Rats by night

I just had a neighbor ask me if I would consider coming over to his farm to shoot rats at night. I've never shot at night. This is a good size farm (for New England) and I could use some guidance. Guns at my disposal are a Huben K1 and RTI Prophet both in 22. Don't yet know the distance I'll be shooting at but he said its mostly around the hen houses. The Prophet is extremely accurate out to 85 yards (farthest I've shot it at) while the K1 is still struggling to find either the correct pellet and, or the proper tune after 40 yards. My questions are, any suggestions for a good scope for this adventure? The farther under 900.00 the better but quality comes first. Next, what will I be looking at in the night? Eyes only? Never even looked through a night scope. All my current scopes are sfp. Most expensive one was 800.00 Will this be a "look through the scope till something moves and shoot scenario? Are certain times better than others? Guess what I really need is person who has shot rats at night on a farm to get me started. Thanks for your time

John
 
This should keep you busy for a bit. It’s hard to go wrong with any of these $100- $600 dollar scopes.

The Hawke Vantage 2x7x32 is probly the best $100-150 scope you will find out there and has that wonderful reticle as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Hawke-Sport-Optics-Vantage-Riflescope/dp/B00WN2669C

The Vector Optics Veyron and Discovery VT-3 scopes are both compact and lighter weight scopes in 3x12x44 with 30mm tubes. They are both decent for the money around $200 and both Mil/Mil scopes so none of that funky Hawke Mil/MOA stuff going on. So there is some give and take between the two and I like them both for what they are.

If you are going for an FFP the Veyron has a pretty thin reticle and it can get lost in a dark background at lower magnification. But it does focus down to 7 yards at full 12 power so that is not often a problem. It weighs in at 17.6oz and has a nice Mil Hash reticle. It is available in a 2nd focal plane scope as well.

https://www.opticsplanet.com/vector-optics-veyron-3-12x44mm-rifle-scope.html

The Discovery will just barely focus to 10 yards if you turn the power down to 6 but it has a thicker reticle that is easier to pick up at lower magnification so it is not a problem either. It weighs in at 18.3oz and has a nice Mil Quad reticle. These are also available in 1st or 2nd focal plane.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000120149525.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.f9303d1dQzbaBT&algo_pvid=1af8c302-8873-4ad4-8c65-54cc14f64e57&algo_exp_id=1af8c302-8873-4ad4-8c65-54cc14f64e57-5

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001994490826.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.f9303d1dQzbaBT&algo_pvid=1af8c302-8873-4ad4-8c65-54cc14f64e57&algo_exp_id=1af8c302-8873-4ad4-8c65-54cc14f64e57-0

The Alph6 4.5x27x50 is in the same price range, a full sized scope, with very glass and a very good scope for the money as well. Like the Veyron the reticle is a bit thin though.

https://www.budk.com/Aims-Alpha-6-4-5-27X50-30MM-Riflescope-With-MR1-MR-48240



If you can manage a bit more money the;

SWFA, Athlon, Aztec and Element scopes are not as compact or light weight as the others but have better glass and turrets.

SWFA fixed power scopes are an excellent buy as is the Athlon Talos BTR 4x14x4.

Good glass and turrets on this one;

https://www.swfa.com/optics/riflescopes.html#brand=SWFA%20SS

I don't have one of these but reviews are good;

https://www.amazon.com/Athlon-Optics-Riflescope-Illuminated-Reticle/dp/B01APT0G0E?ref_=ast_sto_dp

Aztec; I love the reticle on this one;

https://www.airgunsofarizona.com/index.php?p=catalog&mode=search&search_in=all_but_description&search_str=aztec

Element; I think the turrets may be slightly better on this one;

https://www.pyramydair.com/search-results-ext?Ntt=helix&sid=1375A617A415&N=0&Ntk=primary&q=helix&cx=002970863286801882398:jlcminxfwdw&cof=FORID:11;NB:1&saSearch



There are a few decent digital night vision scope set ups out there. Some are more decent than others.

This is not exactly a review cuz I only have a couple of these but more of listing of specs to make them easier to understand to choose between the units.

I have been trying to keep up with the less expensive nightvision stuff as it comes out it’s not an easy task sometimes. So I thought I would let you in on my findings on a few of them. I listed the specs on things that I thought really mattered and left some of the other specs out. Things like battery life, weight, sensor resolution, record resolution, FOV, minimum focus distance and refresh rates really matter and every one should consider them carefully before laying down the $$ and purchasing one of these units or you could be very disappointed.

Let’s talk about a few of these specs.

Battery life;  Most of these units are power hungry and have a fairly short battery life but most also have batteries that can be quickly replaced. If you purchase some decent rechargeable lithium batts, and a charger, you won’t have a problem if you are going to purchase batteries off the shelf to run them it can get spendy fast for the high use folks. So watch your battery life.

I have seen a few battery comparisons between the Pard008 and the ATN 4K units where somehow the Pard came out on top!!!! Actually as one can plainly see the ATN has 18hrs of battery life built in so way more than twice that of the Pard. With that much battery life it really does not matter that it is built into the unit.

Weight;  When you are out in the field an extra pound or two can be tiresome after a couple of hours lugging it around. Let’s face it most of these things are heavy as a brick with the exception of the Pard and the Nightshot 3x with the plastic case and lens which both weigh in at about 1.3 Lbs.

Sensor resolution; One would think this would be on top of the list as everything depends on this not on the screen or recording resolution. Without good sensor resolution the screen and recording resolutions suffer as they can do no better than the sensor used.

Record resolution; To get good vids you need at least 640x480 or better. If you want to see the pellet fly you need better than this. Your screen resolution has nothing to do with your recording resolution it’s only what you see at the moment.

FOV; Field Of View is extremely important if it’s not wide enough when you are getting up close and personal your quarry it will disappear in an instant or you won’t even be able to find it in the viewscreen. So wider is better.

Minimum focus distance; can mean a big deal if you are doing some close quarter pesting. It’s nice to be able to make out what you are shooting at and even better to see a nice clear video rather than a big blur. So ten yards is acceptable less is even better.

Refresh Rate; A slow refresh rate means you just see a blur or a jittery image when following a moving object in your scope. It’s the same when an object is moving in your field of view if you really want to see it you need a decent >30fps refresh rate. Want to see a moving pellet? Then you really need at minimum 120fps although 240fps is much better.

Apps; most of these scopes are lacking in apps that can be used. The ATN has more than its share and if you turn too many on it can slow the CPU down to a crawl making it difficult to do anything. So think about what you are doing. You don’t need to use them all at the same time.

I love that I can have the ATN and ABL units range an object apply software to compute not only the distance but the elevation change and then move the reticle for the shot.



 The ATN 4K 3x14 and 6.5x20 has all the apps of the modern world.

Internal battery lasts 18hrs so plenty for a couple of long days/nights hunting

They do a good job of recording your shots with decent quality sound included

WiFi connects to your phone easily you can control the scope functions from the phone

Magnification There is a multi-step digital zoom feature 3x14 or 6.5X20 models

Adjustable Parallax

Great FOV 46' @ 100 yards for the 3X14 about half that for the 6.5X20

Minimum focus distance 16.4ft for the 3x14 or 32.8ft for the 6.5x20

CMOS resolution 3864x2218 At least I think that is what those numbers mean

Refresh rate 30, 60, 120Hz,

Video record resolution 1080P @ 30, 60, 120fps

Color day B/W night

They are built like a brick which is a plus

Weight 2LB heavy like a brick a minus

Color day B/W night

Supplied IR

Picatinny mount Supplied rings

Lots of Apps

I have one of the 3X14 scopes and with my limited use it is a great trouble free unit.

https://www.amazon.com/X-Sight-Smart-Night-Rifle-Compass/dp/B079TDC1XS



The ATN X-sight LTV 3x9 is much smaller, lighter weight and lighter on features than the 4K

Battery life ratted at 10hours

Record video but not sound

No WiFi or Bluetooth

Magnification 3x9 multi-step variable

Adjustable parallax

FOV ?

Minimum Focus Distance?

CMOS resolution?

Refresh Rate 30fps

Video record resolution 720P

Color by day B&W by night

Supplied IR

Weight 1.6lbs so lighter than most.

Picatinny mount Supplied rings



The Pard 008 6.5-13 is a much lighter, less complex and more compact scope.

Companion rangefinder available in the LRF model

Half the weight and size of the ATN 4K which are big pluses for the unit

Battery life is said to be 8 hours and is user replaceable.

Records your video sound is not so great.

WiFi connects to your phone but it can be a pain to find apps that werq to use with it.

Magnification Digital magnification either 6.5 or 13x

Adjustable parallax

FOV I have not been able to find that information but would speculate it would be near half of the ATN 3×14's 46' at 100 yards.

Minimum focus distance is 9.8ft the lowest in this group

CMOS resolution; I am unable to find this information

Refresh rate 30Hz

Video record resolution 1920x1080

Color day B/W night

Supplied IR

Decently built

Weight 1.3LB so a bit over half the weight of most of the others.

Kind of a funky Picatinny mounting system often requires shims

Very few apps

So if you can deal with a bunch less apps, 8 hr. battery and a bit of a funky mounting system but in a much more compact unit with a bit over half the weight of most of the rest of these scopes the Pard 008 is very good from what I have seen on YouTube.

I don't have one of these and am spoiled by the features of the heavy as a brick ATN. Else I would have a hard time deciding which to purchase.

https://www.amazon.com/Pard-lightest-Digital-Riflescope-Waterproof/dp/B07WPK1D3D

Link to another nightvision post with an in depth account of the Pard at the bottom

https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/pard-nv008p-vs-atn-4k-pro/#post-829961



The Sightmark Photon RT 4.5X42S is a bit less complex than the ATN but still a decent alternative

Newer units weigh in at slightly less than the ATN but it is still a heavyweight

Battery life is much lower like 3.5 hours with lithium batteries. User replaceable batts Optional plug in battery packs are available.

Records video and sound

WiFi connects to your phone easily

Magnification Two-step digital zoom 4.5-9

Adjustable parallax

FOV 22.5' @ 100 yards for the 4.5x9 or 24ft for the 3.5x14

Minimum focus 32.8ft for the 3.5-14

CMOS resolution 768x576

Refresh rate 50Hz

Video record resolution 640x480

B/W day and night

Supplied IR

Well built

Weight just under 2LB so near to a brick

Picatinny mount

Very few apps

I have one of these Photon units and it werqs quite well. There is an XT version with less resolution for less money.

https://www.amazon.com/Sightmark-SM18015-Digital-Riflescope-4-5x42S/dp/B078FHGXRT



Sightmark Wraith HD Night Vision Rifle Scope 2-16x 28mm a good alternative to the ATN and Pard units.

Battery life 3.5 to 4.5 hours 4XAA

Records Video no audio

No WiFi

Magnification only 2X lens zoom and 8X multi-step digital zoom

Adjustable Parallax

FOV 42ft @ 100 yards

Minimum focus distance 2x16 16.5ft 4x32 12ft

CMOS resolution 1920x1080

Refresh rate I see complaints of lagging video which usually points to slow refresh rates so I expect it would be near 30fps

Video record resolution 2x16 1920x1080, 4x32 1080x720

Color day B/W night

Supplied IR

Picatinny mount

Well built

Heavy 2LB+ heavier than a brick

The Wraith has very good HD resolution on both the sensor and screen. Specs would point to this unit having the best quality picture but I don’t have one so can’t say.

I did see a couple of videos on the Wraith though and it has great picture quality in daylight but even on a moonlit night it needs an IR illuminator. The Photon and most of the others will do fine without an illuminator in the same situation. So that is a minus for the Wraith.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/102288033?pid=882357



Almost fergot the Nightshot 3X It is stripped down unit with very basic features

Much smaller, lighter and far less expensive than the most of these set ups

Plastic chassis and Plastic Lenses

It has a 5hr battery life 3 with IR. User replaceable batteries

Does NOT record your shots

Does NOT have WiFi

Magnification; Fixed 3x magnification

Adjustable Parallax

Much lower FOV than the 3×14 ATN

Minimum focus distance 10ft

CMOS resolution?

Refresh rate 30Hz

Video record resolution not recording 640x480 screen resolution

Black and white day and night

Supplied IR

Weight 1.3LB

Picatinny mount

Build quality?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074CKJ1Z9/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_5KJQ6P3XF9HWDV5YF36B



The Sytong HT 60 is the newcomer on the block

Only a couple of things are really different in the specs department. Other than that it is pretty much a duplicate of the Pard. The Pard is just a little more expensive.

On the positive side;

The Sytong costs $70 less than the equivalent Pard

It comes in a matt finish as opposed to the gloss finish of the Pard.

It also sports a nice screw in lens cap that is absent on the Pard.

In addition it uses the more modern USB3 Type-C plug adapter while the Pard uses the slightly dated USB2 Micro adapter.

On the negative side;

The Sytong does NOT at this time include a model with a laser rangefinder like the Pard. Although when looking at the Menu items on the unit it looks like the rangefinder may soon be added.

It does NOT have the one shot zero option.

It does NOT have an audible beep function available for when you push the buttons.

Speaking of buttons the button layout is also different between the two. The Sytong has ONE LESS button than the Pard has.

Other than a few minor differences in the cases that's about it on the differences between the Pard and the Sytong units.



Add on scope cams

Eaglevision

https://eaglevisioncam.com/





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBfRLp39JiU&ab_channel=EDgunLeshiy





Orion cam Firefly





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Qx4t2xkGKs&ab_channel=OriOnTheIguanaHunter





Sideshot

https://www.side-shot.com/online-store





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf_HMpQyPJY&ab_channel=HajimotoProductions





Tactacam Info

https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/%f0%9f%94%b4-scope-side-cam-tactacam-specs-advice-current-prices-new-used/


 
lol wth ... id get an atn that records with a recommended torch and put it on something i can 'use' like a prod .. personally i wouldnt take a nice highend gun out in the chicken poop and cow crap lol ... and get ya some rubber boots .. but yeah most shots will likely be close .. real close like under 20 as your stalking around .. the ideas of layin out on a rooftop and sniping them from 100y in the dark with 'der vunder gun' , get that outta your head lol ..
 
You can go crazy and spend a lot. Or simply attach a good red light to one of your existing scopes. Start modestly, get to know the lay of the farm. Then have at it. I've killed hundreds of rats with just a red light attached to my scope. Also at some farms or dairys there is day time rat action. You just have to get to know your pesting locale. You might find that some of the rats are too close to shoot with that Prophet or Hueben. Unless you dial them way back pass throughs are a concern around livestock and equipment. I've killed them from five to fifty five yards, the sub twenty yard rats I take with a pp700sa pistol/mini-carbine.

image.1632864184.jpeg

 
Outside of bio's very impressive overall comment.

Lower cost NV.

You could stick an One Leaf NV100 commander on the back of one of the scopes you already have, the lower the base mag (on your scope) the better.

Turn the K1 power wheel way down, you won't have need for high power to kill rats at short 20y? Max.

Ooh, and bring a big bucket to put all the scaly tailed ##curseword## into.

Good luck
 
You can go crazy and spend a lot. Or simply attach a good red light to one of your existing scopes. Start modestly, get to know the lay of the farm. Then have at it. I've killed hundreds of rats with just a red light attached to my scope. Also at some farms or dairys there is day time rat action. You just have to get to know your pesting locale. You might find that some of the rats are too close to shoot with that Prophet or Hueben. Unless you dial them way back pass throughs are a concern around livestock and equipment. I've killed them from five to fifty five yards, the sub twenty yard rats I take with a pp700sa pistol/mini-carbine.

image.1632864184.jpeg

This is a good option to get started.
 
Just got back from the farm. Holly crap. He was showing me all the places the woodchucks and racoons are raising hell. Mostly around the 3 feed bins. There's kind of a central spot I can sit up in the air and the longest shot might be 40 yards at most. That will just be being patient. Then at the chicken coops theres another spot to sit and in one area they gather it's only 10 yards away. Directly across is 2 more coupes that are 25/30 yards away and this is where they're chewing through the wood to get in the coupe. The directions of the shots be with the coupe, so to speak so I won't be shooting "at" it. The one coupe at 10 yards is too close for the 2 mentioned guns. I have a 6 year old .22 Daystate Wolverine non regulated shooting 840 fps. Is that still too much? Looks like it will be one night and gun for rats and another for the chucks and coons.This is a dull lighting situation so no night scope will be needed. I also have an AEA HP SS .22 but haven't even got a scope for it yet. Maybe that's the close range gun. Only ran a couples mags through it so I don't know how it preforms yet. Anyway

Yes, biohazard man, thats a lot of reading. Thank you very much for taking the time to do that for me. I do appreciate it and will do the reading.

Lleon, I see you've played the game. And won, by the looks of it. I never thought to bring a bucket. Real good info also. Thank you.

harrymoreland, I never tried turning the K1 down really low. Would I have to do this with a chrony and testing? Not a problem to do just curious. I just got the K1 and RTI this year (business has been over the top) so till now it was just the non regulated, no fussing, just hit the chipmunk Daystate. And I see bucket are popular in the rat race.

Thanks everyone

John


 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LDBKV7R/ref=cm_sw_r_oth_api_glt_fabc_0Y3Y0DV775HADBSP2GTX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1


Like Luis said above, unless you want to video your pesting, a small red flashlight is all one needs. This one is tiny that I use to pest at night, has a 500 lumen pill and is compact & LIGHT and cheap. You might want to pick up a low powered PCP for close up shots as your other PCP’s have excellent power! Take practice shots at close distances (5-10yds) to understand your POI when shooting close shots. You’re gonna have so much fun! Good luck have fun be safe! 
 
Congratulations you're off to an excellent start! Deal yourself a good hand.

With video:
Same as above but setup a cheap doorbell camera on wifi, if the farm has it and it reached out that far. At 10 yards, a fun distance, you might be able to setup a hotspot on your phone and run a doorbell cam from that, never tried cuz I have a booster / repeater for the backyard.

Without video:

just like mentioned several times above... a good red light on your scope but test to make sure you can actually see the reticle. You can also selectively boost the light with a red or green LED in the areas with highest rat traffic. I shoot rats at 13 yard with a Taipan Vet Long .25 and the gun is zeroed for THAT distance. Noting wrong OVERKILL and a dead rat provided you're not destroying property. A piece of fire wood may be ll you need for a decent backstop on pass-through shots.

Deal yourself a good hand. Get setup on a bipod or tripod and have a place to sit comfortably and quietly. The guys above are a tad bit OCD, me too, about night ratting.

*A lot of illuminated retIcles are TOO BRIGHT.
 
Thanks for the link Ranchibi. Will pick one of those up. But why the hell didn't I think I was allowed to go out back and take practice shots????????? I was all ready off to the rodeo when you said that. Thank you for hitting the brakes for me. Much appreciated.

harrymoreland, thanks again. I'll be playing today with the guns. When you own the business you can play hooky once in a while. First things first:)

MikeHunt, thanks for the input. I do have small binoculars that would work well. I was shown where the rats are coming from and its a area I cant really get to or shoot toward but now that will make it easier to see them when they start to stir. And just an fyi, I'm wrapping up a job this week and will have 2 or more days to myself. Guess what I'll be making. :)


 
Show the property owner a bunch dead rats in a bucket and you're GOLDEN. Later when you have the hunt mastered make it even more entertaining by showing him a video of rat, or whatever critter, expiring.

At this moment I am sitting here in an almost totally blacked out house waiting for the doorbell cam to send an alert from the peanut butter bait station. Like Wille sez... "you're always on my mind".

Those poor rats battling Czech air rifles and Chinese doorbell cams.
 
You can turn the K1 way down. This is for my .177 K1 100bar on regulator shooting JBS 10.3 AND 16.2GR. From 1 click on the power wheel 400ps stopped at 16 clicks running 1105 than going supersonic. With the 16.2gr 3 clicks gave me 300fps and stopped at 19 clicks running 1130 fps. I've never run into a jamming issue yet, shot count is phenomenal. I have yet to experiment with the slugs yet. I wonder what 180bar with the power wheel wide open will produce?
 
Thanks for the link Ranchibi. Will pick one of those up. But why the hell didn't I think I was allowed to go out back and take practice shots????????? I was all ready off to the rodeo when you said that. Thank you for hitting the brakes for me. Much appreciated.

harrymoreland, thanks again. I'll be playing today with the guns. When you own the business you can play hooky once in a while. First things first:)

MikeHunt, thanks for the input. I do have small binoculars that would work well. I was shown where the rats are coming from and its a area I cant really get to or shoot toward but now that will make it easier to see them when they start to stir. And just an fyi, I'm wrapping up a job this week and will have 2 or more days to myself. Guess what I'll be making. :)


You’re welcome and have fun! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BJDQ6NG/ref=cm_sw_r_oth_api_glt_fabc_0KVZX8JZDP8PQ4MP61Q2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Here is a scope ring with picatinny adapter if you don’t have enough picatinny rail space on your rifle, this mounts on your scope….just an FYI.