New Digital Night Vision Scope

I mounted my new Resolute Mfg. Digital Night Scope on my air rifle to take care of some pesky coons. I am really impressed with the quality workmanship and found the OSD menu easy to operate. It took me a few minutes to figure out the crosshairs adjustments but was able to sight in at 75 yards in 5 shots. I currently have a N750 on my AR but I'm thinking that's about to change.

Hi Hornslayer,
I haven't heard of these before - can't turn up a mfgr website.
Can you share some more info on it?
Thanks.

I believe its a forum member that created it. I'm sure he will chime in shortly.

It was indeed built by MikeT here on the forum. I'm sure if you message him he will respond. Mike and I have been experimenting with DIY night vision scopes for a couple years now. With Mike's equipment and machinist skills, he is able to take a simple DIY night scope to a whole different level. So much so, while having built 3 different scopes myself, I jumped at the chance to be one of the first to buy one of Mike's. I found it works best with a 850nm torch even though a 940nm torch is serviceable, the 850 gives you vision out to 400 yards and shooting range of about 150 to 200 yards.

It's that much better than the 750?

Thanks for the kind words, Hornslayer! For those interested, this started as a diy project then morphed into this product. I have been a cnc programmer/machinist for 22yrs and own a small shop. As work slowed to a crawl with the oil crash I had more time to flesh it out. I have sold a couple of units to people that didnt want to wait until I was completely finished and I have had excellent reports from them. The only issue I am not quite happy with is that it currently has a seperate battery pack that mounts on the stock. I am in the process of designing/machining a battery tube mounted on the unit to do away with the cable and seperate battery pack.

Thanks again for the kind words, I hope to be finished with the full design soon.

I think so. You can site in during the day, which is almost impossible with the n750. Now it is different the way you set the cross hairs. You can have 3 sets of cross-hairs if you wish. It is lighter and Shorter and the focus is better and you can run it off ncr18650b powercells. On top all that it is like a 3rd the price. So to me that's better.

This thing sounds like it will be an excellent piece of gear with a bit more refinement. I bought a Photon XT just a couple of weeks ago, or I might opt for one of these protos.

Miket1, I'll be one of many (I AM sure) to be watching this develop. I hope the focus remains on basic functions and optical performance rather than bells and whistles. I am impressed with my Photon XT and am dying to try it out, but I do wish it was easier to operate in the dark. Ergonomics!!

You bring up an excellent point. In the dark even simple tasks become a pain. I am going to keep it as simple as possible. Here is the current prototype with the battery tube in place. The on/off switch works just like ( actually is ) a flashlight endcap.





Ignore the fact that it is not yet anodized

Thanks for the info and well done on the development. It looks great!
Is it semi weather resistant?
How much does it weigh?
Is the small stud on the top of the housing the focus?

I'm new to this nightvision business but have just recently got an Xsight to play with.
Cheers.

How do you feel about the monitor lighting up your face in the dark? Are you wearing face mask to help mask that a bit, though I suspect the light would still very much reflect off any fabric.

That was my next thought. I've played around enough with the Photon XT to realize that after looking through it at night, I'm not going to be able to see a darned thing. Having sat in a blind all hours, I know this is doubly true for looking at larger LCD displays. Next thought is: how about a red filter on the display to help preserve a little vision when the time comes to use your own eyes in the dark? That might also help reduce the effect of lighting your own face up. Maybe the LCD display could even be set up to display with red color rather than white.

I'll try to answer a few questions.
The LCD screen does light up your face. The amount it lights up depends on the brightness of the image ( determined by how close you are to the target and how zoomed in the illuminator is ). You can adjust screen brightness also. The first pig I killed with this setup was at 25yds at one of my bow setups on a lease I am on that extremely thick and wooded. He never saw me and never knew what hit him, I did wear a facemask on this one but none since. ( I am mostly a bowhunter and stalk them regularly ). Since then I have been within 50 or so yards of them often and I have yet to be seen. Loss of night vision IS an issue an other than lowering the brightness Im not sure what can be done about it. I use a Sniper Hog Lights 66LR IR with the units and you can adjust from wide to spot easily, minimizing brightness. A red filter is possible but I have not yet tried it

The weight of the unit WITH batteries and mount ( the new design with battery tube attached ) currently is 29oz. without illumintor attached. The illuminator can be attached to the unit or any other picatinny/weaver rail. The silver knob is the focus. It is focusable from approx 10ft to basically infinity. Since it is digital its hard to say what the magnification is ( depends on screen size etc ) but the image size is comparable to 3.5x.

Does it spook the animals?
Not that I have found. I think it is because you are directly behind the gun and scope/screen. However, if you use this view finder that has an eyepiece, there would be no way to get busted.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-LCD-Viewfind...=item486b0c2ec0

what do you think the price will be?

+1

I looked into the eyepiece thing and decided against it. One reason I designed the unit with a screen like this is because I do a lot more looking and scanning that actual shooting. It gets old real fast holding the rifle up to your shoulder to search for pigs. If you are a box blind hunter just set it up pointing at the feeder and look at the screen once in a while between naps or your game or whatever. Never have to move it. I corn roads and watch em so I either sit on the ground and set it on my knees or set it up in the window of my truck, or in the front window of my teryx and glance at it every once in a while. It frees you up to rest, play with your phone or whatever. Holding a riflescope up to my eye all night is not fun to me. Of course, ideally you would have a seperate spotter but I am as blue collar as it gets, the market I am targetting doesnt have the money ( or want to spend the money ) on a seperate spotter etc. For those that want to spend thousands, I recommend Thermal or Gen 3 NV.

I am looking for ways to reduce cost, and a price has not been set for the final product so dont take this as a quote, but I am looking at $400-450 plus tax, with illuminator included.

That's a pretty reasonable price for a quality unit.

One my prototypes doing work, son! Oldest daughter and the pig she shot last night

Good work Dad and Daughter

I have been using glasses similar to these to help with night blindness. It is not perfect but it is better than none.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ARIES-ANSI-Z87-S...=item5881f6caac

I see ATN X-Sight is up to firmware update bajillion. What update are you on?

What kinda of warranty were you planning on giving with your unit?

No updates needed yet!

A lot of things are still not finalized, but I am looking at a 2yr warranty at the moment. I will support the unit much longer with parts and repair. I am looking into all the legalities of warranties, finishing the website etc at the moment. ( but as I said I have not settled the issue )

I didn't think so.

Always like it when folks are entrepreneurial. Wish you well with your endeavor.

It will be a challenge when you consider there is a company with a long history of excellent customer service, a water tight design without a monitor hung on the back and a 3 year warranty selling a new digital scope for ~$450.00.

Nonetheless, go for it...

Thanks, I think. Honestly I cant tell if that is a dig at me or not. I will say this, the scope I believe you are referring to is far less clear than mine according to every person so far that has compared them directly to each other side by side. Also that scope has a very limited range with the onboard IR so most people are buying another $200 illuminator to make it usable at any decent range. Mine is with an excellent illuminator included in the price.

The monitor is a there so you dont have to have your eye to a scope all night, many people are adding a monitor to the above described scope. Mine is built in. Scanning is not near as tiresome. Its a different product to fill a different need. If someone sits over a feeder at 100yds then the above mentioned unit is probably fine

No sir, not a dig at all. I believe that if someone has an idea and believes in it, they should by all means give it a go. I have been self employed for 20 years and could never imagine working for someone else again. There is just too much opportunity out there.

The second line was just making sure you were aware...though I figured you were. While it is true that the Photon XT has maybe a 75 yard range with the onboard illuminator, most folks have figured out that you can get the $200 illuminator for about $25 bucks on Ebay since the Chinese flooded the market. I have never been a fan of the big monitors on the back, though I know they work most of the time and won't bust the hogs all that often....I just don't want the bulk or light, preferring a more stealthy, sleek, ergonomic design. Heck, I've seen them bust on just the illuminator, but again, it is effective most of the time. Green or red shooting lights work too for that matter. I also like a scope to be IP6 rated as moisture is a killer of electronics. As far as looking through a scope or looking at a screen in the dark, each person is affected differently. I only use a monocular for scanning, as using a scope is not safe. I feel the effect some, but it isn't bad. Like many others, I started with a green/red light, moved to digital and NV, then settled into thermal, which is all I will use now.

I don't say this to be negative at all. These are things that someone wanting to bring a product to market must consider. I have been designing, manufacturing and marketing various high tech products for some time now, some in this field...with patents. I encourage you to go for it, give it a try....grow with it. If this doesn't work out, keep trying. You clearly have skills that will help you succeed.

I wish you the best!

Thank you. Constructive criticism/observation like this is always welcome. Honestly I have been trying to get my costs down to make it more attractive to hunters but at the currently low volume it hasnt been possible. I actually am not officially selling them yet. I have sold a few to people that just couldnt wait. I even sold an unanodized one to a guy that just had to have it. I have a waiting list at the moment ( but you know how that goes ) so it may at least be marginally successful. Thanks

The sounds of your invention, without all the techie stuff (like for older not to savvy hunters) I think is great.
I've got a smart phone and still trying to use the rotary dial method. Lol

Thank you very much!

I find the design interesting - I wonder what the maker suggests in the "owners manual" regarding liabilities and disclaimers for use when hunting.

Seems to me these styles of shooting devices would be best used in elevated blinds or from behind a fortified structure.

If I were hunting on the ground level at night (hogs) and if I understand the nature of the design (you don't hold the rifle in a traditional way nor do you put your eye up to the scope (no cheek weld and eye relief) than I wouldn't say it would be very SMART to engage these tough guys.

I'm not saying it won't work and that it cant be done but some of the videos I've seen on this forum of charging animals and magazine dumps as the hog dies feet from the shooter make me wonder if that is even possible when your holding the gun with this shooting device mounted?????

Where do you hold the gun while walking and stalking?

Hip sling or under arm brace?

Just thinking aloud

It is the same, there is no difference. You can pickup and move between and on target faster because your not dependent on line of sight angle. You still shoulder the weapon exactly the same only difference you become accustomed to not having your eye touching an eye guard. You should just go ahead and get your name on the list to buy one and see for your self!

I guess I havent explained it very well. Im a numbers man, not too good with words. You hold, sight and fire hhe rifle the same as with any other sight. In order to view the screen you are not REQUIRED to hold it to your shoulder, you can see it from an angle or above it etc. but you would sight and fire it from your shoulder in the normal manner.

I have killed at least 20+ pigs with it, ( 6-8 on video ) from 25yds out to about 150yds and havent yet had a problem. Saying this, I cannot guarantee that someone wont be charged by a pig using this scope or any other sighting device in existence.

What are you basing your response on?

I don't see any way that the system as described would be faster in acquiring and hitting targets. Have you been under siege by a charging pig with this setup , if so that's the information id like to hear about - not just that it's the same no difference.

Mike-t - might I suggest a video from your end or your users that gives a brief overview of shouldering the weapon in a seated (blind) and standing (stalking) scenario along with a traditional NV vs your system on target range exercise...

I don't own one of these but I think I can help. Do you have a flat screen TV. Same concept. If you can see the picture of the TV you should be able to see whats going on. And by that I mean the angle of viewing it.

A traditional scope however requires your eye lined up with the tube and your head in the right spot for eye relief. Head off to the side, high or low, no workie. Head to close or to far, no workie. So if you take a couple of steps out of the process wouldn't it by default be faster?

... Are you implying that the military may be missing out on the biggest tactical advantage ever in that they aren't using a viewing screen on their weapons?!?!

My opinion is that when you hold a gun in the ready position and as they were design to be used when you point the gun and follow targets because you shoulder is tight to stock and you cheek is welded to stock and your eye is locked into the scope the natural position is to never break eye contact with the target.

I hope to see some further input here from users on the question because I believe it would benefit consumers who are casual about night vision and its application and I believe from a safety standpoint and training standpoint that this is a big difference in the design of this type vs regular NV.

I have shot a fair number of running pigs with it, some running my general direction but have never been charged so I dont know how well I/it would perform when being charged. I cannot imagine how it would be inferior to the typical scope in that situation but I am not a pro. You can use a normal cheekweld if desired. I like "heads up" better, much like many people use an Eotech.

As far as hunting in the stand, the point I was trying to make is that while watching a feeder at night it quickly becomes tiresome shouldering the rifle to look at a feeder. If you set the rifle up aimed in the general direction of the feeder using my scope you can leave it on and just glance up at it occasionally. That is a relatively minor thing possibly for certain number of people that may hunt that way.

Safety, if I do not have complete control over the property I am hunting I would not use any scope mounted on a rifle to scan/spot. When I do it I know who and where/if anyone else is on the property. I guess there is a possibility of pointing at a game warden when scanning and that could certainly be a problem. For the record, I do not recommend even owning or using a firearm or any other weapon, hunting, driving, eating or doing any activity that may result in harm to yourself or others.

At this point with the demand locally being what it is, at this time I think I will stick with face to face transactions or people I have contact with otherwise. As stated previously, people that have seen it first hand have all been impressed and excited about it. The weakness on my part is my inability to describe/explain its use and operation. I am a terrible salesman, the unit will have to sell itself and it can only do that by getting peoples hands on it.

Here are a few pics of the typical stance. Not much cheek weld. I will say, this is not designed for combat or benchrest competitions. It is a pig hunting rifle.

This is the version with the seperate battery pack, this version is being superceded by one with a battery tube attached to the unit rather that the seperate pack.

Batteries are the drawback. In the field of battle they would render the sight useless without an ongoing supply. Also, this is an inexpensive alternative not a mil-spec replacement. Military grade sights would cost 15 times as much right?

Pig_Popper perhaps you two could have a pm or email exchange on this. Regardless of your intent in your questioning to me it seems like badgering. I personally think this is something I would look into and try as I don't have four grand to drop on Gen3 NV. Where are you located at MikeT1?

You are thinking inside the box, based on tradition. You have fallen into the trap of assuming that things should be used only in the manner in which they may have been intended.

The purpose of the tight cheek weld, in part, is to help insure that you have proper sight alignment on the sights (iron or optic) so that your sighting will be accurate. That isn't necessary with electronic sights or this sort of setup.

Natural position? Ever notice how much time, patience, and practice it takes to get a new shooter to adopt a "natural position" on a rifle where they correctly align the sights? That is because the position isn't really natural. That is not an issue with this setup.

Shouldering is just one way of shooting a gun, but not the only way. For this setup, you don't have to be shouldered to know exactly where the gun is pointed.

It is a neat concept, maybe not for everybody, but then again, what scope, gun, ammo, caliber, etc. is really for everybody?

I'd be a buyer for one!

The more I look at it the better it looks. Job well done.

Bump for this thread.

I'm patiently waiting for Mike to get mine built.

I have another run of battery tubes to make this weekend and then have anodized. One of the big holdups was the anodizer I was using. They had my first run of battery tubes for a little over a month. Obviously the next batch wont be going to them. I apologize for the delays.

The plating industry is full of meth heads. Hopefully, you'll have a little better luck with the next anodizer, but it seems to be an industry thing...

Miket1 would you be able to get a YouTube video of the scope? Also how long can you leave the unit on? Me and a few friends may be looking at getting on the wait list. Thanks

I dont have a video just showing the unit and its functions, I definitely need to get one done. I do hav some videos using the unit. The only issue is that they dont accurately show hhe clarity of the actual unit, I have been using a cheap DVR that loses quality and there is some lost when I load it to youtube.

Here is my channel https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCcmJ2aRq7wu0lAfpBnVNROw

Battery life is 5hrs using the batteries I sell. ( actual testing has gone 8+hrs with new and fully charged batteries but officially I am advertising 5hrs ) The illuminator battery lasts about 2hrs. The unit and illuminator both use 18650 rechargeable batteries.

Hey miket1 the videos look much better than my videos from my pulsar 750. Looks like a good scope!!!

Firemed I have a Pulsar 750 and Mikes scope is indeed clearer and focuses better than the pulsar.

Give it another bump since I'll have mine in a short time. Thanks,Mike!

As once quoted "Patience is a virtue". Hopefully the list is getting shorter to my name. The Mrs. will be pleased on rabbit control in the garden this spring. Being justified is important.

Hey guys, just want to give a little update to those interested. I am working through the waiting list and then will be able to fill new orders. I apologize for the delays, and appreciate your patience.

On another note, after accounting for my realworld costs I have had to go up on the price effective 12-1-15. Of course anyone who contacted me and expressed interest before then will get the original price of $450.

Thanks again for everyones interest and kind words!

How much has the price gone up? What is final price?

My bad, I was supposed to put that in there. The new price for the DNS2 with 66LR IR Illuminator, light mount and 4pcs rechargeable 18650 batteries is $520 plus tax The charger ( optional ) is $15 plus tax.

I hate to have had to raise the price but after assesing my actual cost and time involved I had to to make it worthwhile.

Thanks everyone for your interest!

What is the wait time? Will this fit on any type of scope and use on any type of rifle? Can it be interchangeable, would have to resite in in per gun?

As of right now I expect to be through the waiting list around the end of this week. This unit IS the scope. It mounts on a picatinny/weaver rail. The unit is primarily designed for AR15 type rifles though a few have been put on bolt rifles. To put it on a bolt action rifle the base must be long enough to allow the unit to be mounted foward enough to clear the bolt handle.

The mount does repeat fairly well when dismounted/remounted but I dont advertise it because I cant really guarantee it will repeat.

The display does show the coordinates when the OSD is active so you can sight in on one rifle, record the coordinates then sight in on another rifle and vice versa but in actual practice it is a bit cumbersome though that is up to the individual to decide for themselves.

Thanks!

For a bit more info, here is a link to my youtube channel with a quick intro to the unit and some hog hunting videos using the unit.

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCcmJ2aRq7wu0lAfpBnVNROw

Mike,

Sent you a message, awaiting a response. More questions to follow.

Thanks

Is your website set up with stating all the standard features and any additional options?

Pm sent
Thanks

Unfortunately the site is still only about half built. Getting the units built and shipped to folks on the list has taken precedence over it at the moment. I have added another video to my youtube channel that may help

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcmJ2aRq7wu0lAfpBnVNROw?app=desktop&persist_app=1

Finally have the website up. It still needs work when viewing on mobile but looks OK on desktop. It will be a while until it is indexed and will come up in a search

http://www.resoluteprecisionmachining.com

Hey Mike, do you have anyone in the Wichita Falls area who has one of these? I'd like to check one out as I'm very interested.

I dont believe I have sold one to anyone in Wichita Falls. I have night hunted with Dry Creek Outfitters a few times. Keaton Skidmore ( quides for dry creek ) has seen it. Other than that I cant think of anyone

Thanks

I believe I am caught up on pm's and orders. If I missed anyone let me know.

Thanks everyone

for those concerned with the monitor lighting up your face, get some red plastic and put across the screen. It works well at reducing visibility. I have used red plastic notebook dividers and they sell some photo stuff on amazon specifically for that purpose. I have my own homemade NV and use it on my screen.

I don't think that will be an issue. I wear glasses, and my friend said he really couldn't notice the screen glaring off the lenses. I've got a grey beard, and it has never been an issue hunting at night either.

I haven't been able to take mine out hunting yet, but it was really easy to sight it in on my DPMS LR-260H.

TxHillbilly Im on the fence of buying one of these units. How well are you liking this as a first impression.

Also wondering what type of yard range I could expect to see out to on a hog.

I was actually amazed at the craftsmanship that Mike built into the unit. It is a very nice set-up.

After I charged the batteries up,I took it outside and played with it for a while. I had no problem seeing the trees at the end of the pasture,around 400 yards. A big owl was on a telephone pole next to the house and I watched him fly across the pasture for 250-300 yards. The illuminator that comes with the unit is very good.
Using it during the day is just like looking at a video camera screen,everything has nice bright colors,and it's easy to focus at almost any range.

I'm very impressed with it so far,and will probably buy another one to put on one of my AR-15's in the near future. It's been so muddy here at the house,so I just sighted it in at 25 yards to have it close. I'm going to the range tomorrow,and I'll sight it in at 100 yards and play with it some more.

Awesome deal, ill be putting in a order shortly.

I haven't seen any hogs, but did shoot a nice buck and a couple does this season.

Good to hear you did good on the deer this season. Mine wasnt too bad but Im ready to get back to killin the pigs. I wont be free for several weeks unfortuntely. Keaton at Dry Creek said they have been doing pretty good in the wheat fields