Is the an pvs 4 military type night scope good for coyote hunting
- Thread starter JRK
- Start date
looking at them myself. Supposed to be great scopes for the Benjamins. Only con I see is that there is no place to mount an IR extender scope light for those times you may need one... and the weight. I think the front lens is about 4.5" Go big or go home! Others have said (in my research) is that there are no really fine scope adjustments on the units for zero-ing the rifle. One owners said the best he could get with adjustments were 2" groups using that scope and every verticle adjustment was almost 2" per click at 100 or something like that. The argument being they were meant to kill man sized targets using a variety of weapons (including machine guns) so exact precision was not at the top of the list I guess. Overall, everyone seems pleased with them that has them. That's about all my research has found so far.
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Pronghunter
New member
I own one. Garbage. Sorry, just opinion. Hard to see anything. If there’s no snow on the ground, almost impossible. SAVE your money!!
IndexFinger
Active member
a old ( gen.2 ) PVS4 would be on the low 'sucky side' for performance . Pass-up on it unless it a offered to you dirt cheap and you got a few hundred dollars to waist .
And for old mil. weapons NV, With ( Gen3 tube ) . I would take a old Raptor4, or a Raptor6, for a 1st choice, over an old PVS4 fitted with ( Gen.3 ) for hunting Coyotes . But if you got a good deal offered to you buying an old PVS4 fitted with gen.3 tube . You could do pretty good with it on Coyotes .
If it a good price, and that all you got for budget, and it ( gen.3 fitted) . Then get it and use it . then move up the ladder latter when your wallet gets a little fatter .
There old school units and are on the (mil.spec.) heavy side for build weight . They are a low-x fixed-power magnification like around 3.2 or 3.5x . If you fit them with a Gen.3 Tube they will perform and give you a great image . 3.5 power is a perfectly good working magnification .
PVS4 For performance and old ( Gen2 tube ) . they suck, You 'will need' a little moon out and use some IR supplement . You will get a lot of grainy noise static on image when not some ambient Moon out , with relying on IR for illumination most the time .
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edit add.
If it one of those pvs4 agency turn-in rebuilds, like TNVC was offering several years back, with an upgraded Litton tube Gen3, and better battery supply housing . That would be a good purchase pick for that age of unit .
( for me ) a PVS4 Below that standard . I would pass and shoot for purchasing an old heavy Mil. D740 or 760 body style NV sight for a Coyote hunter .
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And for old mil. weapons NV, With ( Gen3 tube ) . I would take a old Raptor4, or a Raptor6, for a 1st choice, over an old PVS4 fitted with ( Gen.3 ) for hunting Coyotes . But if you got a good deal offered to you buying an old PVS4 fitted with gen.3 tube . You could do pretty good with it on Coyotes .
If it a good price, and that all you got for budget, and it ( gen.3 fitted) . Then get it and use it . then move up the ladder latter when your wallet gets a little fatter .
There old school units and are on the (mil.spec.) heavy side for build weight . They are a low-x fixed-power magnification like around 3.2 or 3.5x . If you fit them with a Gen.3 Tube they will perform and give you a great image . 3.5 power is a perfectly good working magnification .
PVS4 For performance and old ( Gen2 tube ) . they suck, You 'will need' a little moon out and use some IR supplement . You will get a lot of grainy noise static on image when not some ambient Moon out , with relying on IR for illumination most the time .
.
edit add.
If it one of those pvs4 agency turn-in rebuilds, like TNVC was offering several years back, with an upgraded Litton tube Gen3, and better battery supply housing . That would be a good purchase pick for that age of unit .
( for me ) a PVS4 Below that standard . I would pass and shoot for purchasing an old heavy Mil. D740 or 760 body style NV sight for a Coyote hunter .
.
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I have a 3rd gen AN/PVS-4 and it works great, they made more of them in 2nd gen and while they are not terrible with a good illuminator, the two don't compare. It is American 3rd gen and there is nothing junk or "sucky" about it. It is a tough, accurate and robust unit that will take abuse and holds its zero. It is very easy on batteries.
The things that could be better are that it is big and it is a little heavy. It is also only 4X magnification. That said, the thing I like the least about it is that the reticle can be a little hard to see at times when the illuminator is turned on. I swapped the "issued" one {small little upside down T} out in favor of the one for the "crew served weapon" style AN/PVS5, very easy to do yourself. It is a bigger crosshair all the way across the whole tube. You will need to get a separate infrared illuminator to see animal eyes and also I would get the double A battery adapter. For the money, it really is a hard scope to beat. Probably the most cost effective, good quality American 3rd gen you can get.
The things that could be better are that it is big and it is a little heavy. It is also only 4X magnification. That said, the thing I like the least about it is that the reticle can be a little hard to see at times when the illuminator is turned on. I swapped the "issued" one {small little upside down T} out in favor of the one for the "crew served weapon" style AN/PVS5, very easy to do yourself. It is a bigger crosshair all the way across the whole tube. You will need to get a separate infrared illuminator to see animal eyes and also I would get the double A battery adapter. For the money, it really is a hard scope to beat. Probably the most cost effective, good quality American 3rd gen you can get.
Originally Posted By: msincI have a 3rd gen AN/PVS-4 and it works great, they made more of them in 2nd gen and while they are not terrible with a good illuminator, the two don't compare. It is American 3rd gen and there is nothing junk or "sucky" about it. It is a tough, accurate and robust unit that will take abuse and holds its zero. It is very easy on batteries.
The things that could be better are that it is big and it is a little heavy. It is also only 4X magnification. That said, the thing I like the least about it is that the reticle can be a little hard to see at times when the illuminator is turned on. I swapped the "issued" one {small little upside down T} out in favor of the one for the "crew served weapon" style AN/PVS5, very easy to do yourself. It is a bigger crosshair all the way across the whole tube. You will need to get a separate infrared illuminator to see animal eyes and also I would get the double A battery adapter. For the money, it really is a hard scope to beat. Probably the most cost effective, good quality American 3rd gen you can get.
How can/do you mount an external IR to the unit?
The things that could be better are that it is big and it is a little heavy. It is also only 4X magnification. That said, the thing I like the least about it is that the reticle can be a little hard to see at times when the illuminator is turned on. I swapped the "issued" one {small little upside down T} out in favor of the one for the "crew served weapon" style AN/PVS5, very easy to do yourself. It is a bigger crosshair all the way across the whole tube. You will need to get a separate infrared illuminator to see animal eyes and also I would get the double A battery adapter. For the money, it really is a hard scope to beat. Probably the most cost effective, good quality American 3rd gen you can get.
How can/do you mount an external IR to the unit?
Originally Posted By: kecOriginally Posted By: msincI have a 3rd gen AN/PVS-4 and it works great, they made more of them in 2nd gen and while they are not terrible with a good illuminator, the two don't compare. It is American 3rd gen and there is nothing junk or "sucky" about it. It is a tough, accurate and robust unit that will take abuse and holds its zero. It is very easy on batteries.
The things that could be better are that it is big and it is a little heavy. It is also only 4X magnification. That said, the thing I like the least about it is that the reticle can be a little hard to see at times when the illuminator is turned on. I swapped the "issued" one {small little upside down T} out in favor of the one for the "crew served weapon" style AN/PVS5, very easy to do yourself. It is a bigger crosshair all the way across the whole tube. You will need to get a separate infrared illuminator to see animal eyes and also I would get the double A battery adapter. For the money, it really is a hard scope to beat. Probably the most cost effective, good quality American 3rd gen you can get.
How can/do you mount an external IR to the unit?
You would have to attach an ir illuminator to the gun, I dont believe there is a way to attach one to the actual unit itself.
The things that could be better are that it is big and it is a little heavy. It is also only 4X magnification. That said, the thing I like the least about it is that the reticle can be a little hard to see at times when the illuminator is turned on. I swapped the "issued" one {small little upside down T} out in favor of the one for the "crew served weapon" style AN/PVS5, very easy to do yourself. It is a bigger crosshair all the way across the whole tube. You will need to get a separate infrared illuminator to see animal eyes and also I would get the double A battery adapter. For the money, it really is a hard scope to beat. Probably the most cost effective, good quality American 3rd gen you can get.
How can/do you mount an external IR to the unit?
You would have to attach an ir illuminator to the gun, I dont believe there is a way to attach one to the actual unit itself.