Night Vision NV recommendations for beginner

[Defuzer]

Howdy all,

been off active duty 14yrs now so not sure what's what on nv whether thermal or whatever

initially will be used on suppressed seekins sbr and moved to diff weaps later never see taking shot over few hundred meters

needed for varmints and coyotes dog (labradoodle) attacked a few days ago in back yard I have 2yr old and chickens, pigs, etc

wife will be primary user so weight is consideration she is vet and familiar with ar upgrade to large frame possible


live in rural area so no worries on shooting


thanks for any responses

 

[deersniper]

Budget?

 

[Defuzer]

Line in the sand? 6k can shift accordingly

wife called other night said big red looking dogs were trying to get at chickens that's when lab got hit have found partially eaten deer in back also

I work international and need wife to feel safe

 

[deersniper]

You can find some really nice lightly used thermal scopes in the for sale sections here and ar15.com and lonestarboars site.

 

[wigwamitus]

Well first thing that comes to mind is IRD/TEO MKII Hunter 19mm ... this is the lowest cost entry into the BAE core devices. The 19mm lens has 22 degree FOV so you can scan quickly close in. I use 35mm version with 12 FOV at lot and I think it takes more experience to scan quickly in a close in area with a longer focal length lens. I live along a creek with lots of woods around our buildings.
The chickens in our area have also been hit by coons and opossum. I go out on "coop patrol" several times per night with either 33 degree FOV ATN ODIN on .22LR or 12 degree FOV MKIII Hunter 35mm on 5.56(10.3). But for dedicated coop patrol against any critter, I'd like a 19mm MK2 (or IR Patrol weapon mounted but that is more expensive).
You can probably pick up a used MK2 19mm for around $4,300.

http://www.trijiconeo.com/products/ir-hunter/

==
Another option is traps, but for various reasons I have had to rule those out thus far. If those reasons go away, I will be trying traps as well.

 

[Defuzer]

You are suggesting thermal for intended use? Guess 6k won't get it quick google popped trijicon reap-Ir may be good fit ?

 

[deersniper]

Yes. I think thermal is the way to go. If you are shooting yotes I would tie your dog so there ass no accidents. With that budget you can find a decent unit new or used. I have a 60 Hz 640 display GSCI TWS 37 for sale for $3000 as an example. It cost 11000 new.

 

[wigwamitus]

REAP-IR and MK3 35mm both have 35mm lens both have FOV 12 ... for intended purpose, I'd go for FOV 22 of the 19mm. What is the ground like around your coop ?

Around mine we have 8 other buildings and lots of trees and cricks. So that brings up another issue. Safety. I have a lot of "no shoot" situations as I don't want to shoot buildings etc. But many times if I run off the coons and opossum they go up a tree and I can knock them out with .22lr or shotgun.

We also have bobcats and even puma's around here.

==
TEO choices:

joystick housing:

ir-patrol helmet or weapons mountable or handheld spotter, 19mm, 22 FOV, 1x magnification can get 3x magnifier for make it 3x.

REAP - 35mm, 12 FOV, 2.5x magnification, handheld spotter or weapons mountable (in theory helmet mountable ,but I would not try it if I was moving)

IR-PATROL-250XR - 60mm, 7 FOV, 4.5x magnicition, handheld spotter (not weapon mountable)

==
turret housing:

Mk2 19mm, 22 FOV, 1.5x magnification

Mk2/3, 35mm 12 FOV, 2.5x magnification

Mk3, 60mm, 7 FOV, 4.5x magnification

==
Again, for dedicated coop patrol I'd go for 19mm mk2, to gain the 22 FOV.

Used $4,300 ... new ones more ...

==
emerging data indicates the mk2/3s seem to hold up better in the field when used on weapons ... but data not conclusive at this point.

 

[Defuzer]

ground is sloped. fairly open, no vegetation near, or in the way. we do have creek running through bottom and top of property. near chickens, nothing in vicinity, just open.

wife would be shooting from back deck of house, thinking of tripod and nice thermal. noticed a vendor has rentals available also.

 

[Defuzer]

Thanks everyone for input. I have a Reap-Ir on the way to the house for the wife to try out. if she likes it, great. if more FOV is needed, I will just jump on the fov 22 model above.

 

[MosesTheTank]

==
emerging data indicates the mk2/3s seem to hold up better in the field when used on weapons ... but data not conclusive at this point.

The above has caught my eye. Anything you can add?

 

[wigwamitus]

On the data side, the Mk2/3 are heavier and have a protective lens in front of the real lens ... and the mk3s have a 2 latch larue mount (improved recoil?)
But mostly anecdotal. When the REAPs came out, they were to die for. Everyone was jumping up and down with positive comments. But things changed and I hear 2 to 3 times more negative feed back on the REAPs versus the mk2/3 in the past six months. Certainly not from everyone but some some. Mostly on a forum that is about hog hunting in a state with one star
==
I had a SNIPE for a while .. basically a REAP with a collimating lens on back instead of a diopter adjustable lens and I had no issues with it. It did require adjustments to boresight. I wrote some about it in the practicing thread.
==
One advantage of the mk2/3 is that you can upgrade. So from the mk2 19mm you can go to the mk3 35mm ... and from any of them to the mk3 60mm. So if you ultimately want a mk3 60mm you can spread out your spending a bit.

The joy stick units, being lighter are better for pure spotting or a mixture of spotting and shooting ... but perhaps in the pure weapon sight role the mk2/3 are more reliable.

I know a guy that sings praises of the REAP, but still hasn't sold his Mk2 and bought a REAP

==
All that said I've had good experience with IRD/TEO customer service people both before and after the merger ... and would not hesitate to get any IRD/TEO unit. I trust the TEO people to fix it if it breaks.

 

[CBDR]

Defuzer. I used NV and thermal pretty much my entire career while on active duty (strictly observation mood) non shooting. I have only been shooting with thermal a few years. IMHO thermal is my first choice for hogs and coyotes. The learning curve for me is an ongoing challenge of shooting in a high humidity environment with heavy vegetation. Pop ups inside 25 to 100m is the norm. I would spend a few bucks and set up some game cameras. Try and figure the time of night they are active in your area. Establish a favorable shooting position, if possible elevated, scent detection is unbelievable on coyotes. Work the wind. This little project could take a while, (months). I tried calling coyotes and have yet to this day had any positive results. As a matter of fact I think I send them in the other direction. What works for me is sit, scan, listen and wait. Measure and record distances to designated areas. When they show up the adrenaline can hamper your judgement.
Or you could just hire Wigwamitus. Any predator of the night is not safe when wig suits up. Rumor has it BAE is looking for a test subject to implant the next generation core processor into Wigs helmet.

 

[Defuzer]

Thanks for the input. The REAP arrives on Friday for 3 day test, and will see how she likes it. I didn't see one of the 19mm mk2/3 units for rent, and wanted to make sure she was comfortable prior to purchasing. We have talked about game cameras, etc, but at least initially, yotes will be shot off porch/deck. a few times/week they seem to be active in area, and you can hear them by the dozens.

I mentioned it earlier, but we have literally had partially eaten deer in back yard recently.

another option after looking around is maybe grabbing one of the new FLIR PRO PTS233 units initially due to the fact that shots will be under 200m and more defensive in nature. Then adding larger 640 unit next year as I come home to allow more range/capability while shifting smaller unit to rimfire for field rats, small pests.

not a stalk hunt type situation, they are literally coming to us, for now at least.

thanks again for any information, steep learning curve.

 

[BERTMAN77MK2]

Anybody using the FLIR 223 yet? Interested......

 

[Defuzer]

only seen a few videos of demo's and what is probably sponsored folks on the new FLIR. looks fairly good for the $$, and may end up grabbing one anyway, or in addition too