NiteSite experience

[Eamonn]

Not sure if this is the place.

I'm thinking of getting a NiteSite Viper as such sights have recently been made legal for boar here.
However, all the reviews I have read/seen say that for optimum performance you want to mount it on a scope with adjustable parallax.
I use a 1-4x24 leupold and a 7x56 Meopta for the rifle in question, neither having adjustable parallax.
All the reviews use sights that are beneficial to the sights performance so I can't get a proper picture of how it would work for me.

Any input would be appreciated as I don't want to waste my money.
My sights are not illuminated and as illuminated reticles won't work well with my eye either with or without glasses I would like better non-illuminated performance at night.
My shots would mostly be at 20 to 60 yards.

[redriverhunter]

I wonder what I would be like to shoot behind it? I just watch a u tube video and it was used with an air rifle. I would think it would be hard to get behind and use like a normal scope with a rifle with recoil. I don't know it though because I have not used one. What I use for night hog hunting is a green light which mounts on top of the scope. the best of luck.

[gumbo333]

If your scope is a 1 to 4, likely your rifle is a 45/70 or other big bore. At the distances these typs of rifles shoot (your 50 - 60 yards) I can't imagine parallax can be an issue. It sure didn't seem to be when I was using a shot gun scope on a 45/70, with parallax set at 75 yards and I was shooting at 30 out to 150 yards. I'd like to know also. Hope someone who has done it chimes in.

[Eamonn]

The parallax is no issue at all in normal use. The NiteSite is an IR-camera mounted to the back of a riflescope connected to an IR-light/lcd-screen-unit on top of the scope.
It is with this combination that parallax is said to maybe be an issue but how much?

Recoil is an issue as you can not mount the rifle properly but my rifle is a 308 that I'm going to get threaded for a sound suppressor so recoil is mild.

Also while obviously not a big issue at night in the forest, weapon mounted lights are illegal to use when hunting. In searching for wounded game nothing is illegal and I have a flashlight that can be mounted on the barrel.

[Geezer in NH]

The $600 dollar night vision I bought is not the best. It works when the moon is up or there is other light. I would not get NV again unless I got Gen 3 or thermal. That cost a few thousand. Get what you can afford and be happy.

[Tripplebeards]

I have a photon RT, The newer model. I have yet to take it out hunting because after I played with in my backyard trying to hold my gun for long periods of time and look through it my arms get awful tired really quick. I would suggest Either you need to have a mono pod or a bipod to rest rest the gun on at all times or you’re going to get real sick scanning with it imo. I’d rather have a pair of strap on face monoculars I could just keep on to look through at all times and with a red dot or magnified compatible scope that works with it. I also would rather use my hog light that attaches to my firearm because when turned on it gives a field of view about 20/30 yards wide so i can at least see what’s coming and going instead of trying to scan my scope around making noise looking for stuff in the dark.

The photon does work good though. I also bought a 201R Ultimate night vision illuminator so I can see nice and bright out to past 400 yards with it... If I ever use it. Both photons to me were and are blurry but that could be from my Lasic surgery.

[popper]

This is near IR which works on illuminating light. Very much like a phone camera with the IR filter REMOVED! It does NOT see HOT objects.

[Eamonn]

I have a photon RT, The newer model. I have yet to take it out hunting because after I played with in my backyard trying to hold my gun for long periods of time and look through it my arms get awful tired really quick. I would suggest Either you need to have a mono pod or a bipod to rest rest the gun on at all times or you’re going to get real sick scanning with it imo. I’d rather have a pair of strap on face monoculars I could just keep on to look through at all times and with a red dot or magnified compatible scope that works with it. I also would rather use my hog light that attaches to my firearm because when turned on it gives a field of view about 20/30 yards wide so i can at least see what’s coming and going instead of trying to scan my scope around making noise looking for stuff in the dark.

The photon does work good though. I also bought a 201R Ultimate night vision illuminator so I can see nice and bright out to past 400 yards with it... If I ever use it. Both photons to me were and are blurry but that could be from my Lasic surgery.

The blinds are in outhouse-like cabins with a window or shooting slot to rest the rifle on the sill so no worries about fatigue.
Primarily I want to identify the animals and make sure there's not one lurking behind.

How have the Lasic affected your night vision? I'm having that done in a month and part of my interest in this is that I worry about it affecting my night vision.

[popper]

Foam pipe insulation works great on the window edges. I got cataract replacement lens not Lasik and nite vision is great. That said, Lasik or lens replacement - close up needs glasses. As it really looks through the scope, parallax is the same i.e. IR won't make a difference, only the range. Focus in IR is different than visible but not a lot.

[Tripplebeards]

The blinds are in outhouse-like cabins with a window or shooting slot to rest the rifle on the sill so no worries about fatigue.
Primarily I want to identify the animals and make sure there's not one lurking behind.

How have the Lasic affected your night vision? I'm having that done in a month and part of my interest in this is that I worry about it affecting my night vision.

My dominant eye is fixed for long distance so it’s fuzzy at close range. Using open sights sucks. I also need an optic light Nikon that has an Adjustable ocular to get a crisp sight picture. It’s better than being legally blind like I was before I had it done. With my glasses off at 10 feet I couldn’t tell if you were a man or a woman. I was -2.75 in my dominant eye and 1.50 in my other. My Lasic was done probably 2 1/2 years ago. They did one eye first to see how it worked and I couldn’t deal with it. Nonstop headaches because both my eyes were competing with each other. My vision is not perfect but it’s way better than what it was. I believe I’m 1520 in my dominant eye in 2020 in my other the last I was tested but basically need cheaters now for reading... I didn’t need cheaters before surgery but I couldn’t see 4 feet in front of my face either. I have a hunting shack set up that I eventually will go sit in and use the foam floaty‘s like popper dose over the window sills. I bought a few of them from the dollar store the summer before last but never cut them up to put them on the windows yet.

[koger]

Triple Beards, could you be specific about the Photon model you are using, and what is the range you can see good on a clear night, I mean the maximum range.

[Tripplebeards]

Triple Beards, could you be specific about the Photon model you are using, and what is the range you can see good on a clear night, I mean the maximum range.

To be honest with you I haven’t really used it for hunting yet I just screwed around looking through it in the backyard. With the 201 ir ultimate night vision light I can see a lot further. If you go on YouTube you can see people using them out And seeing bright and clear 400 yards remember right. I have the cheapest model I believe it’s the photon RT42? You can see a lot of those sites still look fuzzy on YouTube. I believe it’s just the quality of the day night vision. It still is going to work just fine for a cheap night site just don’t expect to see sharp clear pictures.
It’s the newer model that actually has variable magnification and recording on it now. The old model I had that was replaced I paid for $499 for it. The new model I think is about 75 bucks more. Now that small game hunting is over I’m going to get it out and put it on my 22 WMR and play with it give you an update. It’s one of those toys I always fantasized about having and once I got it I never used it. I have to say it’s pretty cool though. On a pitch black night when i can’t see my hand in front of my face I can look Through it and see rabbits in my backyard. Normally if the scope is fuzzy and I need to adjust it I can tell it’s a rabbit because their eye is bright green and glowing. The focus knob is really,really, really finicky on it. I never can get it adjusted perfectly clear and there’s no happy medium when doing so. I’ll do a test with it and mess around with it while I’m wearing my reading glasses and see if it comes in clearer.


This is the one I have now that photon replace the xt with...

https://youtu.be/BogBslYtF3k

https://youtu.be/rEoGxKW047s