# Entry Level NV Scope Recommendations



## mlw85547 (Nov 2, 2015)

I've been wanting to get into night time hog/predetor hunting and would like some recommendations on an entry level NV scope. I would like to keep the optic and mount under 1000 dollars if possible. 

I have watched some videos, but i quickly realized that first hand unbiased testimonials would probably be best to help me make a good decision. The Photon XT seems to be the most promising to me right now, but I am not sure of all the other products out there. 

This scope will likely be mounted to my 5.56 AR if it matters. I'd really prefer a scope capable of 100 yrds in complete darkness, but I'm not sure if that will be completely possible. 

Let me know what ya'll think.

Thanks,


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## mas360 (Nov 21, 2006)

I got a Photon XT about six weeks ago. It was good looking at targets in my backyard at night but when I finally took it hunting it was a disappointment. Unless you are hunting from a 10' tall stand overlooking a meadow and there is NO LEAVES/BRANCHES between you and target it is a lost cause. The moment you turn on the IR light anything that stands between you and your target will illuminate like a Xmas tree....much more so than looking through a regular scope with a flash light on. The night I took it hunting there was 3/4 moon and it was quite bright enough for me to be able to see the feeder with a regular Leupold scope. When I turned on the Photon without turning on the IR light all I could see was a white screen. The moonlight bounced off foliage and diffuse lighting basically blinded the Photon.
My buddy bought an ATN digital NV for $500. This is also like the Photon. It is a video camera during daytime....beautiful and vivid image in color. At night it could not see anything unless you turn on the IR light, which blinds you unless there is nothing standing between you and target. If a hog stands in the bush looking at you, you certainly would not be able to see it due to reflected IR light against the leaves/branches. The Photon XT is actually better than the ATN. The ATN takes about 40 seconds to turn on and it drains the battery within two hours if left on continuously. The Photon turns on in about 2 seconds. The ATN has 12X power while the Photon was only 4X. 

I returned my Photon.


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## T-Roy (Oct 4, 2004)

I will disagree about the Photon. It is what it is. I have two of them. Yes they do reflect off of trees and the like. If you have a fairly open field of view they work great. If you are hunting the brush, I would say there is no cheap introduction to the game. Go buy a Gen 3 or a Thermal. Your intro to the game is in the $1000's of dollars. 

You need to make sure there is nothing on the front of your gun to reflect back, and I use a T-20 external ir. It give you some added range. 

Does it compare to my buddies, Gen 3 $3000 or his Thermal $5000. NO. But he owns two Photon also. Does it let me pay in the game. YES! I have one at 15 for my son and a ar 10 for me. So for $1000 dollars we both get to play the game. We have a pile of dead pig the show the Photon is a valid choice. 

If you are in Katy, PM me and you can come look at one. (Next week. I am leave to go on a Pheasant hunt in the morning. Oh and I am taking a PHOTON to kill some pigs.) 

Just My 2 Pennies!


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## theeyeguy (May 24, 2011)

I sell both and sell 5x the number of X-Sights to Photons, especially now that the prices are lower. I sell X-Sights for $449 for 2cool. The X sight is a little heavier and has a slower refresh rate that the photon, but everything else about the x sight is better. Full color during the day. Higher resolution screen and sensor. Larger screen and field of view. Takes video/picture with a microsd card. Separate IR.


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## mlw85547 (Nov 2, 2015)

This is exactly what I was afraid of. I have a very low end NV monocular and it is not very good if there is alot of brush or low hanging branches within your feild of veiw. the best thing I have seen outside of NV is a lazer like flashlight mounted and sighted in on top of a traditional scope. I was impressed with the image through the scope but the briiiiiight light made me think you would spook any potential critters before getting a good shot off. 

What recommendations do ya'll have to get me started. I hunt in east texas pines so there is nothing but brush and timber all around. I just cant see spending the 3-5k to start hunting pigs and predators. is a q-beam the best way to go for now? What type of optics would be best? Red-dots, Irons, large objective magnified?


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## Bird (May 10, 2005)

Pulsar N550 or N750. I've use the N750 a few times and it is pretty good. Really gets better with an aftermarket IR illuminator. The black and white image is near Gen 2 quality.


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## txcowpoke (Sep 18, 2007)

What type of scope mounts do you need for the X sight? I want to mount one on my ar 10


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## Jungle_Jim (Nov 16, 2007)

TNVC.com


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## boom! (Jul 10, 2004)

X2 on the pulsar n750. Best bang for the buck.


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## mas360 (Nov 21, 2006)

mlw85547 said:


> This is exactly what I was afraid of. I have a very low end NV monocular and it is not very good if there is alot of brush or low hanging branches within your feild of veiw. the best thing I have seen outside of NV is a lazer like flashlight mounted and sighted in on top of a traditional scope. I was impressed with the image through the scope but the briiiiiight light made me think you would spook any potential critters before getting a good shot off.
> 
> What recommendations do ya'll have to get me started. I hunt in east texas pines so there is nothing but brush and timber all around. I just cant see spending the 3-5k to start hunting pigs and predators. is a q-beam the best way to go for now? What type of optics would be best? Red-dots, Irons, large objective magnified?


Like you I hunt in heavily wooded area near lake Livingston. Like someone pointed out above, unless you are willing to shell out for FLIR or high end NV it is a loss. I am now back to the scope mounted green flash light. The reflected light looking through a regular scope is not as blinding as the IR light looking through a Photon XT. 
The best option thus far is the motion sensor light I mount at feeder in conjunction with an illuminated scope reticle. No issue with reflection. The downside is I can only see hogs who come to feeder and are not spooked by the light.

You can get an LED flashlight operating on 18650 Li-ion cells, which produces as much lumens as the bulky Q-beam spotlight. If you have an AR it would be very easy to mount it on the forearm.

The laser like flashlight you mentioned first came out about four years ago and at the time it was $400. I think the model number is ND3. I bought one and it was great as long as you hunt in spring or early falls when it is not too cold. Once temperature drops below 50 it begins to malfunction. Below 40 it quit working. Some people wrap it with good insulation and put a hand warmer gadget on it to keep it warm and that work. I returned that one after the first trip out with it. They may have solved that problem by now. I have not kept track of it.


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## mlw85547 (Nov 2, 2015)

The ND3 is exactly what i had seen before. I bought a 300 lumen red flashlight on amazin to be mounted to the ar. I also have a 850 lumen white light i will try as well but i think it may be too bright. 

Now i'm looking at optics. Right now i'm really liking the leupold hog vxr with the fire dot.


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## mas360 (Nov 21, 2006)

You definitely need a scope with red dot since most hogs have black fur. I like the Vortex Crossfire Hog Hunter. It has an illuminated dot and a 56mm objective lens plus lifetime unlimited warranty similar to Leupold...all for $269 on Amazon. This company is going to give Leupold a run for its money.


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## theeyeguy (May 24, 2011)

mas360 said:


> You definitely need a scope with red dot since most hogs have black fur. I like the Vortex Crossfire Hog Hunter. It has an illuminated dot and a 56mm objective lens plus lifetime unlimited warranty similar to Leupold...all for $269 on Amazon. This company is going to give Leupold a run for its money.


They already do, but the VXR kicks the Hog Hunter's *** in regards to optics. Crossfire line is their chinese line and is decent but nothing close to a VXR in terms of quality.


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## wpeschel (Jul 14, 2015)

Jungle_Jim said:


> TNVC.com


This. Anything else will leave you desiring more.


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## mr crab (Feb 13, 2009)

http://www.oznium.com/48watt-led-work-light
What i use. I have a 6ft 2" pvc pipe drove into the ground about 40 yds from my feeder (pointing away from the blind). I use a atv battery to run it. I show up about 30 minutes before dark, put the light on the pipe with a pvc collar, and use wire nuts to connect the battery. I have my feeders (after deer season) set to spin only once daily about 20 min after plum dark. My blind is 175yds from my feeder, and i can see perfectly at least 60yds behind it. This is the most effective hog hunting method I've ever tried. It works, and the hogs are not spooked by the light at all. I do use an illuminated reticle on my scope because the cross hairs are hard to see, But the hogs are plain as day when they walk into my shooting lane

Sent from my LG-D415 using Tapatalk


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## mlw85547 (Nov 2, 2015)

mr crab said:


> http://www.oznium.com/48watt-led-work-light
> What i use. I have a 6ft 2" pvc pipe drove into the ground about 40 yds from my feeder (pointing away from the blind). I use a atv battery to run it. I show up about 30 minutes before dark, put the light on the pipe with a pvc collar, and use wire nuts to connect the battery. I have my feeders (after deer season) set to spin only once daily about 20 min after plum dark. My blind is 175yds from my feeder, and i can see perfectly at least 60yds behind it. This is the most effective hog hunting method I've ever tried. It works, and the hogs are not spooked by the light at all. I do use an illuminated reticle on my scope because the cross hairs are hard to see, But the hogs are plain as day when they walk into my shooting lane
> 
> Sent from my LG-D415 using Tapatalk


I've been thinking of something along these lines as well. How long does the atv battery last with something like that? Seems to be pretty bright.


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## mr crab (Feb 13, 2009)

Idk how long it lasts? I never sit very long. If the hogs are gonna come out, They will do so within 30 minutes of the feeder spinning. (Verified with camera records) so i never sit longer than that on a night hunt. But I'm sure you could get a couple hours out of it. The key to this style is only having the feeder spin once daily and setting that time to right after plum dark. It's like they can't help it

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## mr crab (Feb 13, 2009)

Dam near a sure thing in my area. 

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## mas360 (Nov 21, 2006)

mr crab said:


> Idk how long it lasts? I never sit very long. If the hogs are gonna come out, They will do so within 30 minutes of the feeder spinning. (Verified with camera records) so i never sit longer than that on a night hunt. But I'm sure you could get a couple hours out of it. The key to this style is only having the feeder spin once daily and setting that time to right after plum dark. It's like they can't help it
> 
> Sent from my LG-D415 using Tapatalk


Your area must have very low hunting pressure OR hogs there have low IQ. At my farm if I go to the feeder area and mess around....even to check camera an hour or two before getting into stand...it is almost a given there will be no hogs for that night. They are also very weary about lights. On my camera I have seen them hanging out outside of the lighted area at feeder and only eat the sparse bait corn I place at spots around the lighted area. These hogs are smart enough to eat corn all the way to the trap door (placed about 75 yards away) but would not step inside the trap at all. The few who got into the trap were young ones under 40 lbs.


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## mr crab (Feb 13, 2009)

Maybe so? It's as clause to a sure thing as it gets tho. I hunt near Toledo Bend

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## boom! (Jul 10, 2004)

Is the corn gone the next morning? Lol


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## dwilliams35 (Oct 8, 2006)

mlw85547 said:


> This is exactly what I was afraid of. I have a very low end NV monocular and it is not very good if there is alot of brush or low hanging branches within your feild of veiw. the best thing I have seen outside of NV is a lazer like flashlight mounted and sighted in on top of a traditional scope. I was impressed with the image through the scope but the briiiiiight light made me think you would spook any potential critters before getting a good shot off.
> 
> What recommendations do ya'll have to get me started. I hunt in east texas pines so there is nothing but brush and timber all around. I just cant see spending the 3-5k to start hunting pigs and predators. is a q-beam the best way to go for now? What type of optics would be best? Red-dots, Irons, large objective magnified?


One thing that works very well with those low-end NV units is hunting a feeder with an IR game cam: set the camera down to run video, and when the animal shows up, you've got an area flooded with IR light down where the target is, and a video of the whole episode to boot. No problem with limbs or fog in between...


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## Prizepig (Jul 13, 2012)

mlw85547 said:


> This is exactly what I was afraid of. I have a very low end NV monocular and it is not very good if there is alot of brush or low hanging branches within your feild of veiw. the best thing I have seen outside of NV is a lazer like flashlight mounted and sighted in on top of a traditional scope. I was impressed with the image through the scope but the briiiiiight light made me think you would spook any potential critters before getting a good shot off.
> 
> What recommendations do ya'll have to get me started. I hunt in east texas pines so there is nothing but brush and timber all around. I just cant see spending the 3-5k to start hunting pigs and predators. is a q-beam the best way to go for now? What type of optics would be best? Red-dots, Irons, large objective magnified?


Laser designator from Stalktech.com. Based in San Antonio and ships fast. Received it in 2 days and am very happy. Can't beat the price for entry level night hunting without breaking the bank on IR or NV.


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