Not all flashlight related.
I have to build an IR flashlight with good throw, and not to wide a hotspot. So some flashlight is included
My dad owns a Zoo, and we are getting overrun by rats. So far the “high score” is catching 16 rats in live-traps in one day. But they are learning how to avoid the traps we set up.
So I offered to look into what it would take to build or buy a budget night vision kit for his air rifle. Absolute max budget is $500
If anyone has some experience on the matter all inputs would be appreciated.
…
I found this guy on youtube. A bit crazy - but really thorough.
His setup went from a “lego” version 1.0 to a full digital “scopeless” version 3.1 in two years
Great thing is he has put a parts list in the description of the videos.
I really like the v1.0 as it is within my budget. But any thoughts on improvements and so on would be nice.
Exactly how crazy are you willing to go? For $500 I doubt you’ll be able to build even the most basic type of weapon mountable night vision gunsight / scope. Trying to put the camera / sensor, the controller, power source and a display all into a weapon mountable unit is gonna be an insane DIY project.
What you could probably do is get a IR sensitive camera, because it’s an air rifle with very little (if any) recoil you could then mount the camera on the gun, mount an IR source and then make some sort of rig to hold the gun steady so you can aim it easily while looking into a small monitor. This would probably be doable pretty cheap. The camera wouldn’t have to be setup ADS, you can take some test shots and make a crosshair on your screen and aim the light so the hotspot is exactly on that point.
Remember that doing this the crosshairs will only be accurate at the distance you zero it at, the closer to the bore access you mount the camera the larger the range that the point of aim will be correspond to point of impact but it’s still only gonna work with the rat in that [small] range.
Edit: I swear I’d never seen this idea before or watched those videos or anything. I guess I was on to something there lol.
for $500, or even less you can buy simple nv scope, it woudl be better than you can build for same money.
now about air rifles, there are few types, if you have precharged, than you are ok. if you have brake barrel spring piston, you either need a sepcial scope that is made for such rifles, becase they have opposite recoil impulse, that will destroy scopes that are not made with that in mind, or you need special buffer mount, that will smoothen that impulse. i have killed few scopes that took recoil of 3006\44 mag just fine, but turned into nothing more than a spotting scope after few dozens, or may be hundred or so shots from brake barrel rifle. it was still fine to look thru, but crosshair would not stay zeroed in.
but i do not think you need any of that, rats have poor vision, poor depth preseption, and can’t see reds, you may be able to aim just using red light, they also have problems seeing things that are far, so if you be 50-70 feet away shining a red light on them, (deep red, and far red may even be even better), they may not even know you are there.
try with red light first, (a lot chaper option compared to nv scope) you may not have to get nv. if not, you can always replace red led with ir led 850nm (it glows red a bit, but very faint), and rats do not see reds anyway, but 850nm is a better illuminator than 940nm that you can not see.
What airgun are you using? Is your airgun a PCP high pressure air or a spring piston? If it is a springer be careful because the forward recoil of the piston slamming may damage a centerfire scope or a NVS
What Alpg88 said is right on the money. If you are shooting anything but pre-charged air rifle then you will trash your optics unless those optics are air rifle specific.
Ok, if you weren’t sure if I had any redneck in me this next bit will forever remove all doubt. Where I grew up, before they covered the land fill like any normal healthy civilized people have done forever, it was an open air affair that drew rats like the plague. It was miles and miles from town and a few Friday nights a month or so the local intellectuals would gather. Meanwhile a handful of rednecks would gather at the dump with mostly .22 cal pistols and rifles and the occasional shotgun and .357. Some intrepid individuals would duct-tape old incandescent Maglites to their rifles and some would hold a pistol in one hand and a searchlight in the other. (Remember them old yellow plastic jobs with a cord that plugged into your lighter outlet and were really impressive- boasting 500 Candlepower! Eventually rats would start to be seen long after dark and an occasional pop was heard from a .22 rifle. The amazing thing is that despite the pops, booms and dancing lights the rats were not discouraged and did not hide away for the night. They seemed to be drawn to the action. Some speculated the rats smelled the carnage and were drawn to that. One night some say there was practically a flood of rats that seemed to be working their way to the cars, guns and lights. That it was like world war 3 from all the gunfire and men ran out of bullets and fled because the rats were so large in number and so close to the cars. I don’t know about that rats tsunami, I do know there were usually whole lot of fresh empty Olympia beer cans littered about after these events so the story while entertaining is of questionable accuracy. The point of that long winded story is, I don’t think you need to go full Buck Rogers to bag the rats. Probably a flashlight with a tight beam and a potted driver will do just fine. Maybe a green or red emitter could improve your odds. Try simple first. I normally go way complex and failures bring me back to simple and I always find myself saying that I should’ve done it the simple way from the beginning.
Whatever happens, keep us posted. Damn shame you are so far away, I’d pay to join you. No drinking and shooting mind you. That is plain stoopid (spelling was intentional)
Researching, acquiring and perfecting your nightvision is going to take some time. The brits are ahead of us and searching youtube will lead you to some very good guys who share their setup info.
Don’t feel like you have to wait for your ideal NV setup though. I haven’t been ratting in a couple years but would get about 50 a night (sometimes more) using just a red LED flashlight and a normal short range scope. This was cheap and adequate. This is a good budget red flashlight I found but note it uses a 18650 battery: http://www.dx.com/20333
Mount a red or IR laser on the air rifle and zero it in. Buy a cheap GEN1 night vision viewer or even a TV/camera (with telephoto lens), blast away. With the laser on the rifle, you don’t need to sight down the rifle to accurately aim it. Just get the dot visible on the vermin. Or just get a mean cat…
If you were in the US I could hook you up with some nice night vision equipment, but all of mine is export controlled Gen2/Gen3 equipment.
Sorry about the late reply (went amber hunting all night) - I really appreciate all your comments!
I'm not willing/able to go over $500. That's the absolute max budget I was given. And we need it asap! :-p
A IR sensitive camera is exactly what I'm looking for. A DIY setup to attach to the existing scope.
The rig I linked to in the OP doesn't seem that difficult to make. ADS? I guess you don't refer to this :-p
The danish weapons legislation don't allow those kind of scopes.
The gun have brake barrel spring piston. A precharged would be nice - but again, I'm almost sure that those are not allowed in Denmark. Will have to look into that. But that would brake our budget.
I did not know about the poor vision of the rats, and that the don't see red. That sure opens up some possibilities. Maybe we could start up with a mounted flashlight along with a cheap red dot laser.
AlexGT: Great link!
scottyhazzard: LOL - love your redneck story. Almost sounds like a scene from a classic Hitchcock movie - mixed with some Deliverance mountain men :-D (not meant to offend any mountain men at BLF :p )
Will keep you posted!
wahoowad:
50 a night (sometimes more) ... but note it uses a 18650 battery
Thats insane! Do you freelance? :-) - and the 18650 part is ok. I would do the charging of them, and provide some CR123A primaries for backup. And thanks for another heads-up on the red LED flashlight
Good point on the laser. And for the mean cat. Meet James our white lion.
If he was tame it would be puuurrrrfect for ratting. Our XXXL sized mutant rats would be chance-less.
five.five-six: Had to google that. i guess it means youve got black belt in ratting?
I have been working with Roland for some time time now. He is no joke. do it just like he says and you will have no problem. Any questions just e-mail him, he will get you sorted out. If you need any help building an IR light just send me a PM, i will get you hooked up.
Did som Googling on the Phlatlight, and found a thread over at candlepowerforums - If the airgun does not kill the rat, they will have their eyes burned out by that LED and starve to death :-p
LOL. Haven't seen that yet. But now it's on my list :-)
Thanks kevind43. I also think he knows his stuff. Have seen all of his videos on his Night vison tests. Both fun and educational. He keeps mentioning a brain damage. What happened to him?
Anyway here is a horror clip from our surveillance cams a couple of days ago, which made me order the stuff Roland suggests:
Only thing i haven't ordered is cables, flashlight and batteries as I thought you guys here on BLF could give some advice on what to buy.
Roland suggest these batteries, and these cables, but they both do not ship to Denmark. Also I was thinking it might be a good idea to pot the driver on the flashlight as the gun type is brake barrel spring piston.
I have infiltrated the Cabal of Killer Rodents and they are on to you. They are arming themselves to their little gnawy teeth and won’t go down without a fight. J)
Oh crap! -But I guess it'll take some time for them to get to Denmark. I will gather my air-powered brothers in arms and prepare for their demonic invasion.
Ok…with that said, is there a good focued thrower with an IR led for a Gen III NVG? My buddy is a Class III dealer (an just recently got his manufacturer license) and I want to build him a good IR setup to use with his NVG’s.
He liked the Supfire F3-L2 this morning he looked at…do you guys think that it would focus the light from an IR emitter the same way it does a XM-L2 emitter’s light?
Also looking for a nice scope mount thrower to put a green LED in for hog hunting buddies to mount on their rifles…for some reason the hogs don’t see the green light as well as other colors
