NV alternative

[simon t]

Does anyone own or have used one of the following ND3x50 Sub Zero Laser Designator. They are advertised as an alternative to night vision......

Link to one of the places that sell them
http://www.scottcoun...Vision-4885.htm

 

[Paddy_SP]

Does anyone own or have used one of the following ND3x50 Sub Zero Laser Designator. They are advertised as an alternative to night vision......

Link to one of the places that sell them
http://www.scottcoun...Vision-4885.htm

Not used one myself, but have heard loads of bad things about them - in essence, they seem to be considered a way over-priced torch - and not a very good one at that...

 

[Eric the Red]

Hi Simon,

I have one and I think it's fab - but it does have it's limitations and it's not an alternative to NV (IMHO). It is just about the best scope mounted lamp you'll see - but then you'd expect that for the money - and while animals tend to seem less bothered by the light, they do see it. It's scope mounted and light, you can focus the beam precisely to the FoV of your scope and it's brighter than you will need for the distance you will want to shoot at night - whatever that is.

It's a different tool, but as good as NV? Not for me it isn't.

E t R

 

[Geordie_3]

If the blurb is to be belived it sounds good, but is it that good. I doubt it, but would live to try one. Do any places offer try before you buy on this sort of stuff.

 

[Eric the Red]

If the blurb is to be belived it sounds good, but is it that good. I doubt it, but would live to try one. Do any places offer try before you buy on this sort of stuff.

Geordie, let me see if I can't sort a demo of mine out for you....should be over your neck in a couple of weeks.....

E t R

 

[simon t]

Cheers for the replies so far....Good NV i.e gen 2 and above is pricey so looking at different ideas.
I have a gen1 monocular but the distance isnt great, so was thinking an IR illuminator but still not sure what distance that would give me..Thats when i came across the above

 

[Eric the Red]

Cheers for the replies so far....Good NV i.e gen 2 and above is pricey so looking at different ideas.
I have a gen1 monocular but the distance isnt great, so was thinking an IR illuminator but still not sure what distance that would give me..Thats when i came across the above

Will depend on the quality of the IR illunimator. I use a Cobra Merlin and with my IR, I can see as far as I need for ID at night.

 

[Geordie_3]

Geordie, let me see if I can't sort a demo of mine out for you....should be over your neck in a couple of weeks.....E t R

That'd be great. You have my contact details and there's a spare bed if you need it.

 

[mereside]

eric ,do you rate yours i have also been looking at these but dont want to waste money on something thats not up to a job,what sort of range are you able to get realistically,atb wayne

 

[Geordie_3]

Cheers for the replies so far....Good NV i.e gen 2 and above is pricey so looking at different ideas.I have a gen1 monocular but the distance isnt great, so was thinking an IR illuminator but still not sure what distance that would give me..Thats when i came across the above

You could try a IR filter on a mag lite, I don't know how far it would throw a beam but might do what you want. OscarDelta - Real Gear for Real People was where I got mine from.

 

[Eric the Red]

eric ,do you rate yours i have also been looking at these but dont want to waste money on something thats not up to a job,what sort of range are you able to get realistically,atb wayne

I think this is a 'marmite' item - shown by the polarisation of people's views - but of those I have shown mine to, the disappointment has come when trying to compare it to something it's not - i.e. night vision. For me, the ND3x50 is at it's optimum when working at FoV sized light spill at 200-300 yards with an 8 or 12 mag scope (so creating a pool of lightin the order of 10 yards across). It is capable of much more (see Bobjs's post on same subject on lighting up a tank range target at 1200m), but for me the light is too intense to shoot by if you collimate the beam to get that range. Similarly as a 'flood light' at 50 yards, you'd say it wasn't anything special. FoV at 40 - 300 yards - probably the best lamp to shoot under BUT, you need good glass. The light is that good you can see some imperfections in the glass (although it could be the imperfections in my eyes). Shooting under green light is much better for me - I struggle with red light. It is a lot of money, but if you shoot regularly at night, I'd say it was worth the investment.

 

[d foxxer]

i have been thinking to get one of these nd 3 things because as far as i can see they can be usedon a normal day scope
asyou would a gun lamp i have a paladin nv unit but dont trust it as they are notoriously hard to zero i only use it hand held
to spot charlie coming in before lighting him up i cant afford gen 2 or 3 and as i prefer heavy barrelld weapons a nv unit would add even more weight
at the moment i am still reading the opinions of people who have experience of nd3 before i commit to getting one

 

[mereside]

eric thanks for your comments , i did a search on fleabay and found some on there also a cheaper version but need to do abit of research once again thanks,wayne

 

[Eric the Red]

eric thanks for your comments , i did a search on fleabay and found some on there also a cheaper version but need to do abit of research once again thanks,wayne

Wayne, feel free to PM me for a number and we can have a chat about what you find if you like. Can't claim to be an expert, but have a bit of experience that hopefully steps you round some pitfalls.


@dfoxxer - yes absolutely for use with a day scope - sat atop the scope, it still balances OK and doesn't add too much weight. Nice and easy to set up and comes with a rattail so you can flick it on and off as you need. As said before, Mr C tends to appear less concerned by this than some other lamps and the throw on this unit is amazing (but so's the price!)

 

[devonfoxer]

paddy your so like my mate he said exactly the same thing his exact words were (350 quid on a fecking torch not in my life time )lol

 

[mereside]

thanks again eric thats great i will pm you to talk more,heres a link on one i found for anyone else interested i dont know how it will stack up agasinst the nd 3 need to look again at the specs,atb wayne
OPTIMUS GREEN LASER DESIGNATOR site scope LAST CHANCE TO OWN ONE! see listing | eBay

 

[d foxxer]

Wayne, feel free to PM me for a number and we can have a chat about what you find if you like. Can't claim to be an expert, but have a bit of experience that hopefully steps you round some pitfalls.


@dfoxxer - yes absolutely for use with a day scope - sat atop the scope, it still balances OK and doesn't add too much weight. Nice and easy to set up and comes with a rattail so you can flick it on and off as you need. As said before, Mr C tends to appear less concerned by this than some other lamps and the throw on this unit is amazing (but so's the price!)

thanks eric can it be mount to a 30mm scope tube

 

[Eric the Red]

thanks eric can it be mount to a 30mm scope tube

Yes the mount supplied is a 30mm mount (with 25mm insert) and has windage and elevation adjustment for easy alignment to scope FoV

 

[d foxxer]

Yes the mount supplied is a 30mm mount (with 25mm insert) and has windage and elevation adjustment for easy alignment to scope FoV

excellent mate thanks very much the more i read the more methinks to get one pricey yes but not as much as nv
i loath the way these nv units stick so far back on the rifle atb foxxer

 

[baconbuttie]

I use the Odicforce equivalent on my HMR for fox and rabbits with an adjustable mount I got from the bay of e. A lot less money than even the ND3 copies and UK support. Only problem I had when mounting was that the body of the laser's tube is less than an inch in diameter, so had to pad it out a tad.

Haven't been able to compare it next to an ND3, but it does the job I wanted it for.