Pulsar N870 LRF

Pulsar N870LRF Review

Courtesy of Thomas Jacks, leading supplier of Pulsar and cobra products.

£1300 rrp

Specifications:

• A built-in 400m laser rangefinder with True Horizontal Distance (THD) and Angle of Elevation (AoE) functions which are accurate to ±1m
• A smooth 4.5-9x zoom in 0.1x increments
• A built-in covert 915nm laser IR illuminator (no tell-tale red glow – totally invisible to the human eye)
• 13 selectable reticles
• Zero function with freeze frame – once your shot has been taken, freeze the frame and align the reticle with the point of impact – no need to keep the rifle held steady
• Resistant to bright light exposure
• Optional external battery pack (EPS3/EPS5)
• Three zero memory feature allowing you to save zero for three weapons or distances
• Frost resistant OLED display which provides excellent contrast
• Built in eye-safe laser illuminator
• Video port to record the action
• Wireless remote control (Power On/ Off, IR illuminator On/Off and zoom
• Energy saving modes will automatically switch off the rifle after 10 seconds if it is at a 70o vertical angle or 30o horizontal angle and a second mode that will turn off the power to the video module if it is not required
• If the rifle is inclined at a horizontal angle of 5o or more a warning sign appears showing the direction and angle on incline
• 67mm of eye relief
• Wide operating temperature -20°? to +50°?
• Quick image adjustment to suit light conditions – High Contrast/SumLightTM (heightened light amplification) modes
• Adjustable screen brightness and contrast
• Two position retained lens cap
• Rugged and lightweight bodyshell
• Supplied with a Weaver mount

Technical bit over with,

For a while now I have been reviewing a number of Night vision items as I work mainly at night, whether it is for spotting or for shooting most of my hunting is done during the hours most people are fast asleep in cloud cuckoo land and have no idea what is going on. Working like this is not just more convenient for me but also safer with a lot less restrictions of interruptions. So what ever makes my life easier when hunting, whether it is a NV scope or spotter or a decent lamp it is more than welcome in my tool list.

The Pulsar Digisight N870LRF is just one of those tools that is completely designed for the hunter who works in these very conditions.

Setting up,

With the mount being provided in the package mounting is quick and easy IF you have a weaver/rail set up on already on your intended rifle, thankfully I have both this on one of the .243’s and the .22lr.

I originally set this up on the .243 Browning A-bolt and took it to the range and zeroed it in, Zeroing was a little difficult due to ranging at 100yrds for zero but it did seem to zero well using the freeze capture function and it took 2 rounds to zero as I was getting used to how it works, however, after a couple of nights with it out and about on the .243 I realised that this review was going to be a flop as it was not seeing much action so I put it on my CZ455 .22lr and zeroed it.

Again zeroing on the .22lr I found a little awkward using the freeze frame did help and even though I shot it at night I was struggling to see the impact holes and this seems to be the issue with these types of scopes, freeze function is good but not as good as it claims due to picture quality and not being able to zoom into the picture to see the initial shot. in the end however it did only take 5 rounds to zero with a little guess work.

Functions on the N870 is easy to use with 3 menus to allow to set up, menu 1 allows you to pick your retical and colour etc, I picked the mil-dot in black just to make it simple. Menu 2 is your zeroing set up giving you the choice to save zeros for up to 3 different rifles, also the freeze frame function to allow 1 shot zero (obviously in better conditions than I had) and also manual zero, and finally menu 3 allows you to set up date time etc on the digital display. All these functions are actuated bt the main menu wheel,

Other knobs and switches include power switch that also turns on the on board IR level 1,2 and 3, also a focus wheel setting focus from 10yrds to 100yrds which really does help. Rear focal focus is for focusing on the digital screen itself so you can see the time and reticule.

Probably the best feature ever on this scope has to be built in range finder, this really does help when night shooting and by god it is accurate and has helped a lot and I will explain later.

All this computer artistry on top of your rifle powered by 4 AA batteries combines to make a great piece of equipment.

My Thoughts..

After the lack of use on my .243 outwith the range although performing very well with the shocks of the big rifle I attached it to my trusty .22lr to play with on rabbits.

First night out I let my friend and colleague Liam loose with the set up, Now Liam although being an experienced shooter and stalker is relatively new to the Night Vision scene so this was one of his first chances to get to grips with night vision equipment and what a start, after a little instruction (and I mean a little) on what button does what Liam ranged in a rabbit (with the on-board range finder) at 97yrds and dropped it dead. What a great start and proof that this whole set up can be used by the expert as well as the novice without the use of of traditional lamp or much tuition. Impressed to say the least. After that first shot we both took turns each and it was proving to be quite successful.

Another night out I personally ranged in a rabbit at 100yrds along side me was another friend Iain and it was a great head shot.

The built in IR is good out to 200 yards and does give enough focus and light to used effectively, I tested this with no extra IR just the on board set up again to make sure that you can use it without any extra expense and it works really good although a little grainy at times eye shine is very good.

A great feature on this unit is the digital spirit/tilt level function which activates automatically if you tilt the scope too much left and right. this function is great because it helps with a steadier shot as well as more accuracy when aiming specifically if your shooting from a vehicle.

The Digisight N870 comes with a zoom function that is pretty clear and allows you to get a closer image when shooting but I guarantee you that you will find that you never use it, it is a little fiddly as you have to click by the brightness and contrast setting to get to the zoom and in the IR if your batteries are running low the image becomes a little more grainy than the original view. To be honest out to the ranges I was shooting or seeing under the 200yrds the zoom was not really needed.

In conclusion over the last couple of weeks I have had this unit out on several occasions and it is proving to be very useful, One downside is that you cannot really use this during the day and zeroing in day time hours is nigh on impossible. Another kind of issue I feel is the digital zeroing, I am not a great fan of it due to not always being able to see the impact of your first shot, I have had some experience with digital zeroing and although I cope ok with the concept and its use and I am a competent user I feel its a little too hard to understand for the novice, the whole dragging the cross hairs to the impact instead of the more traditional way of adjusting the windage and elevation is too Alien for some users,

However all of its downsides I do believe this unit is very good and to be honest what makes it is the range finding function, The range finder for me was such a breath of fresh air mainly due to judging distances at night, through a scope things always look close and at night I am always surprised how far away some of my kills really are specially if I have to walk to retrieve it.

£1300 is a lot to pay but not for good nightvision, my recommendations if buying this is to use an external IR although the internal one is good external ones help with saving power and can give you a far clearer picture. Also I feel this would be a great scope if your dedicating a rifle just for night vision shooting, I know that the storable zero function is very good but the hassle of switching rifles can be a pain. This is definitely a good foxing or rabbit cope and if i purchased it I would have it permanently placed on my .22lr although it would limit its use for Night work only. In the end it is a great scope with a lot of great functions and those that buy it wont be completely disappointed, however, for the price there is cheaper set up that do not offer the range finding function but in regards of quality this scope I feel is worth every penny just a shame that my budget like many others does not stretch to it or it would be a definite buy for me