Night vision information overload! Help please!

[batoncolle]

Nothing on the market can compare to what? The MAWL actually has the furthest reaching class 1 illuminator (that is laser based, I believe)

I use an IR laser all the time when I'm shooting/moving. but then again Im doing defensive shooting drills and not hunting so much. I'm not sure how you could fight without one under NVG. I mean even hunting, if you are moving, a pair of tubes and a laser on the rifle is light years better than anything mounted to the rifle.

Either way. I mean none of them are bad systems.

The lasermax works great but Its not sturdy enough for me. the adjustments suck. and battery replacement stinks too. you need tools for everything. etc.
but for the money, thats what I have on most of my AR's.

Nothing on the civilian market compares to the range of the MAWL. It has a lot of nice features, but the range just blows everything out of the water that I've seen it compared to.

And for my main style of hunting (tripod on my own property), thermal is the best tool for the job. Now if I'm stalking in an unknown location, then I'm using laser and NV. But I'm still using thermal to scan.

 

[Tactical Beaver]

TNVC is the only company I would deal with. I highly recommend them and their customer service is outstanding. If it breaks, they'll fix it; short of the operator being a complete moron. All my units have been purchased from them. They also have a great deal on their Sentinel goggles right now, which are fantastic units; extremely rugged. I recently bought their un-filmed white phosphor (WP) version, which is the best system I've ever used! They also have great deals on their monocular’s, so check them out. If you can spring for the WP, do it; you'll never use green tubes again. They are un-friggin’ believable in light transmission and clarity.

@kspark009 seems to have a great deal posted right now for a PVS-14 setup.
https://www.theoutdoorstrader.com/t...ted-with-team-wendy-exfil-ltp-helmet.1431524/

Here's an excellent article TNVC put out a few years ago. Give it a read before you do anything. It'll help answer a lot of your questions: https://tnvc.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/PVS14_Buyer_Guide_032713.pdf

IMaDad shared some excellent info and really seems to know his stuff so I second what he said. I only disagree with the ATPIAL review, only because mine has worked flawlessly. I was not a fan of the DBAL I2 and sold it a while back; the mount kept breaking on me. I can't comment on the A3 as I've never used one, but I have heard good things. The MAWL seems like an awesome laser system, but at $2500 bucks......eek. Everything NV related isn't cheap though, so there's that. IMHO, if you really want a nice NV setup, spend the money and cry once.

Regardless of what you go with, get you a bump helmet; either Team Wendy or Ops-core (I personally use Ops-core). Most importantly, spend the money on a good mount like the Wilcox G24 (I use the G22, which is the extended travel version to work with my thermal monocular) or at a minimum, get the Wilcox G19, which is the basic upgrade to the crappy Rhino mount, which wobbles like a mother ****er. You want to be able to walk/run around comfortably.

If you want a really good long range illuminator, check out the SPIR made by Steiner:

Here's my setup with a couple tube pics taken with an iPhone. Keep in mind that what you see through the tubes is way better than a picture can portray. Also, notice the WP compared to the Green. Friggin' amazing tubes.

The one on the right has the ****ty Rhino mount. Since this photo, I've found the G19 I mentioned above. Similar mounts, but the G19 gets rid of most of the wobble.

The one above was out of focus a little.

All these pics were taking in pitch black; these ones were taken indoors with the low powered illuminator, which is built into most systems, was on, hence that little purple light indicator.

Like batoncolle said though, thermal is the way to go for night hunting. NV is the way to go for navigation.

 

[IMaDad]

Is that Wilcox G19 Force to Overcome or pushbutton/lock in position Tactical Beaver ?

I recently got a hankering to get my USPA A license and do some sky dives at night. I think I would need to have a locking mount for that. not sure.

 

[Tactical Beaver]

Is that Wilcox G19 Force to Overcome or pushbutton/lock in position Tactical Beaver ?

I recently got a hankering to get my USPA A license and do some sky dives at night. I think I would need to have a locking mount for that. not sure.

The G19 is force to overcome, just like the Rhino mount. The G22 mount I have on those dual tubes has the push button lock, which I prefer. It is very solid mount if you're going to jump at night. I would love to do that. I've jumped during the day before, but a night jump with those dual tubes.....Man that would be bad ass. That would probably justify me using my sacrificial lenses LOL. The only time I've used them so far has been in the rain.

 

[IMaDad]

The G19 is force to overcome, just like the Rhino mount. The G22 mount I have on those dual tubes has the push button lock, which I prefer. It is very solid mount if you're going to jump at night. I would love to do that. I've jumped during the day before, but a night jump with those dual tubes.....Man that would be bad ass. That would probably justify me using my sacrificial lenses LOL. The only time I've used them so far has been in the rain.

I cant imagine how awesome it would be. I can imagine how it would take a week to disassemble everything, locktite the crap out of it, reassemble, witness mark it, and dummy cord it.
would be worth it, though.

 

[Tactical Beaver]

I cant imagine how awesome it would be. I can imagine how it would take a week to disassemble everything, locktite the crap out of it, reassemble, witness mark it, and dummy cord it.
would be worth it, though.

You don't do that now? LOL. I witness mark, duct tape, and dummy cord the hell out of all my stuff. You spend that much money on NV setups, the last thing you want to do is loose **** in the middle of the night or worse, drop your tubes. I lost a $100 IR flashlight one time out in the woods and was pissed. I now have them secured to my helmet.

I also need to take your advice and RMR one of my pistols. I have an IR laser on my Sig, but an RMR would be pretty sweet.

 

[IMaDad]

Oh I do it, but I would be concerned and want it redone before I jumped with it.

RMR on the pistol is the way to go for NVG's:

 

[Tactical Beaver]

Oh I do it, but I would be concerned and want it redone before I jumped with it.

RMR on the pistol is the way to go for NVG's:

Nice! Well, time for a new pistol LOL

 

[Tactical Beaver]

IMaDad where do you jump? A good friend of mine is a tandem instructor at Sky Dive The Farm. Funny, the first time he jumped he was scared **** less. I made him do it anyway and he just finished his 6k something jump. His first time he asked the instructor if anyone ever gets up there and chickens out. The instructor said, "yes, it happened all the time, but you have to remember at 14K feet with the engines and the wind blowing......no, no, no sounds a whole like go, go, go". LMAO!!

 

[IMaDad]

IMaDad where do you jump? A good friend of mine is a tandem instructor at Sky Dive The Farm. Funny, the first time he jumped he was scared **** less. I made him do it anyway and he just finished his 6k something jump. His first time he asked the instructor if anyone ever gets up there and chickens out. The instructor said, "yes, it happened all the time, but you have to remember at 14K feet with the engines and the wind blowing......no, no, no sounds a whole like go, go, go". LMAO!!

Oh my experience is pretty limited. Ive only done tandem and it was up at Skydive Chattanooga.
Its kind of like getting a tattoo though, Its addictive.
I was looking at this one week program wondering if I could send my kids to summer camp for a week and send me to jump school for a week:
https://atlanta.skydivespaceland.com/learn-to-skydive/a-license-in-a-week/