Part 3 of 3
by Mark Bunch,
Lincoln Park Pawn,
Royal Gorge Gun Club
Dedicated NVD or Clip On NVD Weapon Sight
Now that we have a good working knowledge of how NVDs work and what each generation of NVD offers the end user, there is another choice for you to consider. Dedicated NVD weapon sights can be Gen 1, 2, 2+, 3, 3 auto-gated tubes. Clip on NVDs are positioned in front of your regular day scope and can be purchased in Gen 2, 2+, 3, and 3 auto-gated tubes.
Dedicated NVDs are self-contained, meaning that they function as a NVD and a NVD weapon sight both, complete with either green or amber/red cross hairs. Examples of this are USNV 440, Litton 845, Night Optics 520, Deidal D740 and D760, and the outrageously expensive Raptor. I personally own every one of these scopes except for the D740.
The two main advantages of this system are that you only have to buy one scope which can save you quite a bit of money, and they are way easier and faster to
focus than are day scope/clip on set ups.
Disadvantages of dedicated NVDs are you almost have to dedicate a rifle to being a night vision only rifle, and outside of my Mil-Spec 6x Raptor, most dedicated NVD weapon sights have very shaky reticles and somewhat nebulous windage and elevation adjustments. They work best when you zero them in for a particular range and then leave them alone. Dedicated NVDs have come way down in price and coincidentally enough I just received an email from the Sportsman’s Guide showing reconditioned PVS 4 weapon sights with Gen 2 tubes for only $1,259! I remember when these things were $4,000 plus!!
Clip on NVDs are attached on a forward rail mount in front of your day optic. The three main advantages of this set up are that you can use your clip on NVD on multiple rifles, and they are much smaller and lighter than dedicated NVDs. They also tend to be more rugged since there is fewer things internally to break.
Disadvantages of clip on NVDs are they require a day optic, aim point, ACOG, or EOTech in order to use as a weapon sight. They are also difficult to focus, as now you have to focus two scopes in line with each other in order to see your target clearly. If you have multiple targets at varying distances, this can be a slow and frustrating process. Most people I know who hunt things at night, dislike clip on night vision devices for this very reason. Personally, I have both and I like both, it would just depend on what I needed to do at the time. My business partner and gun club VP John Hudson is zeroing his gun for our night vision match.
Another thing to keep in mind about clip on night vision devices is [that] regardless of what the manufactures claims state of how you can use them up to 15 and 20 power, that simply isn’t the truth. If you have a high-end day scope and a high-end clip on, you can get a reasonably useful image to 10 or 12 power in ideal conditions. Most of the time you will settle on 5 to 8 power so resist the urge to buy a day scope with a high minimum power setting as you could greatly decrease your usability. Clip-ons are going to cost you more and a good mid-level choice is the Armasight brand, but stay away from their digital zoom models. Digital zoom and night vision should never go together, kind of like guacamole
and watermelon.
When you look thru an NVD, you aren’t really looking at the object your NVD is pointed at, rather you are looking at a picture of what your NVD is pointed at. Night vision devices capture the small amount of light that’s in the surrounding area (such as moonlight or starlight), and converts the light energy (scientists call it photons), into electrical energy (electrons). These electrons pass through a thin disk (a microchannel plate) that’s about the size of a quarter and contains over six million channels.
As the electrons go through the channels, the electrons are multiplied thousands of times. These multiplied electrons are then accelerated onto a phosphor screen which converts the electrons back into photons and lets you see a bright nighttime view even under extremely dark conditions. The downside of all these multiplied and accelerated electrons is what is called image pixelization. The more you magnify your night vision image the more dramatic this effect becomes. Add an additional optic into the equation in the way of a day scope which has to be focused in conjunction with your clip on NVD and focusing both optics on your target can be a frustrating and significantly slower process for you as the shooter.
NVDs for Observation
For all my really cool NVD weapon sights, I spend way more time using my AN/PVS 7 night vision goggles and ITT 260 Night Mariner binoculars. There really aren’t any great deals out there on PVS7 goggles but if you can find Gen 3 pinnacle auto gated units anywhere south of $4,500 and have the money, you should buy them. The ITT units are older but still very serviceable. I have seen them on ebay for as little as $800. They are kind of a pain to focus the first time but once you have the hang of it they provide a very good image with half-moon detection out to probably 400 or 500 yards. I believe the Gen 2 units are 48 lp/mm and the Gen 3 ones are up to 56 lp/mm.
Stalking the Night
At my gun range, we routinely hold night vision matches with varying target sizes and at varying distances. It is always interesting and fun to see what set ups are going to show up. Our last night vision match in October of 2018 we held on our brand new Long Distance West Rifle Range. sponsored by Lisa and Shane Eskridge of Eskridge Veterinarian clinic here in Cañon City. On this rifle range shooters with the ability and the equipment, are able to shoot in excess of 2000 yards, and this particular night we shot out to 927 yards maximum match distance. I can proudly state, and I even have witnesses, that I was the only shooter who hit our 927-yard silhouette target. That night I was shooting my Sako TRG 22 in .260 Remington with a PVS 30 Knights Armament and a Burris XTR 3-12 power day optic combination.
My partner and gun club VP John Hudson, hit the next furthest silhouette target that night at 887 yards with a .260 Remington and a PVS 30 Knights Armament Night Vision Clip on scope! Our first Night Vision Match of 2019 will be held April 13th, starting at dusk. Price to shoot in this match is $10 per shooter.
Obviously, I am a big believer in having a night vision device to protect your family and homestead with. Yes, they are a huge expense, but they can give you a critical edge that few other items can provide you. They can also give you peace of mind on a chilly night when something is moving around in the darkness just out of site…
This is my 200-yard target fired prone off a sand bag with my Sako TRG 22 in .260 Remington, with Knights Armament PVS 30 Autogated Gen 3 Pinnacle tube Night Vision Scope fired at 8 power. Three shot sighting group lower left, then 10 rounds for record, fired prone in two-minute time frame at 42 degrees ambient air temperature, 30.17 barometric pressure reading at 5,318 elevation.

The author, Mark Bunch owns and operates Lincoln Park Pawn and Gun and 1 mile plus gun range with his business partner John Hudson in Cañon City Colorado. Mark is an NRA certified Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor in pistol, shotgun, police weapons, CMP rifle, Urban Rifle, Sub Gun and Long Range Rifle Disciplines and an internationally recognized long distance competitive shooter. He can be reached via email at: lincolnparkpawn@hotmail.com, rggcpresident@live.com or the old fashioned way via landline at: 719-276-3030.