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Posted: 12/4/2009 1:30:48 PM EDT
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Well, I'm just a poor boy looking to get some decent NV optics for doing some pig and coyote hunting on occasion. I know, skip the Gen 1 stuff. But honestly, how the heck am I suppose to 'try before I buy' something? I mean, it's not like the local Academy or Gander Mtn. has any of this Gen 2 or 3 stuff to look at, and even if they did, how the heck am I suppose to try it out? I mean, are they going to turn off the lights in the store for me to look around? Didn't think so.
I'm really interested in getting something like a D740 from TNVC, but at $2K, thats a lot of money for something I have never looked through, and don't really know how it's going to perform. I'm in a rural part of Texas so I don't know of anyone that has any of this NV gear, but some of my hunting lease buddies are former military, with combat experience using USMC gear, and I respect their opinions. How am I suppose to evaluate something like a NV scope? Take some guys online word for it? |
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Quoted:
Well, I'm just a poor boy looking to get some decent NV optics for doing some pig and coyote hunting on occasion. I know, skip the Gen 1 stuff. But honestly, how the heck am I suppose to 'try before I buy' something? I mean, it's not like the local Academy or Gander Mtn. has any of this Gen 2 or 3 stuff to look at, and even if they did, how the heck am I suppose to try it out? I mean, are they going to turn off the lights in the store for me to look around? Didn't think so. I'm really interested in getting something like a D740 from TNVC, but at $2K, thats a lot of money for something I have never looked through, and don't really know how it's going to perform. I'm in a rural part of Texas so I don't know of anyone that has any of this NV gear, but some of my hunting lease buddies are former military, with combat experience using USMC gear, and I respect their opinions. How am I suppose to evaluate something like a NV scope? Take some guys online word for it? I was in the same place a while back. I got lucky and scored a MUM. I would save like I have and just wait until I had the cash. Now I have to save to buy a helment. 
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Quoted:
Well, I'm just a poor boy looking to get some decent NV optics for doing some pig and coyote hunting on occasion. I know, skip the Gen 1 stuff. But honestly, how the heck am I suppose to 'try before I buy' something? I mean, it's not like the local Academy or Gander Mtn. has any of this Gen 2 or 3 stuff to look at, and even if they did, how the heck am I suppose to try it out? I mean, are they going to turn off the lights in the store for me to look around? Didn't think so. I'm really interested in getting something like a D740 from TNVC, but at $2K, thats a lot of money for something I have never looked through, and don't really know how it's going to perform. I'm in a rural part of Texas so I don't know of anyone that has any of this NV gear, but some of my hunting lease buddies are former military, with combat experience using USMC gear, and I respect their opinions. How am I suppose to evaluate something like a NV scope? Take some guys online word for it? Short of doing something like Karma suggests,not much else other then advice. Many guys on here have years of experience. I could tell you to buy a ATN night shadow and claim best scope in the world. 20 guys would be on me real fast thinking I am either drunk or gone senile. Lots of very knowledgeable people here that would not steer you wrong. Most of them are FAR from some "guy online". We differ in opinion from time to time but from reading the many posts you can get a good idea of what is good and what is not. Look at all the REAL world photos put up by TNVC and many others. Then ask lots of questions ! You could not be in a better place to get honest answers about night vision. Let me be the first to tell you the D-740 is a excellent choice. Night vision is one of the few things where you really get what you pay for. The good stuff is just not cheap. |
| Read reviews and ask questions. If a ton of folks recommend something, it can't be all that bad. Nobody on these boards is going to intentionally steer you wrong. But, if you have questions, feel free to give us a call and we would be happy to discuss your needs and what would be most suitable. |
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I appreciate the feedback. My needs are more for occasional pest management use, not something LE, job or .mil related so it really is a recreational 'toy' for me. Looking at the images on the different pages, some are very nice. I do think that some basic video clips, since many of the posts I've ready say that the still image does not do the tube justice would really help a guy make up his mind.
There also seems to be different types of the same models, example the Gen 2 D740 and a Gen 3 version. Are there comparison images between these two? And what about the MUM vs the D740 Gen 2? Again, I appreciate the feedback. I'm looking to invest one time on some decent NV gear, and I am a self confessed noob trying to educate myself, but this is a hard sell, having never really had any 'stick time' with this stuff. |
The scope and tube are two separate things. What I am trying to tell you is a Gen 3 tube in a Mum will not look much different in a D-740 other then magnification assuming they are the same tube. Now, the Mum is a 1x monocular and the D-740 a 4x rifle scope. Kind of like comparing apples to oranges. The Mum can be weapon mounted and magnification added but will never outperform a dedicated NV rifle scope. It is more versatile and can be used for many things. The Mum can be put behind sights like an Aimpoint or EO with a 3X Afocal. Pretty good for shorter ranges but is not going to perform up to the level of a dedicated rifle scope such as a D-740 or 760. Not sure if I am explaining it very good but others will help.The Gen 2 SHP tube is very close to older Gen 3 in performance. It is not going to outperform a new Gen 3 AG Pinnacle but does not cost near as much either. Look at the different images in Gen2 SHP and Gen 3 with the same model scope. It does not have to be a MUM or D-740. Get a feel for the difference between the two tubes.I don't want to just spout off a bunch of specs to you that you are not going to understand. Pics are the best way for you to see the difference. The biggest difference between the two tubes is performance in lower light levels. The Gen 3 will win everyday of the week and twice on Sundays. Hope this helps and I just didn't confuse you more. 
Looking at your needs I think the Gen 2 model would work great for you. That is my summary of all the above stuff to put it short and sweet. A monocular may be more along the lines of what you want to do. It is also more versatile (can be hand held or head mounted very easy). That decision is really up to you. I have both but most people start off with a monocular because it can do many things. The PVS-14, GT-14, D-300 are also a great choice in a monocular . Just keep in mind the monocular does not have a reticule and needs to be put behind either a dayscope with an adapter or something like a NV compatible Aimpoint or EO. You have to factor in the cost of a 3X afocal and Aimpoint or EO if you do not already own one. With a Gen 2 I would also get the TNVC IR torch for added illumination. NV is very addicting and there are many , MANY toys and accessories that go with it.  I have not even began to mention that you can go with a head mounted monocular with a visible or IR laser. See how this can snowball ! Do lots of reading is my best advice. Ask Many questions. Buy your night vision from a dealer who stands behind what they sell (lots of horror stories out there)
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I recently found myself in about the same situation. I also live in a rural part of Texas with more hogs and coyotes than I want, but didn't know much about NV equipment. Since I don't know anyone personally who owns NV equipment I got busy reading everything I could on the subject. My first problem was in deciding how much I wanted to spend. I didn't want to spend close to $4000 dollars but I didn't want to be disappointed with something I planned on using for years to come either, so I decided to go with a Gen 3 whatever type I purchased. I knew that no matter what the image looked like it would be the best available, at least to the public. If you want to go with something else you'll have to find someone who has what you're interested in or just go with the advise of people here. Either way I don't think you can go wrong as there is a wealth of knowledge on this site.
The next decision was to go with a monocular or a dedicated rifle scope. I settled on the monocular (PVS-14) due to the versatility. Although the rifle scope will be better for actually shooting, you'll spend a lot more time looking for hogs than shooting them. As stated in previous post there are a number of ways to use the monocular as an aiming device. Due mainlly to the fact that I already had most of what I needed on hand, I ended up mounting the NV unit behind a day scope using a QD mount that came with the unit. I then purchased an IR filter and a drop in IR LED for lights I already had. I also purchased a visible red laser that I may end up trying to convert to IR from info on another thread. Whatever you go with it's going to be a lot of fun. |
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If your anywhere around the Houston area I can let you look threw some of my NVD's. I have : gen III alfa mum, hand selected pinnacle pvs-14, and a hand selected pinnacle d-760. You can look threw them if you'd like. All the gear is for hog hunting, and it is VERY effective laying waste to them. I have helmet rigs( tnvc) for the mono's and qd attachment for scope along with illuminators. I know its a tough pill to swallow with the cost, but you really get what you pay for when it comes to NV.
Like the above poster if your only getting one nvd a mono is the way to go. Way more versatility. if I can help let me know. |
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Thanks guys! I'm in the Nacogdoches area, really a couple of hours from Houston, but I appreciate the offers.
As for the monocular, one reason I was leaning towards the D740 was for weapons mounting. I'm not sure how I would use the monocular, knowing that it would end up just being part of the optics 90% of the time. Can someone post some pics of their monoculars attached to their AR15's? I would like to know what sort of QD mounts, and sights are folks using? Thanks, Jim |
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I just finished looking at all the pics in the 'weapons mount' thread. WOW!
Trend I see is a LOT of PVS-14 with a 3x magnifier, behind either Eotech 552s or Aimpoints. OR D740 or D760s. Interesting... While my intention is to swap a traditional daytime long range scope with the NV gear, this is interesting configuration. What sort of ranges are you able to hit a hog with using the PVS-14 and a 3x with, say, an Eotech? 200 yards? One of the reasons I was interested in the D740 was the magnification, and knowing the sort of ranges I would be required to take shots with, it seems more usefull, but after seeing all these PVS-14s with magnifiers, thats got me to reconsidering my ideas. Oh, and thanks to km2006dmax, for offering to show me his NV gear. |
| I forgot to mention in my previous post but there's a guy east of Bryan who runs an outfit called Tacticle Hog Control. They guide night time hog hunts using NV equipment and he's also a NV dealer. Just do a search and get in touch with him. I spoke with him when I was first looking into getting my unit and he offered to meet with me and let me check out the various gear. Also, I was told not to put the PVS14 on anything larger than a 6.8 SPC because it might be damaged on a larger caliber. I'm sure someone will correct me if that's not right but you might want to consider a dedicated rifle scope if you plan on putting it on a larger caliber. |
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Thanks to everyone for their input on this subject of how to decide what to get. I'm still mulling over my options, but I keep coming back to my intended uses, and that keeps me grounded with some Gen 2 stuff, specifically a D740. I really will be hard pressed to justify any Gen 3 optics due to the much higher cost, simple as that. And due to the intended occasional use, I think the Gen 2 D740 is my best option.
I don't see me using the NV gear off the rifle, so a non-dedicated scope just seems a less than attractive idea. Again, thanks for the feedback, time to start saving my pennies. Jim |
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