Is there a way to tell a Military PVS-14 to commerical model? I was at a gun show last weekend and a guy had several new PVS-14's with only a serial number etched into the side white numbers. they came in a green mil bag with all the extras made me alittler nervous so I didn't buy one even though he gave a good price to me. I was wondering if there was a good way to tell if they were hot military units or not without takeing the unit apart.i.

Quoted: Is there a way to tell a Military PVS-14 to commerical model? I was at a gun show last weekend and a guy had several new PVS-14's with only a serial number etched into the side white numbers. they came in a green mil bag with all the extras made me alittler nervous so I didn't buy one even though he gave a good price to me. I was wondering if there was a good way to tell if they were hot military units or not without takeing the unit apart.i.

Actual Military PVS 14s will have the words

PROPERTY

   US

GOVERNMENT

Embossed into the top of the tube housing in between the little grip ridges.

Now it is completely possible for a civilian to purchase from ITT (or one of their distributors) a "mil spec" tube. If you do, they will NOT come with any data sheet.

It does sound odd about the marking, but who knows. The military keeps track of Night Vision Equipment (at least we do) like it is a weapon. So to walk off with one would be a project. To walk off with several would be a very big project, and then the guy would have to be pretty ballsy to try and sell em at a gun show. The Green bags are ALL over the place. In fact the PVS 14 gets shipped new with all the little goddies.

IPSC_GUY
SIERRA II ALPHA

He is right! The military considers them "sensitive items" just like a weapon. Any time we came back from the field or training a 100% sensitive item inventory was done by serial number on all weapons, NVGs, PAQ-4s, Radios etc before anyone was released to go home. On more than one occasion I have seen entire units locked down because a NVG came up missing. In 96 while I was at Ft. Lewis a unit was locked down for over a week when a pair of PVS-7D's came up missing. No one was allowed to leave. Miraculously they just "showed" back up and everyone was allowed to go home.



RLTW