Training with kit and specifically NODs: Buying them isn’t enough

This is a trend I am seeing. 

Dude shows up to a low light match. Kitted to the teeth with very nice gear. NODs, suppressed rifle, laser aiming module, plate carrier, belt, etc.

Buzzer beeps. He can’t see the targets. He doesn't know his LAM holds. His gun wont cycle reliably. He is yard-saleing his kit all over the range, mags going this way and that.

“Unload and show clear”

He blames his kit for not working. He never shows back up to shoot another match. 

EVERY. SINGLE. MATCH. There is at least one, sometimes many like this. Ive shot 15-ish Night Vision matches this year. Without fail, it’s every time. 

Buying kit, and specifically night vision, isn’t buying a superpower. You have unlocked a whole new aspect you need to train and become proficient on. Or you just wasted $3000-$15,000 to look cool for the gram.  

In this Article I’m going to talk about a way (not THE ONLY way) to get better with your newly purchased NODs. 4 phases, phase 1-3 require 0 rounds to be fired, and can be done in or around your home. Through every phase, observe how clearly you can see and ID objects or potential targets. 

Phase 1: Familiarity with your NODs

Step 1 is to get to know your NODs. You need to learn the controls, objective adjustments, the ocular adjustments, and gain control if you have it. You need to know these controls by touch, as they are on your face, in the dark. 

The same goes for your mount to your helmet. You need to know how to move the Nods up and down, tilt, change the distance to your face, flip them up and down. Again, by touch, in the dark, as you are wearing them. 

I highly suggest getting focus caps. You do not need expensive ones. I use Butler creek scope caps from amazon. Size 07 works for standard pvs 14 style housings. Start by drilling a small hole in the very center of the cap. You can widen the hole if you want more light/FOV. This will let you see very close, and to intermediate ranges, at the same time, without touching your adjustments. Albeit with less light transmission. Very helpful if working indoors and you have supplemental IR light to brighten up the image. 

As a default, I leave my tubes focused for infinity, and use focus caps to see closer. I rarely have to change the objective focus ring. 

PIC of focus caps

Pic through focus caps and without

Phase 2: Environmentals

Probably one of the biggest things to learn is how environmentals affect your NODs. Ambient light levels are the most important thing, but rain, fog, humidity, and temp are also important. You don't need to do anything complicated. Just wear your nods on many different nights, with different levels of moon, stars, and ambient light. 

Do the same thing indoors. If you can get a very dark room or basement, its a great place to see how things look in near total darkness, and how much IR illumination you need to see, and how much becomes overpowering. 

Few screenshots of nods in different environments. 

Phase 3: Interactions with other equipment

Start to develop an understanding of when your NODs work great, and when they struggle based on environment, then bring your IR light or LAM with you to shine into dark spaces and light up areas. Understand the interactions between light barriers, your LAM, and your nods.

You will want to develop an understanding of your LAM or supplemental IR sources like a Vampire light, KIJI, or helmet mounted IR light. Figure out what ranges in what lighting conditions are solved by which IR illumination. You may need all the juice your LAM has to see a few meters, or find out that full power PEQ you got its WAY too much and gates your NODs.

Pics of IR lasers and different floods and beams

Phase 4: Shooting pt 1 Zeroing 

It is a good idea before you go shooting to understand how to zero your LAM. There are 2 prevailing methods, Parallel zero and Converging Zero.

Parallel zero has your laser running parallel to your bore. This gives you a consistent offset, as your bullet falls, you need to hold the same distance to the left or right, depending on what size your LAM is on. and simply adjust for elevation. It is great for longer ranges as it is easier to understand holds. It is my preferred method of zeroing if I have the time to do it. 

Converging Zero means at some range, your laser and bullet path intersect. Then your laser continues straight and your bullet continues to fall in its trajectory. So the laser will start on one side of your bore, then eventually cross over, and be on the other side. It is good if you intend to only engage within a certain distance, or want a simpler, if less precise, “point and shoot”. It is also easier to zero your LAM as you can slave the laser to your zeroed daytime optic if you can passive aim and walk your laser on, or if your LAM has a slaved VIS laser and can be zeroed in daylight.

I recommend converging zeros be done at ½ of the range you want to be able to engage to. So the divergence is minimal.

Phase 4: Shooting pt 2. Offsets, Holds and your connection to the rifle

You need to understand, based on your zeroing choice, where your bullets will hit depending on distance to the target, how canting the rifle will change your holds, and how your rifle will connect to your body differently. 

The best way to do this in my experience is to just train with it. You can understand on paper by running through a ballistic calculator and understand how your bullets will behave in relation to your laser, but nothing beats seeing a target in the real world, and just knowing where you need to aim.

I recommend training on hostage headshot targets for this, so you are punished with a miss or a hostage hit when you are wrong about your holds. 

Canting the rifle is a popular way of putting a laser that sits off the center of the bore like a PEQ 15 or MAWL, directly over the bore, making it easier to hold at 12 o'clock above a target. If you are going to employ this method you need to be CONSISTENT in how you cant the gun. Canting too much or too little will have the bullets swinging in an arc left and right. 

Canting the gun also changes how the gun is connected to your shoulder. Thankfully, it is for the better, putting the bore closer to the center of the body and more in contact with you. However, the gun will recoil differently, so i suggest using doubles or the bill drill to test your new mount to the gun while using your LAM.