M-40a1/ M-70 with AN/PVS1

[sandwarrior]

But wartime contracts no doubt… no one expected the Atom bombs and some orders ran well into 46… when they expected things to end. Not August 45.

So, yes, postwar production. But wartime contract.

Not a bad investment considering unit cost for one was probably about $13 each when the War Dept. bought them new!

Sirhr

Yeah, they keep going up in price. Never lost money on one. The first one I bought was $225. I traded it and a Rem 540-S for a Browning BSS. Sold that for $800. Considering what I paid, I came out $200 ahead. I loved all three of them, but had less need for .22's in Montana and a great big need for a shotgun. The birds there were actually fantastic.
The second one I owned was a really good working piece, but the guy who owned it before me carried it in a holster that scratched the shit out of it. I made $50 bucks on it. Not bad for shooting it as much as I did. It was a choice between it and the Browning Buckmark. Both shot excellet, but the HS brought $200 more.
The one I own now has a hair trigger and needs new mainspring. But, lined up right, that thing shoots!! Like 1" groups @ 7 yds. full magazine. I need to put upgrading it on the top of my priority list.

Added: so as not to detract too far from the original topic of night sights on quiet weapons, there were a number of 'test' pieces that could be fitted to pistols. I never personally saw them, but with the developments of my time in, early '80's, the night vision available could have been reduced enough in size to work at pistol ranges.

 

[Random Guy]

But if anyone wants to build a VN era rifle around one

That version on gunbroker is the large objective version that doesn't fit an M14 and he should omit that reference in his ad - it's way too large (see pic1).
I believe that PVS-2 with the huge objective was for the M2 (50BMG) machine gun or similar crew-served application. It wasn't for a shoulder weapon.

Fwiw, and since this thread cover's early night vision items, I have the 'miniturized' version from the Vietnam era called the AN/PVS-3A. Unfortunately it's not functional and parts are none extant for this unusual version. I think they came out in late 1968, and my kit was dated March 1970. Here's the basic history that I found on it. I think most were removed from service in the late 1970s, presumably replaced with the PVS-4.

"AN/PVS-3:
The PVS-3 was the first real attempt to reduce the size of the scope from the massive size of the PVS-1 and -2. It is called miniaturized even though today, doesn't seem to fit. The PVS-3 is the first to use a permanent catadioptric lens. The TVS-2 took a regular PVS-2 and added the catadioptric lens for better light gathering, but the PVS-3 did it permanently. Because of this, the intensifier can be smaller. It also uses button cell batteries for it's power source reducing the size of the battery compartment. Unfortunately, someone elected to still use the side mount system instead of developing a top mount. This was the first sight that made it somewhat practical to use a NV scope on the M-16 as the PVS-2 nearly doubled the weight of the M-16....This was a good try at reducing the size of night vision technology and it did it. However with that said, it has its flaws. The battery trays are nearly impossible to find and the image tubes seemed to burn out easily as I have yet to find a working one."