"Flash in the Pan" PARD sights.

[Die Judicii]

Speaking only by what I have read and observed, these PARD sights were the raved about flavor of the month "must have in thing" when
first hitting the market.
I must admit I was rather taken aback when I saw some photos of some,, as they appeared to be most cumbersome and not user friendly.
I see now that there are quite a few listed for sale on various venues for as little as 600 bucks.
That must be a bit of a let down for people that bought them new,, considering they haven't been on the market for a long time.

Anyone here care to expand on why ?

Were they not what they were cracked up to be,,, or maybe just high pressure sales advertising on behalf of the distributors/importers ?

I believe the same advertising/marketing tactics were employed concerning the Adlers.
Every man and his dog rushed out and bought one,,,,,, now they are a dime a dozen since the media driven hype died down.

[mchughcb]

NV008P LRF is one of the best value for money digital vision scopes.

The colour is good for day and with a 940nm its good for night.

Can't recommend them enough for the price. If you want to spend 5x and go for a thermal scope go for it but on open paddock or fringe country they are fine.
It says 6.5X optical but it is closer to 7.9X which is ideal for most hunting situations where you can take your time. It takes a 18650 battery so that also helps.

[bigpete]

The older models are selling cheap coz the newer models are out,simple as that. They're still a bloody good unit for a bloody good price.

[scoot]

Much like your Adler analogy......closely followed by pardus, uzkon and whatever other cheap levers flooded the market. I see now the waters have been tested, a new cheap nv scope by sytong is available. For cheaper of course but looks exactly like the pard. Some pommy reviews reveal very minor cosmetic type differences.
Not trying to poo poo them but they are obviously designed and marketed to a lower price demographic. Great for those on tight budgets or hunting in a style that fits their suitability.

[Die Judicii]

The colour is good for day and with a 940nm its good for night.

Have you got a similar pic for comparison,,, but "nightTime" and showing an animal at say,,,,, 800 meters ?

[bigpete]

The colour is good for day and with a 940nm its good for night.

Have you got a similar pic for comparison,,, but "nightTime" and showing an animal at say,,,,, 800 meters ?

You'd be dreaming if you'd think any available night vision will work at 800m

[wanneroo]

Well we've had some good discussions in the past on here about night optics.

I use them at work, in fact in two weeks I'll be teaching a class on them.

When it comes to night optics you get what you pay for. Digital night vision is making advances but it's a battery hog and will often require illumination to assist it.

The US military is beginning to field night optics on a widespread basis that combine a thermal with an analog night optic. I've not got my hand on one yet but one time used a model that was $50K that combined both images and you could flip between the two. As years go on these will make their way into civilian hands.

These cheaper Chicom digital optics below $1k seem to work ok for a casual hunter at short distances but if it's a job then there are better things available.

[mchughcb]

The colour is good for day and with a 940nm its good for night.

Have you got a similar pic for comparison,,, but "nightTime" and showing an animal at say,,,,, 800 meters ?

I'm not paid for reviews. So anything you get for free, is exactly that.

https://youtu.be/oAiZyc5sUbE

[Skinna]

The colour is good for day and with a 940nm its good for night.

Have you got a similar pic for comparison,,, but "nightTime" and showing an animal at say,,,,, 800 meters ?

You'd be dreaming if you'd think any available night vision will work at 800m

800 metres... ...Yes... ...because thats a fair comparison for the average night time shot at varmints

Ah crikey i laughed i did.

[NTSOG]

G'day,

I have a basic PARD 008 on my HW66P [.22 magnum]. The PARD gives a clearer sight at night than my ATN 4K or ATN X sight II scopes. I use a vcsel 850 IR light [Black Sun Dark Engine] from the UK with the PARD and the X Sight II but a Sniper Hog 50 IR [850] with the ATN 4K 3-14. With all scopes I can see much further at night than I can shoot with certain accuracy. My longest night shot on a fox walking away was 180 yards shooting over a clear and well grazed paddock with the ATN 4K/Sniper Hog combination mounted on my Anschutz 1532 [.222 Rem]. The longest successful shot taken with my other rifle [X Sight II/vscel IR, also .222 Rem] was 148 yards - that was pushing it for visual range compared to the PARD plus vcsel IR. I don't use the built-in IR on the PARD so as to save battery power. Using the vcsel IR plus the PARD IR would increase brightness, but since the PARD is on a .22 magnum the range is necessarily shorter than for the .222 rifles so more light isn't needed.

It would be great to see even clearer/longer, but I would have to be a much better shot to shoot further at night with my rifles even with brighter illumination. Anyway I use a thermal spotter to find game then shift to the scope. The one issue I had with the PARD was the poorly finished mounting bracket which required shimming to get the reticle centred. All in all I'm satisfied with the PARD.

Jim

[Die Judicii]

You'd be dreaming if you'd think any available night vision will work at 800m

As I said, I've got ZERO first hand experience with these "Pards"
The only IR NV i've ever owned was an ATN jobbie,,,, and I sold that flat out like a lizard drinking, very disappointed I was.

But these Pards seemed to be wearing a lot of hype,,, and I thought "Here's a chance to find out"

So it appears they are restricted to 100 meters or thereabouts.

I'll just stick to thermal.

[Die Judicii]

100_5748.JPG (253.41 KiB) Viewed 8808 times

G'day,

I have a basic PARD 008 on my HW66P [.22 magnum]. The PARD gives a clearer sight at night than my ATN 4K or ATN X sight II scopes. I use a vcsel 850 IR light [Black Sun Dark Engine] from the UK with the PARD and the X Sight II but a Sniper Hog 50 IR [850] with the ATN 4K 3-14. With all scopes I can see much further at night than I can shoot with certain accuracy. My longest night shot on a fox walking away was 180 yards shooting over a clear and well grazed paddock with the ATN 4K/Sniper Hog combination mounted on my Anschutz 1532 [.222 Rem]. The longest successful shot taken with my other rifle [X Sight II/vscel IR, also .222 Rem] was 148 yards - that was pushing it for visual range compared to the PARD plus vcsel IR. I don't use the built-in IR on the PARD so as to save battery power. Using the vcsel IR plus the PARD IR would increase brightness, but since the PARD is on a .22 magnum the range is necessarily shorter than for the .222 rifles so more light isn't needed.

It would be great to see even clearer/longer, but I would have to be a much better shot to shoot further at night with my rifles even with brighter illumination. Anyway I use a thermal spotter to find game then shift to the scope. The one issue I had with the PARD was the poorly finished mounting bracket which required shimming to get the reticle centred. All in all I'm satisfied with the PARD.

Jim

This fox (I posted some time ago)
I shot at just under 300 meters, using a Tikka T3X in .223 under one of my Pulsar thermals.

[bigpete]

Hardly. I've used mine well past 100m with the stock standard IR light. And I've picked up animals at 200m in ideal conditions with the standard IR light sans scope. A better IR light will get you a lot further than the on board one but thats more weight to carry

[Die Judicii]

Hardly. I've used mine well past 100m with the stock standard IR light. And I've picked up animals at 200m in ideal conditions with the standard IR light sans scope. A better IR light will get you a lot further than the on board one but thats more weight to carry

It's so true,,,,, you get what you pay for.
The Pulsar will pick out a roo at 1.6 klms which is a bit of overkill,,,,,,, cos I don't live on the Nullabor.

[NTSOG]

DJ: "This fox (I posted some time ago)
I shot at just under 300 meters, using a Tikka T3X in .223 under one of my Pulsar thermals."

I saw that when you first posted it and marveled at your accuracy at such a range. However your shooting skills are clearly far superior than mine. I am greatly impressed by the skills of many who post here, e.g. Elmer in SA, and on other sites and can only marvel at their accuracy at long ranges. However that is more the measure of the shooter rather than the equipment. I'm certain that I could not use your equipment and match your skill at this time - if ever. I'm equally certain you could use a PARD equipped rifle and out shoot me or others simply on the basis of your greater level of skill. Recently I took my Weihrauch 66J with ATN X Sight II scope and vcsel IR up to a property nearby and gave it to the owner who has been shooting/hunting since a young lad - he's 50 now. He had never used my rifle or night vision before, but started stalking and knocking over hares without a problem out around 100+ yards. He is highly experienced and skilled - more so than I. As for PARDs and IR NV being restricted to about 100 yards or so - no. Even I have knocked over 5-6 foxes between 135 and 180 yards, but I have only been hunting them for about 18 months and tend to let them go if in any doubt about the range and conditions.

This gets back to the old adage about a workman and his tools: some workmen are more skilled than others using the same tools. Equally some tools are better than others - in the right hands.

Jim

[mchughcb]

You'd be dreaming if you'd think any available night vision will work at 800m

As I said, I've got ZERO first hand experience with these "Pards"
The only IR NV i've ever owned was an ATN jobbie,,,, and I sold that flat out like a lizard drinking, very disappointed I was.

But these Pards seemed to be wearing a lot of hype,,, and I thought "Here's a chance to find out"

So it appears they are restricted to 100 meters or thereabouts.

I'll just stick to thermal.

Nope, 200m easy with the almost 8X optical zoom with a good external IR that doesn't white out on grass or trees.

[Die Judicii]

DJ: "This fox (I posted some time ago)
I shot at just under 300 meters, using a Tikka T3X in .223 under one of my Pulsar thermals."

I saw that when you first posted it and marveled at your accuracy at such a range. However your shooting skills are clearly far superior than mine. I aJim

Mate,,,,,,,, lets get one thing clear,,,,,,
That fox was shot just as the pic shows,,, but ask me to repeat it with same results,,, it could probably be a clean miss.
Whereas Elmer on the other hand has demonstrated that he can do it time after time.

Thanks for your vote Mate,,,,, but I am not > NTSOG

[NTSOG]

mchughcb: "Nope, 200m easy with the almost 8X optical zoom with a good external IR that doesn't white out on grass or trees."

Your point is valid: the [older] NV scopes around benefit from enhanced IR lights being produced after-market, though the PARD's inbuilt light is pretty good, but battery drain is a concern. The IR lights that come with ATN scopes are rubbish and limit the range of the scopes. Add a vcsel [laser-based] torch or even a Sniper Hog light to an ATN and the shooting range is dramatically improved. That's why there's almost an 'arms race' in trying to produce better and brighter IR lights that give greater range. After that it's up to the skill of the shooter to shoot at a range that suits his level of skill. Atmospherics can be an impediment: I've had to abandon several hunts recently when fog came up. I could see using the thermal spotter, but the IR light reflected back off the fog just like driving a car with high beam lights through fog. A thermal scope would have been usable in the fog.

Jim

[Die Judicii]

This problem of "battery drain" that's been mentioned several times now would drive me insane.

I spend time from sundown to sunup with my thermals turned on constantly and scanning the surrounds looking for victims.
It would be a right royal pain in the Rse if I had to keep changing batteries during the night.

I only recharge mine once every 2nd night ,,, so I get between 20 and 23 hrs constant useage before having to change or re charge.

[NTSOG]

G'day DJ,

I take a few batteries out with me for the IR torches just in case, but the IR torches are only on when I have seen a possible target through the thermal. For the ATN X sight II I use Kentli AA batteries which last a very long time - much longer than ordinary AA NiMh batteries. The ATN 4K battery is supposed to be good for 18 hours. Both ATN sights have an automatic sleep mode so they're on stand-by most of the time until I need to 'wake them' up by simply moving the rifle. The PARD has a sleep mode also. So far the thermal has not gone flat - it's on all the time.

Being aware of the possibility of battery drain means that I haven't actually been caught out by having any device go flat.

Jim

[Larry]

I have had some very poor (being kind) experiences with ATN thankfully it was not mine. So do not carry the remorse that I would have if I had shelled out the money for it. It was a disaster to set up and use the resolution was very poor put me off for a good while. On the other hand I have used another brand true thermal that was very expensive like $15k and it was awesome. I find spending a few k on a good target scope that I use nearly every week a big outlay in equipment I could never justify the cost of a good quality thermal that is actually useable n just a hobbie.

[NTSOG]

G'day Larry,

It's clear that I've been lucky with my ATN scopes. The company has a bad reputation for back-up and some models are worse than others, e.g. one gun shop I visit will not sell 4Ks in 5-20 mag as they had too many defective returns. With the larger and stronger aftermarket IR lights, especially the laser based ones, the resolution is much better. If I buy another NV sight it won't be from ATN. As for $15,000 for a thermal sight - I would have to be a very good full-time pro shooter to justify that.

Jim

[mchughcb]

Today I bought another Pard NV008 for a mate. Once again I am impressed for what you get for the price. The only thing that lets it down is the mount. For a couple of hundred bucks more I'd happily pay for a decent QD type mount. Still there are plenty of after market units out there now.

[NTSOG]

Another PARD would be great and go on my BRNO Mod. 2. As you say the mount is cheaply and poorly made. I thought about getting a replacement from Innomount, but it would cost over $A400 from Germany. It's a shame such a good sight is let down by the mount.

Jim

[ratpaker]

Guys, I used to sell the pard units but pard in China have appointed an exclusive Australian dealer and the prices almost doubled over night.
I cant buy direct from Pard in china any more so looks like no more from me.
I love my pard units, I have no reason to lie as I no longer sell them.
We compared an ATN 4k my business partner owns and I honestly feel the pard craps on it for clarity, size, convenience and value.
I have NO intentions of changing my pard unit on my 17 hornet for ANY IR night vision on the market, not due to cost but due to how well it works.
I do use an aftermarket IR torch on mine, an "XTL sirius" and with that, I can actually see (not eye shine) foxes out past 400 meters.
The older model 008 (the new one is called a 008P) have a different screen in the viewfinder as the biggest difference and a lot of people in the UK actually prefer the older model for this reason.
The longest shot so far on a fox for me is 215 meters confirmed with the range finder and was more limited by the calibre than the night vision, my hunting mate shot one at 245 meters using the same set up as mine.
Get a pard for a good price and you wont be disappointed!

[Blr243]

I could tolerate a semi budget nv unit on a second rifle I think. There’s no way it could compare to a good thermal but I just can’t be putting good thermals on everything. If I can find game and stalk it with my good thermal binos then once I’m within 40 m I think a Budget nv Scope is well and truly all I need to finish the job , so I been having a look at them for a while now.

[bigpete]

Guys, I used to sell the pard units but pard in China have appointed an exclusive Australian dealer and the prices almost doubled over night.
I cant buy direct from Pard in china any more so looks like no more from me.
I love my pard units, I have no reason to lie as I no longer sell them.
We compared an ATN 4k my business partner owns and I honestly feel the pard craps on it for clarity, size, convenience and value.
I have NO intentions of changing my pard unit on my 17 hornet for ANY IR night vision on the market, not due to cost but due to how well it works.
I do use an aftermarket IR torch on mine, an "XTL sirius" and with that, I can actually see (not eye shine) foxes out past 400 meters.
The older model 008 (the new one is called a 008P) have a different screen in the viewfinder as the biggest difference and a lot of people in the UK actually prefer the older model for this reason.
The longest shot so far on a fox for me is 215 meters confirmed with the range finder and was more limited by the calibre than the night vision, my hunting mate shot one at 245 meters using the same set up as mine.
Get a pard for a good price and you wont be disappointed!

I heard that on Friday,that pard now only have one dealer. The gun shop owner was pretty pissed off about it tbh

[scoot]

Sole distribution of pards is possibly another good reason why the sytong scopes are starting to get pushed.

[ratpaker]

Sole distribution of pards is possibly another good reason why the sytong scopes are starting to get pushed.

Sytong seem to be a copy and I've heard mixed reviews.
A mate uses the clip on version and he prefers it to the pard 007.
The 008 copy is built on the same aluminium body but turned on its side by the look of it?
It uses the exact same mounting bracket that a lot of people don't like (mines been no problem, holds zero but is maybe a little high?)
Anyway, I've seen Sytong stuff at close to pard prices so I think maybe buy the original?

[Blr243]

I had a look at the inomount thing for a pard after I heard the pard mounts were a tad slack....it enterered my mind that I could make up my own with ally on my mill but it still looked like a lot of time to do it. Never heard of sytong before. I’ll have a google