Clip-on NV vs. dedicatated NV scope?

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Loki_762

Loki_762

Member
Jan 30, 2016
52
11
Seattle, Washington United States
I am considering upgrading from my current night time setup (red light on my scope) to a night vision setup. Long ago, when the homemade jobs were all the rage, I had one and it worked okay, but it was bulky and an pain to get on and off the scope. So now, I am considering upping my budget (~$350-$400) and getting something more compact, as my success rate with the red light is not what it was with the cheap night vision. At this time, I am considering two options - a clip on unit, like the Oneleaf NV100 and Pard NV007S, or a dedicated electronic NV scope, such as the Sightmark Wraith. All fall within my $400 budget, and as I see it, all have pros and cons. I see the benefits of the clip-on units being that I can switch calibers just by switching the unit to a different gun, which I may want to do if I'm havnig trouble with something larger than rats. Cons of these units seem to be that you either need to move the scope forward to use your gun normally, or you need to move your head back a couple of inches to see through the scope. Since I am not going to slide the scope forward on all of my guns just to do this, I am not sure if I like this option. The pro of the dedicated unit are that they can be mounted wherever is comfortable for me, and the con is that I can only put it on one gun. So, those of you with experience with one or the other or both types, what do you prefer and why? Anything I am not thinking of that I need to consider before I purchase something?
Thanks in advance,
Chris
 
I am a dedicated scope guy and have never used any of the clip-ons. That said, PARD has a clip on model that goes on the front of the scope. It's the only NV clip-on that I've considered because of the issues you've mentioned. Unfortunately the rifle/scope candidate for an FD1 addition didn't have enough clearance between barrel and objective bell to mount an FD1 up front.

pard.com

FD1 - PARD

FD1/FD1-LRF
pard.com pard.com
 
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Hal4son said:
I am a dedicated scope guy and have never used any of the clip-ons. That said, PARD has a clip on model that goes on the front of the scope. It's the only NV clip-on that I've considered because of the issues you've mentioned. Unfortunately the rifle/scope candidate for an FD1 addition didn't have enough clearance between barrel and objective bell to mount an FD1 up front.

pard.com

FD1 - PARD

FD1/FD1-LRF
pard.com pard.com
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Which dedicated NV Scope are you using?
Thanks,
Chris
 
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I have both. I prefer clip ons. All my guns are daytime guns and I know how to dial each scope whether I’m shooting 55 yards or 155 yards. None of that changes with a clip on. But you must have a way to easily increase the LOP of your gun so you stay comfy and shoot well. My Wraith 4k is a great night scope but a sh#tty daytime scope. So right now it’s sitting on top of my gun safe. Not being able to dial for close or far shots quickly is the downfall of a dedicated NV scope. They are designed with firearms in mind and not our primitive trajectories.
 
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Vetmx said:
I have both. I prefer clip ons. All my guns are daytime guns and I know how to dial each scope whether I’m shooting 55 yards or 155 yards. None of that changes with a clip on. But you must have a way to easily increase the LOP of your gun so you stay comfy and shoot well. My Wraith 4k is a great night scope but a sh#tty daytime scope. So right now it’s sitting on top of my gun safe. Not being able to dial for close or far shots quickly is the downfall of a dedicated NV scope. They are designed with firearms in mind and not our primitive trajectories.
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Which clip on one do you have? How much length does it add?
Thanks,
Chris
 
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Why not a gun dedicated to a NV scope? And simply use that rig when nighttime pesting. I started with a red light, many, many rat kills, that red light was typically the last thing they saw.🤓 currently have a dedicated nighttime pesting rig. For my uses it much easier to grab a dedicated rig, than to clip on a thing and extend the LOP to accommodate a really long, cobbled together NV scope. My nighttime ratter… Arken Zulus atop Atomic XR… Grab and go…💥
IMG_1175.jpeg
 
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Loki_762 said:
Which clip on one do you have? How much length does it add?
Thanks,
Chris
Click to expand...
They add about 4”. But almost 3 of those inches are your normal eye relief on the scope. So in reality if you extend your LOP by 2”, you’re good to go. I have two Pards. An older model and a newer one. One last thing. If your gun has a scope that starts at 2.5-4X, life with a clip on is much better. The Helix on the one gun has glass that likes a Pard. But those cheap suckers made it a 6-24X. Starting out on 6X with a clip on has stuff zoomed in pretty good. But it’s still doable if you get the right mm lens with your clip on. Be it Pard or One Leaf. I bought a One Leaf from a member here for a guy I sold a gun to. That thing is very comparable to a Pard for a little less money.

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L.Leon makes an excellent suggestion. And I tried to have a dedicated night gun. Put my Wraith on my P15 because I rarely shoot it. But eventually the urge to shoot and hunt with it in the daytime had me trying to do holdovers and then zoom in on distant targets with something that is absolutely not suited to do so. I’ve kept my Wraith because I still have hopes of a gun I can just leave it on. It will probably be my AR15.
 
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From my experience, if you’re picky, nothing is perfect. Sometimes you just have to spend a bunch of money and eventually you gravitate towards one thing. That’s what happened in my case. I really thought the Wraith 4k was going to be the answer but it wasn’t. It’s a great NV scope but when you are used to high quality optics and being able to dial for distance/precision, it doesn’t cut the mustard.
 
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