybe
 
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Although, that said, as long as you used the Halo reticle, you *could* run it in front of a day optic. I’m going to put it in front of an Elcan just for S&G’s.
Strictly speaking, this configuration, while not impossible, does not fit a conventional definition of a "clip-on" :cool: It is more analogous to a magnifier behind a collimator/holographic sight.
 
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They have a big pond with ducks, geese and a very large chicken coop. Several years ago he was getting hit pretty hard and adopted a scorched earth policy against predators. On the total opposite end of the spectrum I have another place I hunt where they don’t want any predators shot, but want all the possums nuked. Something to do with a disease that can be given to horses. Another place wants the raccoons shot, but not the possums because they eat bugs.
Whatever the rancher wants, so long as it’s legal, is what I’ll be doing. I’m a guest on their property and I consider myself lucky to have string together enough ranches to ride for 4-5 hours a night in the ranger and never see the same area twice. Personally on our place and family land we lower the boom on yotes, but everything else gets a pass, including pigs if they act civilized and stay near the feeders so the little kids in the family can T off on them from the deer blinds.
That disease is called EPM, Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis. It is a shitty way to go for an equine!! I've seen what it does first hand, not cool at all and I can understand why they want to get rid of them.