Hey all,

I use a T2 at 1.93 height with RNVG Binos.

I have been trying to practice with passive aiming lately. Im running into an issue where  it doesn't take much of a light source behind me to reflect off of the T2 housing and wash out the dot.

Is this just an accepted flaw of aiming passively, or do any of you expert have some tricks of the trade that I can try?

Thanks

Tag for any tips,  I tried shooting passive when i first got my ecoti and i felt like the thermal washed out the dot.  I know it's not the same but maybe there's some insight i can use.

Thermal can't see through glass.  If you're trying to aim through the optic with the tube that has the COTI attached, the COTI will likely pick up the IR heat signature from your body reflecting off the rear lens of the optic, washing it out.

I'm clear on that with straight thermal but was curious about fusion. I noticed if I powered up the dot a little more I could still see the projection. It was with a t2.

Interesting, I have little time behind a COTI, but plenty of time with traditional thermal.  I would have figured the overlay/projection would essentially wash out the entire center of your FOV.  

Now I’m curious, in for more info.

I use passive aiming until I can't, then I use the IR laser.

If something occluded my view through my optic, a quick tap gets me back to having what I need.

So this is my take on the T2 and night vision devices.
I took a NV class in Feb this year.
I got my T2 two days before the class and sighted it in, thinking this is badass I just got my new T2 on a unity mount two days before my class!
So we did a passive aiming run at the class and I couldn't see the target through the T2 at 50 yards, I was shooting blind basically.
I got home and switched over that rifle to run my EOTech with a bigger window.
Problem solved...
At about 30 yards and in the T2 is fine, anything past that, I personally need a laser.
EOTech for me, is good to about 75 yards passively.
Just my thoughts on this.

I typically shoot with filmless wp RNVG's with a COTI. I have several guns with both T2's and eotechs.

In my experience with the T2, I often have to superimpose the dot onto what my non-dominant eye is seeing. Actually looking through the optic is sometimes too dark to make super confident shots. The eotech, however, seems to have much better light transmition. I can almost always see through the glass just fine. In addition, your NV can be way out of line with the optic and you can still see the reticle, so that's another plus.

A note for the COTI users: mounting the coti to the side of your nods instead of the bottom allows for way easier passive aiming, and will allow you to aim at heat signatures without washing out the dot.

I have written about this light-from-behind issue several time here. You are the first guy I have seen make a comment on the same subject and not come up with some kind of an excuse for the method but instead face it head on.

It is a serious problem and almost impossible to avoid in any activity except solo work away from buildings and other lighting and on a moonless night.

It takes very little light from behind to make the RDS into total concealment for the target and everything else in the RDS field of view. The RDS becomes an object, and is no longer a window to look and aim through. You may as well have your hand in front of your face.

I have found that the "solution" of lighting up the target with IR to cure this, is a bit more complicated that it seems. It takes a LOT more IR to overcome the reflection than it does to light up the target without the reflection. In some circumstances, my  (XVL2 and X300V) IR lights are not sufficient to best the reflection, and often when they ARE able, the NV compatible dot has disappeared in the haze anyway.

My thinking is this; if I have a light source behind me that I had not expected, it means I have screwed up. If the activity is important and there is a Target downrange I have REALLY screwed up. So, I will either freeze and observe with the gun out of the way, and, if I have to shoot from there, I'd flip the NV out of the way, hit the white light, and use the iron sights through the glass. For hunting, I guess I'd move or await the animal to wander out of the zone that squirts the light back toward me.

A shade tube behind the RDS would help, but would be fragile and inconvenient and clumsy, especially on an odd-shaped RDS like EOTech that won't take a clamp.

RDS with NV is far more accurate for me than lasers. It's what I go to when accuracy counts. Accuracy almost ALWAYS counts. When you are using RDS you have to plan ahead and brief your pals too. Then you have to set up a formation and choose the position that doesn't hobble you by way of this phenomenon of amplified reflection (wheither from ambient light or the lights you are each using - IR beams, strobes, etc.). In a hunt it can be a problem. In a more serious setup, failing to plan and get the word out to friendlies, it can get one of you killed as a result of cutting your team down from several guns to fewer than you needed when it goes pear shaped because of light you that didn't consider, lost control of, or was used against you.

Just one man's opinion.

Or, if possible mount the COTI at 12:00. Was reading the first few responses and was wondering why I haven’t experienced the same issues but then it dawns on me my COTI is at 12:00.

It is often possible to look through the NV over the top or along the side of the RDS and see the "phantom" RDS dot in the NV while it actually LOOKS like you are bypassing the RDS. Seems that the bottom or side of the NV field of view (say a third or so just to pick a fraction) is still looking through RDS while most of the NVG field is not. The dot is still projected correctly on target and the target is visible as well.
The first time you see that, it is confusing and suspicious. But when it happens it's useful.

What was the issue? I can use aimpoint micros with no issue. Rainy, dark nights, the glass just disappears and I see the dot on my target. Was there backlighting or other issue? The only issue in run into is with my nx8 on dark nights. Light transmission isnt prime, and the reticle is slightly blurry to boot.