After searching and kicking tires for months, I finally took the plunge and purchased a night vision scope.  Mike at CSGunWorks came through (as usual) with a new product that I decided to try out.

It is a Rigel Optics 4300, Gen 1+ with IR illuminator.  UPS delivered it today, and my family and I have been playing with it out back.  We live in the country, and are amazed at the starlight magnification of this thing.  I have not handled night vision since the early 80's with what we called an "owl eye", and this baby beats that by a long shot.

My son hid in our pitch black basement, and I found him before he even knew where I was.  The illuminator lights things up out to around 50 yards, and makes pitch black look like you are searching it with a full sized maglight.  When he saw the red glow, he knew that he was busted.

After playing, I mounted it on my preban Bushy M4gery first, but needed it moved back further than my ARMS 40 would allow.  I transferred it to a flattop 20" rifle, and it fits like a champ with the integral thumbscrew mount.  It weighs a bit more than my TA31 (thanks again, Mike!), but balances better on the rifle than it did on the carbine.

I will probably sight it in tomorrow evening, and begin educating the feral cat population later that night.  

I'll post my shakedown experiences in a few days.  I'll be curious to see how easily it sights in and how well it holds a zero.

Bud

you'll have to give us a long term test of this new NVD...From what I have seen it looks like a pretty good and reliable scope for people not willing to dump more money into a NVD then there weopon they will put it on cost.  For me I have been looking for a little while for one, and at just a little less then 500 bucks for this scope, it looks like a pretty good deal. Please give us more details on this scope.  Can it stand up to the muzzle flash of XM193 ammo out of a gun with not flash suppressor? thanks
-Brian-