Thread: IR Torch recommendation

Hi all,
Lately I have been doing a bit of night shooting for Fallow deer. The country is mainly quite open, so some longer range shooting. I have tried a few gear options along the way. On the last trip I took a newly acquired Thermal imager, A Hik Vision 25mm Lynx Pro. this was a game changer. In conjunction with this I was using a rifle mounted Maxtoch M pro Archer, this is a great light with plenty of range. We shot a few deer.
However I also have a Pard NV007 which I would like to use. So far this has not been very successful, it is great in low light condition with the IR turned off but the moment I turn on The IR in B/W mode the image completely washes out. I was ready to get rid of it when it suddenly occurred to me that the problem is most likely being caused by the built in IR light being reflected off the suppressor. I have tried a neoprene suppressor cover to no avail. Still I am convinced that the issue is light glare off the suppressor, I say this because I have experienced the same problem with the LED torch being scope mounted, this was slightly mitigated by moving the light well back on the scope and adding a neoprene suppressor cover, it is still there but not too bad. I guess I didn't think about this possibly being an issue with the IR light because it is not actually visible.
I have just made up a new setup to mount the torch under the front of the rifle stock, setup but not yet tested. I am considering buying an aftermarket IR torch and setting it up on this stock mount. Does anyone have experience with IR torches, both mounting them on the rifle and effectiveness out to say 250m. There are a couple of models out there like Nitecore and Nite Sabre which offer both IR and LED all in the same torch, sounds like a good idea. Then there's the IRLB Laser iluminators from Owl optics, we actually have one of these mounted on another rifle with a Pard NV008, its a great unit but $550 is getting up there. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Nitecore CI7

Dumb question, but you are using the IR focus on the Pard 007 right?

Hi Vulcannz. Yep I believe so. The rear dioptor focus is for the menu, once set I don't touch it. The front focus is the cross hair. I should have mentioned that this is on a Vortex 4-12 variable scope with no parallax adjustment. I do understand that clarity will be slightly compromised when viewing something at a range other than what the scope is parallax set for. In day mode (color) I can compromise on this by using the front focus dial to slightly blur out the cross hair in order to get a better focus on the object being viewed, I also work with lower magnification 4/6 power max which makes the parallax adjustment less critical. remember also the unit is working fine on the Day/Colour mode.

No experience with the 007, but on the 008, if you have the IR laser set to max power you have to have the laser head zoomed (focused as Vulcannz puts it) all the way out (ie pull the front lens on the laser forward towards the end of the barrel, to the end of its travel) otherwise it will blow out the image.
You will also find that the image focus in the view finder changes and will need refocusing when you change form colour to IR.

Originally Posted by hotbarrels

No experience with the 007, but on the 008, if you have the IR laser set to max power you have to have the laser head zoomed (focused as Vulcannz puts it) all the way out (ie pull the front lens on the laser forward towards the end of the barrel, to the end of its travel) otherwise it will blow out the image.
You will also find that the image focus in the view finder changes and will need refocusing when you change form colour to IR.

Go to https://owloptics.nz/product/pard-nv...-night-vision/
Click on the "video" tab
Watch the second video. At approx 0:30 you will see the zoom/focus on the IR laser

Oh Ok sorry. I get your point now. I have tried the different IR power settings. 1,2,3. I have also experimented with the focus on the IR. Pulling it out creates a spot beam, all the way in is a flood beam. Neither seems to help. I have also tried refocusing once changed from colour, day mode to black & white, night mode.
Also I can take the unit off the scope and use it as a spotter in night mode with the internal IR on, I simply refocus. I can also see ok in black & white mode with the IR off when there is some sort of external light source, like looking down the street from my deck at night when there is a small amount of light from the streetlights.
So to sum all that up the only time there is an issue is when the unit is mounted on the scope, set to night mode and the IR is on. Hence my reasoning that it is caused by light reflection off the suppressor.

What's the scope?
Again, no personal experience but I am led to believe that you need to mount the 007 on a scope with no IR lens coatings. I believe the IR coatings will cause issues.

Does the problem still occur with the supressor off?

Originally Posted by hotbarrels

What's the scope?
Again, no personal experience but I am led to believe that you need to mount the 007 on a scope with no IR lens coatings. I believe the IR coatings will cause issues.

Yeah I've heard that too. The scope is a Vortex Diamondback. Not sure if this has IR lense coatings. This is not something I can ever recall seeing in manufacturing specs

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

Does the problem still occur with the supressor off?

Will be trying this tonight. The issue with the suppressor glare only really occurred to me on my home from my last hunt. A quick online search suggested that this might indeed be reason for my problem, I was hoping that someone in this forum had been down the same track

I had it happen glare that is from a fore sight so could be the suppressor glare

My barrels are both cut dowm, yet I can see the suppressor just using scope,! this doesn't happen with the Pard mounted on the scope.
So not sure what's causing the issue. But it's a wonder that someone hasn't said you are wasting your time without parallax adjustment.
The pard 007 requires it for best use and that's the way it is! you will never get it to operate with out parallax adjustment. Yes ZeroPac I read your comment on day time viewing. The 5w IR on the pard is good for 200 and more in the right conditions, but in reality I don't shoot past 150 and try to keep it to 100yds.
I had a external IR and now just use the units IR with is more than enough I run it on setting 2.
I don't know about the vortex scope, I think some use them but have adjustment.
I am having a good run with the hawke 3x12x44
KH

I've run my 007 on a vortex strike eagle and a diamondback 4-12 with no problems apart from blurry view due to lack of parallax. I did find with the strike eagle that setting it at 1x and using the pards internal magnification I got acceptable clarity at all distances but I did get some supressor glare with the ir set to flood ie max spread, I usually used it at 3/4 focus.
Now I have a bushnell with parallax on that rifle and it's truely amazing.
Like Kiwi hunter I find the internal ir good enough to 200, in honesty I can't detect any difference between the 2 and 3 power settings. It takes time and practice to learn this unit but once mastered it's pretty damn good, especially the way it can be used across multiple rifles.

Originally Posted by zeropak

Will be trying this tonight. The issue with the suppressor glare only really occurred to me on my home from my last hunt. A quick online search suggested that this might indeed be reason for my problem, I was hoping that someone in this forum had been down the same track

I take it you use your NV007 mounted to the back of your usual scope.

Try a simple lens hood on the rifle scope itself if it picks up glare from the suppressor. Or is the scope simply mounted too low?

Colour of suppressor is relevant, that is, its colour in NIR illumination. Military camouflage is usually treated so it does not over- or under-reflect NIR light. Your dark coloured suppressor and its neoprene cover may in fact look like a white flour bag under NIR illumination.