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Posted: 3/13/2017 12:32:53 PM EDT
I don't own any NV ..... I know when it comes to NV its a buy once cry once expense....I would be ordering a PVS14 setup from TNVC

I am debating selling some rifles that don't get much use to fund it (Tavor, M1A Socom and maybe a few others ) .... I have plenty of ARs and "Tactical" rifles/carbines

Just trying to gauge the importance of owning NV outside of just being "Tacticool"  .....
Link Posted: 3/13/2017 12:44:22 PM EDT
[#1]
Quoted:
I don't own any NV ..... I know when it comes to NV its a buy once cry once expense....I would be ordering a PVS14 setup from TNVC

I am debating selling some rifles that don't get much use to fund it (Tavor, M1A Socom and maybe a few others ) .... I have plenty of ARs and "Tactical" rifles/carbines

Just trying to gauge the importance of owning NV outside of just being "Tacticool"  .....
View Quote
There's more to the concept than "buy once, cry once". If you don't know what you want and what you want it to do then you will probably still not be satisfied with whatever you buy.

Determine a need then fill the role. Otherwise it's just a toy.
Link Posted: 3/13/2017 12:48:11 PM EDT
[#2]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
There's more to the concept than "buy once, cry once". If you don't know what you want and what you want it to do then you will probably still not be satisfied with whatever you buy.

Determine a need then fill the role. Otherwise it's just a toy.
View Quote


Makes sense ... I've done some research over the last few months but it's a fairly large expense so maybe I am just looking for some convincing before pulling the trigger
Link Posted: 3/13/2017 12:58:11 PM EDT
[#3]
It's dark around 1/2 the time.
Link Posted: 3/13/2017 1:00:11 PM EDT
[#4]
Quoted:


Just trying to gauge the importance of owning NV outside of just being "Tacticool"  .....
View Quote


I asked this question and got called a troll, liberal, and a "fudd". I was genuinely curious.

The main answers I got after the general butthurt subsided was a) cus it's 'merica and b) for hunting.
Link Posted: 3/13/2017 1:02:19 PM EDT
[#5]
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Quoted:


I asked this question and got called a troll, liberal, and a "fudd". I was genuinely curious.

The main answers I got after the general butthurt subsided was a) cus it's 'merica and b) for hunting.
View Quote




Well in the future I would like to go hog hunting at night ... Plus my uncle has been having some Coyote problems on his property I could help with
Link Posted: 3/13/2017 1:16:47 PM EDT
[#6]
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Quoted:


Makes sense ... I've done some research over the last few months but it's a fairly large expense so maybe I am just looking for some convincing before pulling the trigger
View Quote
Train. Find the gaps in your abilities that need to be filled. If NV satisfies those needs then it is the right tool for the job. If it does not then it is just another gadget in the safe.

Don't ask others to determine your own needs.

Buy the tool to do the job. Don't buy the tool and then look for work for it.
Link Posted: 3/13/2017 1:20:46 PM EDT
[#7]
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Quoted:
Train. Find the gaps in your abilities that need to be filled. If NV satisfies those needs then it is the right tool for the job. If it does not then it is just another gadget in the safe.

Don't ask others to determine your own needs.

Buy the tool to do the job. Don't buy the tool and then look for work for it.
View Quote


Good info and very valid points
Link Posted: 3/13/2017 1:24:27 PM EDT
[#8]
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Quoted:




Well in the future I would like to go hog hunting at night ... Plus my uncle has been having some Coyote problems on his property I could help with
View Quote
If your need is strictly hunting then thermal imaging will probably serve you better than I2. I2 beats thermal imaging for navigation and target discrimination. If you need one device to do everything then I2 is the way to go.
Link Posted: 3/13/2017 2:56:32 PM EDT
[#9]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


I asked this question and got called a troll, liberal, and a "fudd". I was genuinely curious.

The main answers I got after the general butthurt subsided was a) cus it's 'merica and b) for hunting.
View Quote


Yeah, that's what you did. *rolls eyes*

You act like a troll in every thread I've seen you in.

Or you're, what, 18?  20?
Link Posted: 3/13/2017 4:14:58 PM EDT
[#10]
I'm a night vision junkie through and through, so I've got no vested interest in discouraging anyone from purchasing NV, and I kick myself all the time for not getting personally owned night vision sooner.  

That being said, if you don't have a specific use in mind, what I often find that it comes down to for people contemplating the purchase of night vision is whether or not you realistically have a place and the time to shoot with your NV.  On the one hand, I'm a proponent of "where there's a will there's a way," but there's no question that certain people's situations allow them to get a lot more out of NV than others.  

If you have land, or know of land where you can pop over and shoot at night, then NV will be a great asset--it will effectively double the amount of time you can spend shooting, and it's a lot more fun (IMHO) to boot.  Certainly if you've got places to coyote or hog hunt, then you can probably go out and shoot at night as well.  

The other side of the coin, though, is if you live, say, in a suburban area, don't really know anyone and/or have a place where you can go shoot at night, and are essentially going to be stuck walking around your 1/4 acre backyard and around your house, or worse yet, your apartment complex, where not only will you get weird looks--but you're also advertising to everyone "hey, I've got expensive toys to steal!"  This is all assuming you can find somewhere in your neighborhood where there isn't too much ambient lighting in the first place to even be able to use your NV.  

Another side of this coin is going to be the time issue--say you have a place to go shoot, but what's your work schedule?  Are you a day person or a night person?  What about social and personal obligations?  Are you going to be too beat after work to go and set up to shoot after dark?  Are your partner or kids going to be okay with you slipping away and spending Saturday night shooting instead of taking them on a date or doing something as a family?  

Again--these are all not insurmountable problems, but they do require slightly different coordination than "conventional" shooting during the daytime, when most people "expect" you to do such things.  

To be fair, there are most certainly other things that you can do with NV besides shooting--if you like astronomy, camping, hiking, etc., NV can be a lot of fun for those activities as well, but this is a shooting forum for the most part--people may have other interests as well, but they've chosen to spend a significant amount of time on a social media venue aimed (pardon the pun) at firearms and firearms related activities, and you're talking about sacrificing some high end firearms in favor of getting NV.  To this end, many of the people whom I've met and spoken to who do not have readily available land that they can shoot on, and/or a schedule that allows for it often find their NV purchases to be something of a disappointment.  It ends up being a cool toy that they can tell everyone they have, and they can take their friends out in the backyard and say "check this out!" but they largely end up being expensive devices that almost never get used, except under very limited circumstances, e.g., an organized night shoot, paid hunt, or class.  

Personally, I'm all for everyone being able to own, buy, and use whatever the hell they want--but read the "NODs for HD" thread below, unless you have a serious fear of the breakdown of civilization in which you feel that it's worthwhile for you to spend $3,000+ on a tool you will probably never use during the apocalypse or societal breakdown and anarchy, it's not really a "critical" item to have for "HD/SD" for most people--unless of course you have a large, rural property to defend... in which case you probably have the space to shoot on as well.  

Again, none of this should be taken as any indication that anyone needs to justify any purchase if that's what they want, this is simply feedback based on my experiences with people who want to begin dabbling in NV, and aren't sure whether or not it's going to be worth it for them.  

~Augee
Link Posted: 3/13/2017 6:54:51 PM EDT
[#11]
I just want to make sure I'm not being interpreted as being negativistic. No one needs to validate their choices with me. Just make sure that you consider what you either want or need the item to do before you buy it. There are choices and the choice that most aligns with your wants or needs is what will best satisfy you. I suggest you join us here in the NV forum a bit so you can get your bearings before a big purchase.
Link Posted: 3/13/2017 7:04:27 PM EDT
[#12]
Thanks for all the feedback on this lots of good info .... What I will probably do is just save up the funds and do more research as I put the funds back instead of selling firearms to get into one quicker

Lots to learn on NV gear that is for sure but I enjoy learning new things
Link Posted: 3/13/2017 8:41:47 PM EDT
[#13]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Thanks for all the feedback on this lots of good info .... What I will probably do is just save up the funds and do more research as I put the funds back instead of selling firearms to get into one quicker

Lots to learn on NV gear that is for sure but I enjoy learning new things
View Quote
Excellent. Don't panic lurch forward. Get a sense of what you need and what the equipment can do to assist you, then buy what works for you.
Link Posted: 3/14/2017 10:05:40 AM EDT
[#14]
I am one of the people who gets a lot of use out of my NV. I live out in the country and can shoot on my property. I also have hunting land that is not too far away. I use my NV almost every night & most of my shooting is now done at night. A lot of the stuff I do would probably get a lot of weird looks if I lived in a neighborhood... I take the trash out, walk the dog, watch deer & other critters, and look at the stars with NV lol. Usually if I go outside for something and it's dark out the NV comes with...

With that being said... I wish I would have got into NV sooner. If I was starting over, instead of buying a bunch of guns I would use that money to put toward a good NV setup and a good rifle with an IR laser/illuminator. I would much rather have one good rifle with NV instead of a bunch of rifles without NV.

In my opinion, I would probably sell a few guns to get the PVS14. But that is my opinion... Everything Augee said is correct. If you won't get much use out of it, then it may not be worth it to sell a few guns. Weigh your options & if you have never used NV, try to find someone close to you who will let you try theirs out.
Link Posted: 3/14/2017 10:51:21 AM EDT
[#15]
Using NODs requires you to train with them a lot and like SOT said the right tool for the right job. A lot of people think you put on NV and it's like someone turned on a green light and you can do everything like you can when you turn on the lights which is a huge misconception. First off you can set your NODs for either near or far focus, your depth perception sucks, learning to manipulate a firearm is critical and is like doing it blind folded at best. As far as which one to buy it all depends on what you want to use it for. The TNVC unit is great for seeing in the darkest of corners, under a thick canopy, almost no visible light inside of structures, but the 3K price tag is a big investment vs going with a slightly lower performing Gen3 or Gen2+ unit. The lower rated units can be 1,000 to 1,5000 cheaper and are just as good under IR light, but not as good with no IR light under the darkest conditions as mentioned.
Link Posted: 3/14/2017 4:14:44 PM EDT
[#16]
something to keep in mind is the supporting accessories

once you have the initial purchase of the device you will need

1. a helmet (skull crushers blow)
2. a mount for said helmet
3. if you plan on shooting you need an illuminator in some instances
4. you will need an IR laser mounted to the rifle to shoot


I wouldnt worry about the last two, the first two are pretty critical

dont let that and the price discourage you.
gen 3 nods had always been on my list of "oh man that would be so badass but its expensive"

I saved my pennies for a while, even went to a gun show and didnt spend a dime because i was close to my goal.

now that I have had nods for a couple years i will never not have them.
I still remember the first time I powered it up I said "holy shit"
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