Pulsar N550 NV Scope

[sauer]

read a bit bout these.

 

heard they can be used as day and night scope ( lot more versatile on say a .22lr without huge gen3 money etc)

 

 

 

curious as to how they are and what peeps have to say after using one?

 

 

sauer /paul

[CliveWard]

read a bit bout these.

 

heard they can be used as day and night scope ( lot more versatile on say a .22lr without huge gen3 money etc)

 

 

 

curious as to how they are and what peeps have to say after using one?

 

 

sauer /paul

 

Hi Paul,

 

The image is pretty good on these. Perfectly acceptable for .22LR ranges. The big drawback is that there is a delay between what comes into the scope and what you see in the viewfinder. So you are shooting where the target was a fraction of a second ago. Fine if you have a perfect rest but not so dandy if you are shooting off sticks or unsupported.

 

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

Clive

[Gandy]

Do they do a spotter version as well, if so think I've looked through it and it seemed ok. But I don't have a lot to compare against.

[Barrelsniffer]

I personally if i was gonna spend 1000..id add a bit more and get a decent NV rig..stear clear of this digi stuff..

 

Mick

[243ack]

I had a hypergen maxikite; then bought a N550 and laser - result: sold the kite. Draw your own conclusions!!.

I have never been aware of this 'image lag' talked about.

[Scotch_egg]

I was at Trent firearmslast week the chap was on about these n550 and how you can modify them with a camera lens to achieve around 7.5x magnification. He also mentioned a customer had sold a starlight because the n550 was easier to use.

[sauer]

I personally if i was gonna spend 1000..id add a bit more and get a decent NV rig..stear clear of this digi stuff..

 

Mick

 

 

hi mick hows you out in hellhole territory?

 

 

i was thinking of the versatility of the n550 being useable as a day and a night scope combo.

i have no experience with NV digi or otherwise but i guess you can do same with a gen whatever add-on monocular? and thats what you were meaning?

im also assuming that this then moves eyepiece signafically backwards making the rifle a bitch to hold whilst using???

 

ive never heard till now either of a digi "timelag" , i did read the bruce potts article in shooting times and canna mind that mentioned.

mmm conflicting reviews there nowt like actually trying for yerself i guess, what suits one , not another

 

i just really interested in folks on heres "reviews" after using it.

 

i can see this being a possible future buy for the .22lr but before i spent that money id like to try one for myself i think.

 

 

sauer

[CliveWard]

Hi Paul,

 

I did quite a bit of testing on this and off a bipod it was fine at 100 yards which is how most people would zero a rifle anyway and wouldn't be aware of any accuracy problems.

 

However in a real world situation, even from a reasonable rest but with a bit of movement the small time delay meant that the groups opened up to 3" at 100 due to pulling the trigger where the scope/rifle was aligned a fraction of a second ago and not where it was pointing now. With a conventional tubed scope back on the gun the groups reverted to their usual 1".

 

Like I said the image is good but due to the delay .22rf from a good rest would be my max recommendation.

 

It is understood industry wide that there is no substitute for a tubed system for a direct viewing application.

 

Definately try before you buy.

 

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

Clive

[CliveWard]

i was thinking of the versatility of the n550 being useable as a day and a night scope combo.

 

An interesting point is that Sony's spec sheet for the CCD used in the N550 states that it should not be exposed to high levels of light.

 

The N550 manual also doesn't mention day use, but it doesn't say not to either

 

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

Clive

[sauer]

clive

thansk for all the info,.....

 

looking back then at "normal / traditional" NV then what would you recommend as an alternative to the N550 ? and associated costs ? ball park of course......

 

and would this be "an add-on" therefore enabling normal lamping or daylight use without removing scope etc?

 

 

sauer /paul

[Wsm]

I was at Trent firearmslast week the chap was on about these n550 and how you can modify them with a camera lens to achieve around 7.5x magnification. He also mentioned a customer had sold a starlight because the n550 was easier to use.

 

That would be me but not strictly true about why I changed

 

I originally sold both a Hypergen Longbow and an Archer G2 simply because they weren't getting used enough to justify having them in the cabinet.At that time I had no intention of replacing them until I saw the N550 and thought why not.Together with a good IR (see Clive) they aren't bad and certainly on a par with the Archer that I had.Not as good as the Longbow but at a fifth of the price I don't expect it to be

Only 4x mag but certain mods can up this to about 7x which is ample for night vision and is not far off what I set both the add ons to (and I quite like the black/white image as opposed to the green)

Can't say I noticed the time lag and can easily id rabbits/fox at 120-150 yards which suits my needs perfectly

 

Must add that modifying the N550 in any way will void the warranty so be prepared to pay for the repairs if things go wrong

[CliveWard]

clive

thansk for all the info,.....

 

looking back then at "normal / traditional" NV then what would you recommend as an alternative to the N550 ? and associated costs ? ball park of course......

 

and would this be "an add-on" therefore enabling normal lamping or daylight use without removing scope etc?

 

 

sauer /paul

 

Hi Paul,

 

The N550 is out on it's own a bit in the market.

 

The Gen1 closest equivalent would be a Gen1 scope, doubler and laser IR at around £600 but image wise it isn't as good as the N550. The range is there but not quite the detail.

 

I would keep an eye out for a 2nd hand Gen2+ minimum dedicated scope. They do turn up from anything from £600 - £1500 depending on the model. But you then still have to make sure it's not been fannied about with by some kitchen table opto electrical engineer

 

I'm not a great fan of add ons. Here's what I do:

 

If I want to shoot during the day, I use a day scope.

If I want to shoot at night, I use a night scope.

 

The solution for one gun is to fit a picatinny rail to it and use some decent QR mounts on both day and night scope and use them properly. Throw levers are more repeatable than screws.

 

I'm having excellent success on my Steyr Tactical Elite using the GG&G 1 piece scope mount for the day optic and a GG&G picatinny riser for the night scope. I've not noticed any zero shift but for nigh on £400 for the mounts there shouldn't be!

 

You can do it cheaper and I would suggest the Leupold QRW rings for your day scope (about £50-£60) and the integrated mounts with whatever night scope you get.

 

The important thing is to always mount using the same procedure:

 

Put scope on rail with clamps just loose enough to allow the scope to slide back and forth.

Push scope all the way forward hard against the recoil slots and tighten front mount as tight as possible by hand.

Tighten rear mount as tight as possible by hand.

 

Whatever you go for, have a look through 1st if you can.

 

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

Clive

[Barrelsniffer]

Hi Paul

 

Yeh still in this dump..doesnt help when the aircon dont work..

Have to agree with clive..save your money and get a gen 2 scope..maybe a bit more pricey but worth it in long run.

 

I have a few i have one similar to the longbow..but from US in gen3 x2 D-740s and x1 D-760 all US..gen 3..but im lucky to have double rifles so have day rifle and night rifles..or in case of one like longbow thats a day/night scope..just change eyepiece.

and i have a few goggles/monoculars....lol

 

But ive seen this digi one a mate was selling one,brought it round..didnt like it straight away..

So save your money mate..keep looking on the bay.check the for sales on this and other forums..ive seen some good ones.but then again as clive says you need to test them..last thing you want is getting ripped off..

 

Mick

[onelesscharlie]

Mate of mine tried my archer before he chose the N550.

 

The thing that made the difference for him was the ease of use at twilight when shooting boar rather than waiting for it to get dark. He also loved the ability to flip the contrast.

I just wonder how effective these units will be when the clocks change and we have proper dark nights again.

 

Colin

[Wsm]

I've always found that no matter how good your night vision is a good IR Illuminator makes it better

[sauer]

yeah ive always fancied NV

 

but no way im paying out without trying out so to speak.....thats probably why i havent got it yet,, no-one round me i know has...Angus area of scotland.

 

might be in the future but not without a good play

 

as said ive naff all knowledege of NV apart from owning an old yukon gen1 monocular thats christ knows how old

canna even mind where i got it form or when.

 

i did buy the cluson IR filter for my 2 million candle power light ....bloody hell !!!!! that fair lights things up thru it.....same with my SOny HD camcorder's NV modes......use it ..mmm ok switch on the cluson with filter on....JESUS!!! hehehehe

 

 

paul

[Elwood]

I will add my tuppence worth.

 

I use the same method as Clive, quick release mounts, although I'm using £80 Warne rings and a Steyr scout. If there is a POI shift it's minimal, I would go as far to say negligible at the distances we use night vision.

 

I keen young lad quizzed me about NV during the winter and in particular about the Pulsar. I told him to save up some more money and have the option of getting either digital or conventional and then to wait and see what the feed back was like about the Pulsar.

 

Of course he didn't listen and as soon as he had enough money he bought the Pulsar. Several weeks ago he came round to show me his new night vision and I must say I was quite impressed. I would say it's good value and certainly ok for 100-150 shots which is the distance that most of us shoot. He had already shot twelve foxes with it, and was very happy (until I let him let him look through a gen3 ) It did need some decent IR, but over all I thought it was a quite a nice unit.

 

What I would like to know is how does the Pulsar perform at dusk? The time of the evening when you can't see colours but you can still see, and everything is Gray, this is where normal night vision fails (unless you have variable gain, luckily I do) When you don't have enough light coming in through the pinhole and too much light to take the lens cover off, this is a typical problem when sitting up a seat waiting.

[sauer]

Elwood,

 

just read an article with game keeper guy does a fair bit o foxing in sporting rifle and he compared it with his archer

 

bottom line coz its summer he said the pulsar came into its own at the times you talk bout.....when it aint quite dark but past normal scope use.

 

as to whats better pulsart or the archer....he likes both but would like to see the pulsar used in really dark night at winter time as he hasnt had the oppportunity to do that yet..

 

favourable report he gave anyway

 

sauer

[Elwood]

Before I had my variable gain NV I used to take two rifles up in the seat with me, one with a day scope and one with dedicated NV, it was a real pain.

 

I have never looked through an Archer, but from what I hear about them they can be likened to Marmite, you either love em or hate em.

[bri2506]

Do me a favour and let us know how you get on, cause im in same situation. im moving towards the pulsar at the moment

[stillair1]

There are a few videos on youtube using the n550.