Looks awesome with bare frame of the stock/butt! Now you just need some IR lights. And some rats :-)
I may put some money into this thing. I’ve been reading the first thing I need to do is buy the steel receiver and some spring I think.
…but then I look at something like this and it’s all turn key with the included scope, so I’m undecided.
I'm not sure what a steel receiver is. Something to mount the scope to?
As for the amazon link - in reply #2 alpg88 pointed out to me that the brake barrel spring piston air guns is harder on the scope than air powered ones. So your current gun should be better - if you can find some way of attaching the rig.
I think one of the youtube videos in my original post had a gun similar to yours. Will try and find it for you ...
Mine is a brake barrel spring piston - but I'll give it a try and see if it holds up :-)
i thought this gun was somewhat similar to yours:
And i stumbled across this (click and scroll a bit down) - looks like yours, but with a scope mounted on a picatinny rail.
I think it might be to small to fit both flashlight, screen and camera to it.
Edit:
Sorry -it does not have a picatinny rail. The ring mounts must be screwed directly on to the barrel.
wow… i wish i had found this thread before…
i am PRETTY sure the “lads” over at “nightvisionforumUK” know who SEDSTAR is… (they call me “sedders”, lol)
I have built scope add-ons… and “scopeless” both.
I even built my own IR illuminators from scratch (oslon 4715s… i went thru the math and ended up with a 3 and 4 lens version i like best… my “record” was seeing my IR die well focused, over 800 meters.)
looks like you went with the e700 cam, great cam… I was the first one to put the EJ230 INSIDE of a “gutted out” regular gun scope, and use the main lens as a lens for the CAM… (they nicknamed it the “FUTON” build, a-la “poor mans photon”)
with a airgun? theres no need to go “scopeless” until you are varminting with actual firearms, distance wise.
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your build pictures look about right, your doing fine… personally? i like to mount my screen to the left of the scope, and its on a hinge… it flips out to the left, like a camcorder screen does, well i like it there.
this home made NV is a LOT OF FUN…
my “rigs” put A-N-Y “gen one” tubed rig to SHAME, and stomp a mudhole into their arse in the alley out back, LMAO
a decent “scopeless” build? if you make a really good IR illuminator and get it all working good?? they give gen 2 and up tubed units a run for their money… and at 300 or so USA dollars?? thats a SERIOUS “budget” improvement…
me and my hunting buddy can “scan” the fields for coyotes farther than our guns can really shoot, lol… with the right SCOPE underneath it all, i can get a “scoped add on” rig out to a couple hundred meters with good picture.
a good “scopeless” rig? is smaller and lighter, and, often times doesnt need ANY infrared light at all…
welcome to the digital DIY night vision club! you’ll be “hooked” for sure now!
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and a warm welcome to any “nightvisionforumUK” members here.
heck, i only got into “flashlights” and ended up HERE at THIS site? because of my interest in making a “zoomie” for IR leds, lol…
heres a “scopeless” rig…
machined out the inside of a real gun scope (small 4x32 scope, cost 30 USA dollars)
screen was less than 20 dollars
EJ230 cam in-SIDE the gun scope… 100 dollars
I have what? 150 dollars in total?
heres my tiny “weestar” IR illuminator… smallest one i ever saw anyone make on the UK site…
thats a P60 build, oslon 4715s, 1050ma 12v driver
“2 lens” focusing, took them off of a 7 dollar “bbgun” scope.
lenses are about 1 inch in diameter, LMAO
not quite 30 dollars, and that was having someone build the p60 unit for me in europe, LMAO
shown next to two cr123 “primaries” for size reference (tiny thing, fits ANYwhere)
heres one of my “big” scratch build IR illuminators… same p60 inside unit inside of the focusing
this is a 4-lens focusing system…all lenses “free” from scrounging
same cost, just some scrap pieces of PVC epoxied together
dollar bill for size reference
now for “beamshots” (home made NV in action…)
control shot… dark as pitch… distance is 200+ meters
heres the “tiny” illuminator same picture, 30 seconds later, “flood mode”
heres the “tiny” illuminator, same picture, “focused emitter” slightly de-focused for image clarity (no die lines)
NOW for the “money shot”… same scopeless rig? heres 800+ meters… with “big” illuminator…
control shot… no illumination…
heres the same image… with the “big” 4 lens illuminator…
heres the “google maps” distances (swimming pool = 200meters, across river = 800 meters)
PS - this is the “straight line” distances, ACTUAL distance is longer, as i am on a down angle (wink!)
(remember? you had a 500 dollar budget?? this is on a 300 dollar build…)
we have guys on the UK site, take shots that got animals on the first shot, at over 400 meters… these things can be very accurate…
my 300 dollar build? will perform, for how far you can SEE, side by side… with units costing over 2000 dollars, LMAO
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so yeah… i think i qualify as a “budget” builder, lol… mind you, thats my MONEY cost… i put some T-I-M-E into this hobby… i’m not bragging (well, maybe just a little, lol) i mainly wanted to show you, how well you can get a unit performing, for very little money…
NOTE: the images you see here? are CRAP… because you are looking at a cheap cellphone picture snapped by a shaky hand… taking a picture of a small screen… trust me, the actual image my eye sees on the screen? is CRISP and CLEAR (once i get a SD card recording unit? i can show a video like the UK lads always make)
toodles !
oh yeah… heres what you can DO with the unit…
and? heres my “spotter” unit… picture is i dont even know, cant find it on the map exactly yet… has to be thousands of meters away, lol… pitch black to the eye, you cant see anything? but… with home made NV (no illumination used, ambient light only from no moon out…)
unit (hand held spotter) that took the picture… (control pic with cell phone? was black as pitch, showed nothing)
i ADDED a lens inside of a “real” camera lens, to get the “F” number down ridiculously low for hot rod performance…
Wow, that's one dead raccoon! :D
yeah, hes dead all right… and? “that aint ketchup”, LMAO
head shots are cool, lol
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its really kinda funny, is the OP only needs to go “ratting” at airgun distances? I mean, how far are you really gonna shoot a low powered airgun at anyways? I mean, SOME guys get some real distance with them, but… I know i need a real firearm for distance…
anyways, just about ANY small 3-AA sized “cheap zoomie” will get you 50 meters, as long as you use a oslon 4715s… and thats with a low budget “add on” unit… (e700)
you can easily get by with a 30 dollar camera, if you “spec” the sony chip numbers right (UK site can help)
but really, 100 bucks for a e700 or ej230 is a few extra bucks well spent.
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cant wait to see how he does…
i got “burglarized” and all my night vision prototype stuff stolen… i cant WAIT to get more stuff and re-make my kits back up…
Hi Sedstar :),
Yes if half moon/ moon/ star night conditions I don't doubt that they will work well. But even gen 3 needs illuminator on dark nights.
Is this rig on your picture a scopless or futon? If it is a scopless rig than it has really tiny front lenses fitted instead scope objective lenses ?
I see you have 3,5" low resolution screen... Have you considered to put better screen or viewfinder?
The biggest minus I see in this rigs is monitor glare... Did you find a good way to eliminate this?
yes, thats a “futon” build…
the ej230 is up inside a reamed out regular gun scope.
the original “main objective” of the original gun scope is the camera lens.
you can easily replace the little round “glass window” on the front of the ej230, with a LENS of shorter focal length, and in conjunction with the scope objective, it gives lower magnification, but REALLY “ups” the F number for performance.
without adding in the smaller lens, the gun scope main objective will give fairly high magnification.
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I like the low res screens, just for how cheap they are and work so well…. when i re-make my kit? i am gonna also get a “angel eyes” so i can record movies of it all, as well as just go shooting. (cell phone pics, of a screen sucks)
i have been considering seeing if i can use the “video glasses” instead of a screen… wire up a “wireless” to the glasses… and i can still use the glasses with my spotter.
low power “modules” for sending and receiving the video wirelessly between cam and screen? are about under 20 dollars, lol… (i’m decent with electronics)
really? with a good “futon” build? i get nice imaging even down to a “sliver” of moon, even with the sliver of moon under clouds… but sure, when into the shadows, or a hillside blocking your view, yeah IR illumination is a must
its really crazy though, how many times i can see game animals far away, with no IR light…
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the only thing that bugs me about the screens, isnt so much “glare” as it is the bright image ruins my natural night vision, LMAO… which is kind of ironic…
So what is better:
Futon or Scopless?
Does Futon build need to have paralax adjustment for image sharpening?
a futon IS a scopeless… its the same thing, really
your just using the gun scopes front main objective in place of the cs-mount lens you use in a scopeless.
futon or scopeless? what we call “parallax” is really just “focusing”. (the front lens on a gun scope? screws in and out to focus, even if a cheap scope doesnt have “parallax adjustment” its still there… just unscrew the front and refocus the lens, lol)
you can take ANY gun scope and re-focus it for use as a air rifle, simply by unscrewing the front bezel and refocusing.
the advantages of the futon build?
your “lens” is definitely recoil proof, lol… it was a gun scope lens.
fairly high magnification, 10 to 12x is not uncommon
good performance for the magnification
low price… you dont have to buy a c-mount, you dont have to buy a expensive camera lens (as camera lenses get higher magnification, the price goes up)
small size and traditional gun scope look
disadvantages?
your stuck with fixed magnification, and relatively high magnification
you dont get an IRIS to restrict light like with a decent camera lens
most gun scopes i reamed out for FUTON trying out? work AWESOME out in a dark field… the pain is when there is off-axis light. its handy to twist an IRIS to limit the light or open it up for darkness.
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out in a DARK FIELD scanning for coyotes, without any lights around? my FUTON builds work awesome, and personally i LIKE a fairly high magnification for distance… plus? i can lower the magnification (raising the performance too, bigger exit pupil, lower F number) by adding a lens. the lens goes where the flat glass cover on the ej230 goes… but, this isnt for everyone.
the main thing i missed was an IRIS… i compensated by having cheap “lens covers” with different size holes in them, like people make for the photon for daylight use.
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the traditional scopeless is NICE because the cam lenses have an IRIS like you want.
if you have good enough IR light? personally, i dont think i would be shooting further than i can “see” well with even an addon, really. I never shot beyond 400 yards anyways, and i can see that far with an addon. PLus? going from 3x to 9x is NICE for scanning, then zooming in to shoot.
zooming a cam lens (if its not fixed FL) affects POI…. addons are no more or less accurate than the gun and scope they are on.
I wonder if you could build NVG’s with the Shark or other knock-off of a shark goggle and a pair of cameras. From what you are describing the performance of something like that would rival or exceed Gen III goggles.
Great to hear your inputs sedstar! :-) Nice builds! And that's one big mofo of a rat!
I started the other way round. Got interested in flashlights, and had to build this NV setup for my dad, because of a lot of rats in his zoo.
And thanks for welcoming me into the DIY night vision club :-)
800 meters! that's crazy! :-) What lens/flashlight did you use for that?
Yeah I went with the e700. I think Rolaid in one of his videos said that the guts of the E700 and the EJ230 were the same. So I went for the cheaper one.
I agree that a scopeless setup is overkill for an airgun. But if I build another setup I'll try to make it scopeless. I really like your idea of gutting out a gun scope, and the sturdiness it must give. But i also like the look and customizability of Rolaids DNVS 3.1
But I'll have to dive back into nightvisionforumuk.com to learn the newest trends and tricks before return to the DIY night vision club :-)
yeeeah rats 
i wish there are more here on my little farm with pool
kalibrgun cricket 5.5 with Hawke airmax 30
feeder the rats for couple days/weeks on a place.
they coming on evening/dark.
if you see the tats on daylight there are a lot 
many rats than maybe 20 ore more
shining wit a red flashlight atmosferish bvb tf 20 with red led 20-50 meter from the feder place.
better diming light than strong (low stand)
about +–20-25 shoot the rats
i see this video here from making sheap infra red
maybe update the UF T20 with red xpe2 on noctigon with a couple of this negative for the glass ?
ASKED:“800 meters! that’s crazy! Smile What lens/flashlight did you use for that?”
ANSWER: 800 “plus” meters was with the “big” illuminator and the scopeless build. Its a scratch build, the one in the pictures that shows a dollar bill for size comparison. Looks big and heavy? but its just all PVC mostly, so its surprisingly light. AT one amp?? we dont have gobs of heat to displace like we do on a high performance flashlight like you guys build. SO the extensive heatsinking isnt as necessary. instead of using one big lens like most zoomies use you are familiar with? my scratch build has a lens down inside the reflector of the p60, and 2 to 3 lenses acting in combination after that…unless someone claims better, no one has posted video or pictures of my distances, so, i might have the distance record. WHIle its a better performing illuminator? obviously not everyone is going to try to get 3 or 4 lenses working together…most will go with “one lens” like regular visible zoomies you are used to.
ASKED:“I agree that a scopeless setup is overkill for an airgun. But if I build another setup I’ll try to make it scopeless.”
ANSWER: scopeless is ALSO great as it greatly reduces the size and weight of the thing. With an addon? you end up with a fair sized gun scope, a big lensed IR zoomie illuminator, a screen…maybe battery… it gets HEAVY, a lot of the weight is top heavy, and you end up looking like something out of a starwars movie, LMAO. The scopeless is a lot smaller and lighter and if you can locate the illuminator under the stock, its not top heavy.
ASKED:“I really like your idea of gutting out a gun scope, and the sturdiness it must give.”
ANSWER: the biggest problem i have, is a nuts and bolts issue… the EJ230 body, as it comes, has a slight taper to the body. Its a very slight “cocked” in the gun scope. SOME scopes i tried are a hair big inside diameter, i like the ones too small… cos i ream them out to a good fit. I have been “toying” with the idea of trying to use O-rings on the EJ230 body to “center it” inside the scope tube, then thinking about maybe epoxying it in place. What i LIKE about the idea is that a gun scope is all made to take recoil and fit sturdy on a gun. The LENS is made to be sturdy for recoil too. Its just a nuts and bolts thing to get it sturdy and centered inside the tube.
SOMEone up there mentioned making night vision goggles?
if you start with video glasses? this rolaids video…
…describes putting a “e190” camera with a 12mm board lens (lipstick cam, same company as ej230 and e700) and taping it to the side of the glasses…lol
its automatically a NVG system.
mounting the camera and a bigger better lens on a hat or head mount, would make it pretty awesome… and you would just use the IR zoomie flashlight just like you would use a regular flashlight… just shine it around.
i’m definitely going to have to get a pair of the video eyeglasses… it eliminates the need for a screen in the gun build… plus it doubles as real night vision goggles if you add a lipstick cam to the side of the glasses…
Wanted to let you guys know, after reading this thread you guys have made me go out and buy a couple of pellet guns. First pellet guns except for a couple of cheap Chinese guns since childhood. Have an RWS Diana 350 Magnum .177 coming later today and an Air Arms S410 SL Xtra FAC Magnum .22 coming later in the week. Signed up on the Gateway to Airguns forum but it seems a little dead, any better forums on airguns?