• Get 30% off the first 3 months with code HIDE30

    Offer valid until 9/23! If you have an annual subscription on Sniper's Hide, subscribe below and you'll be refunded the difference.

    Subscribe
  • Having trouble using the site?

    Contact support

Night Vision im thinking about a PVS 30 clip on

ctso030

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jun 2, 2013
233
28
south texas
I have been looking at the refurbished PVS 30 for a while , (ready made resources) i would like some input from anyone that has one. is it worth the money, would you do it again, have you had any problems , is this vendor good to go, what kind of distance can i expect .
 
Got mine from them. Great product. Love it. IMO, well worth the coin. No problems. The only downside for me, is, it is HEAVY way out front on my EFR.

Doing a lot more prone shooting off the bipod at coyotes..........;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Strykervet
Just went out and looked for you...I've got a 1/4 moon that is 4 fingers off the western horizon and clear sky with plenty of stars. No urban lights within 7 miles. I put 5 rounds on a white 66% ipsc that was at 360 yds and could identify black cows 950 yds to the east. No illumination.
 
In the past 2 months, I've taken 2 different PVS-30s (a 1609 and an 1804) out to test on a couple of dozen nights under different conditions, as well as a friend brought over a PVS-22 and I also have a SIMRAD 253. At the 500yd firing point, looking at steel targets, IPSC(2/3) we could not see the steel under any circumstances, without an illuminator. Even full moon, clear night, not with any of these devices. With the illuminator, an ELIR-3 (adjusted), no problem.

The steel targets in this case are not "out in the open" ... they are in front of a berm, which is in front of a tree line.

And BTW, I could not tell the difference between the 1609 and the 1804 either, which is further evidence in support of the idea promulgated by other posters here, that the FOM number is not the most critical attribute determining what you can see with these gadgets.

==
I am able to shoot 3/4 inch dots at night with the PVS-30s ... and the SIMRAD :)
 
PVS 30 will also clip on to any rifle, it doesn't have to be zeroed. It's by far the most simple NV device made. It has on/off/gain on one knob and a focus ring In the front, and that's it. So you can swap this between rifles with rails long enough to accommodate the clip on the scope. You can also score an ARD on ebay for a decent price that threads in and eliminates most reflection seen downrange.

I love my PVS 30. There is one that'll actually work better a couple hundred meters, but the rest of it is kind of unappealing, I think it has to be re-zeroed for each rifle too Some earlier clip ons were that way. The PVS 30 is heavy, it was designed to work on M2HB's but I need to see if it can handle the DTA HTI --recoil so brutal there. If so, I'd say it's bulletproof. Works on the SR25 like a charm, and will shine on the .338LM whenever I get it.

A good IR illuminator is key. I'd try and swing for a PEQ2 if you can score a good one but there's fewer around so keep looking on Ebay. PEQ15's are available there too, but the cost for one is a lot more than a PEQ2. Atilla 200's pop up from time to time, they're ideal too. Not sure if civilian illuminators work that well at those ranges and the LED ones give a glow. You need a full power IR laser illuminator, and they generally have built in lasers.

In short, can't go wrong with the PVS 30. At higher magnification, 17x-25x starts to get grainier and grainier but still useable.

Yes, I'd do it again, and mine had a rating of 1680 or thereabouts, I was expecting one much higher but a SNAFU ruined that. Anyway, I wasn't able to tell a difference between the two.
 
  • Like
Reactions: deersniper
... post a pic of the the pvs 30 and illuminator ...

PVS-30 on the front ... ELIR-3 on the 3 o'clock ... hopefully the image gods allow this image to be seen ... )

apZ4D7d.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sniperwannabee
I use a refurb PVS30 for work and it's been great so far. Absolutely no change in zero on any of our 4 rifles that we can tell. I was also able to spot pigs at just over 600 yards on a clear night. I've also shot a coyote at ~270 yards at night with it. Could make it out very easily without an illuminator, but the night was specially clear.

We also have a PVS24 (I believe) that's assigned to the other team. It's no where near as clear and has to be adjusted. It's not a fair comparison, but the only one I have to make.

If I didn't have one available through work, I would definitely be looking seriously at buying one myself. If it's something your really considering and the price doesn't immediately make you close the page, I don't think you'll be disappointed at all.