Night vision scope, which to choose?

Lastly what's your budget I will do a breakdown for you but keep in mind thr pard units have a built in IR and a added one is not needed for your distances. The downside of the pard is the fov at close range but 50y might be good.
-Atn 4k pro 3-14 refurbished $550
-Wraith 4k max $625
-Wraith 4k mini $799
-Pard nv007s $530
-Pard nv007v $339
*note the 007 is a clip on
-Pard nv008s $999 with ballistic calculator and lrf
-Pard nv008s basic $699
-Pard nv008p original $440
-Pard ds35 50mm/70mm $899
-Accufire tr1 $999

I have videos of some not all on the list and this isn't all the night scopes available just the ones I can think off under $1000
 
I have an ATN 4k Pro. Works well enough at night. The daytime quality is less than ideal but it does work, just nowhere near as well as a normal scope. I run a dedicated night gun because of that.

You will want to upgrade the IR illuminator immediately though. Something with rechargeable batteries is a must and they're pretty cheap. Think I paid $30 for one on Amazon.


You will be surprised by ATN’s daytime image quality of you install a lens cap with a peep hole of around 6mm.
 
If all you really want to do is terminate pests from a known fixed location and don't care about video recording through the scope then a lower cost simple solution is to use a fixed red light at the targets location with and a scope with illuminated reticle. I built a wifi controlled red led projector light with a 6 degree beam spread to do it. It is effective over 50 yards. As long as the light doesn't move or change brightness the critters don't seem to care at all. When I looked at the light from the target area is seem non-threating because it was so far away, less menacing than outdoor home light at a similar distance.

This guy did a similar thing. More ways than one to skin a pest, without losing the contents of your wallet buying IR or thermal scopes. This presumes you already own a decent scope with a larger objective lens with illuminated reticle.

I can vouch for this as a cost effective approach. I fitted a landscape spotlight with a red lens and with an illuminated reticle you have nighttime capability. A cheap security camera that sees in the dark can help too.
I’ve also used a laser sight that illuminates their eyes. The red light makes raccoon packs pause with curiosity but not spook. If you’re sure of your target, place the laser dot between the two glowing eyes and problem solved.
 
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I bought the DS35 PARD as my first night scope. I had watched videos on the smaller 007 ad 008 versions and by and large the positve feedback. Personally I prefer the traditional round scope tube and round viewfinder. Since the DS35 is quite a bit longer, consideration should be given to the gun on which you are mounting it as well as elevation adjustable rings.


Akela PARD.jpg
 
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I bought a Wraith 4K max referb (looked new to me) off ebay for $499 shipped. It's a pretty nice scope, but it's heavy and it really needs a bigger IR light to shine. Coyote Canyon (IR light) adds about $200. If you're going to use the scope to spot, then you really need a tripod or something to support the gun.

A good thermal setup would be best, but that's a lot of money just to protect some chickens!
 
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Lastly what's your budget I will do a breakdown for you but keep in mind thr pard units have a built in IR and a added one is not needed for your distances. The downside of the pard is the fov at close range but 50y might be good.
-Atn 4k pro 3-14 refurbished $550
-Wraith 4k max $625
-Wraith 4k mini $799
-Pard nv007s $530
-Pard nv007v $339
*note the 007 is a clip on
-Pard nv008s $999 with ballistic calculator and lrf
-Pard nv008s basic $699
-Pard nv008p original $440
-Pard ds35 50mm/70mm $899
-Accufire tr1 $999

I have videos of some not all on the list and this isn't all the night scopes available just the ones I can think off under $1000
Very nice of you to do this for all of us. Thank you.
 
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Well now there is one more in the mix,

ZULUS HD 5-20X Day/Night Digital

Info is sketchy but it's using Sony guts, and is 5x - 20x digital zoom, Eye relief a bit over 1", recording, WiFi and an App. Sold by Arken. $649.99
Not only is it in the mix has the chance of dominating. I have the pre arken version but it is one of the best digital scopes I have tested and I have tried a lot of them.
 
Not only is it in the mix has the chance of dominating. I have the pre arken version but it is one of the best digital scopes I have tested and I have tried a lot of them.
So the next question is are there various reticles and colors for them? I happen to be an Arken fanboy and I like their reticles. BUT I also like options when going digital.
 
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So the next question is are there various reticles and colors for them? I happen to be an Arken fanboy and I like their reticles. BUT I also like options when going digital.
Yes green, red, yellow, black, and white. 3 reticle options so far and hope they will come out with a firmware as they are in the smaller side. I will try and get some screen grabs so you can see them. I will also be working on getting a write up on it.
 
Yes green, red, yellow, black, and white. 3 reticle options so far and hope they will come out with a firmware as they are in the smaller side. I will try and get some screen grabs so you can see them. I will also be working on getting a write up on it.
@brawler1588 That’s the beauty of firmware updates with digital scopes. Improvements and corrections can be handled via downloading and installing updates. I look forward to reports on this unit.
 
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@brawler1588 That’s the beauty of firmware updates with digital scopes. Improvements and corrections can be handled via downloading and installing updates. I look forward to reports on this unit.
100% as long as they take user feedback this scope is going to be a killer scope. I was able to see impacts and a 1" spinner at 100y
 
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I went with the Pard 007 Black Friday special for $203 because it was the cheapest and I realize that I currently know very little about digital night vision scopes. For $203 I'm going to treat it as a learning experience. Maybe it'll turn out to be all I need, but what I actually suspect is that after using it for a few months I'll come to understand its strengths and weaknesses and will be able to more knowledgeably choose its replacement. I'm also guessing that someone will want to buy it from me, so I won't be out all $203.
 
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