Photon 4.6XT Update

DoubleUp

DoubleUp

Well-known member
I thought I would post this update in case some of you are interested in trying it. I bought the Photon from 6mm06 after he decided he was not going to keep it. I knew that it had some hiccups but thankfully nothing like the X-Sight fiasco.

I've taken a couple of reds (100 yds), a coyote (240 yds), and most recently the bobcat (daytime also at 240 yds). The reds were taken without a doubler and while I was able to make the shot, it really wasn't as focused as I had hoped.

So, I purchased a doubler from UNV and immediately saw a dramatic improvement in focus and clarity. Coyote and bobcat killed with the doubler installed. One thing I had noticed was that on near full moon conditions, the focus wasn't a problem without the doubler as the ambient light was sufficient to see without IR.

I also noted that the doubler cut down on the entry of ambient light which I expected would happen, and it also cut back the amount of IR penetrating the scope. Maybe I should say the doubler required more IR than without. I was using a T-20 IR with 15%, 50% and 100% capability plus focusable lens.

I could see well to make a shot to 250, maybe 300 and get a definite ID on the animal. I could also see another 100 yds or so beyond that on full power IR full focus. We all know that seeing beyond you target animal at night is a great help.

Now 6mm06 has been fully invested in trying to help me as all this NV stuff was new to me. He suggested that in correspondence with someone in the UK that had suggested cutting a 22mm hole in a Butler Creek lens cover to sharpen the focus when not using a doubler. So, I decided last week to give that a try as the Photon with the doubler is a great bait site outfit, but too much mag for calling.

Here are three short videos showing the 4.6 XT with and without the Butler Creek and 22mm hole installed. You can decide for yourselves whether you think it would help you or not. A 22mm hole is pretty close to 7/8", so I used a 7/8" paddle bit drilled lightly from both sides of the cover.







I have so far, due to inclement weather, only been able to do 60 yds. for a test for 6mm06 which is the distance of his bait site. Hopefully I can do 100 and 150 to give you a comparison. To me, it makes the 4.6 focus and clarity approximate the result with the doubler, but without the extra magnification. Your results may vary of course. Just thought I'd pass it on for those who are interested.
 
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DoubleUp has really put the Photon through it's paces with quite a bit of experimenting. He and I chat daily and he keeps me up to date about it all.

I have seen several videos he has done with and without the doubler installed. The doubler really helped, not only with better foucs/clarity, but also with magnification for shooting at greater distances. I see that as a real plus.

The 22mm hole apparently allows just the right amount of light to enter so as to not overwhelm the scope, which caused it to appear more grainy, blurred etc. For anyone who has the Photon XT, a cheap Butler Creek cap drilled out as DoubleUp mentioned, would be a very cheap test that could possibly transform your scope into a much better one.

I keep hoping that the company will refine the Photon XT and get the focus right. They also need to do something with regards to the white-out that is evident when shooting. Fixing those two things will transform the Photon XT into a great scope.

DoubleUP, you have me now wanting another XT.

 
With the doubler, can you advise on what your point of impact shift was from stock to doubled?

Also take care to not bump the doubler in transport or walking about, in the event you knock it hard on accident re-check your zero.

Thanks for the informative post AND videos!

BB
 

I honestly don't remember. Maybe DoubleUp does. I took the scope to a local gun shop snd the guy helped me find a fit. I do know that one size was too loose while the next size down was a tight fit. I got the tight one.
 
BB, the shift was X=+7 and Y=-4 without the doubler. With the doubler it was X=+11, and Y=-13.
There is quite a bit of shift. I've done a fair amount of experimenting with taking the doubler off and reinstalling it to see if zero would remain constant. At first I painted a thin stripe across the doubler and the coupler which goes on the Objective lens and isn't removed once it is installed. That would allow me to realign the two at the same place each time. That worked fair but I still might have a shift of + or - 1. I have since scribed a line across both pieces to be more exact, but I am not yet ready to say I can take it off and put it back on with complete confidence that it will maintain exact zero through the process. My intention was to purchase another one to go on my calling rig and use this one with the doubler for the bait site. Once it was properly installed and tightened, the doubler remained on zero without further adjustment.

The number inside the rim of the Butler Creek says 33 34. Also just as an info, the doubler from UNV comes with a very nice heavy duty flip up front cover. That cover has an insert which is just slightly smaller than the 22mm hole I drilled in the Butler Creek. When the doubler is removed that cover still fits the coupler. So when I began experimenting, I just punched out the insert to get an almost 22mm hole. I saw that it worked well and all I have to do is put the insert back in and it is ready for daytime with the small hole. I do believe the Butler Creek with the 7/8" hole was slightly better for my eyes at night than the doubler cover with the insert out, but both worked well and improved the image sharpness and clarity.

The video below is of the Photon at 60 yds with the doubler installed and going from ambient light to 15% IR, then 50% IR, and finally 100% IR. Hope this helps you compare the clarity, sharpness, and magnification differences but also notice the loss of FOV.
 
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Thanks Doubleup. I have a new to me Photon XL coming Monday and I will definitely make the Butler Vreek 7/8" improvement.

JPK
 
Just before 12 last night I looked out in the field with my Pulsar Thermal and saw two coyotes approaching my bait pile. I turned the alarms off and prepared my rifle in caliber 204 Ruger to shoot. I was shooting a 35 Berger at 3,900 fps. I was using my Photon 4.6 XT with a Doubler installed and the shot was 145 yds. I did not use the onboard IR or the T-20 mounted on the weapon. I have two IR lights on the back of my shop and only used the light from them. The video would have been better with my T-20 but I did not want to get the whiteout that occurs when using a weapon mounted IR. As you can see in the video it took me a little to get the coyote in the right position, but the shot was DRT. By the time I found the other one he was almost in the woods and at about 300 yds. I didn't want to risk a moving shot at that distance at night, but could see him clearly with the T-20 turned on full power. This was a decent size female. The entry was 20 cal. size and there was no exit.



 
Thank you 6mm06, the Photon has come a long way, but it took a lot of tinkering and some extra bucks. Here is a video of the shot from one of the Wildgame Cameras.

 
Great!

Other than the lens cover and hole, what have you done to make the Photon perform.

I bought a second hand Photon XT and got it sighted in at 25yds last Sunday before running out of time. Going to be shooting it tomorrow and getting it sighted in at 100yds, and shooting at 50, 150 as well to confirm POI at those ranges.

After that my son and I are going to sit in a deer blind over a bait pile and play with it in actual night time conditions.

Any tips on making it work better would be welcome. A T 20 came with the scope, but I have my doubts about this one after trying it a little.

Thanks,

JPK
 
Initially the Photon was somewhat amazing and then disappointing. I actually received it from 6mm06 on a full moon, and I was amazed at how good it could see with just ambient light. I don't think he had tested it in full moon light, and I knew his homemade NV didn't see well with ambient light. Then, when I tried it with IR lighting it began to disappoint as the picture was grainy, pretty blurry, and it was very hard to focus. Focus ring was very stiff and there wasn't much leeway in the adjustment. I was using a strong LLTL-001 that 6mm06 had sent me previously. It was focusable but only had one power. I'm pretty sure that was part of the reason he was having a hard time with the grainy and blurry picture focus, as 6mm06 was using the same light.

I then ordered the T-20 which was equally as powerful but had three power settings of 15%, 50%, and 100%. The lower power settings made the grainy picture much better but it was still not as sharp an image as I thought I needed. I did manage to kill two reds at about 90 yds with it like that, but missed a coyote at 150. Next I purchased the Doubler which made a world of difference in clarity and of course the extra magnification was nice at distance. The Doubler also cuts down on the amount of IR light entering the scope which in itself helps limit the grainy picture, and with three powers and focus to use on the IR light it was pretty easy to adjust to get a good picture.

However, the Doubler doesn't work well for calling as the field of view is too narrow. Also taking the Doubler off to go calling and putting it back on to shoot over the bait pile was problematic. Removing and reinstalling the doubler has to be done to the exact tightness each time or the POI won't remain the same when the doubler is reinstalled. The POI will not be the same with the doubler as it is without the doubler, but that is easy to fix by writing down the numbers with or without. I have marked it by scribing a line across the doubler and coupler so that it goes back to the exact same place each time, but I am still not comfortable without checking the POI after reinstalling.

You already know about the 22mm hole so I won't repeat that. Currently I am awaiting the arrival of the IR module and variable switch for a Sniper Hog 66LR that I already had. I also ordered a 50LR head as well. When I get that in, I will report on how it compares to the T-20 with each of the heads and the variable power. If it works as I expect, the Sniper Hog will go on the bait pile rig and I will get another Photon 4.6 XT to use for calling with the T-20.
 
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Thanks for the update. I took my Photon out for the first time last night. No luck with the hogs, but saw lots of coons and rabbits. My feeder is about 100yd from the stand and I could see well enough to shoot with very little moon. I think I will get a T20 in the future. It took me a while to figure out how to use the focus and brightness dial to get the best picture that I could. What exactly does the eyepiece focus do? I played with it some but didn't really notice much change other than the crosshair would get blurry.
 
The eyepiece focus just lets you adjust the cross hair view to your eye. Once you get that where you want it, you should never have to mess with it again. Glad you liked the scope. I like mine as well and it really does what I need at night. I have a T20 with mine and there are times when I need it. I use the T20 on shots around 200yds. The scope will see further than that, but that's enough distance for me at night.
 
1lobo I agree that I can see much farther than I would feel safe to shoot at night. I was just looking at some deer in the field behind my house at 550 yds with the Doubler attached, and didn't have any trouble telling what they were. Like you, 200 yds is a pretty long poke at night although I did kill one coyote this winter at 240, but I also missed one at that distance that moved just as I squeezed the trigger.
 
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