Been looking for a decent night vision scope for the AR to do a little hog hunting. You can pick up a gen1 pretty cheap now. Im not looking really for super high end but somthing that when i look through there i know its a hog.

Probably the best scope on a tight budget is the Pulsar N550. I doubt you'll be happy with a cheap Gen1 scope but if you can swing $1300, you'll be pleased with the 550.

Whats the differences between all the different generations. Just clarity?

More "visibility" than "clarity". On a dark night with a new moon, you could easily shoot a hog at 200 yards with a high-quality Gen3 scope. You would be lucky to do the same thing at 100 yards with a Gen2 scope under the same conditions. Try that using a Gen1 scope and you probably wouldn't be able to see the hog at 50 yards. (You could improve that with external illuminators).

This is definitely a situation where you get what you pay for.

I see that you're in McKinney...if you get a chance, come see us at the Texas Trophy Hunters Extravaganza in Ft. Worth in 2 weeks (Aug 17-19). We'll be glad to show you all of our gear.

I can easily kill pigs at a hundred yards with a green light. Why is night vision necessary for shorter ranges?

The OP asked about night vision...not "green lights". Lights are fine for shorter ranges, if that's what you like to do.

Wasn't sure. Don't have much experience at that stuff yet. Thought about the night vision investment, and may some day in the future, but for now most of my night hunting is fairly close range. Thanx for the clarification.

i was kind of in the same boat as the OP but my thought was more for spotting and then using green light/scope to move in and make a kill. any experience with the flir ps24? i see you sell them. it says a range of 350yds. is that a recognizable image out that far? does flir work OK in the heat of the summer in Texas?

It doesn't hurt to provide the op alternatives to a $2500 investment. If your limited to 200 yrds on that kind of investment you too ought to use a good hog light and only spend $150.

Sometimes it isn't all about the money. I use both. In fact I have an N550. It has been reliable and is more stealthy than the green light. My arsenal also contains a Gen 1 scope. It is good at certain short range stands, 50 yards or so, maybe 75 with external illuminators. I have the Elusive Wildlife XLR 250 and some of the Chinese lights....each in green. They all work, but the flashlights will spook them a little sometimes. Not bad, but it happens.

Each offers a different experience and each are fun.

The N550 is a good choice. Seems to be good with no light at 100 yrds for me. Using it on a 300 blkout w supressor.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll definatly try to make that extravaganza if i'm off that weekend. I'll check into that N550 for sure.

I use a Sightmark 3x60 NV scope and routinely pop pigs out to 150yds, it will stretch out farther with the additional illuminator. If you are hunting open ground, pastures, etc. it will get you in the game for $700 or so, not so great for woods and brush.

The N550 is on my wish list now and will soon be mine.

I don't know where $2500 came from...or a 200 yard limit.I simply suggested a possible low-budget solution, at around $1200. The OP asked about night vision...not lights.

It was an honest question in relation to what was responded to the op. I don't know what your external light option is. Mine are green and red lights. I haven't pulled the trigger on a N550. Some day I hope to. Just asked a question in my ignorance. I apologize.

@passthru : Ease up buddy... I was replying to billybob's comments.

To answer your question, the external illumination I was referring to was an infra-red illminator....invisible to the human eye but it would be like a Q-beam for night vision. A good IR illuminator would make a HUGE difference in the effective range of a Gen1 or Gen2 scope. It will also help a Gen3 scope on a dark night but normally you don't need one. And as far as Gen4 goes....there is no such thing...yet.

I was only trying to answer the OP's original question....and not hijack or sidetrack his thread. You have my apologies if you mis-understood my reply. :-)

Not to drag this out but you stated "On a dark night with a new moon, you could easily shoot a hog at 200 yards with a high-quality Gen3 scope." I was a little off on a Gen 3 scope price....think they start at $3500. All I'm saying is for $150 you can purchase the same 200+ yrd range (providing your scope can do it). No it's not as stealthy and you may run some pigs off til you get used to using it. But if you want to help the op out give him a realistic range for the N550 that he will be paying $1300 for.

On the side of the pulsar N550 ,there is a small additional rail on there. Is this for an additional IR illuminator?

Yes. It's got a built-in illuminator but you could add a more powerful one to the side rail.

I added a 2.0 teleconverter lens to my N550. It really helped my range.

Sorry. I edited too late. And there is a Gen4. Got a different name on the inside. It's just not out there for us yet.

So, back to my question. Would an IR illuminating device be needed with the N550 at ranges to 200-250 yards? That's about the limit of my shooting range anyhow.

My answer is yes. You could probably see 200 yards on a moonlit night, but an illuminator would help a lot. On the flip side, the N550 only has a 4.5 mag. My old eyes can't see well enough to take a 200 yard shot with 4.5 mag at night with anything. The 2.0 teleconverter helps with this situation.

BTW, most night vision equipment is offered in fairly low magnification. Honestly, for my place and my preferences, I don't feel the need for 200 yard shots at night. I can get closer.

Thanx.