Ok, I'm looking at buying one of these three scopes for hunting coyotes at 100 to 200yds. Hoping to get some opinions from anyone with first hand experience with any of these that might help me decide. I'm kinda leaning toward the Armasight, which is the highest, at just over $500 and least towards the ATN, which is cheapest at just under $400. I have not seen any of these first hand, so my opinion thus far is based on the reviews I've read. Also open to any other suggestions for scopes in this price range that might make my mind up, but these are the three I'm looking at right now:

Armasight ORION 5X Night Vision Rifle Scope
Sightmark Photon XT 6.5x50S Digital Night Vision Riflescope
ATN HD 5-18x Night Vision Weapon Sight

Well, in the absence of any responses here thus far and my lack of knowledge and experience with NV, I have been trying to do a little research. I found this video from Optics Planet that I thought was very informative, maybe someone else can benefit also.

Chase has excellent briefing skills and presented some good background to those who appreciate these types of "data dumps".

I have no experience with the less costly civilian market NVDs / Thermals. But I do recall a while back I ended up on a Texas hunting / firearm forum and there was a lengthy discussion (which actually held my interest [hard to do]) regarding NVDs. Might do a little googling for that. And check the "sniper" forums.

He's correct on the Gens. Going from a Gen 1 to a Gen 2 was the equivalent of going from a Yugo to a Porsche. I give Gen 3s a bit more credit than he does .

But anyway, good luck with your search.

I will say for basic coyote type targets I'd look at battery life, a gain / brightness control, weight, all-weather capability, customer service. Resolution won't be a big deal. If the device can return an image at your preferred maximum distance that somewhat resembles a coyote, good enough.

Perhaps a major concern with this level of NVDs would be a "white-out" condition from something like muzzle flash. No idea; just tossing that out there for additional consideration.

Lastly, are you looking at "ambient light only" devices, thermal, all the above? Thermal imagers make me wag my tail.

Thanks for the response!
Thermal is on my radar for future consideration, but there was one big drawback Chase mentioned. The inability to see thru glass like the window of my truck or a ground blind may be a big disadvantage this time of year.
So I think for now I'm going to stick with a Gen 1 NV that can use ambient light but will also get extra range if using an IR illuminator.
Gen 1 may be stretching the limits of what I want to do , but I think I'll start there until I'm more proficient hunting at night. I've got some good optics for daytime, so I'm not concerned with a scope that will do both. I'm also not really concerned about video or pictures, so I think a digital NV might be more gadgets and extra batteries to keep up with than I need. I've still got pretty good eyes for now, so I just want to keep it simple, but effective.

The longest I have waited for a shipment from Optics Planet is 12 days. That was the Black Friday time-frame of 2016. Have ordered a ton of stuff from them. Now I will say they're a bit slow but have never had your experience. Plus you can save 10.00 or more bargaining (just asking for best deal) with them using their chat tool or telephone.

I have a Yukon NVRS 2.5 X 50 gen 1. I have added a doubler , and secondary IR light and have found it to be nearly useless @ 100 yards. Meaning that I could tell that my wife was there, but could not have tell who it was. We had tried it in warm, cold conditions, the battery did not last that long in cooler conditions ( 32 degrees ). Tried it on foggy, misty, crystal clear nights and best on 60 degree, clear starlight night but again not that good. I have had it for 5 years and never mounted it on a rifle, since a 1000 lumen white light, with a Leupold was superior. I have recently gotten a ATN X-sight II HD 5 X 20, which seems superior, in clarity, focus @ 200 yards day or night. The ATN with the additional IR spotlight, and battery pack are slightly more expensive than the yukon first gen, but is 10 X the quality, not counting all the options. Such as Video, GPS, WI-FI, rangefinder, etc. Prior to the first gen I I had been using Gen 3+ law enforcement NV which truly is a jump ahead. I would suggest that you look at the ATN X- Sight II HD and try it before you buy a gen I. I found that with doubler, extra IR spotlight, the gen I was a waste of my money, I do not know that I could discern a small wolf from a large Coyote at 50-75 yards. I need more time with the ATN to give it a better evaluation, but price wise it is much better than the gen I. Be Safe,

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I BACK OUR BLUE

I have some experience with 5 figure thermal sights. Target definition is generally variable, from blob to getting some features. One thing is that focus frequently needs adjustment depending upon range you're shooting. If you're set up for ~50 yards and suddenly get a target at ~100+, you may need to refocus, which takes time.

It does take awhile to adapt and be able to optimize your capabilities.

Good NVG is another story. Like all optics, buy quality, cry once.

I actually found all of these scopes on E-bay at a little cheaper than Optics planet, but not much. I can get the Armasight Orion 5x for $480 on ebay and it's on discount at $499 right now on OP. Academy has the Sightmark Photon 4.6x 42 for the same price I can get the 6.5x50 on ebay.

PSA to all: Please stay on topic.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

I find 'em interesting but don't have any 1st hand knowledge so far. Night vision/thermal wise my distributors carry ATN, FLIR, Leupold, SIG, Stealth Cam and Torrey Pines.

If that's something you are interested in I'd be happy to help you out.

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Jorge

Well, the Armasight is by Flir, and the HD 5x18 is by ATN, but I haven't looked into the others. My budget at the moment definitely limits me to Gen 1 or digital.

See, you already know more than me

Right now I can find:

FLIR/ARMASIGHT SIRIUS, 1X Magnification, HEAD, HELMET OR WEAPON MOUNTABLE, MAP $1,295

ATN X-SIGHT II HD 5-20X DAY/NIGHT SMART RIFLE SCOPE, MAP $699

Others are available too but they are more expensive.

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Jorge

I don't think you're going to get a great NV device in your price range. You'll have to do a lot of actual looking through scopes to find one you like and will find usable. My stuff is all Gen 3. At first I bought a Gen 2 but as it turned out the tube was about 12 years old and had been sitting on a shelf aging. It started to degrade pretty quickly. Luckily I bought new from a reputable place and I traded it back in on a Gen 3 scope.

I'm told by guys that build these things from used parts that the Gen 1 tubes are actually pretty good in the center of the image. The outer edge gets fuzzy.

Good luck.

Thanks for the replies!
I'm kind of looking at this the same way I am approaching flight school. I know one day, Lord willing, I'm probably going to own a Bonanza or Piper, maybe a Cessna 210, but I'm going to start with a 172.
I probably will end up with a Gen3+ after I get in some hours and some success in the dark. But, I'm going to start with a Gen1 and pay my dues before I lay down $3k+ for something that might end up sitting in the closet collecting dust!

I'd split the difference and go Gen 2, way better sight picture with that,
and the cost really isn't that much more for 20 times the performance over Gen 1.

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Marlin & Calico Specialist