Night Vision Ranging at night?
- Thread starter Pbjunkiee
- Start date
I use everything I have ...
Bushy Arc Elite 1600
Radius
RAPTAR
==
Bushy technique
Hold up bushy to right (unaided) eye and aim bushy ir ranging laser at the group between me and target ... observe ir ranging laser with PVS-14 on head using left (aided) eye. Walk laser onto target observing laser with PVS-14 and aided (left) eye ... take 3 pulses then read distance off display with right side unaided eye. Repeat as required to confirm distance.
If distance is too great to clearly see ir-laser pulse ... add 3x USGI magnifier to the PVS-14 to extend the effective distance.
That works out to to 500yds most nights and 800yds some nights ... depending on size of target.
==
RAPTAR/Radius technique
Zero rifle at 100yds with day scope
Add Night Optics day/night pvs-14 adapter to rear of day scope
Insert PVS-14 into NO D/N adapter
On tripod outside aim day scope reticle at distant hard target and co-witness LRF zeroing laser with the day scope reticle view the zeroing laser with the PVS-14.
Remove NO D/N adapter and pvs-14 from rear of scope ...
Add thermal clipon to rifle.
Aim at known distance objects and verify distances being returned from the LRF (TEST)
Repeat procedure as required to pass known distance testing.
This works out to 900yds as far as I've tried it.
Bushy Arc Elite 1600
Radius
RAPTAR
==
Bushy technique
Hold up bushy to right (unaided) eye and aim bushy ir ranging laser at the group between me and target ... observe ir ranging laser with PVS-14 on head using left (aided) eye. Walk laser onto target observing laser with PVS-14 and aided (left) eye ... take 3 pulses then read distance off display with right side unaided eye. Repeat as required to confirm distance.
If distance is too great to clearly see ir-laser pulse ... add 3x USGI magnifier to the PVS-14 to extend the effective distance.
That works out to to 500yds most nights and 800yds some nights ... depending on size of target.
==
RAPTAR/Radius technique
Zero rifle at 100yds with day scope
Add Night Optics day/night pvs-14 adapter to rear of day scope
Insert PVS-14 into NO D/N adapter
On tripod outside aim day scope reticle at distant hard target and co-witness LRF zeroing laser with the day scope reticle view the zeroing laser with the PVS-14.
Remove NO D/N adapter and pvs-14 from rear of scope ...
Add thermal clipon to rifle.
Aim at known distance objects and verify distances being returned from the LRF (TEST)
Repeat procedure as required to pass known distance testing.
This works out to 900yds as far as I've tried it.
Well, some of you may have seen my thread about USO spotter mounts and such and that kickass LRR-104 Mk5 LRF I scored. I have a unique way to do this, I doubt I'm the only one to do it but I figured it out on my own so here it is:
What I ended up doing was mounting a spotter to a custom mount (if you're using Leupold or Hensoldt, you have tons of choices!) a member here made for me. The spotter goes on the bottom, LRF on top and a PEQ2 on the side. The LRF has a range of over 6 miles.
So my intention is to take it out to the mountains where I have the range and setup the tripod and get it all stable and set the LRF up on a specific target at the extreme distance it can measure, being sure to select a target that can't be confused with the background, ie, you need to know you are definitely on a specific target. A reflective hanging plate would be ideal.
Then, just wait for it to get dark, then using a PVS14 and the spotter (or perhaps a rifle scope with NV) and adjust the PEQ's laser onto the target.
Now, when you use the spotter with the PVS and find a target, you just tap the LRF and get the reading without actually aiming it. The PEQ will only be off by a couple inches proportional to the distance and decreasing with range, which won't be a problem.
The PEQ is now slaved to the LRF. Line up the illuminator to the laser and you've got a day/night spotting setup. Ideally you want a PEQ with a high enough setting to actually mark the target at that range and also illuminate it. Now you can also spot for another shooter at night while marking and ranging targets simultaneously.
You can do this with any spotter, LRF and PEQ combo setup within its limitations.
What I ended up doing was mounting a spotter to a custom mount (if you're using Leupold or Hensoldt, you have tons of choices!) a member here made for me. The spotter goes on the bottom, LRF on top and a PEQ2 on the side. The LRF has a range of over 6 miles.
So my intention is to take it out to the mountains where I have the range and setup the tripod and get it all stable and set the LRF up on a specific target at the extreme distance it can measure, being sure to select a target that can't be confused with the background, ie, you need to know you are definitely on a specific target. A reflective hanging plate would be ideal.
Then, just wait for it to get dark, then using a PVS14 and the spotter (or perhaps a rifle scope with NV) and adjust the PEQ's laser onto the target.
Now, when you use the spotter with the PVS and find a target, you just tap the LRF and get the reading without actually aiming it. The PEQ will only be off by a couple inches proportional to the distance and decreasing with range, which won't be a problem.
The PEQ is now slaved to the LRF. Line up the illuminator to the laser and you've got a day/night spotting setup. Ideally you want a PEQ with a high enough setting to actually mark the target at that range and also illuminate it. Now you can also spot for another shooter at night while marking and ranging targets simultaneously.
You can do this with any spotter, LRF and PEQ combo setup within its limitations.
Thats a pretty nifty setup. The MK VII i havr has a mx10160 tube built in that just flips down. Thing is massive though, I want something a little more streamlined to keep in the backpack that i can use after dusk.
I may have to try an arc elite out and see where its at.
I havr a conx 1 mile, havent even thought to see if the laser is visble with nods.
I may have to try an arc elite out and see where its at.
I havr a conx 1 mile, havent even thought to see if the laser is visble with nods.
BTW, nothing at all special about the arc elite ... it is just an everyday piece a crap range finder ... most range finders have "invisible" lasers ... and even those that have vis lasers will still work just fine ... the PVS-14 can see both ...
The conx 1 mile should work just fine ...
The conx 1 mile should work just fine ...
Remember, your LRF sends out a beam that can be seen with night vision gear. Just FYI 
I put my PLRF15C on top of my Spotter 60 and the beam offset is set so that anything you see on the reticle in the Spotter 60 is what you are ranging via the PLRF15C. You don't need to look through it or even touch it as the PLRF15C has a trigger cable.
You may consider weapon mounted LRF like the Radius to where you can range while using your rifle.
I put my PLRF15C on top of my Spotter 60 and the beam offset is set so that anything you see on the reticle in the Spotter 60 is what you are ranging via the PLRF15C. You don't need to look through it or even touch it as the PLRF15C has a trigger cable.
You may consider weapon mounted LRF like the Radius to where you can range while using your rifle.
Some Vectronix (and others) are 1550 nm or so ... so not visible for NV ...
SWR Radius; it has changed UKD night shooting forever and it may have done so by accident. I don't think night shooters were necessarily a target audience for it at all. You can weapon mount it obviously, but I also use it attached to a spotting scope w/ a 14 mounted to the scope. Works great.
Jumped on a local radius that has been sitting in a guys shop for a year or so.
Cant beat bnib for $400
Cant beat bnib for $400
Just got my terrapin, works well with nods. Wish the reticle had nv illum.
The normal backlight washes out my pvs14. So have to kind of hunt for the center circle.
There is a flash like the manual says but doesnt leave a burn mark or shading. The street lamps leave them sometimes and tbis doesnt, so not too worried about it.
Hopefully this can help me engage some predators at longer distance at night.
The normal backlight washes out my pvs14. So have to kind of hunt for the center circle.
There is a flash like the manual says but doesnt leave a burn mark or shading. The street lamps leave them sometimes and tbis doesnt, so not too worried about it.
Hopefully this can help me engage some predators at longer distance at night.
if your need is predators after dark then nothing is going to beat a weapon mounted laser like the radius or raptar. ranging on the fly on dogs is a necessary thing. just not enough time to mess around with a handheld, get a reading then get back on the gun and acquire the animal.
Well this looks perfect.....
Now we just need an Atlas with a LRF...
https://www.pulsar-nv.com/glo/products/33/thermal-imaging-binoculars/accolade-lrf
Now we just need an Atlas with a LRF...
https://www.pulsar-nv.com/glo/products/33/thermal-imaging-binoculars/accolade-lrf
Any thermal with a piece of rail on it can mount a range finder ... and with appropriate process they can be zeroed together. Also mounting the range finder on the rifle the thermal is on, is also possible.
Mounting range finder on a thermal monocular produces a handheld thermal range finder ...
==
Mounting range finder on rifle on a tripod produces a very stable platform for ranging smaller objects at greater distances.
Mounting range finder on a thermal monocular produces a handheld thermal range finder ...
==
Mounting range finder on rifle on a tripod produces a very stable platform for ranging smaller objects at greater distances.
Remember, your LRF sends out a beam that can be seen with night vision gear. Just FYI
I put my PLRF15C on top of my Spotter 60 and the beam offset is set so that anything you see on the reticle in the Spotter 60 is what you are ranging via the PLRF15C. You don't need to look through it or even touch it as the PLRF15C has a trigger cable.
You may consider weapon mounted LRF like the Radius to where you can range while using your rifle.
Nope, mine's a 1064nm Nd:YAG --and class 3, maybe class 4... Invisible and powerful as hell. Pretty sure it'll still burn out NODs though.
The OP's has a 15xx nm laser IIRC but I could be wrong. It's one of the first generation eye safe lasers and one of the best LRF's you can get your hands on, period. But it is big, bigger than my Mk5.
IMO if you can't get a Radius and do what others are doing, then don't bother, what you have is better. The only other way is to do something like I did and basically mount an LRF to a spotting scope and then a PVS14 behind that. That picture above doesn't show the PVS14 but it goes behind the spotter. Basically it's a poor man's version of what you already have.
