Welcome to Costa’s Gat Swag. A monthly installment of some subgun, SBR, or SBS that I have built or bought. I have an addiction to shorties. I love versatile PDW setups, and I am here to share some of my favorite builds. Meet the KR-9 9mm AK SBR with Zenitco handguard, hand stop and IR/Vis laser. Equipped with a cute little 9mm can and optic. A fun blaster and quickly becoming one of my favorite pistol caliber sub guns.

This year at Milipol 2019 the new Aimpoint COMPM5b was introduced. The  Aimpoint COMPM5b, which uses Bullet Drop Compensation is a fresh take on the already existing series of COMPM red dot optics. Aimpoint achieved this by using interchangeable turrets for various ammunition types. These can be made to the exact specifications for specific ammunition. The red dot sight also offers wind or lead compensation adjustment to match each unique situation.

Well, things have escalated quickly since my last Friday Night Lights. I wrote about modifying dummy PVS-31 into functional night vision devices. I also mentioned a new night vision housing dubbed the BNVD-1431. In a very short amount of time, I was able to get my hands on a BNVD-1431 housing. It is a PVS-31 clone but more importantly uses PVS-14 optics. There is a bit of drama and mystery surrounding this newly desirable night vision housing so let’s take a closer look.

A year and a half ago I got a chance to briefly check out my friend JW’s Knights Armament PVS-30. It is a CNVD (Clip-on Night Vision Device) used for shooting long distances in the dark. Well, now we will take a look at something similar called the MUNS PVS-27.

The current sniper rifles in the Swedish Army are the PSG90 and the AG90. The AG90 is the Barret M82 in .50 BMG and the PSG90 is made by Accuracy International in .308 Win. The M82 is more of an anti-material rifle than a sniper rifle.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (MW2) came out on November 9, 2009. The Prestige Edition of MW2 came with extras for the game including a set of digital night vision goggles. Fast forward almost a decade later and Call of Duty Modern Warfare (2019) just came out and just like its decade-old predecessor, this year’s Dark Edition MW came with real digital night vision goggles. From the interviews and sneak peeks it looked like the COD MW Dark Edition Pano NVGs might be quad tubes for the masses.

If you recall, I reviewed the MAWL-C1+ back in March 2018. The MAWL-C1+ is the civilian rated version of the MAWL-DA (Direct Action). Well now BE Meyers just announced the adoption of their MAWL (Modular Advanced Weapon Laser) to the Department of Defense. The MAWL-X1 will be used for individual and crew served weapons.

From now until 9/30/2019, FLIR is offering up $400 off all thermal imaging devices through their online web store and authorized retailers. Details can be found in the link found below.

On the eve of 2020, everyone should be comfortable with the idea of adding weaponlights to pistols and rifles that are used as tools for protection. Forget the sun going down: walk into a building, into a parking garage, under a bridge or into the woods from bright daylight and a quality weaponlight may give you an advantage in a defensive situation. But before you decide to drop hundreds of dollars on a new supercandle (Copyright Pete, 2019), let’s take a look at some weaponlight considerations.

In a recent press release, SIG SAUER announced a partnership with FLIR to improve their SIG SAUER Academy Night Vision Operators Course. They will utilize FLIR’s night vision and thermal imaging products to help familiarize and train their students.

The USMC have shared some pretty arty photos from the recent Integrated Training Exercise 5-19 with 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division. The photos were taken at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California at the beginning of August by  Lance Cpl. Jose Gonzalez. The most striking images feature Lance Cpl. Eliott Wright, posing with his M27 rifle. 

The German company IEA Mil-Optics GmbH have received another order from German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr).

Night Vision! That is our subject in Photo Of The Day. Or it should actually be Photo Of The Night!

One of the great things about the gun community is the variety of experiences you can have over time. Whether it’s sporting clays or tactical carbine classes there are always new techniques and skills to learn. Shooting drills and doing transitions while using night vision was one of the best experiences I’ve had in a long time. Recently on my trip to Vortex Optics HQ, we did a condensed night vision course and I was able to use a variety of different systems.

For this week’s edition of Friday Night Lights, we will take a look at the various accessories to attach night observation devices (NODs) for helmet worn applications. There are quite a lot of options. Some are extremely basic while others have a whole host of features to adjust your NODs to your eyes. Let’s take a closer look at the common ones most people use. Get ready for an extremely photo heavy detailed review so sit down and buckle up. Night Observation Devices, Mount Up!

There are a few things every year that comes along which really catch my interest. I’ve talked with members of Vortex’s team through projects I’ve worked on with social media. One thing led to another and they invited me out to their headquarters for the day. Vortex Optics is located just west of Madison, Wisconsin which is only about 4-5 hours away depending on traffic through Chicago. I jumped in my truck and after $28 in tolls one way through Chicago and 5 hours I was at Vortex.

Shooting with an optic especially with a red dot is one of the best advancements for the AR platform. There is a whole world of optics and mounts to shoot a red dot with your AR but there are some that are specially made for use with night vision. These night vision optic risers elevate your optic and shooting experience when shooting in the dark with NODs (Night Observation Device).

An opportunity arose when Digital Crosshairs reached out to TFB. They wanted us to review their Digital Crosshairs 1000R which is a digital night vision camera system that clips onto your scope. The 1000R only retails for $700 ($600 on sale at the time of this article) so I figured it might be an interesting item to review for those looking to get night vision on the cheap.

If you recall earlier this year I reviewed the SiOnyx Aurora night vision camera. The Aurora is a handheld digital camera that has a rather sensitive CCD sensor to low light. In the right lighting conditions, it is arguably better than night vision. The regular Aurora retails for $799. Well, on July 9 they launched their new Aurora Sport and it retails for only $399.

If you have been following along our Friday Night Lights series, night vision is a big part of seeing in the dark. While night vision is great at seeing in the dark, it does have its limitations. Night vision can only amplify light that is already there. While some night vision systems do a better job than others in some cases you need to compensate with some IR illumination.

Two great companies have come together to design, produce and market both a PEQ-15 front sight and NGAL front sight. Midwest Industries in cooperation with Defense Solutions Group (DSG Arms) are releasing the two rail mounted sight options for users of the weapon mounted laser/illuminator devices for night vision use. Because of the way the PEQ-15 and NGAL devices sit on a top rail, it is difficult to mount traditional iron sites without moving unit farther back. The PEQ-15 front sight made by Midwest Industries and DSG Arms allows the laser/illuminator to sit much farther forward.

Earlier this month I posted about DIY Thermal Fusion. In that article, I mentioned the legitimate methods of true thermal fusion. One way to achieve true thermal fusion is with a COTI or Clip-On Thermal Imager.

Technology has advanced exponentially with regards to night vision and thermal. Thermal imagers have improved and become more and more affordable each year. You can get a thermal imaging device for under $3,000. Night vision and thermal can be used to see in the dark, however, they are not exclusively independent systems. In some cases, you can perform a little DIY thermal fusion to get the best of both worlds.

When trying to see in the dark with night vision, most people start off with a monocular like the PVS-14 or a split view device like the PVS-7. If you have more money to burn you go with dual tubes, one image intensifying tube for each eye giving you 3D stereoscopic vision. You can do pretty much everything with dual tubes. However, for the ultimate night vision experience and better field of view, there are quad tubes. We take a look at and through a set of ANVIS10 PNVG.

Unity Tactical continues to innovate and brought many of their new offerings to NRA 2019. Talking to Chip, he said people often ask for a Unity version of products already made well by other companies. Instead of making more of the same, Unity’s goal is to provide new, innovative solutions that are not currently available elsewhere.

Tactical Night Vision Company came to NRA in full form, offering nearly anything the green-eyed shooter could dream of. From Enhanced Clip-On Thermal Imager (E-COTI) to a PVS-31A, many high end goggles were available for attendees to see. However there are also some new options available  with a Powered Bridge Mount and a Non-Powered Bridge Mount to help provide an easier transition for those wanting to get a monocular or move up from a monocular to a dual tube setup.

Surefire brought two new suppressors for release at NRA 2019. Both are built entirely of Titanium. This has cut the weight nearly in half compared to the weight of their predecessors. Both suppressors were designed for use with bolt action rifles and use Surefire’s quick detach mount system. While not designed for heavy cadences of fire, the titanium cans were surprisingly light.

When you think of NODs (Night Observing Device) you think of a short tube that sticks out about 4.5″ from your face. In most cases they are like a scope, light enters in through the objective lens and in a straight line, shines out the back through the eyepiece and out the eyepiece into your eye. Well, Steiner has an unconventional approach to dual tube night vision. The PVS-21 is a low profile night vision goggle that does not stick out as far. Reducing the protrusion by about 3-4 inches. Making the PVS-21 the lowest profile NODs on the market.

It is widely accepted that night vision is expensive. PVS-14s with gen 3 image intensifier tubes cost on average $2,500-$4,000 depending on the tubes used inside. However, just like building a budget AR-15, you can save some money by building it yourself. Now if you lack the mechanical aptitude to build an AR-15 then this is not for you. Building a PC tower is more complicated than building a night vision device. Some people in the night vision industry will scare you and claim that building your own night vision is not for the light-hearted. “You need proper equipment and testing measures otherwise you will have headaches, eye strain and nausea”. This is the same scare tactics some gunsmiths use to scare you out of building your own AR-15. If you can turn a wrench you can dodge a ball. Wait . . . I meant I can show you how easy it is to build your own PVS-14.

For those of you who do not know the Meopta brand, you are missing out. Their optics are made 100% in the Czech Republic. Check out our factory tour back in 2014. Just over a year ago Meopta announced their Meonight 1:1 night vision device. The Meonight clip-on allows you to use a day scope, ideally a Meopta scope, to see in the dark while shooting.