Drone pro

[Hunterfisher]

I have never had the opportunity to ever use a drone pro but have been informed from several different lads in the field there isn’t much that can come close to the picture quality from these units even when comparing to modern digital scopes.dose anyone else Have the same opinion to this.
Just how good is the picture quality and what sort of range can you clearly ID?

 

[bumpy22]

Best digital Nv scope made. Simple basic no WiFi etc etc just a phenomenal picture.

 

[Cyres]

I haven't looked through one for years but the next closest digital NV is said to be the Yukon Sightline N470. I have one and it is excellent. If I can arrange it with my mate may be able to do a comparison.
D

 

[Tim.243]

I have never had the opportunity to ever use a drone pro but have been informed from several different lads in the field there isn’t much that can come close to the picture quality from these units even when comparing to modern digital scopes.dose anyone else Have the same opinion to this.
Just how good is the picture quality and what sort of range can you clearly ID?

The large front lens grabs every speck of light...use mine quite a bit for deer up to the deer clock says stop.
Combined with a thermal spotter which can get you in to where you need to be, they can be fitted with a extra battery pack but with the thermal spotter the on/off time is a lot shorter so I just carry a spare in the holder. Not the finest of x hairs but overall a top bit of kit.

Best thing I did was to fit an extended bellow eye piece which with the length of it will set the unit back along the action by 50 +mm for eye relief. Also it keeps the light from the screen from lighting up you face (which foxes will see)

 

[DVS1]

Best nv unit I ever used, before I purchased one years back I looked through one at a radio mast over 800m away...I ordered one the following morning!

 

[mealiejimmy]

IIMHO, it was until recently the best NV scope made (although it's daylight image was no great shakes)
However, it is long out of production and the sensor that gave it much of it's great qualities is no longer available and no suitable replacement has been found
The scopes still out there are getting long in the tooth (they became available in 2014) and reliability issues increase as time passes
If you have one and it works, then hold on to it until it dies.
if you don't have one I would think long and heard about buying one.
The sad thing is that with that big objective lens and the current crop of excellent daylight and low light full HD sensors, it could once again be king of the hill in digital scopes
In terms of the level of detail it could display - it is better than the HIK Alpex or Pulsar C50, but not quite as good as the PARD DS35 or Arken Zulus
However, it's low light ability is better than the PARD or the Arken

Cheers

Bruce

 

[Cyres]

All I remember was it ate batteries so mate at huge cost got the external battery pack. Also the alignment holes on the mount looked like they had been made with a blunt drill. Had to take the mounting system to pieces and reassemble. Then got it zeroed. I don't think my mate has used it in years.
I think Bob on here was the biggest user of a Drone and had a battery built into the stock of his 20 TAC.
D

 

[Ttocs]

Nothing I’ve bought or looked through comes close. With a Solaris SRX on the side of my drone 10x I can easily id fox, badger, hare, etc at silly ranges - I frequently check ‘black blobs’ I see in my thermal at least 700-800 yards away to see what they are with no problem. I’ve had it quite a few years now and it still staggers me how good it is every time I look through it. Agreed it’s not the best day image or the finest reticle, but its very usable. I put 3 rounds through a raggy hole, about 8 or 9mm in diameter, the othr day at 200 yards using the drone; so it can’t be that bad ( I couldn’t do that with my C50 when I had one ).
The best trick the Drone has up its sleeve is it’s ability to see on damp nights when it gets a little misty - the Pard 008 has a ‘wightout’ but the Drone can see; often better and further than my XQ38F thermal in those conditions.
It’s a bit of a lump but it’ll be a sad day for me when my Drone does dies; hopefully something will come along to replace it but I’m not holding my breath.
N

 

[One on top of two]

If its pure long range foxing you wanting , the drone pro x10 / X15 …..Is out and out the best !

There is nothing available on the civilian market that would match its image at the same magnification at distance

Yes its getting on now in the tech world ( mine is 2017 ) and yes if it breaks your in hot water .

But life's short !

 

[Nick703]

I’ve got two drones with kevgun mounts,as far as I’m concerned nothing comes close to it for night shooting,I’ve also got a pard ds35 so have had them side by side at night an the drone is miles ahead,was looking at a hare around 250y with the keeper a few weeks back,could of just about got a fuzzy head shot with the pard, could of shot it in the left eye with the drone,I’ve ordered this new hik 4K scope but I’ll not be removing my drone from my main foxing rifle but will be selling the pard ds.
my drones stand me about 1250-1300 quid each with the mounts and have already had years of 100% reliability from them,I’ve spent more than that on the new best latest nv over the last few years an none of them are as good maybe the new 4K thing might come close

 

[BenBhoy]

Purely on NV dead of night - N470s Vs. Arken? Anyone used both? Cheers

 

[zerovarm]

Purely on NV dead of night - N470s Vs. Arken? Anyone used both? Cheers

Now that would be interesting, N470s is still a cracking bit of kit. Regret selling mine sometimes

 

[Boosh]

Drones are great.
If modern scopes were set up for a 10x base mag and lens to suit the image would beat them.
There not, so the Drone is still great.

 

[BenBhoy]

Now that would be interesting, N470s is still a cracking bit of kit. Regret selling mine sometimes

Ha you & me both mate, I said on a sale thread other week I regret selling my N470s. I'm planning on replacing my varmint barrell rifle with something lighter this year - once I do I may well get another Yukon.

 

[Dave_45]

I still might buy a drone even with replacement parts scarce.

I have hopes for the hik 4k to finally equal it but I'm not holding my breath.

Nor will I buy one on the back of pro staff lauding them from the mountain tops.


For me the starlight longbow and drone remain the apex predators on capability alone, I love the flexibility of the longbow with its traditional day scope and nv unit add on with no stupid eye relief needed.

I'm well aware of the parts and service issue with both.

 

[Nick703]

All I remember was it ate batteries so mate at huge cost got the external battery pack. Also the alignment holes on the mount looked like they had been made with a blunt drill. Had to take the mounting system to pieces and reassemble. Then got it zeroed. I don't think my mate has used it in years.
I think Bob on here was the biggest user of a Drone and had a battery built into the stock of his 20 TAC.
D

Battery’s last ages in my drones,only turn on for a shot or to look at some far off heat blob,I did get a 18650 battery pack for emergency but never had to use it,I don’t bother with rechargeable because normal batterys last that long.
the mount on a drone was always the weakest link but not anymore with Kevgun mount I’ve never had any zero issues

 

[Warbucks]

With a laser such as the solaris the drone Pro 10x will id at 500yds+ when conditions are good, its also a "must" to mention that the DP will still work in high water content (just short of fog) when other n/v's will have you going home or not going out in the first place.
I have two Drone pro 10x's, one was bought from new, the other second hand, the one bought from new did have holding zero issue's so it was sent off to "kevgun" to have one of his mounts fitted, this solved the zero issue and made the eye relief correct when used on a standard length weaver rail, ---------my second hand one was also sent off for the "kevgun" mount fitting.
The DP's are very reliable, but they can suffer from an ingress of water either from the top button plate or the eye display plate, on my original Dp i took the top plate and eye plate off and sealed them with vaseline, silicone could also be used, the Dp can also suffer from the "blue screen" again my original one eventually got this, this is caused by a bad connection at the eye display multi plug, to permanently cure this i soaked both ends of the multi plug in isopropyl alcohol electrical cleaner then worked the multi plug in/out 30 times, let it dry then seal endplate with vaseline --------no more blue screen for over 12 months now.
Battery life, for the last 3 years now i have used nitcore rechargeable batteries (just don't turn on straight off the charger), because i only turn on for the shot (usually under 1 minute) they last 3 weeks or more but i do carry a spare set of batteries with me.
IMO the Drone Pro 10x, the Archer/pvs14, and the Longbow are all about equal ? in performance and are still the best performing n/v's out there, but "should" a tube go on the latter three it will cost over £1000 to repair.
OK so there isn't any spare's for the Drone Pro ? but i've found since owning my original since around 2015 (and its been heavily used) that i haven't needed any spares ------but suppose eventually some thing will go.

As much as i rate the Dp i see it as a long range foxing rig (100 yd-300 yds), if you get a fox running straight into the electronic caller ie under 60 yds and constantly moving, its very hard to find it in the 10 mag of the DP, the 3.5 mag of the Pulsar c50 and the like are more ideal for the 100 yd -200 yds that foxes are mainly shot at.

I use the Drone Pro on my 243 for long range foxing, and the Pulsar c50 for short range foxing, sod's law is which ever "ONE" rifle i take out now and again there will be a fox at the wrong end of the distance range.

Dave (warbucks)

 

[MickD69]

The longbow, I have never owned a drone so I could not comment. I recently turned to thermal and intended to move the longbow on, after 6 months of the thermal which in general I'm pleased with, I wouldn't part with the longbow I may one day go back to this cracking scope.

 

[Triggermortis]

I’ve two Drone 10x’s, I use a phone 10,000mah power bank carried in an AIM cheek ridser via a custom lead to power them,(kindly made by @mealiejimmie,who no longer has the componants) I’ve never found the need to keep turning them on and off, i once left one turned on for 22hrs by mistake and still had enough for another evening out.
With every other NV scope I’ve had instances where I struggled to ID something 100% but never with a Drone.