Night Vision You guys rockin' PVS 14's

[verdugo60]

For you guys that only have one, how do you find it most useful? I will only be able to afford one and am wondering if it is more often worn on a helmet on the dominant eye, or attached behind red dot on an AR? This would be for hog hunting/ potential LEO use looking for people running/tactical and would only be able to do one at first. Is it easy to have it on your dominant eye and just look through a NV compatible Eotech for example?

 

[hdfireman]

I hog hunt on a regular basis and run a PVS-14 helmet mounted on the non-dominant eye to navigate/stalk. When I get close I move the 14 behind an EOTech using a D-LOC mount. I also carry a 3x magnifier in my pocket for the longer shots. If the pigs bolt on me while the PVS-14 is still on my melon I have an IR laser for that.

There are some that like shooting all the time helmet mounted and an IR laser but I don't like shooting pigs on the run with it. They can haul the mail and if I am having to lead them I just prefer an optic.

 

[TheGerman]

Helmet mounted vs. weapon mounted don't even compare.

For weapon mounted you will have to lift up your weapon and look through the monocle anytime you want to see anything. This makes it very difficult to focus on targets, constantly scan for targets and your situational awareness is shit not to mention the fatigue that will eventually set in.

Not sure of the terrain you'll be in, but when I go out at night I am in the mountains in Utah. Everything from 200 foot drops to dried out ravines, big ass rocks, holes that will swallow a car and a bunch of nasty vegetation. If I could only look around with my weapon mounted PVS14, I wouldn't make it very far. I was out last Saturday when there was not much moonlight and no residual artificial light in the distance; after 90 minutes out there I was sitting down and took my helmet off to let my head breathe for a minute - it was like someone turned the lights out. Pitch black, couldn't see 30 feet around me. Try getting through that with a weapon mounted unit.

I have the PVS14 over my dominant eye, on the Wilcox L4 G11 mount all on a Crye Airframe. I also use a NV compatible EoTech and it works well with some practice; you have to put the stock all the way back and your hold/cheek-wield will be different.

 

[verdugo60]

Great info guys, appreciate it. German, I kind of picture more how you hunt, and I think it would be neat to do night hikes/land nab with as well. You know, sneak around in the woods like when we were boy scouts but with NV toys!

 

[Eric-TNVC]

For patrol i always had one mounted to the helmet ready to go. this way i can be hands free (with the exception of my rifle or pistol). Mount an IR laser to your rifle and pistol. Don't waste your time with trying to have the PVS-14 mounted on your dominant eye while shouldering a rifle and looking through your eotech. whats gonna happen if your lighting situation rapidly changes and you have to engage? your dominant eye will be blocked and depending on lighting, your reticle will more than likely be bloomed out on the NV setting. wear it over your non dominant eye, while using your IR laser to be the designator of where the bullet will impact. This way you dont really need a full fledge cheek weld, but more of a chin weld.

 

[RobertB]

PVS 14 nonD eye (Left) D-760 or such on weapon, able to scan with thermal as well if you have one too.

 

[I^2 Technologies - Peter]

For you guys that only have one, how do you find it most useful? I will only be able to afford one and am wondering if it is more often worn on a helmet on the dominant eye, or attached behind red dot on an AR? This would be for hog hunting/ potential LEO use looking for people running/tactical and would only be able to do one at first. Is it easy to have it on your dominant eye and just look through a NV compatible Eotech for example?

To answer your question most are now saying it has to go on your head (whichever eye you like) and use a laser. NOW let me say this! The versatility of the PVS-14 is often understated or is being directly limited because of a single minded philosophy. There are many mounting systems out there, some better than others but the current paradigm is "you must do one or the other!" Helmet mount or weapons mount! Mostly helmet mount. Sure there are weapons mounts that still allow you to attach a J-arm but it can be a fumble fest to pull the unit off your head find the post, twist... or throw a lever or whatever.

With recent developments, you can put it on either eye AND your weapon all of this is instant, push button easy. I realize your asking about one PVS-14 but I recommend our dual mount because you can swap back and forth between eyes. In the future you can add a second 14 to get stereoscopic night vision. Also we are finishing up our weapons mount that is quicker and easier than anything else out there! It will take the PVS-14 to an all new level of usability.

To quote my buddy Ian, this is being well received by elements of the military who wear beards.

So hang on a little bit and you will see a new level of fast and positive!

 

[JohnnyC]

I use it on my head with a laser, or behind an Aimpoint or EoTech with the TNVC TM-14 mount. It works very well and since I can use the Aimpoint magnifier behind it too I get a double word score out of the deal. I don't know of anything much easier than that to get the best of both worlds.

 

[Victor-TNVC]

I use it on my head with a laser, or behind an Aimpoint or EoTech with the TNVC TM-14 mount. It works very well and since I can use the Aimpoint magnifier behind it too I get a double word score out of the deal. I don't know of anything much easier than that to get the best of both worlds.

Indeed that was the reason Aimpoint, and the guys in beards came to us for killing 2 birds with one stone sorta speak. Same Aimpoint Twist base stays on the gun for their magnifier and a 14 if needed. In fact tens of thousands of these bases in Operations and many more delivered each month. It does not get much simpler than this and yes putting the rumors to rest, of course J-Arms can be run while the 14 is on the gun with the TM-14. True true true....See below pic for believing is seeing.

Oh and if folks have not seen it, (we sometimes get a bit busy to show all), we also made a twist mount for the EO Tech Magnifier here. Guess we now killed 3 birds with one stone. hehehe

 

[Silent]

This is exactly how I run my setup with the TM-14, TNVC has a great product and you wouldn't be disappointed if that was the route you took!

 

[verdugo60]

Ok, you guys need to stop because that is just the shit. Pardon my language but y'all got me scheming on how to get one of these without selling a kidney in Mexico or a prized firearm I will miss later. When you throw in the fact that you can kind of hillbilly rig a 14 behind a magnified optic, you start to see how a quality gen 3 one really is amazing bang for your buck. As you guys suggested I would probably not stop with just one, just like suppressors. One at a time though!

 

[Naish]

That is a sick setup pvs14 with the TNVC mount for the rifle and helmet!

 

[verdugo60]

What does a decent IR laser run? Do they hold zero pretty well? My SF buddy said they would have dual PVS14's and not even shoulder their rifles, they got pretty good at shooting from the hip with an IR laser,silly as that sounds. Of course if they needed to they could slow down and make a hit using good fundamentals.

 

[I^2 Technologies - Peter]

What does a decent IR laser run? Do they hold zero pretty well? My SF buddy said they would have dual PVS14's and not even shoulder their rifles, they got pretty good at shooting from the hip with an IR laser,silly as that sounds. Of course if they needed to they could slow down and make a hit using good fundamentals.

A quality Class 1 IR laser can be had for as little as $260.00 all the way up to $1700.00 depending on what you want? Single IR laser, single IR laser with a visible laser, Slaved IR and visible, Slaved IR with integrated IR illuminator. Just depends on what you wanna do with it.

 

[Killswitch Engage]

What does a decent IR laser run? Do they hold zero pretty well? My SF buddy said they would have dual PVS14's and not even shoulder their rifles, they got pretty good at shooting from the hip with an IR laser,silly as that sounds. Of course if they needed to they could slow down and make a hit using good fundamentals.

doesnt sound silly to me. thats exactly how i shoot with my lasers and drop dogs all the time that way. just takes some practice.

 

[verdugo60]

Thanks Peter.
[MENTION=38496]killswitch[/MENTION]-ya, this guys has shown me some of his pictures, I don't doubt him at all. The "silly as it sounds" comment was more to stave off posts from some jackhole that would comment on how "SF would not ever shoot like that...blah, blah." Sometimes I forget it's not ARFCOM or Glocktalk on here!

 

[Killswitch Engage]

Hip shooting 308 - YouTube

Have to forgive the shitty film job. Didn't have a camera coupler at the time.

 

[Victor-TNVC]

Nope not "silly" at all. A few years back we were doing a precision NV training class with Surefire and Scotty Reitz. If anyone knows Scotty he is OLD SCHOOL LAPD, REAL old school from the days you went to the hospital if you messed with LAPD in any little way. They used to send their trash to our neck of the woods for sloppy seconds, but that's another story....

Anyhoot, we're all out that evening with a bunch of students for the night portion of the precision training and Scotty had never worn a PVS-14 let alone shot with an IR laser. The class was shooting at that time with the new LMT .308's, AN/PVS-22's, DBAL-A3's and melon worn 14's. Scotty put the helmet on, (never even strapped it), picked up the LMT raised the weapon no higher than his hip and took 9 out of 10 at 250 yards at a 14" steel plate. He then put down the weapon, took off the helmet and spouts, "is that all that's to it?"

Good stuff...

Vic

 

[Loggers Inn]

Hip shooting 308 - YouTube

Have to forgive the shitty film job. Didn't have a camera coupler at the time.

Do u have a density filter for your IR laser. Dot looks a lil big, if not get 1. It will make it a pinpoint

 

[Killswitch Engage]

I don't have one on that laser. It's not as big as the vid make it look. I would have to rig one up for it anyhow cause no one makes one for this laser. It has two power setting tho and I don't remember what it was on there.