I see that both companies make 1st gen rifle scopes for less than 1K, but I don't know enough about them... Anyone have a suggestion?

See if you can find the Sept/Oct edition of Boar Hunter magazine. Rod Pinkston has an excellent article on night vision. He explains what to look for in a scope and gives some good technical info.
His web site is www.jagerpro.com
You can email him with questions also.

Hmmm.

Lots of NV reading here.

Yukon mentioned here.

Talk to Jed at Tactical Hog Control -- of course he may suggest Gen 2/3...

Do not WASTE your $ on gen 1

Perry

first gen aint worth bothering with ... you can find them used for 50% of the asking price.. because it sucks ...

iirc, gen 1 is light gathering NOT IR ... so you can't use an IT light source to pump of the volume.

Check again Jeffe. I have a Yukon Gen I. When I go to full ir mode and the ir illuminator is activated the image improves greatly. If you will sign up for the Posse hog hunt in January I'll be glad to show it off. C'mon....J and I are going to be bored if you don't go.

Sorry to get off topic.

Andy

I understand that, relatively speaking, the Gen 1 stuff would be poor compared to Gen 2 +, but I'm not betting my life or career on a NV scope. I just want to shoot hogs inside of 50-yards.

I need a $500 solution to a $3,000 problem.

So, will Gen 1 work well enough inside of 50?

What's your experience been, Andy, with your Yukon?

A different approach I have seen mentioned is to use a laser designator to illuminate just the target for your regular optics.

Like this one.

Have not tried it myself, so caveat emptor.

Did you put a picatinny rail on that double yet? I guess you could mount the light on the scope itself. I am sure someone makes an off-set mount.

quote:

Originally posted by Charles_Helm:
A different approach I have seen mentioned is to use a laser designator to illuminate just the target for your regular optics.

Like this one.

Have not tried it myself, so caveat emptor.

Did you put a picatinny rail on that double yet? I guess you could mount the light on the scope itself. I am sure someone makes an off-set mount.

Thanks, Charles. I have been reading about that laser too. Looks effective and seems to be getting good reviews too.

I'm designing a "quad rail" for the double now.

Are you going to take one of those shiny Heym doubles, like that 7x65R and parkerize it, too?

It'll be really tacti-cool when you're done; maybe mount a bayonet, as well.

SxS would need two bayonets wouldn't it?

I've got a cheap laser that mounts on my 1" scope-think I got it from Sportsman's Guide or one of the other catalog outfits. I have it on a .22 and it is heck on cats, possums, skunks, and whatever other critter happens to wander through my yard. I think it would be OK out to 50 yds--and you don't need to be able to see it through the scope--just put the dot on the spot. I have shot lots of varmints "from the hip" with it.

quote:

I'm designing a "quad rail" for the double now.

Too bad you can't do an octo-rail, given it is a double.

I recommend the low-pro rail covers. So much nicer on a classic double.