quote:

The detection range and overall image quality is absolutely stunning.

What make/model did you get?

quote:

Originally posted by KSGM:

quote:

The detection range and overall image quality is absolutely stunning.

What make/model did you get?

AGM Rattler TS50-640

Coyotes went after my neighbors dogs last night, the dogs barely made it into the garage. They have some home security cameras and caught it on video.

I went over tonight and helped the situation.

https://youtu.be/UYH-FPr85QU

Seeing the warm blood spurting is neat. Well done!

Nice shot, right in the heart. Does that one have different modes, or is it just white hot?

Thermal is a game changer for sure. On my bucket list is hunting hogs at night with my friend. Thermal, even for spotting, would make a massive difference.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
Nice shot, right in the heart. Does that one have different modes, or is it just white hot?

Thermal is a game changer for sure. On my bucket list is hunting hogs at night with my friend. Thermal, even for spotting, would make a massive difference.

It has white hot, black hot, red hot (which is basically white hot but really hot things like a coyote will be vivid red), and fusion which is a red/fuschia gradient.

They all work fine but I prefer white hot as the overall image is darker and it is less detrimental to night vision while out of the scope.

Wasn't a problem last night, there was a full moon although it was a bit cloudy. I was in the shade of a building with some security lights illuminating a lot of the terrain behind me which evidently made it impossible for the coyotes to see me.

A pack has been on the loose my way and made the news. Attacked some sheep and the sheepdog managed to kill eight while getting the hell kicked out of him.

Heard them yapping this weekend and set out to lure some in.

The moon makes them leery and I only wasted one as the others scattered when his bones blew out his asshole.

I gotta remember to hit the record button this time. It was every bit as entertaining as yours.

Oh, that makes sense about the white hot.

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
A pack has been on the loose my way and made the news. Attacked some sheep and the sheepdog managed to kill eight while getting the hell kicked out of him.

Heard them yapping this weekend and set out to lure some in.

The moon makes them leery and I only wasted one as the others scattered when his bones blew out his asshole.

I gotta remember to hit the record button this time. It was every bit as entertaining as yours.

That's a damn impressive sheepdog!!!

Sounds like you put in some good effective work as well.

Guess that coyote had not heard the admonition that after 1am it's nothing but dangerous trouble.

Anyone getting one of the Autel drones that B&H is closing out? Mighty tempting.

quote:

Originally posted by abnmacv:
Guess that coyote had not heard the admonition that after 1am it's nothing but dangerous trouble.

Funny enough, that time is incorrect. It was more like 10pm but I haven't taken the time to set the correct time in the optic.

quote:

Originally posted by Voshterkoff:
Anyone getting one of the Autel drones that B&H is closing out? Mighty tempting.

I thought about it but after splurging on the thermal scope I didn't think it was prudent right now. That was a HECK of a deal on those though.

I did some target shooting last night. I set out to make circumstances more trying, to find limitations of me and my equipment; I succeeded. I created a small structure, so that targets could be placed within it, in extreme shadow, forcing me to employ an illuminator, in order to identify and engage. I installed vegetation between me and the targetry, to maximize the potential of laser and illuminator interruption. I used some reduced-size silhouettes, to simulate further engagements, and necessitate more stable shooting positions. I stenciled body armor on certain targets, to require good identification and altered engagement tactics. I put some targets behind cover, to require precision shots that would need attention paid to proper holds at close range. All the targets were brown or green, against a backdrop of dirt and green sandbags. Long story short: it was not confidence inspiring. One reduced-size target escaped completely unscathed, after myself and two friends ran the course.

I ran passive when/where I could, but the circumstances and lighting conditions more often required illumination and laser aiming. But then the vegetation was problematic, which almost always required moving away from a position that gave you cover and stability, in favor of target visibility and a clear sight line. There were no obvious take-aways other than more reps are necessary. You hear folks talk about dynamic lighting in urban environments presenting challenges, when using NVG. Given my experiences lately, I think I'd prefer those lighting conditions, with the hard edges and clear sight lines of urban scenarios, to the "blurrier" environment of vegetation. In urban settings, it seems if one technique doesn't work, the other will; not so cut and dry in the woods. I dunno. My actual shooting experience in urban settings is limited, as I don't have access to a sophisticated training facility, but I have been able to move around and through urban-like settings, and it seems easier to work through, than the woods.

Equipment lessons-learned were the Crye Nightcap is indeed awesome. Wore it for about ninety minutes straight, and it was comfy as can be. Also, I appreciated the TNVC/Unity TAPS switch I have on a gun that I didn't use last night. My light and laser have independent switches on the rifle I used last night. They are placed about as good as they can be, but it's still difficult to engage/release both items simultaneously, consistently; especially in quirky positions.

The coyotes are thick around here.

I watched no less than 6 of them all within 800 yards of my house tonight.

One of them came to the call.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2yxaD4jxwU

Got two small bits I was thinking were going to be game-changers; jury's still out though. They are the Noisefighters AX14 Pro PVS14 articulating arm and a Norotos dovetail conversion, for my RhinoII mount. The dovetail is considered the standard interface nowadays, and the AX14 is pitched as the slickest arm you can get for the PVS14. My weak point is likely the RhinoII, but I don't have the funds for a $400 Wilcox or Norotos contemporary dovetail mount. Long story short: the AX14 allows you to swing the monocular above your sight line, while keeping the main mount deployed forward. The swing has proven handy, in my use so far, which has been limited to driving the Mule to check on the chickens, and walking in and out of the barns. I haven't shot with it yet. It's nice to not have a unicorn horn, when you don't have the monocular in front of your eye. Cons are four: The weight is thrown a bit awkward, when the monocular is rolled above your eye; the unicorn horn is super bad, if you don't roll before you flip the main mount up; there's no locking feature, on the pivot point of the arm that is seldom used; and, if using a converted RhinoII, you almost run out of vertical and forward adjustment, due to the geometry of the arm. Only one of these is a true complaint, as the others are consequences of my particular setup, with the RhinoII and Nightcap. I'll ad more info, when I have used it more.

Laid in the back yard holding up a pair of DTNVG's for about forty five minutes until my arms couldn't take anymore. ANVIS 9 green phosphor government contract tubes that got refurbed into an ActinBlack housing by Gear Central Supply, and they are incredibly clear. So clear. Maybe three or four tiny pepper flakes in zone three in either lens. My. God.

I sold a bunch of stuff recently and have been sitting on some money expressly for night vision. I was going to hold out and try to cut deeper and stretch to some UANVB's with some Photonis 4G or Elbit YH tubes, but I'm glad I decided to just go ahead and get the first decent pair that popped up today. Local guy six miles from my house posted them earlier in the day. I handed him an envelope full of hundreds at 7pm. I was looking at other used units last night that were further away from the mark for the same price, so I'm pretty pleased. I went ahead and ordered a Chinese G24 clone, I'll have it Wednesday. Yeah, I know. I know. Believe me, I know. I'll get a real one eventually and all that, but for now, the budget went to the tubes, and I need something to mount it to my helmets. Everything I'm reading elsewhere says they're 98% of the real thing, and just to pull it apart and blue Loctite all the screws and use bungies, and it'll be fine.

Watched that comet for a good while. I know, it's supposed to be green, and I was looking through green phosphor, so whatever. I still got a good look at it and it almost seemed to move a bit. It's like looking at a whole new world. For the deal I got, what I was looking to spend on the JRH unit, I can grab a Jerry CE5, a DICC, and an ANVIS battery pack. Then it's trying to find some like-minded individuals around here, a good patch of desert where we won't be bothering anyone, and then the laser light show can begin.

Hell yeah. I am psyched for you; and jealous! I look forward to continued conversation. Heavy metal and night vision!

Haha, thanks! Yeah, I’m pretty stoked. “Wilgox” arrives tonight, and I’m trying to figure out an ersatz counterweight pouch. May just Onewrap a loaded PMAG to the back of my helmet, we’ll see. I have a sewing machine that’ll handle 500D Cordura, and a square yard of it in OCP, and I don’t really want to buy a counterweight pouch, so… we’ll see what I can rig up. Gonna straight rip off Microbat Systems and get some ball bearings from Walmart, stuff some lengths of shrink tube with it and seal them in there for weights once I get a pouch sorted out. Gonna be a bit before I can afford to drop the coin on a DICC, but I have a feeling I need to do that while they’re still available, so that’ll be soon. Hoping Nocturn comes out with their new battery pack soon, because I think that’ll be the ticket - 4 CR123 batteries in one unit vs 2 123’s or 4 AA’s with the A/B Nightvision battery pack, and it should be substantially cheaper, too! Load it up once and probably be good for six months of gooning around.

For helmet illumination, I keep seeing the Inforce WML and Thyrm Variarc being touted as the quality budget alternative to a Surefire with the Unity M-AXX. Even the Arisakas are a bridge too far at the moment. I know, buy once, cry once, but for under $200, I can have a fully operational setup and go start walking the trails around the house.


On that note, I realize I’m going to need to work up to that before I go start walking around anywhere. Situational awareness with two bright tubes shining in my eyes, limited field of view, and not having the hang of a “do most of it” focus setting yet is like begging to get beaten and robbed… but only I don’t see them first, I guess. Lots of activity on the trails around here even after dark, so it’s not like I’ll be out somewhere mostly alone in the darkness. We’ll see. Baby steps. Midnight bike rides are definitely NOT on the menu any time soon.

As far as the helmet light goes, I have two Streamlight Sidewinder2s. One of them served me well for over four years, before it quit working; Streamlight replaced it for nothing, even though that model isn't technically covered by their warranty. It may not be compatible with your helmet(s) though; it uses an edge clamp mounting base, that is intended for an ACH. They may have other interfaces too though.

I'll make another Nightcap recommendation here, for your use of NVG in public spaces. If you're hiking trails, a soft headgear like the nightcap is much lower profile than an overtly tactical helmet. DNVGs are inherently pretty high profile though, so maybe it's a moot point. A bump helmet fits in just fine, if you're riding a bike, obviously.

You'll easily find the "do most of it" or "infinite" focus. The hack from there is to get butler creek covers on the objectives, and drill small holes in them. Not as small as the pinhole on the protective daylight caps, but small enough that your depth of field becomes about 75%. You'll need to engage your onboard or helmet IR light source, but it's a quick way to have close-up focus, without having to adjust your baseline. You won't be able to see something to read it, in front of your face, but you'll able to see things at arms length. You could make the holes even smaller, but you may make it so your IR light sources aren't enough to compensate.

I use thirty rounds of ammo as a counterweight on both my helmet and the nightcap; I don't have it in mags, to save space; I configure them in a way that suits the pouch, wrap them in paper, secure that with some tape, and then put the little ammo rectangle in a ziplock, before putting it in the pouch. I made my helmet counterweight pouch, like you are considering; I wish I had the sewing machine you've got; mine can be hell, when working with heavier materials. The nightcap counterweight pouch is relatively cheap, and could easily be modded to work on about any helmet.