Nachtvizier- Ich Will

[Adolf Hamster]

Kinda fitting this gets posted in the middle of the night.

Needless to say this is what happens when you're bored on a lockdown new years night watching random airsoft videos.

Basically i'm thinking maybe i should set myself a goal for 2021 of getting myself some proper night vision.

I've had for a while an atn gen1+ scope which whilst it technically works, leaves you scanning the night through a drinking straw while from the outside the red glow from the illuminator has been fittingly described as a cylon eye. Also makes you appreciate how much you rely on being able to see where your shots are going.

Its ok for sitting in an ambush position with a gun you can reasonably trust to hold zero (yes yes a laughable statement in airsoft terms) but worse than useless for any kind of terrain navigation as it kills your natural night vision meaning you gotta use a torch.

Only problem is i'm not sure where i should be looking or what i should be looking for. I've heard it oft-mentioned that gen2 is considered the minimum standard for passive use.

So with no particular goal in mind what should i be thinking about? Is it worth saving up a big chunk and splashing on gen 3? Would a pair of cheaper units be better than a higher end single? Given i'm a fan of russian stuff is there anything passable available from them? (Most of my knowledge on russian nv is the various rifle scopes rather than headmount)

 

[Crazy_Crystal]

TBH Gen 2+ if its Photonis or Gen3 is a good place to start for a nice experience but will vary depending on the tube (the difference is actually the metals/structure inside the tube that amplifies the light) there is quite a bit of Russian stuff out there too although the newer stuff is much much better than some of the antiques you sometimes see turn up for a few hundred on various sites. look for modern monoculars over PVS7 types as they're much easier to use and you may find things like PN21k or MUM14 may be interesting (Russian and polish units respectively)

There are also quite a lot of good second hand deals to be had to if you want to save yourself a decent chunk of money. In particular the FB Group Night vision market place outside America is really handy for seeing what's around and the prices are reasonable (Link HERE)

 

[Adolf Hamster]

Tbh i'm not sure on secondhand, isnt tube aging an issue? My aim is practicality so modern would be the preference, if i want to go old school i can just stick the atn on the dragonuv and accept being blinded by passing clouds.

Whilst i'm ok at what passes in aeg's for wiring i'm not sure i'd be up to snuff doing things like swapping tubes etc.

The pn21k does look the part, bit more in the ballpark of not being more expensive than my car.

I'm thinking a decent 6b47 repro is going to be preferable to the fabric head mounts, are the mounting arms/brackets universal?

 

[Crazy_Crystal]

The age of the tube is a factor, but you should be able to at least get a video through from the seller before hand which will give you an idea on what it looks like. The thing with tubes is that each one is effectively unique as they are very thin layers of phosphor so you will see blemishes and light/dark patches on most tubes and will also have them from new potentially. 

Generally though an older/worn out tube just means poor resolution or a dim image which should be fairly obvious. Swapping tubes on the other hand is a bit more involved, although arguably easier than teching an AEG, it just needs to be done carefully and then potentially purged with nitrogen which is the hard part I expect.

Helmet options is a different matter entirely and my knowledge of Russian helmets is non existent at best, I use Wilcox (repro) just because it's simple and really easy to use. The helmet you mentioned has a shroud on it so you'd just need to find the compatible mount and a suitable J-arm and you should be good to go. I'm just not sure what the Russian standard mount is like unfortunately. Oh and definitely a helmet over a night cap or skull crusher any day... It's just much more stable.

 

[Adolf Hamster]

hmm, i do have access to a vacuum chamber in work although nitrogen might be trickier.

helmet is defo a double whammy decision as whilst i tend not to wear one, not smashing your head into tree branches at night is a definite plus.

 

[Crazy_Crystal]

Tbh I'd just buy am off the shelf unit and only change the tubes if absolutely necessary. I don't think that building your own is actually that cost effective unfortunately, especially as tubes often have a big markup on them anyway.

Yeah I just live with the helmet and use it for CQB and night ops as it also has my earpro attached to it. Although mine is a repro opscore maritime helmet that weighs an awful lot less than an actual ballistic helmet.

 

[Adolf Hamster]

Yeah i'm thinking off the shelf is gonna be the safest option.

Gonna have to do some research on mounts and decide if i wanna go for one or two tubes.

Plan is its gonna be used with a 1p67 which supposedly is quite usable with nv.

 

[GeorgePlaysAirsoft]

I would strongly advise against a 6b47 - nv is one thing, using it effectively and comfortably is another. To be frank the 6b47 suspension looks shit and at least the ones ive looked at seem poor quality all over!- and they are £90 before shipping from russia. The crye night chap + counterweight + shroud will probably still be cheaper, and even cheaper still is the FMA 'TW' exfil which has a really good 'camfit' suspension, comfy pads, built in shroud and is about £40.  Edit: not to piss on your chips, I totally get the aesthetic consideration but personally NV is expensive enough that comfort and stability have to come first over anything else. I'd have a dedicated nv helmet/cap then for russian cool points an altyn or something.

With regards to dual tubes - they are better then equivalent monocular, sure. The stereoscopic vision allows better depth perception, and it also makes it significantly easier to use a red dot sight as you essentially have "both eyes open", likewise stuff like light transmission through a given optic isn't a big a factor as it would be if you were using a monocular. Put simply moving and shooting is easier with dual tubes.  However, it is also 2x as expensive, and its really up to you whether its worth the additional cost.  As whether a dual tube set up with lesser-specced tubes is better then a better performing monocular... well that really depends on personal circumstances!!!  

 

[Adolf Hamster]

I would strongly advise against a 6b47 - nv is one thing, using it effectively and comfortably is another. To be frank the 6b47 suspension looks shit and at least the ones ive looked at seem poor quality all over!- and they are £90 before shipping from russia.

Click to shrink...

hmm, maybe a point there. a mate of mine has one i'll maybe steal it when we get let back out see if i like the system.

funny i'm not keen on the altyn's for the same reason you're saying- they seem kinda uncomfortable for airsoft.

i normally just go baseball cap, or ushanka when it's cold enough, not really a big helmet wearer.

With regards to dual tubes - they are better then equivalent monocular, sure. The stereoscopic vision allows better depth perception, and it also makes it significantly easier to use a red dot sight as you essentially have "both eyes open", likewise stuff like light transmission through a given optic isn't a big a factor as it would be if you were using a monocular. Put simply moving and shooting is easier with dual tubes.  However, it is also 2x as expensive, and its really up to you whether its worth the additional cost.  As whether a dual tube set up with lesser-specced tubes is better then a better performing monocular... well that really depends on personal circumstances!!!  

Click to shrink...

yeah, i'm kind of open-planning this so whilst money is a consideration it's a case of if dual tubes are a big improvement then i'll put the time in to save up, or maybe get single and see how i like it.

nv seems to be pretty rare at the sites i play at, so it's mostly a case of any usable passive system is gonna be a big step up in night-time sneakyness.