Looks good but still undecided - SightMark Photon RT 6-12x50 Digital Night Vision Rifle Scope

I did a lot of research online and watched a lot of YouTube videos before deciding on a night vision scope. I plan to go feral hog hunting and needed a night vision scope for my AR. The optimal solution would have been a thermal scope but it had several drawbacks. Firstly, the cost of several thousand dollars was out of my budget range. Secondly, you cannot use it in daylight as you would ruin the electronics. To sight it in and zero the scope, you need to use it at night and that means I could not use my normal public range but would have to find an open space somewhere in the country to sight in, in the total darkness of night. After watching several comparisons, I decided on the Sightmark RT model as the best option for me. The problem was that they were on backorder and I had to wait almost a month before mine arrive. I was offered the XT model for immediate delivery at a great price as an alternative, but I passed on the offer as the XT is a discontinued first generation model from Sightmark.

When I received the scope, I mounted it on my AR and since the ad and reviews mentioned that no 30mm rings were included, I had already purchased a pair. It was a little fiddly to align the scope and rubber eyepiece extension to my face, but I got it close enough to work for me. The screen in the scope was not very bright or sharp looking through the pin-hole in the cover as recommended for daylight shooting in the manual and opening the flip-up cover did not help in the daytime. Then I remember reading about a solution where you push out a small disc in the center of the cap that required a lot of pressure. What a difference that made. The view became sharp and clear in the daytime.

OK, so why only 4 stars? After about a dozen shots, the scope would shut off after each round and I would have to power it up again. Bummer. I emailed Sightmark and their response was quick and positive: mail back the scope for a replacement as it is defective. GREAT customer support. Once I got the instructions, I found out I had to pay shipping to return their defective product. Not so great customer support. I will update my review after I receive the replacement. The start of the review was VERY positive and I hope the new scope works as advertised.