No Need to Be Afraid of the Dark with the Right Night Vision Scope
Hunting in low or no-light is possible – and it’s easier to catch more – with the right night vision scope. This buyer’s guide will share everything you need.
Are you tired of missing your shots in the dark?
You need the right night vision scope. With proper night vision equipment, you have No Need to Be Afraid of the Dark with the Right Night Vision Scope. You can see a person standing over 200 yards away on a moonless, cloudy night.
Having been around since World War II, night vision technology has really improved and has become much for affordable and accessible for citizens. In the past, night vision devices were only available to military personnel.
Night vision technology allows you to see in those low light conditions when you’re out hunting in the dark. With these devices, you can also magnify things and make them appear closer.
This, of course, is great for hunting.
But with all the devices out there, it can be overwhelming and difficult to know what is best for hunters. Read on to learn everything you need to know about the night vision devices on the market today.
How Night Vision Works
Night vision gives you a clearer picture in low light situations as it works to amplify the existing light. If there is no light in a dark room, night vision cannot work. It needs any kind of light (such as moonlight) to be effective.
In technical terms, the objective lens of a night vision devices takes ambient light through an image intensifier tube. The image intensifier tube applies power to the image tube components and converts the light to electrons. These electrons create thousands of new electrons as they pass through microchannels.
When the electrons exit the microchannels, they collide with a screen coated with phosphors and make the image green. The electrons and phosphors then combine to create photons. At the end, the same image originally seen is created in a way that makes the image appear green as the light is amplified.
Why Choose a Night Vision Scope
Night vision scopes have always been prioritized by developers over other night vision devices because of their applications. Because of that, night vision scopes have advanced better and faster over the decades.
Night vision scope applications are pretty realistic for hunting and shooting range. With a scope, you don’t have to try and spot the game with your binoculars and put them down before getting back to your rifle and shooting. Night vision scopes allow for less errors in hitting your target.
With its relevance to the military, night vision scopes will continue to get better and be the best among night vision devices.
Night Vision Generations
Night vision devices are split into four generations, and it is important when buying to understand the technical aspects of these generations.
1st Generation
The first generation of night vision started in the 1960s. This type is still used today and is inexpensive in comparison to the other three. Since these were made with lower technology, the need the light of a full moon to do any good.
2nd Generation
The second generation night vision scopes go back to the 1970s. Less light is required for a bright image, and there is also an amplification plate that makes the image clearer and bright. These are a bit more expensive that the first generation devices, but you’re paying for better technology and imaging.
3rd Generation
The third generation night scopes have much more advanced technology than the first two. Made with gallium arsenide in the light amplification tube, these devices ensure a brighter, sharper and clearer image. Of course, they’re also much more expensive in comparison to the first two generations.
4th Generation
This generation is still hard for civilians to find. By removing the protective coating on the microchannel plate, the fourth generation optics improved clarity and performance by 20 percent. Yet, these are not capable of lasting as long as the others.
Performance Features to Consider
As a hunter, it’s important to understand that night vision scopes are different than night vision binoculars. Scopes allow you to aim to hit a target rather than merely observe it. Many different factors come into play with determining the quality of scopes.
Clarity
You need to have a good resolution to see and operate in the dark. Good clarity ensures that you can identify your target before shooting.
When checking resolution in night vision scopes, the higher the lines per millimeter (LP/MM) the greater the clarity. 64-72 lp/mm is an excellent resolution feature to shoot for.
Range
You need to know your recognition range when buying a night vision scope. Don’t place as much importance on the total range, because the recognition range is more important.
You’ll often see recognition ranges for full moons, quarter moons, starlight only and overcast ranges because manufacturers often measure range by the amount of ambient natural light. Longer optics tend to be better at producing more light.
Ergonomics
Night vision scopes are similar to regular scopes in that they’ll still weigh the same. A night vision scope with a higher magnification is going to be bigger and heavier. It may be harder to aim and more uncomfortable with a heavy optic.
Keep that in mind if you are into brush hunting or off-hand shooting. For those, you might want to go with a lighter optic.
Durability
Night vision scopes are pricey, so you want to make sure yours is going to stay strong for you for a long time to come. Consider investing in a waterproof optic so the electronics have a lesser chance of being shut down by water. Also, check the amount of recoil the scope is rated for.
Infrared illuminators
Some optics will have an infrared illuminator or at least have the ability to attach one. This is another important factor to consider. With an infrared illuminator, you can shine an infrared light and make the night vision slightly brighter.
When you’re out hunting and it is pitch black outside, an illuminator can certainly come in handy.
There is a lot to consider when buying the right night vision scope, but knowing what to look for will be helpful in the process.
There is another night vision device that is also help hunter to own the night but work pretty difference from night vision scope, it’s thermal scope. If you want to find more, you can check out IOutdoorPursuit for everything you need to know about thermal scopes. Once you find the right product, you’ll be unstoppable in the dark.