All right, before anyone jumps my shift about posting on the wrong forum, just bear with me a few minutes...I wanted to start a new thread regarding my observations on the KAC PVS-30 I recently received from Robert at Ready Made Resources. A couple of notes on the unit I received: 1) It was in stock when I ordered it and was promptly shipped and delivered in two days as agreed upon by RMR. 2) The FOM stamped on the unit and written on the box is "1792". 3) As stated by RMR it appears to be in very good condition- a couple of very minor scratches through the finish, a small scratch in the finish, some visible wear on the power switch and battery cover, and some visible rubbing on the bottom of the objective. Other than that all looks like new. All accessories stated in the add were included including a verification form from KAC stating that the unit tested correctly.
Before I get into my observations about it's performance a couple of small disclaimers: 1- I only have got to shoot it one night as fire restrictions where I live prohibit shooting from noon to 0600. 2- There was no moon during my initial testing ( the .gov specs state full moon and 1/4 moon performance). 3-My use on 2/3 nights was only under starlight with lots of smoke in the atmosphere and no other nearby ambient light (streetlights, houses, etc.) 4-My only other experience with I2 NV equipment is my G3 PVS-14 and some assorted weapon mounted IR flashlights/ IR lasers. All that being said, here goes.
Night 1- Suburban area, some ambient lighting, max distance 150yds. Unit tested in 2-10x32 NF NXS and 7-35x56 NF ATACR F1
NF 2-10-Unit gave a clear image with little gain at all magnifications, as expected using the illuminated reticle at low power improved reticle visibility against dark background. I had some difficulty getting a finely focused image, especially when transitioning from illuminated back-yard area at 75yds (clear) to dark treeline at 150 yds (not as sharply focused despite using PVS' focus ring.
NF-7-35x56, parallax set to infinity- Image was at its best at no greater than 17x, beyond that the image became too grainy to be usable, even when adjusting gain/focus on the PVS. At 15-17x the image appeared somewhat grainy, but usable for target aquisition.
Night 2, rural area, very dark,no manmade lighting, distances to 490yds, Cloudy skies, with smoke, under cover.
NF2-10, delivered the clearest images, worked fine up to 10x, Was able to clearly identify fixed targets at all magnifications to 350 yds, could resolve 5" plate at 100 yds, but couldn't resolve ghilly suit outline laying on ground next to target.
NF 7-35- Still maxed out at 17x before the picture degraded to a point it wouln't be usable. Could resolve 15" plate at 480yds., Couldn't resolve ghilly suit at 100yds. OTAL and Surefire X400 IRV lasers could provide viable aiming reference to at least 300 yds. Any attempt to use Surefire IR flashlights (X400, Scout 600 IR, V1 Vampire) succeeded only in completely washing out the image through the PVS when weapon mounted or in only illuminating nearby foliage and creating a steeper contrast with more distance targets. These did not appear to be the right tools for the job in this application, unlike the PVS-14
Night 3, Mountain high country above 10K ft. ASL, no manmade lighting whatsoever, about 1 hr after sunset (2230 hrs, it was getting cold fast) so some residual sunlight and clear skies above, no moon.
NF 7-35 engaged 2 MOA rock surrounded by snowfield for stark contrast at 707yds. I set up the shot waiting for the sun to set, but didn't begin shooting until the targets were no longer visible in the snowfield without the PVS-30. Went 17/20 with DT SRSA1 6.5CM, all impacts on target clearly visible by sparks flying (pretty cool to watch) so no discernible POA/POI sift noted . I shot this at 17x with no illuminated reticle. More mag would have rendered the image too grainy to really be usable, especially if you were trying to aquire a target. The beam from the OTAL was just barely visible on the snow 10" above the target through the PVS-14, and still pretty clearly through the PVS-30. This session worked out really well, other than I still wish the image would have been more sharply focused (still a little blurry despite gain/focus adjustments) and less grainy. Very usable image, but wasn't PVS-14 with IR light quality).
My final thoughts so far: If you want to shoot things at night this thing works! Furthermore, I have no idea what else you would buy for double the money that would be better. I need to try it out when there is some moonlight or in an area with more manmade light. Any advice on a weapon mounted IR illuminator that doesn't wash the image completely out like the aforementioned Surefires would be greatly appreciated. I have never used a DBAL/ATPIAL so please share. In conclusion if you're like me, the first time you fired your suppressed rifle and got a snap instead of the Hollywood inspired "only hearing the action cycling" you were a little disappointed, but now you couldn't imagine shooting without one. Well, that's how I feel about the PVS-30 for now.
