Night Vision Wilcox G22 vs G24

[texasleftychef]

This is my first foray into wearing NV on my head so I'm really in the dark here. Bought all of the mounting gear (all Wilcox) ahead of time in the anticipation of possible shortages in the future when I plan to get a Nox and a 14 setup. Being a kind of a high drag (not that kind either Horta) low speed kind of guy, I thought I might go with the Night Cap to start with. Anyways everything showed up and I the only thing I have to run on it right now is a Reap 35 Gen 1. Granted this is only a temporary setup and mostly to get a feel for all the gear on my head but needless to say everything doesn't fit all that great even with weights in the backs and the Reap is pretty much touching my eye.

So after some consultation with Wig and Elite (thanks guys for all the help), they recommended I try a long mount being the G22 which is 1/3 inch longer. So I got to thinking is there any real reason to not switch over from the 24 to the 22? I have a feeling that the 24 will probably work fine with a helmet and the cap with a 14 and the Nox as I assume they are shorter. But is there any real reason to not just get the 22 and run it for now and forever?

Or maybe the issue is just that the Reap and the cap are a divorce waiting to happen and I should just get a helmet and stick with the G24?

Thanks in advance.

 

[DoubleHaul]

You say you're going for a Nox/14 setup. If that is going to be in a KVC bridge I think you'll have plenty of forward offset. I actually move the dovetail back on the KVC bridge for my Breach/14.

 

[texasleftychef]

It's a Wilcox

 

[WhereNow&How]

@texasleftychef So the Wilcox G22 has 1.4 inches of travel (fore & aft) in and out. So if you want more adjustment the Norotos Rhino II Dovetail has 1.6 inches of travel in and out. It is also a much stronger and wobble free mount compared to the Wilcox offerings. And as a bonus is much lower cost. Hard to beat the Rhino II Dovetail for overall durability, functionality, wobble free and price.

Norotos RHNO II Dovetail NVG Mount

U.S. Army Standard Issue MICH/ACH NVG Helmet Mount

tnvc.com

 

[texasleftychef]

Thanks. I can’t stand wobble. I had hoped this system would lock up really tight. Seems fairly tight at least for the moment and being new.

 

[NighthawkCG]

Have the wilcox bridge and G22 and am happy with it. Run anything from dual 14s, 14/patrol combo, or single of either. Run them on a night cap or bump.

A few thoughts for ocnsideration:
- Not sure about the reap, but the IR patrol is set up so the eyepiece is actually closer to the eye than with a standard 14 if on a bridge.
- If you may need to wear glasses or eye pro, the longer travel is helpful
- With the wilcox bridge, there is a way to flip the arms so you get even more standoff from your eye. I bought one extra arm and did this. It helps line up the 14 and thermal better.
- Never used the norotos, but have read that the recommendation is to stick wit ha brand to eliminate slop. Not sure how Norotos aunt and wilcox bridge will play together. Maybe someone with more experience with both can chime in.
- The minuscule weight difference is worth the flexibility IMO. Though, with weight farther out on your mount, it has more leverage and may require more counterweight.


Bottom line - plenty happy with my G22. Should you get one, I would be curious to see a few pics. I have two, purchased from a very reputable wilcox dealer over a year apart and the locking mechanism locks the opposite way on both. Spoke with wilcox and the dealer - confident both are genuine, but I'm not sure on which way is the "right" way. Have to be careful with one of them so I doubt dismount the unit instead of flipping up.

 

[WhereNow&How]

- Never used the norotos, but have read that the recommendation is to stick wit ha brand to eliminate slop. Not sure how Norotos aunt and wilcox bridge will play together. Maybe someone with more experience with both can chime in.

I have run Wilcox J arms with the male Dovetail portion inserting into the Norotos Female portion of the Dovetail on a Rhino II. Locks up perfect with no wobble.

However, I much more prefer the Mod Armory PVS 14 J arm over the Wilcox J arm.

 

[BamaSE]

@texasleftychef So the Wilcox G22 has 1.4 inches of travel (fore & aft) in and out. So if you want more adjustment the Norotos Rhino II Dovetail has 1.6 inches of travel in and out. It is also a much stronger and wobble free mount compared to the Wilcox offerings. And as a bonus is much lower cost. Hard to beat the Rhino II Dovetail for overall durability, functionality, wobble free and price.

Norotos RHNO II Dovetail NVG Mount

U.S. Army Standard Issue MICH/ACH NVG Helmet Mount

tnvc.com

This! OP I have a G22 and it is GTG. But.....I did take WN&H’s advice with the Norotos conversion and it has now become my primary. I like the fore and aft adjustment range (wear glasses) and force to overcome flip up/down over locating a button. A lot of this is personal preference but just seconding that there are some less pricey options out there as well that still grant plenty of adjustment for us four eyes.

 

[rlsmith1]

Any downsides to the Norotos? Seems like a no brainer with a KVC bridge. Any other good options for bridges with the NOX / PVS14 setup? Hope to run that someday too

 

[texasleftychef]

Thanks for the help guys. I’ve waited to get a helmet to make sure the night cap wasn’t the problem and after experimenting with it it seems the beige may be a bigger problem than the mount. Through my research from your recommendations it appears that most bridges don’t have the adapter set so far back on the bridge. I believe that this may be causing my issues. All this complicated for sure by trying to use a Reap instead of a more viable option.

Interested to hear your guys thoughts. Ultimately I don’t really care if the Reap experiment fails I just want to make sure I’m not in a bad spot when I get a 14 and a nox.