Thanks Blast. I read about the illuminator and thought I'd give the stock unit a try first. I intend to use the night scope and the AR for a hog gun in heavy brush area--My side lot.
So at present, I'm not looking for long range illumination. And I was all set to spring for the 5x20 version of the scope.
After viewing more videos, I'm not so sure now but thinking of options. It looks like the low end 5x isn't much good for ranges less than about 25yds. I can see being closer to hogs than that.
But I sure like the 20x end so I'm in a quandary. Go 3x14 for shorter range or go 5x20 for longer range. Perhaps a compact laser for the short-shots on the 5x. I just don't want to be carrying around 20lbs of rifle.
And I can see a FLIR handheld in my future too.