Night Vision PVS 14 Help...Noobie Here

[Midwest Optics]

I have a buddy wanting to trade me a PVS14 w no spec sheet. He is pretty noobish with NV as well and got this off a friend of a friend. Looks very nice with great image(no blems) green phosphorus but I know absolutley nothing about night vision or what to look for in them. It will just be for shtf situations and an occasional night shoot nothing serious so not really wanting to spend 3k on a setup

All in all id be into it for about 1600 bucks(1k cash and 600 trade)

Also comes with skullcrusher and helmet mount

Is there anything I should look for myself when checking it out? Is it worth it? He said he believes its an omni V but he isn't even sure on that

It would just be for one of the ones pictured not both

 

[Rerun7]

I’ll let some of the more experienced guys chime in but you are getting a pair of pvs14s for $1600?

I only know enough to be dangerous but that looks like it could be a steal if there is nothing wrong with them.

 

[Midwest Optics]

I’ll let some of the more experienced guys chime in but you are getting a pair of pvs14s for $1600?

I only know enough to be dangerous but that looks like it could be a steal if there is nothing wrong with them.

No just one sir he is splitting his dual setup up

 

[CoryT]

Other than looking through it there's not much you can do, and all that tells you is if there is a flaw in the field that would indicate recoil damage or vacuum loss. Recoil/drop damage looks like ink drops, mostly in the center of the FOV. If you see a dark area like a shadow near the edge, like being out of the center of the scope, that's a bad seal and the tube is going to die. Unless the guy has had them a long time and run them all night constantly, you'll hardly be worried about tube lifespan. Otherwise, look for cracking around the screws and that's about all you can do. It may be used with no warranty, but it's about half price, so can't be that bad a deal.

 

[E-Tool]

Go into a pict black room to try them, if it’s fuzzy the SN is on the lower end sub 26, if it’s black and not super fuzzy, upper end 30+

Turn the ir on in a pitch black room and adjust the focus to see if you read large letters on a calendar or something at 10’, then try really small letters at 3’ or so. If you can read both, the optics should be correctly installed (ocular, and infinity focus).

Go outside at night with street lights and look at them, how much bloom around light sources? a lot or a little. A lot is high halo, a little is normal.

In my experience the better performing optics aren’t as good for weapon mounted use because they tend to have a lower distance between the sensor and optics if they perform really good.

If you turn it on in a quiet place and it hums it’s autogated, if it’s so loud you can’t stand it the sound don’t get it.

I am not an expert but I have owned about 6 and researched a ton.

 

[Midwest Optics]

Go into a pict black room to try them, if it’s fuzzy the SN is on the lower end sub 26, if it’s black and not super fuzzy, upper end 30+

Turn the ir on in a pitch black room and adjust the focus to see if you read large letters on a calendar or something at 10’, then try really small letters at 3’ or so. If you can read both, the optics should be correctly installed (ocular, and infinity focus).

Go outside at night with street lights and look at them, how much bloom around light sources? a lot or a little. A lot is high halo, a little is normal.

In my experience the better performing optics aren’t as good for weapon mounted use because they tend to have a lower distance between the sensor and optics if they perform really good.

If you turn it on in a quiet place and it hums it’s autogated, if it’s so loud you can’t stand it the sound don’t get it.

I am not an expert but I have owned about 6 and researched a ton.

So I did as you said. In pitch black it wasn't hardly fuzzy at all unless I turned the brightness all the way up then it was decently fuzzy

With IR I could do the letter test with no issues at all

Street lights had bloom to them but not really sure what a lot compared to a little is since I've never looked through nv before but I would say little to medium as it didn't take up the whole view or anything like that

Also no hum what so ever that I could hear

 

[E-Tool]

Sounds like a decent unit for the money to me.

ETA - as someone else had already said make sure it doesn’t have dimming around the edges, that’s a death sign for a tube.

 

[NHPiper]

For that cost, assuming there are no major blems and the resolution is good, hard price to beat. A pvs14 housing kit is about $800 I think, so worst case you can retube it at some point with a newer option as long as the housing isn't damaged.

It looks like the newer (relatively speaking) single battery tube vs. the older dual battery.

For what its worth, I think NV is invaluable. Its a total game changer. And for $1600, id rather have a pvs14 than another rifle with an optic any day.

 

[Midwest Optics]

Sounds like a decent unit for the money to me.

ETA - as someone else had already said make sure it doesn’t have dimming around the edges, that’s a death sign for a tube.

Thank man yea im gonna do the deal. He is throwing in a rhino mount. J arm. And skullcrusher I can use till I get a bump helmet

 

[E-Tool]

Try a crye night cap, you can easily counterweight for a pvs-14 and it’s less likely to give you a headache than any helmet.

 

[Midwest Optics]

Try a crye night cap, you can easily counterweight for a pvs-14 and it’s less likely to give you a headache than any helmet.

Thanks for the tip. I appreciate it

 

[NHPiper]

A Team Wendy bump helmet with the TNVC 4D pads (non ops core style) is a good option.

Get a Norotos Dual Dovetail adapter and toss any j arms out a window. Or bite the bullet now and get a KVC/RQE or Mod Armory bridge.

 

[Midwest Optics]

A Team Wendy bump helmet with the TNVC 4D pads (non ops core style) is a good option.

Get a Norotos Dual Dovetail adapter and toss any j arms out a window. Or bite the bullet now and get a KVC/RQE or Mod Armory bridge.

I'm not gonna lie that was all like Spanish to me but ill look it all up lol

I only got one not a dual setup does that matter for any of what u said lol

 

[E-Tool]

While team windy is comfy, ops core didn’t host HRC prior to her 2016 bid, 4D pads are available for both.

 

[NHPiper]

I'm not gonna lie that was all like Spanish to me but ill look it all up lol

I only got one not a dual setup does that matter for any of what u said lol

Not for a dual setup. Replaces the j arm so less slop. Attaches to a standard dovetail mount like a wilcox g24 or norotos aka2.

Norotos Dual Dovetail Adapter, P/N 1837010 - OwnTheNight.com

Norotos Dual Dovetail Adapter: Replacement for current PVS14 "J"arm, with the Norotos Dual Dovetail Adapter with true horizontal adjustment P/N 1837010

ownthenight.com

 

[Midwest Optics]

Not for a dual setup. Replaces the j arm so less slop. Attaches to a standard dovetail mount like a wilcox g24 or norotos aka2.

Norotos Dual Dovetail Adapter, P/N 1837010 - OwnTheNight.com

Norotos Dual Dovetail Adapter: Replacement for current PVS14 "J"arm, with the Norotos Dual Dovetail Adapter with true horizontal adjustment P/N 1837010

ownthenight.com

Ok see u need the adapter and then also a dove tail mount to attach it to a bump helmet?

 

[NHPiper]

Ok see u need the adapter and then also a dove tail mount to attach it to a bump helmet?

Exactly!

 

[E-Tool]

A rhino and j arm will connnect it to a plate, no reason to by a dovetail adapter and mount. For most the rhino and j arm are fine and they are cheap and plentiful sounds like yours comes with the unit.

Just get a plate that fits your helmet, 3 holes are way better than one hole mounts.

 

[Midwest Optics]

A rhino and j arm will connnect it to a plate, no reason to by a dovetail adapter and mount. For most the rhino and j arm are fine and they are cheap and plentiful sounds like yours comes with the unit.

Just get a plate that fits your helmet, 3 holes are way better than one hole mounts.

He included a plate as well I belive. I just need to get the helmet and ill try it all out if im not impressed ill try upgrading to the dovetail setup

 

[E-Tool]

Dove tails are superior, they remive slop and most units allow for better adjustment. It’s not a requirement to get in the game though. I wouldn’t bother until you upgrade to duals.