I posted a similar question about my 5-18. The issue appears to be the rail-mounted IR, lighting up the smoke from the round. Once it cools off here, I'm going to put my portable IR lights on top of the blind and try shooting with no rail mounted lights and see if there's a difference.

It sure does make a quick follow-up shot difficult.

Charlie

I'll have to give that a try. Its looking like Wednesday night ill be heading back out. I can have my friend hold the light or try a tripod

You can also use the IR light from your trailcam. Set the cam for video so the light stays on as long as the video is running. I've killed 3 hogs like that since I figured it out.

My cams have hybrid mode so I'm configured for both pics and video. I monitor a crossing 180 yards from my tripod and it lights the pigs up like a xmas tree. I use both a 3-12 and 5-18 original NV models.

No but I'm very slow at testing. The weather here lately has not been conducive to NV.

I really hate the washout from muzzle blast every shot.

That video confirmed it, it is smoke from the round. Chad needs to make us some smokeless ammo!

I'm going to go hunt Fri night and put my 12v lights on top of the blind and not use anything on the rail. I'll video a round both ways.

Charlie

Yeah, it is pretty amazing how ammo shot in the daytime does not obscure your view, but will at night when using NV and an illuminator on the gun. All of the gunshot powder/residue is reflective. If there is a gentle breeze, it will dissipate much quicker. With a good wind, you won't even notice. No breeze and you may be effectively blind for 2 or 3 seconds.

I noticed a couple of things with your videos. In the first one with the T50 where you are looking at a target at 400 yards, there is not a lot of illumination. Lets say the berm behind the target is a tank damn and there are black hogs walking on it. You would have a very difficult time seeing them or knowing they were there. You might pick them out if you know they are there, but it wouldn't be an absolute. It is just too dark.

In your last video of the coyote, he becomes difficult to see as he moves along in the light brush and you couldn't reacquire him after the shot. There were many factors involved in that.

However, in both cases it represents the limits of digital technology. With thermal, you could easily see black hogs on the "tank dam" and take them out if you were so inclined. You could also see the coyote in that light brush much better and if the coyote were still present after the shot you could find him much easier. I found that many times (and I bet you have observed it as well since you have thermal) you can miss an awful lot if all you have is digital. Animals blend in with certain surroundings and shadows make life difficult. Flip side, you get an ability to do a certain level of night hunting with digital for a very economic price...and that ain't all bad.



You won't get the reflectivity off the smoke if the lights are away from the muzzle and on top of the blind. With a rail mount, it is just a fact of life.

https://youtu.be/Sj0QNxV_9Pg

Cows are 300yds, Sheep are 500+

5-20 base zoom, Predator Hunter Outdoors NS550 IR 95% humidity.

This is a recent thread about the scope... With some nice hunting videos and pics from page 3 on. I want one!

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=1973706

Mine will be relegated to daytime and backup night time use. I'll be using my thermal as much as possible and I still had to end a hunt 2 nights ago because the fog was so thick I couldn't see 50 yards with it. That's just the way hunting at night goes here this time of year. Lots of humidity.

Come on snow.