Which Night Vision On My Budget?

I am finishing up my .30 impact 700mm its not a competition gun but its going to be my main pest and sometimes coyote gun that will be in a fixed position so I don't plan on walking around with it to much. I currently have it topped with a athlon argos btr gen 2 and would like the option for so night vision shooting with a budget of around $500. The first one that I like is the pard 007 since I can clamp it on without taking of my scope. Another I am looking at is the ATN lineup of scopes but I would need to take off my athlon when I want to use it for night vision a few questions are will I loose zero everytime I take it off and is the ATN a good enough optic to just replace my current optic with. Last I was looking at is the wraith and the above questions apply do I loose zero every time and I don't think this one is worthy of replacing my main optic. Any other options will be greatly appreciated and thank you for the advice.
 
Aloha brawler,

I have the atn 4k 5-20 with the qd mount. I swap it with my scope when I do a stalking hunt, the atn is kind of heavy to walk around with. I have not lost my zero with the atn and the qd mount. I do recommend getting a bigger/stronger ir light for further distances. I know that some guys said they had issues with atn but I have not had any problems with mine, I check every once in awhile for the latest firmware update. 

I did have an issue with my atn thermal having a grainy screen, but atn sent me a shipping label and I sent it back to them. 3 days later I received my thermal back and the screen is crazy clear now, I can pick out the different heat signatures of hair strands on the pigs I hunt. 

But I know if you get the atn 4k night vision you'll won't be disappointed. BTW, optics planet just had a sale on atn. I don't know if its still on sale but if your law enforcement or military (retired) they give a 20% or 30% discount. 

Aloha, Keone
 
Night vision will not replace a regular daytime scope at this time. You are just looking at a tiny TV screen not through nice optics like on a scope.

The Pard007, Wraith or ATN would all be good choices. The Pard008 would also be a good option but like the ATN it is over your budget. The only drawbacks being the ATN and the Wraith weight about two pounds each. I have the ATN and a Photon the weight is my only complaint on either of them. 

If you use a decent pair of QR mounts you will usually not loose your zero.

Think I saw an ATN 4K in the classifieds
 
Night vision will not replace a regular daytime scope at this time. You are just looking at a tiny TV screen not through nice optics like on a scope.

The Pard007, Wraith or ATN would all be good choices. The Pard008 would also be a good option but like the ATN it is over your budget. The only drawbacks being the ATN and the Wraith weight about two pounds each. I have the ATN and a Photon the weight is my only complaint on either of them. 

If you use a decent pair of QR mounts you will usually not loose your zero.

Think I saw an ATN 4K in the classifieds

I mainly will be using it in a fixed position so I am not 100% concerned about the weight I think the ATN is probably a really great choice but for me is it worth that cost to just get NV for a few night hunts at the moment in not going out all the time more of want to add the gear so I have it when I need it thats why the pard 007 and the wraith are appealing. Also would I need to get qd mounts for my athlon too?
 
I recently bought the Pard NV007 and for the same reasons you are inquiring about. I have it on an Athlon Helos and Impact as well. It is surprisingly clear and should work well for seeing and filming the coyotes at night around here. I went with the removable night vision because I did not want a scope mounted to the Impact that was dedicated to night vision or needed batteries to operate during the daytime. For the money spent, it has all the benefits I need and is a good product with less "issues" that some of the other models and types have.

Edit to add...

IMG_20210106_2124190732.1609986454.jpg


The one thing that you may not like about the 007 is that it adds to the length of pull. But if sitting in a blind or at a bench, because of the nature of "aiming with a camera screen" it becomes a non-issue really.
 
I also just received my PARD NV007 about a few weeks ago and really like it. I ordered mine from Opticsplanet but it took awhile to get it. The main reason I got the PARD is because I wanted to be able to use my daytime scopes and switch between different guns. The only issue with the PARD is the current mounting system that comes with it. Although they include black electrical tape with it to fit your scopes eyepiece, it doesn't center the unit to your scope. I also don't like the way it clamps onto the eyepiece having to tighten or loosen the two bolts to secure it. The best accessory to get to resolve this issue is the Eagle Vision Scope Holder Tube. It just screws onto your eyepiece in a snap. The only thing is that it will set you back another $100 but it does come with a nice case you can store your PARD in lol.

https://eaglevisioncam.com/shop/diy-night-vision-accessories/pard-007-scope-holder-tube-replacement-night-vision/

Screenshot_20210107-122741_Chrome.1609986505.jpg


20210107_120434.1609986030.jpg


20210107_120519.1609986114.jpg

 
  • Like
Reactions: Florida_Man
The thing i am concerned about with the 007 is I am not sure if I have enough space since the illumination dial is so close to the end of the scope what do you all think?
20210106_222534.1609990023.jpg

The clamp ring should be fine on there. That is about as far as mine goes up without the illumination knob. If you do want it to mount on further up, you could also cut/file a small radiused notch into the pard's mounting ring in that spot. Doing this would make the camera sit in a permanent position with regards to the reticle also, so re-mounting the ring will go back the same every time. (I leave the ring in place all the time, as it protects the lense anyhow.)
 
I was gonna suggest the pard 007 too but I honestly don't like clip ons. I don't like adding extra weight to my setup but since you said you don't mind I guess it's a non issue. I had an armssight co-mr and ended up selling it for that reason (however it clips to the front of a day scope). 

I just got a nv008 and plan to swap between day scopes and the pard when I need to but I always buy qd return to zero rings so I prefer just having a stand alone NV.

I don't like the fact that the pard nv007 is a clip on but at least it fits your budget. The cheapest nv008 I was able to find is for 580 but you may be able to find one slightly cheaper (I'm using the lrf plus). It's pretty decent for the price. I sold an atn 4k 5-20 on a different forum (I did have it listed here too but nobody wanted it) and while it did have a lot of cool features, I didn't like the size so I bought the pard. The pard nv008 I think would be a better choice tbh but you're gonna need some return to zero rings if you want to swap scopes and the pard. I mean for me rezeroing day scopes isnt that bug of a deal but I do use return to zero rings to save myself the hassle. 
 
I was gonna suggest the pard 007 too but I honestly don't like clip ons. I don't like adding extra weight to my setup but since you said you don't mind I guess it's a non issue. I had an armssight co-mr and ended up selling it for that reason (however it clips to the front of a day scope). 

I just got a nv008 and plan to swap between day scopes and the pard when I need to but I always buy qd return to zero rings so I prefer just having a stand alone NV.

I don't like the fact that the pard nv007 is a clip on but at least it fits your budget. The cheapest nv008 I was able to find is for 580 but you may be able to find one slightly cheaper (I'm using the lrf plus). It's pretty decent for the price. I sold an atn 4k 5-20 on a different forum (I did have it listed here too but nobody wanted it) and while it did have a lot of cool features, I didn't like the size so I bought the pard. The pard nv008 I think would be a better choice tbh but you're gonna need some return to zero rings if you want to swap scopes and the pard. I mean for me rezeroing day scopes isnt that bug of a deal but I do use return to zero rings to save myself the hassle.

Thank you for the info if I didn't have to rezero I wouldn't mind as much I live in a condo and to rezero I need to go to the club, so where did you find the 008 that cheap, what qd mounts do you recommend and last can I see the 008 on your rig? 
 
Opticsplanet. They just raised the price to 670 I think, when I bought my pard I saw it on for 650 and I usually call in for a discount for 11 percent which they usually honor. I see it now as 670 so if you call in they should be able to get it for you at 595 but I would ask for 585. Worst case scenario they say no, but whenever I call in they always give me 11 percent off. I dunno if it has to do with my history with them (they have something called vip pricing) but I usually don't give them my info when I ask for a discount, so try at 585, if they say no they usually counter offer or ask again at 595. 

Link: https://www.opticsplanet.com/pard-night-vision-6-5x-12x-riflescope-nv008.html

I threw the pard on my matador that I have up on classifieds right now, so I didn't set it up but I threw it on there for you just to see as it's the only air rifle I have right now (sold off a bunch of my air rifles recently). It's mounted where I could get good sight picture. It doesn't really have eye relief per se, it's really a screen so you want to get right up on the scope to see best. It's pretty bright though, too bright for my liking even at its lowest setting its the pard nv008 lrf plus (rangefinder version). My house has a tiny yard and my neighbors are both so close to me so I can't really rezwro at home either, which is why I always use some type of "return to zero" rings which have always worked well for me. The pard however is just some knobs that twist in to lock so I don't know how well it would hold zero after remountjng it on the same spot, but it has a one shot zero mode which should make it pretty fast. 
20210106_233938.1610005554.jpg

 
Oh yeah, and I bought my pard actually on ebay. Pard sells there and they have a make offer button. They listed their lrf version for 950 but I made an offer for 900. I think 890 or 895 is their threshold for their offers.

Here's the link to their ebay store page with the nv008 (no rangefinder):

https://www.ebay.com/p/16039490709



They have a make offer button on it too. Their make offer button has a limit and u get 5 tries I think. Start at 580 in five dollar increments until u get to 600, or just call opticsplanet and offer them 585. I'd prefer to buy it from opticsplanet, if you order from pard it cokes from China so it takes a while to get to your door. 

Oh and I use warne maxima rings. They're around a hundred bucks. I have some extra ones i'd sell you for a good price if you want, pm me for info.