Thank you, thank you thank you!!!!

Bring it on guys. I've got a PVS14 I'm waiting to buy.

Now i want to learn all about : 11769, and 10160 tubes. The uses of the various PVS14 items, the best method to wear/employ a 14; does mounting NVD on an M16 hurt the tube; teach me about nvd scopes such as Raptors; and just so many other things.

Then tell me the best places to purchase IR lasers, the best types to mount on a pic rail; which type are easiest to calibrate and aim; and much more.

Also, teach me about flash suppression and shooting at night with NVD.

Originally Posted By v188: Thank you, thank you thank you!!!! Bring it on guys. I've got a PVS14 I'm waiting to buy. Now i want to learn all about : 11769, and 10160 tubes. The uses of the various PVS14 items, the best method to wear/employ a 14; does mounting NVD on an M16 hurt the tube; teach me about nvd scopes such as Raptors; and just so many other things. Then tell me the best places to purchase IR lasers, the best types to mount on a pic rail; which type are easiest to calibrate and aim; and much more. Also, teach me about flash suppression and shooting at night with NVD.

Incoming to your mail...I am sure IPSC_Guy will also have a great deal to add in the tube arena. I will have a few pics and suggestions to help you with head mounting and wearing questions. This link here will help you with your IR needs thus far. ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=20&t=235434 Very soon, I will show several different IR lasers in action with pics through the tube on each one.

More to come, stay tuned!

Back in December of 2004 I wrote this review (below) of the 6X Raptor vs. the the 6X D-760. Nothing has changed in my opinions since then. These two scopes are the finest out there! I can ad a few details here that both tubes were VERY close one another. Both had signal to noise ratios in the high 27-29's, VERY low EBI and high gain with no blems. These were mil-spec tubes.


"Hello all,

A short time ago I purchased BOTH the D-760 and a Raptor in 6x magnification. Both of course came standard with tube data sheets with remarkable hand picked tubes. 64LP, 27-29 Signal to Noise, etc. Both units also have red mil-dot reticules with the D-760 having a very ingenuous amber or red mil-dot reticule selectable switch on the power knob.

I took both units out to a VERY dark DoD facility out west and got to play with two of the best and finest pieces of gear I ever laid my hands on and did a comparison test between the two. I started my observing last week with a 1/4 moon at approx. 0430hrs and of course me being me, I decided to observe at the far reaches of the universe to start things off at 1600 yards and work out!! Both units were on platforms consisting of a custom AWC .300 win mag, as well as a new MSTN custom AR-15 6.8 SPC with an ARMS #58 SIR. No shooting was allowed on the facility at this time, so I settled for a small sized forklift parked broadside for viewing purposes. When I first looked through the Raptor, I was simply AMAZED at the clarity and contrast I could see out this far. NO WAY would I be able to see this detail on a hot steamy day with all the mirage coming off the tarmac. But at night, I was simply amazed by the Raptor’s Sharp and clear contrast and resolution. For a $7,000.00 NVD, I was hoping I would be amazed. Next came the D-760 which btw, was (it seemed) half the weight of the Raptor along with almost half the price! I have not weighed the Raptor vs. the D-760 as yet, but I can tell you the Raptor is a monster compared to the D-760. The Raptor has a 165mm objective compared to a 110mm with the D-760 which is where most of the weight is held. Anyways, back to the D-760…..Powered up the 760 and at first forgot to focus the far field adjustment and the image at 1600 yards was a bit blurry. After the focus was made, I came away also amazed by the brightness and resolution. The ONLY difference I saw after 30 minutes going back and forth of the two was the Raptors slight edge on edge to edge sharpness and it seemed to have a wider field of view which seemed to equate to a bit more image magnification also probably due to the huge objective glass the Raptor has. These scopes were VERY close to one another in views through the eye piece. In fact, they were soooo close I had a colleague look through BOTH scopes and stated the same exact thing I had. I NEVER told him what scope he was looking though as I put a dark towel over both units to hide their identities! Both units at 1600 yards saw the forklift with great detail, with the Raptor winning out by seeing the cab frame a bit better. As I stated at the beginning of this article, me being me I then tested the long range observation characteristics with a small 10’ x 20’ storage shed as well as a 64' ground based antenna dish at 3500 yards away!!! Both units saw the shed and dish with ease with the Raptor clearly showing off its 165mm objective with an incredibly sharp image. The D-760 was no slouch; the shed was clearly defined but not as sharp. If anything, these two units can be used not only for NVD sniper scopes, but for the world’s best observation NVD spotting scopes PERIOD!!

I decided to bring the fork lift in at 500 yards and see what we could see. At the conclusion of this viewing session, my colleague and I agreed that there was virtually no difference in target recognition at this distance. They were almost identical in ALL areas at 500 yards and we also observed at 300 and 100 yards with the same results.

After spending the next hour looking through both units, both my colleague and I agreed that for mission requirements out past 600 yards, the Raptor would be deployed for the crisp and razor sharp images. That of course is what the 165mm objective and $7,000.00 will get you. As for the D-760, anything in below 600 yards would be easy pickin’s. The price difference of course is VERY large between both units so individuals whose profession includes protecting lives and want the VERY best edge to edge resolution and sharpness, the Raptor can be justified. For some military and all LEO and varmint hunters, I cannot think of any better NV scope than the D-760 for the price of under 4K. It's light weight, and has a great tube. In fact, both units had the best tubes I’ve ever looked through with NO blemishes to speak of, not a speck I could see.

In closing I can tell you that what ever units you choose, you cannot go wrong. Presently though, the new off the shelf Raptors for sale are now restricted to LE and military units ONLY. They are legal to own of course, but any new units for sale are restricted. Unless you know someone in the LE community or military, obtaining a brand new Raptor could now be very difficult. With this news of course, I'm sure the price will soar well above the $7,000.00 current Raptor retail price tag if you can even find one. What’s left to buy you say? The D-760 is it.

Sorry for the looooong post and btw for those of you who think I work for a NVD company, I do NOT. I’m a Tactical Consultant for a Police Dept, as well as a serious hunter and shooter who just loves the best gear out there and these two units are TRULY THE BEST OUT THERE! You WILL own the night. An old picture with an inscription I once saw comes into mind…”Don’t fear the night, fear what hunts the night.” This is VERY good advice, because it’s now good to be afraid of the night with these two units out there folks. Take care,

Vic"

Hello all,

The 2nd part of my comparisons had to do with head mounting options. The standard head mount harness that comes with the PVS-14's is lightweight, but I found after long periods of wear (2 hours or more) my temples would start to hurt. I've talked with a few others and they had the same problem. About a year ago, a few of my late night cigar smoking buddies that used to be on the "dark-side" of the house told my they used modified bicycle type helmets on several occasions when the Kevlar was too bulky and just too big. This got me thinking so I went to my local Wallfart (I HATE THIS STORE BTW) and looked around at some mountain bike helmets. I heard the pro-tec helmets were a good choice and they were grey in color as well. (Best nighttime cammo IMHO anyways) Well after trying on a few, my flat head got the best of a good fit so I passed on the PT and started looking at the BELL brand. The first one I tried fit perfect, so I paid the cheap Wallfart price of $21.00 bones and got the hell out of there!

I had several GI flip-up wrap around helmet mounts laying around, so I decided to grind away on the BELL helmet foam to fit the helmet mount hooks. The original helmet also came with yellow chinstraps; I just used a permanent marker to take this out. Well a picture tells a thousand words, so enough babble; here is what I've done.





I can tell you after 4 hours of continuous use, the helmet is a dream to wear while employing the PVS-14's. The full size 14 is a tiny bit forehead heavy and I would suggest maybe modifying the original head harness chinstrap to work with the BELL to gain a bit more rigidity. The PVS Mini-14 though is incredibly comfortable and I will not go back to the head-harness. The only thing left to do is maybe knock off the brown color a bit with some gray paint schemes.

Well, I hope this might help you narrow your choice of mounting NVD's to ones head!

Vic

Originally Posted By FREEFALLE6: Looks good I hate the skull crusher also. I am curios what is the black globe on top of the helmet?IR strobe??? I notice you have a Phoenix beacon on the back of you helmet, but I have no clue what the globe was. Thanks FREE

You're correct, it's an IR beacon. The Pheoinix is the programable version you see on the back.

Originally Posted By v188: So what's the difference between an ITT and Litton PVS14? Are the housing different? BTW, that bike helmet idea is a great idea. This will develop into a MUST USE forum!

I don't think there is much difference between the ITT and Litton PVS 14s. However, if you are asking about the two "14s" Vic is talking about in his post above, there are several diferences. One is a PVS14 the other is an insight M.U.M. (multi use monocular) or "mini 14.

The PVS14 has manual gain control, shuts off when you flip it up, uses AA batteries, and is water resistant.

The MUM is lighter, smaller, has automatic gain control only, Uses CR123s or AAs and is water proof to 66feet.

Originally Posted By tth110: Victor, is there any advantage the Raptor has over regular set up for long distance....lets say..pvs14 or mini14 with Nightforce 2.5-10X24(night vision compatible). I know the Raptor has larger objective lens to collect more photons in low light condition, but other than that, is there anything else? BTW, very nice and creative with that bike helmet

MUCH difference between using a dedicated NVD rifle scope such as a Raptor vs. a PVS look-thru using a daytime optic scope. (I think you are talking about piggy-backing a PVS behind a day optic?) The light loss is horrendous using a daytime scope in front of a PVS-14. Not only light loss due to the daytime optics, but also resoulution for long ranges. Most folk who look throuh a Raptor or D-760 for the first time can't believe how far you can see in the dark! You are also correct that the MAJOR contibutor is the objective lens itself.

Vic

this thread is gonna be the bomb, i cannot wait for all of the good reviews and info

this baby is tagged!

Okay some photo porn then I will get around to a rundown of the stuff.
I started this earlier but lost a bunch of text so here goes again.

Maxi-Kite


Kite and Maxi Kite


Some Zeroing rnages for PAC's and PEQ's




The Insight bbl clamp thru handguard PAC/PEQ mount - necessary with the TRIAD and Diemaco M203 sight combo


TRIAD - size


View thru PVS-14 and Aimpoint M2


PVS-14 and EOTECH 552


Lights and NV IFF setups (I tired to take a pic of some glint tape - but the flash really plays havoc)






and Capt[then WO] (ret.) Moses article on Suppression in Night Operations
nightoperations.com/Weapons_Suppression.htm

More to follow

Thanks for the info as always Kev!

I see you are using a new IR/Visible Beacon. (the one next to your Canadian Flag) I just got several in I'm trying out. I like the versatility of the different settings with the twist of the dial, visible, IR, all programmable as well TO "SEE WHO'S IN THE ZOO" (as you say!!) The other fairly new TAG/IR is being tried out amoung several LE agencies as well. I love the group syncronization features. Capt. Moses (RET.) talks about these units as well.

Edited to ADD: Kev, (again) tell Capt. Moses AWESOME Web Site. When he gets a moment, would love to see him post from time to time in our Night Vision area. He's a wealth of knowledge with an incredible tradecraft. I always try to surround myself with folk like this! Just too much darn knowledge to pass up!

Originally Posted By KevinB: The NV was weapon mounted for the photo's - this was done for ease of photography nothing more - I think the PVS-14 and 18 are not ideal setups for weapon mounting. The VIP-IR is a good design a lot more rugged that the TAG-IR or the Phoenix Jr's - plus the vis setting is nice for some uses - but with the dust and dirt the dial does become more awkward to rotate. That said - it is minor to the fact the TAG's some where issued had to be activated by dissassembly - same to turn off - they where originally designed as a tripwire system - the new ones are extrenally activated - the Phoenix JR's lose batteries too easily that I consider them a survival backup not a first line setup. Capt Moses retired and moved to Germany with his wife (she is German) I am told, not sure if he is having any dealings with kit or green stuff at all he left a little bitter I gather. John is still running Night Opaerations I have occassional contact with him - do you have his email? The Kite and Maxi kit specs are on Johns webpage. I only got to use the PVS-17 once so I dont feel qualified to give an opionion other than its better than the Kites.

Great feedback on the VIP's Kev. Your right...For your environment I completely forgot about what dirt, (more less sand) could do to that dial mechanism. Also good obbservation on the Pheonix...They are only as good as the Duracell holding onto it!

I do not have John's email, (I got he and Capt. Moses mixed) if you get a moment, do a mail drop, would love to pick his brain on a few pieces of gear. Thanks!

Vic

Originally Posted By KevinB: As soon as I get home tonight - I will flip you his email. PAC-4C on RAS - this was my personal unit, until sold it since we are using PEQ/7500's at work and I wanted a equally capable take home. img.photobucket.com/albums/v193/EvilKev/gun4.jpg PVS-14 behind the C79 ELCAN - poor mans PVS-17 - with the extra rail slot onthe Diemaco uppers it makes it possible. img.photobucket.com/albums/v193/EvilKev/Jas2.jpg PAC-4C and Insight 7500 img.photobucket.com/albums/v193/EvilKev/Weapons/kevssfw.jpg img.photobucket.com/albums/v193/EvilKev/Weapons/C8toSFW.jpg I realy liked the 7500 - the vis laser was a very convenient tool all the perks of the PEQ2A and the vis laser too. I cant wait for Insights new one. We had a few PAS13's with us but i never thought to get pics thru the viewer - as well a buddy had a Insight Tech Thermal that was a LOT smaller and seemed to have better resolution. Obviously I'm stuck with issue kit (maybe stuck is a bad word) so I can really give a good comparision to what else is out there other than items we got to trial. In reality I dont think the majority of people/troops need the PEQ - the PAC is a cheaper version and it is nice that commanders can burn thru on high power to give clear indications, if the users are familiar with a few common commands it can make the lack of a diferentiating beam mangeable - and of course the PEQ's have pattern gens so one can be identifiable enough. IR lights in CQB - without the PEQ you require some sort of IR light source the IR filters on the SF lights are okay - but the little M1 dedicated IR setup is really the cats ass for that stuff and even with the PEQ it is a nice to have item. However I still think that after a few rounds go each way white light is a much superior method of CQB. PVS-14/18 - the 18 is a better unit as far as monoculars go - lighter and a nicer head setup - but the dual tube setups are more more effective for driving and shooting - despite what a few NV manufacturers try to sell you on. I got to play briefly with a 21 and I was like WOW - Insight and others have REALLY good dual tube setups that if I could woudl be fielding. Its hard to review the pro's and cons of the above setups in a comsumer orientated fashion simply cause I am not sure what people are interested in. But I can take some cool pics

Kev,

I remember your top platform...I see gj's original NSN mount!! I think still have a few of them laying around!

Speaking of IR lights Kev, you need to try out the one I have tested and now selling to a few folk. I've sold about 40 units and they are REAL torch out to 200-300M Drop me an email and I'll send you one for you and a few of the 'boys" to try out. The M1 is a very clean 50-75M light, but fter that, as you know it peters out pretty quick. This IR is a great intermidiate light!!

Kevin: With your sight mounted far forward on the handguard, have you found it to be an advantage with regard to reticle size becoming larger with distance? I notice this on my Reflex sights, but I don't have the ability to go that far on the weapon yet.

I'm using PVS7D's with this setup and find it works well on an AR15, but both reticles are a little bright for the goggles I am using. Maybe getting a little further out will diffuse the sight a little... I don't know if it's a function of the reticle being too bright, but of the two reticles I have (Chevron and triangle-both 12.5moa) the triangle is a tiny bit fuzzy at the aiming tip. Getting it out a little further would be nice, but it's not a hindrance at 100yds.

I'm currently in the market for an IR laser, and am wondering if it's easy to bore-sight the laser to your electronic sight? In my area it's relatively difficult to shoot out doors at night unless you want to drive for a few hours and have a friend with land. This makes it difficult to set a laser up properly as going to a rifle friendly indoor range would not allow you to remove the daylight filter and get the focus right etc.

Dave