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Night Vision us night vision ir hunter
- Thread starter j-huskey
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So, I've read a few things where they were still ironing out the bugs.
Notably, there was a magnification POI shift issue, and one or two other things I've heard mentioned.
I'll be VERY curious as to what your experience is and how well it appears to be working.
Notably, there was a magnification POI shift issue, and one or two other things I've heard mentioned.
I'll be VERY curious as to what your experience is and how well it appears to be working.
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I also have a brand new IR Hunter 2x model been out tonight for a few hours watching some critters. I need some more range time with the scope so I plan on setting up some targets a different ranges tomorrow night and putting a few boxes of ammo down range. Today all I did was to rough sight it in and was hitting a 2 inch foil square at 45yards with a 22 hornet bolt gun.
Ok, the unit I have is a 1.5x 640x480. Rifle I mount it on, ar15, 16" krieger 7.7 twist, known tack driver with 75 grain Hornady tap.
First I read the quick start guide. It's simple enough.
Before I mounted it on the rifle, I compared it against a flir patrol m24 and a l3 mtm as a handheld. Excluding size and weight, it smoked them.
The unit has 7 menus. 1, polarity. 2. Digital focus. 3. Wind/elevation adjust. 4. Reticle color and type. 5. Calibration. 6. Color modes, and 7. Picture capture.
The unit has 4 knobs, no buttons. Knob 1, off on. 2.left side, Menu selection. 3, top knob, polarity, digital focus, and other menu specific functions as you go through the 7 menus. Knob 4, right side, mainly the zoom function when shooting, but a set of functions for each menu. It's the quickest setup I've used yet. Faster than push buttons and joy sticks....
So, I mount it, LaRue lock mount, click snap, done. Turn it on, up in 6 seconds and factory settings, ready to zero.
I look down range, steel and paper with shoot-n-c on white paper. Steel gives clear silhouette I can shoot center mass on. Shoot-n-c absorbs heat and gives thermal signature. 6 rounds later, it's zeroed. Shoot from 25 to 200, both center mass steel hold and thermal signature hold. Hit, hit, hit...
Gb Maryland, didn't notice poi change when zooming. Elevation stayed constant. Had some 1-2 minute wind shift a couple of times, blamed that on me. 4 and 8 x pixellate pretty bad, won't use them on animals.
Tonight we test on live snimals, will report more later..
First I read the quick start guide. It's simple enough.
Before I mounted it on the rifle, I compared it against a flir patrol m24 and a l3 mtm as a handheld. Excluding size and weight, it smoked them.
The unit has 7 menus. 1, polarity. 2. Digital focus. 3. Wind/elevation adjust. 4. Reticle color and type. 5. Calibration. 6. Color modes, and 7. Picture capture.
The unit has 4 knobs, no buttons. Knob 1, off on. 2.left side, Menu selection. 3, top knob, polarity, digital focus, and other menu specific functions as you go through the 7 menus. Knob 4, right side, mainly the zoom function when shooting, but a set of functions for each menu. It's the quickest setup I've used yet. Faster than push buttons and joy sticks....
So, I mount it, LaRue lock mount, click snap, done. Turn it on, up in 6 seconds and factory settings, ready to zero.
I look down range, steel and paper with shoot-n-c on white paper. Steel gives clear silhouette I can shoot center mass on. Shoot-n-c absorbs heat and gives thermal signature. 6 rounds later, it's zeroed. Shoot from 25 to 200, both center mass steel hold and thermal signature hold. Hit, hit, hit...
Gb Maryland, didn't notice poi change when zooming. Elevation stayed constant. Had some 1-2 minute wind shift a couple of times, blamed that on me. 4 and 8 x pixellate pretty bad, won't use them on animals.
Tonight we test on live snimals, will report more later..
Looking forward to your full review. I've ran my new IR Hunter 336 2x model for four straight nights now and I think I've barely slept in days. I feel like sh@@ today didn't get home till 4am last night 
I've had zero issues with the scope everything has worked perfect and held perfect POI even through the 2X and 4X digital. That also includes installing and taking off the scope daily the Larue mount has did it's job well. Whatever you put the cross arrow on is toast period!
I also rented the IR Hunter 640 1.5X model like you are testing before buying my 336 2X model. You can see the difference in the 640 vs 336 image as the 640 just provides more in depth detail to the image such as leaves, blades of grass and etc. That said the 336 is 95% just as capable of putting a round on target same as the 640 model at my hunting ranges 250 yards and under.
You do loose alittle ID range with the 336 vs the 640. Telling deer and hogs with the 336 isnt a issue out past 200, small critters like raccoons are pretty easy to ID 100-125 yards and if you Know animal movement you can ID much father out. I watched some deer last night maybe 300-350 yards could tell theY we're deer without issue and 125 yards out I could see velvet antlers
Notice my scope has a high dollar camo protective cover:
Ok maybe it's just a sock
I've had zero issues with the scope everything has worked perfect and held perfect POI even through the 2X and 4X digital. That also includes installing and taking off the scope daily the Larue mount has did it's job well. Whatever you put the cross arrow on is toast period!
I also rented the IR Hunter 640 1.5X model like you are testing before buying my 336 2X model. You can see the difference in the 640 vs 336 image as the 640 just provides more in depth detail to the image such as leaves, blades of grass and etc. That said the 336 is 95% just as capable of putting a round on target same as the 640 model at my hunting ranges 250 yards and under.
You do loose alittle ID range with the 336 vs the 640. Telling deer and hogs with the 336 isnt a issue out past 200, small critters like raccoons are pretty easy to ID 100-125 yards and if you Know animal movement you can ID much father out. I watched some deer last night maybe 300-350 yards could tell theY we're deer without issue and 125 yards out I could see velvet antlers
Notice my scope has a high dollar camo protective cover:
Ok maybe it's just a sock
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I could id anything we saw out to 200 with no issues, could see spray out the other side, and see my buddy's bullet trace.
This unit beats any other unit we have used except l3 lwts, and flir t70, and t75. It's pretty equal though to any other top of the line 640x 480 unit in clarity. The knobs and menu use is way easier though. That's why I say it beats the others. And, I'd rather use it than the t70/75 because I hate those little joy sticks. Even if I had the t70/75 price, I'd buy the ir hunter.
It was pretty much point and shoot. Back at it tonight.
This unit beats any other unit we have used except l3 lwts, and flir t70, and t75. It's pretty equal though to any other top of the line 640x 480 unit in clarity. The knobs and menu use is way easier though. That's why I say it beats the others. And, I'd rather use it than the t70/75 because I hate those little joy sticks. Even if I had the t70/75 price, I'd buy the ir hunter.
It was pretty much point and shoot. Back at it tonight.
Yes, the IR Hunter controls make for easy use in the field and the scope is fast to power up and be ready to get a shot off a huge plus. I found the 336 or 640 Thor to provide a little more image sharpness and contrast mainly do to the manual lens focus ability of the THOR. That said I like the IR Hunter scope housing and controls better overall. Overall the IR hunter is a excellent hunting scope it's the small things that add up out hunting that makes the scope grow on you
Found first dislike last night. Battery box location, changing batteries in dark under pressure.
The location of the box makes the scope sleek and ergonomic. This is nice.
Getting hands on the box cover, ha. Getting a tight cover loose, double ha. Keeping from ripping off the keeper strap. Ha.
It's easier to dismount the scope from the rifle, change batteries, put scope back on. Not so ha....
Have run the menus, no appreciable differences in performance. Reticle color, your choice. They all work. Reticle preference, the smaller the reticle, the easier to hit small items. The gradient color backgrounds? Haven't seen the need to get off normal screen to use the features in the colored screens to find the soon to be dead.
The sharp focus adjust, works as advertised, use when needed.
The three contrast settings on the black hot white hot menu. First setting worked best on cool dry night. Second setting worked best on cool wet night, and warmer wet nights. Third setting too dark any use so far.
Haven't tried picture setting, Menu 7. Advised not to use. Good advice. Not worth the effort.
Menu 6. Nuc, calibrate. Yet to try all options, more later.
Back to battery box. Cutting unit off until needed, got three 4-6 hour nights out of a set of batteries. Low battery warning came up. It blocks the screen, can't shoot through it. I ignored it, tried to shoot through it, waiting for it to just die. Don't do it. Missed the opportunity to make a shot. Then got in a hurry to change batteries before target left ao, see above... ha.
Had to turn on light, look closely at every move, secure rifle on flat surface to use both hands to get battery box top off. That flat sucked. Thus is the worst battery change scenario yet in my thermal experience. T70/75 best battery deal, lwts, second best..... atn thor is better on battery change than ir hunter.
Back at it tonight.
The location of the box makes the scope sleek and ergonomic. This is nice.
Getting hands on the box cover, ha. Getting a tight cover loose, double ha. Keeping from ripping off the keeper strap. Ha.
It's easier to dismount the scope from the rifle, change batteries, put scope back on. Not so ha....
Have run the menus, no appreciable differences in performance. Reticle color, your choice. They all work. Reticle preference, the smaller the reticle, the easier to hit small items. The gradient color backgrounds? Haven't seen the need to get off normal screen to use the features in the colored screens to find the soon to be dead.
The sharp focus adjust, works as advertised, use when needed.
The three contrast settings on the black hot white hot menu. First setting worked best on cool dry night. Second setting worked best on cool wet night, and warmer wet nights. Third setting too dark any use so far.
Haven't tried picture setting, Menu 7. Advised not to use. Good advice. Not worth the effort.
Menu 6. Nuc, calibrate. Yet to try all options, more later.
Back to battery box. Cutting unit off until needed, got three 4-6 hour nights out of a set of batteries. Low battery warning came up. It blocks the screen, can't shoot through it. I ignored it, tried to shoot through it, waiting for it to just die. Don't do it. Missed the opportunity to make a shot. Then got in a hurry to change batteries before target left ao, see above... ha.
Had to turn on light, look closely at every move, secure rifle on flat surface to use both hands to get battery box top off. That flat sucked. Thus is the worst battery change scenario yet in my thermal experience. T70/75 best battery deal, lwts, second best..... atn thor is better on battery change than ir hunter.
Back at it tonight.
Did menu 6, nuc. Simple as it gets. Changed the color palates, reticle colors, if it's hot, it shows clear, no matter what you set this on.
This unit is as close to point and shoot as they come.
Since changing batteries was such a bitch, I looked at this in daylight, practiced it several times, in daylight, then in the dark. Still the most difficult unit I've handled but with practice, it's much easier. And with practice, like anything else, duhh....
Present was a thor, rs32, ir hunter, and lwts, pricing in same line order. For my $, ir hunter...... the more I use it, the more I like it.
Did a demo with a new guy who was going to buy one of the three cheaper units, took him about 20' to decide ir hunter. Showed the unit to a thor owner, and when the $ is right, we know what's coming, ir hunter.
If you got the $, lwts, followed by ir hunter.
This unit is as close to point and shoot as they come.
Since changing batteries was such a bitch, I looked at this in daylight, practiced it several times, in daylight, then in the dark. Still the most difficult unit I've handled but with practice, it's much easier. And with practice, like anything else, duhh....
Present was a thor, rs32, ir hunter, and lwts, pricing in same line order. For my $, ir hunter...... the more I use it, the more I like it.
Did a demo with a new guy who was going to buy one of the three cheaper units, took him about 20' to decide ir hunter. Showed the unit to a thor owner, and when the $ is right, we know what's coming, ir hunter.
If you got the $, lwts, followed by ir hunter.
"For my $, ir hunter...... the more I use it, the more I like it. "
I agree with you fully on the IR Hunter. The more I use my IR Hunter 336 2X model the more I like it also. Its pretty much flip the power on and shoot, very fast and simple to use so I have found myself using it more than my other thermal weapon sights the past month. There is still a few slight firmware improvements IR defense can do to make this sight even better and if they make it happen I will sale my other thermal scopes and buy another IR Hunter model.
I agree with you fully on the IR Hunter. The more I use my IR Hunter 336 2X model the more I like it also. Its pretty much flip the power on and shoot, very fast and simple to use so I have found myself using it more than my other thermal weapon sights the past month. There is still a few slight firmware improvements IR defense can do to make this sight even better and if they make it happen I will sale my other thermal scopes and buy another IR Hunter model.
I got a chance to play with one and the menu manipulation was awesome. Hope to have the asking price saved up soon to get my own!
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