Firefield NVRS 3X42 Review: Beast In Night Vision Scope!

The scope we are using is from the brand named Firefield. The model of the scope is NVRS 3×42. It’s a gen-1 night vision rifle scope.

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Firefield NVRS 3X42: Outlooks

Specifications | Magnification: 3x; Objective Lens: 42 mm; Eye Relief: 45 mm; IR Illuminator: 805nm, covert; Maximum Range: 165 Yards; Close-up Distance: 7.7 Yards; Weight: 30.7 Oz.

Build Quality

The titanium shell gives the body of NVRS 3×42 a robust feeling. The titanium alloy is a lightweight material thus making the whole scope weigh under 2 lbs.

You won’t be feeling any extra weight on top of your rifle by any means. Titanium alloy is stainless, so you can sleep free knowing that your scope won’t catch any rust. 

The scope has an IPX4 rating. It means the scope is splash-proof. Firefield says it can withstand continuous splashing from all sides for 5 minutes. 

We are not saying you should use it under heavy rain. But we are saying it can withstand rain till you hide it safely. 

Optics Quality

This is where the Gen-1 night vision riflescope tends to shine. The reason is that the gen-1 still uses a traditional prism and an objective lens to gather footage. Where digital night vision uses a sensor to capture and portray that at the LCD eyepiece. 

You can use the NVRS 3×42 in daylight and at night time too.

Some night vision riflescope tends to underperform or perform badly under the bright sun. That’s why you should read the included manuals with your scope.

If you are using the Firefield NVRS 3×42 in daylight make sure the sun is behind your back and you are not facing it directly. It may hinder your sight. 

Dusk is the best time to sight in this scope. 

The image qualities were excellent during the daytime. But you may indeed face some exposure issues during the day. But it’s manageable. 

Ir Illuminator

As we all know it is a gen-1 night vision riflescope not digital. That’s why it uses an IR illuminator at night to give night vision. It uses an 805 nm IR illuminator to illuminate at night. In case you didn’t know you can’t see IR lights with the naked eye.

The light bounces on the target and comes back to the host and the objective lens catches that light and transmits that as image. That’s how you see at night through this scope. 

The range of this is not that excellent. You can expect around 100 yards of clean view in an open field and around 40 yards in a bushy area. 

The images it takes during the night are more than acceptable. In case you didn’t know you can turn off the IR illuminator during the day to save battery.

That function adds extra versatility to the scope. What is that? The scope uses quick detach weaver rails. So, if you want you can easily use an external long-range IR illuminator and increase the night vision range.

All you need to do is attach the IR illuminator on the weaver rail and turn off the main illuminator. 

Battery Life

The battery life on this scope is quite good. With IR turned on you can expect a battery life of 20hr and with IR turned off you can expect it to jump by more than double 50 hours. 

It’s pretty impressive if you ask me. Considering most digital night vision riflescopes give like 8 hours. 

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Is Firefield 3X42 Worth Your Money?

If you are on the market specifically looking for a gen-1 night vision riflescope you will have a hard time finding it under 500$. And you will have a hard time finding a new scope in that budget. 

Most gen-1 scopes tend to cost a lot even though there are digital night vision scopes available. Why is that?

To our understanding of digital night vision riflescopes, you will be using a battery always. Even in daylight, because the digital night vision scope runs through sensors that need power to run it. 

But gen-1 night vision uses only a battery at night to power up the IR illuminator. 

With that said the Firefield NVRS 3×42 is an excellent night-vision riflescope for the price. It’s priced around 400$ which is normally the price of a night vision riflescope anyway. 

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Firefield 3X42 Scope Review Summary

For a gen-1 night vision scope, it’s quite good. You can find digital night vision scope at this price but I doubt they can match the titanium alloy body quality. We can recommend it to anyone looking for a gen-1 night vision rifle scope under 500$.