Night vision. Googles vs monocular?

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  • AllenM

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    I have the itch to get night vision but am having a hard time trying to decide between goggles and monocular.

    I dont have experience with either.
    I want to use it for around the house out to 150 yards at the most and want to be able to shoot using weapon mounted ir.

    Any input from those familiar with the differences?
     

    Ingomike

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    I have the itch to get night vision but am having a hard time trying to decide between goggles and monocular.

    I dont have experience with either.
    I want to use it for around the house out to 150 yards at the most and want to be able to shoot using weapon mounted ir.

    Any input from those familiar with the differences?

    I'm sure Googles can see more than a monocular but I doubt they would let you see what they can see. Might try goggles they may just be exactly what you are looking for.

    Sorry, couldn't resist this tee up...
     

    MontereyC6

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    Binos in white phosphorus, have been on my want list for a while. But forking out over 10k with a 16 week wait has made it hard to swallow.
     

    sheepdog697

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    If you want to be able to anything with movement or navigation in the dark, you’re going to want head mounted night vision, preferably analog instead of digital. As others have stated gen 3, however some gen 2+ night vision is very serviceable. For a monocular the pvs14 is basically the entry level “glock” of the night vision world. Just about everybody builds them and a decent one can be had for about 1800-2500 all the way up to $4k+ with high end tubes(L3 unfilmed). You can also go the dual night vision route with something like an anvis9, rnvg, dtnvg, pvs15/31, etc etc. These units range from $4k -$10k plus again depending on the types of tubes you have installed. Dual is better if you want to do dynamic movements, and I prefer two eyes under night vision than one in almost every aspect. You’ll need either a scull cap or a helmet with a good mount. You could get it done for about $300 for an air soft bump helmet and a rhino mount, and counterweight setup. With a head mounted unit you can go passive and look through a NV capable optic like an eotech(which is much cleaner than you would think). You can also use a weapon mounted IR laser which is the preferable method in most cases. Serviceable IR lasers that can be mounted start at about $200 all they way up to $3k+.

    If you can give a little more information on what your budget is, Im sure we can point you to a specific setup.

    ALSO, google TNVC and give them a call. They are probably the number 1 commercial night vision supplier. Their customer service is top notch and they could square you away with anything you want to know much better than most people can. Check out some of their YouTube videos as well. They can give you an idea about the difference styles of night vision.


    buy once cry once is very true with night vision. You will definitely get what you pay for. Be careful who you buy from there are a bunch of companies that sprung up overnight that are building units and cutting corners.

    I sold off quite a few guns and optics to get a good setup. It was definitely worth it from my experience.
     

    sheepdog697

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    I would recommend giving Tom Austin a call at Night Goggles. 909-312-5424


    Also to note, Night Goggles is the sister company to TNVC. Night goggles will have more "budget" options, and TNVC will be able to square you away with the best available to civilian market.
     

    bkflyer

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    Another thing you might want to consider is weight. I currently fly with the ANVIS 9 and I don't wear a counter weight, some do. However, the battery pack is on the back of our helmet with 4 AA batteries. After a couple of hours, you neck gets REALLY tired! We have come a long way since the full face 5's but goggles are heavy.
     

    sheepdog697

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    Another thing you might want to consider is weight. I currently fly with the ANVIS 9 and I don't wear a counter weight, some do. However, the battery pack is on the back of our helmet with 4 AA batteries. After a couple of hours, you neck gets REALLY tired! We have come a long way since the full face 5's but goggles are heavy.


    Thats badass. Im sure your flight helmet weighs a ton correct? I have rnvgs and I wear a team wendy ballistic sl (lightweight model) with TNVCs counterweight on the back. I would say average time I wear them is right around 4 -5 hours. The longer they are on your head, the more you notice the weight. In all honestly though, it doesnt really bother me a ton.

    Again, if the money isnt an issue and you can swing the duals over the mono, everything is so much easier. I would even prefer lower grade gen 3 green tubes in a dual system then i would unflimed white in a mono.

    AR15.com has a REALLY good night vision forum. I slum it up in there quite a bit. Most of the big name companies are site sponsors there as well. Might want to check out some of those threads. AR15.com ----> armory ---->night vision.
     

    foszoe

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    Instead of starting a thread, I figured I would tag onto Allens. If it isn't appropriate, let me know Allen.

    I am looking at pretty much the same thing. We have coyotes that wonder through our woods and when she goes out with our new puppy at night, she is convinced that every pair of eyes she shines a flashlight on is a coyote to her even though I tell her its probably the deer that sleep up close to the house.

    Because it's heavily wooded, my range would be the same as Allens. 100-150 yards would be nice for id work but shooting anything over 50-75 would be questionable because of the woods.

    I've read that thermal like FLIR is much better for target identification than night vision but also heard that is not as true as it used to be. Some say thermal for iding and night vision for shooting. I have aimpoints on most of my rifles with a 3x mag in a box that I occasionally get out.

    What kind of gear would be acceptable? Links to learning how to use the stuff would be just as helpful as what stuff to get at this point.

    Thanks
     

    sheepdog697

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    Instead of starting a thread, I figured I would tag onto Allens. If it isn't appropriate, let me know Allen.

    I am looking at pretty much the same thing. We have coyotes that wonder through our woods and when she goes out with our new puppy at night, she is convinced that every pair of eyes she shines a flashlight on is a coyote to her even though I tell her its probably the deer that sleep up close to the house.

    Because it's heavily wooded, my range would be the same as Allens. 100-150 yards would be nice for id work but shooting anything over 50-75 would be questionable because of the woods.

    I've read that thermal like FLIR is much better for target identification than night vision but also heard that is not as true as it used to be. Some say thermal for iding and night vision for shooting. I have aimpoints on most of my rifles with a 3x mag in a box that I occasionally get out.

    What kind of gear would be acceptable? Links to learning how to use the stuff would be just as helpful as what stuff to get at this point.

    Thanks



    Strictly hunting, i would say a weapon mounted thermal would be best. The Flir is going to be a handheld thermal, so it would help with ID but not so much sending rounds. If you want to move around or do anything dynamic, again i recommend analog night vision (not digital). I use a weapon mounted Ir laser and illuminator on a pressure switch and shots at 100 arent an issue. If you want to use passive aiming (using your NV capable red dot), you wont be able to use the magnifier. Obviously if you could acquire a mixture of everything it would be best case scenario. Budget will dictate what type of setup you could run.

    What is your budget foszoe?
     

    AllenM

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    No problem Foszoe. More questions and answers the better.

    I dont have $10.000 to spend and not knowing, my websearches bring up ATN alot, are they like the Tapco of the night vision would? For around 3000.00 they have some goggles that sound like they would do what I want but I do believe in buy once cry once principal thus this thread
     

    foszoe

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    I would say 10,000 but its not all in the bank right now. 2-3k to start and what to start with would get me going, but I can put about 2.5K in per quarter over the next year or so. So a prioritized list would be nice. I don't need to start shooting with the first purchase either, that first purchase could just be to start familiarizing myself with the gear.

    Strictly hunting, i would say a weapon mounted thermal would be best. The Flir is going to be a handheld thermal, so it would help with ID but not so much sending rounds. If you want to move around or do anything dynamic, again i recommend analog night vision (not digital). I use a weapon mounted Ir laser and illuminator on a pressure switch and shots at 100 arent an issue. If you want to use passive aiming (using your NV capable red dot), you wont be able to use the magnifier. Obviously if you could acquire a mixture of everything it would be best case scenario. Budget will dictate what type of setup you could run.

    What is your budget foszoe?
     

    sheepdog697

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    No problem Foszoe. More questions and answers the better.

    I dont have $10.000 to spend and not knowing, my websearches bring up ATN alot, are they like the Tapco of the night vision would? For around 3000.00 they have some goggles that sound like they would do what I want but I do believe in buy once cry once principal thus this thread


    I would 100% avoid ATN at all costs. For about $3500 you could get an entire helmet setup from steele industries. A pvs14 would be much better than anything atn has to offer.

    Heres a link to the package from steele industries. All you would need in addition to this is a laser aiming device.

    https://steeleindustries.com/product/steele-industries-night-fighter-package-pvs-14-2/

    I would spend the extra money and get the white phosphor. Also, if you really do end up going with this they will let you pick your specs on your tubes. If you go that route, let me know and i can help you guys pick good minimums that they would meet. Last time i saw they were charging the hand select option for no additional cost.
     

    sheepdog697

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    Just to clarify on that package.

    The mount (wilcox g24) is top of the line.
    The Ir strobe (helstar 6) is top of the line.
    The team wendy bump is the best bump helmet,.... in my opinion.

    Also, the XLSH line of Elbiet tubes ( used to be Harris) are very good quality as well. Avoid Photonis which is gen 2.
     

    foszoe

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    Thanks.

    Gonna read up on the different flims or no films. Too bad they don't have a cybermonday/black friday coupon.

    I would 100% avoid ATN at all costs. For about $3500 you could get an entire helmet setup from steele industries. A pvs14 would be much better than anything atn has to offer.

    Heres a link to the package from steele industries. All you would need in addition to this is a laser aiming device.

    https://steeleindustries.com/product/steele-industries-night-fighter-package-pvs-14-2/

    I would spend the extra money and get the white phosphor. Also, if you really do end up going with this they will let you pick your specs on your tubes. If you go that route, let me know and i can help you guys pick good minimums that they would meet. Last time i saw they were charging the hand select option for no additional cost.
     

    Rookie

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    Instead of starting a thread, I figured I would tag onto Allens. If it isn't appropriate, let me know Allen.

    I am looking at pretty much the same thing. We have coyotes that wonder through our woods and when she goes out with our new puppy at night, she is convinced that every pair of eyes she shines a flashlight on is a coyote to her even though I tell her its probably the deer that sleep up close to the house.

    Because it's heavily wooded, my range would be the same as Allens. 100-150 yards would be nice for id work but shooting anything over 50-75 would be questionable because of the woods.

    I've read that thermal like FLIR is much better for target identification than night vision but also heard that is not as true as it used to be. Some say thermal for iding and night vision for shooting. I have aimpoints on most of my rifles with a 3x mag in a box that I occasionally get out.

    What kind of gear would be acceptable? Links to learning how to use the stuff would be just as helpful as what stuff to get at this point.

    Thanks

    For the range you're shooting, I would recommend this...

    https://www.nightgoggles.com/shop/t...-5-6x25mm-ultra-compact-thermal-weapon-sight/

    I have the Hogster-r 35mm and the super hogster. Both are great thermal scopes.
     

    AllenM

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    I would 100% avoid ATN at all costs. For about $3500 you could get an entire helmet setup from steele industries. A pvs14 would be much better than anything atn has to offer.

    Heres a link to the package from steele industries. All you would need in addition to this is a laser aiming device.

    https://steeleindustries.com/product/steele-industries-night-fighter-package-pvs-14-2/

    I would spend the extra money and get the white phosphor. Also, if you really do end up going with this they will let you pick your specs on your tubes. If you go that route, let me know and i can help you guys pick good minimums that they would meet. Last time i saw they were charging the hand select option for no additional cost.

    This is the advice I am looking for.
     

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