Edit Note: In my excitement, I jumped the gun with some of my thoughts about this Photon XT, particularly about use with only ambient lighting. I should have hunted with it first to get more information.
The acid test for me is whether the Photon will allow you to see a black hog standing next to a black treeline. At 200 yards, (with no ambient light at all) and just the stock illuminator, the answer would be no.
However, tonight there is a 1500 foot overcast, with nearby city lights providing some reflective illumination. From an elevated stand, the grassy areas appear much lighter than the dark trees. Right now 4 black hogs are 250 yards away walking on the grass AWAY from the treeline. They area quite visible even with the attached illuminator off. These hogs would not be visible with just a normal scope without an adequate additonal flashlight or spotlight.
We'll see if these 4 hogs come close enough for further testing....
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Here's a bit more information about the Photon XT 4.5x42S mentioned by Ranch Dog. Remember this is not the newer and more expensive RT version. Be careful when shopping to get the version you prefer.
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The main questions most have before spending $500 (or more) are "Does it actually work or am I throwing my money away like I did before."
Yes, it works great IF you add an aftermarket illuminator. Not as great with just the attached illuminator.
With the aftermarket illuminator I used, cows 400 yards away were easily and clearly viewable. Zero was verified at night with the aftermarket illuminator at 150 yards, which is close to the maximum shooting distance limit I plan to use at night.
The attached illuminator is built into the Photon. It cannot be aimed, and it is not removable.
So Harry, you might try the Photon with just the stock illuminator for rat hunting. Also, with the high scope mounts, the center of the Photon lense is 2 inche above the center of the rifle barrel.
Missionary, I'll do further testing for you at 65-70 yards.
WHAT IS AN IR ILLUMINATOR?
An IR illuminator is simply a flashlight with an IR module instead of a white light bulb or module.
http://www.sniperhawglights.com has flashlights of various sizes that can work if you request the infrared LED X module as one of the options. Or you could also just buy their IR LED X module separately for about $30 if you already have a flashlight that it will fit.
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I already had their 50LR flashlight and IR module, so that is what I used as the illuminator on the Photon. Sniperhawglights.com sells flashlights that are smaller and cheaper than the 50LR that might work as well.
http://www.sniperhawglights.com/category-s/1833.htm
It is possible to have too much IR light. When you do, the screen will show all white. The Photon automatically adjusts for brightness, and there is a manual control knob to tone down the brightness further. Even with the manual brightness set at the lowest level, there were times that the 50LR was still too bright.
The solution was to either adjust the 50LR lense to diffuse the IR beam, or to re-aim the 50LR to below the target thereby decreasing the amount of IR light actually on the target.
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Since you want the ability to adjust your illuminator's point of aim, it's great to have an adjustable flashlight mount to attach your illuminator to the Photon. Adjustable flashlight mounts are available at sniperhawglights.com and perhaps elsewhere. Remember that the portion of the flashlight mount that attaches to the Photon must be 30mm and not 1 inch.
I hope this helps.