5 Best Night Vision Crossbow Scopes in 2021 — Reviews & Top Picks

Last Updated on May 9, 2021

If you’ve never headed out for a night hunt, you’re missing out. That’s because if you’re looking to hunt boar, it’s best to head out after the sun has gone down.

But we know that finding the right night vision scope for your crossbow can be more than a little overwhelming.

That’s why we tracked down the five best options on the market. We also wrote comprehensive reviews for each one.

This way, you will know exactly what you’re looking for and can get the perfect night-vision crossbow scope the first time.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites

	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		ATN X-Sight II HD 5-20 Smart Day/Night Scope	HD recording Works night and day Wi-Fi streaming	CHECK PRICE
Best Value		Firefield NVRS 3x42 Gen 1 Night Vision Scope	Affordable Great image resolution 3x magnification	CHECK PRICE
Premium Choice		theOpticGuru ATN X-Sight-4k Night Scope	Recoil-activated video Two different magnification Batteries up to 18 hours	CHECK PRICE
		Night Owl Optics NightShot Digital Scope	Affordable Easy to mount Good battery life	CHECK PRICE
		Sniper Digital Night Vision Scope	HD recording Works at night and during day 300-meter night vision range	CHECK PRICE

The 5 Best Night-Vision Crossbow Scopes — Reviews 2021

1. ATN X-Sight II HD 5-20 Smart Day/Night Scope — Best Overall

When you want a great combination of affordability, performance, and features, you want the ATN X-Sight II HD 5-20 Smart Day/Night Scope. This sight comes jam-packed full of features, including an HD recording capability, a nighttime and daytime mode, and the ability to control everything through a smartphone app.

Moreover, it has Wi-Fi streaming that allows you to show off what you’re doing to your friends and family. However, all these features definitely add weight, which is the main drawback of this night-vision crossbow scope.

Still, if you like all the bells and whistles, it’s a great option that’s available for a great price.

2. Firefield NVRS 3×42 Gen 1 Night Vision Scope — Best Value

If you’re looking for the best night-vision crossbow scope for the money, you want the Firefield NVRS 3×42 Gen 1 Night Vision Scope. While it doesn’t come loaded with all the bells and whistles that the higher-end options have, if you’re not looking to record your outings, skipping them is a great way to save money.

While this scope doesn’t work during the daytime, it has a quick detach weaver mount that allows you to remove it whenever the sun rises. But where it matters, this scope excels. It has a great 3x magnification range and gives you outstanding image resolution, which is exactly what you want from your scope.

Even better, since it doesn’t have all those fancy recording features, it’s not nearly as heavy, which means it’s far easier to use over a longer period of time.

3. theOpticGuru ATN X-Sight-4k Night Scope — Premium Choice

If you’re not worried about how much your new night vision scope will cost, take a look at what theOpticGuru has to offer. Its ATN X-Sight-4k Night Scope is an outstanding choice that has all the bells and whistles that you could ask for, in addition to amazing performance.

There are two different magnification options to choose from: a 3x and 5x range. From there, the batteries can last up to 18 hours, and it starts recording as soon as it feels the recoil from your bow.

Even better, you can stream and record simultaneously, which is a great way to show off what you’re doing to your group. Keep in mind that this is a larger scope, which isn’t surprising, considering all the features that it has.

4. Night Owl Optics NightShot Digital Scope

An outstanding option to choose from is the Night Owl Optics NightShot Digital Scope. Compared to the other crossbow night vision options, it’s incredibly affordable. But that doesn’t mean it’s not jammed full of features.

You can video record, and the battery life can last up to 17.5 hours. Even better, you can use this scope during the day without damaging it, and it’s incredibly easy to mount to any weaver-style system. However, the lower price comes with two drawbacks.

First, you have to remove the entire scope to change the batteries, and that’s extremely inconvenient. Second, you only get a narrow field of view, making it harder to find and stay on your target.

5. Sniper Digital Night Vision Scope

The Sniper Digital Night Vision Scope is an excellent choice. It has both HD recording and photo-taking capabilities, so you can share all your favorite moments.

Furthermore, it works during the day and at night, and the 300-meter range is outstanding. But it has a heavy design, and the image lacks crispness on the screen. While it takes HD videos, you’ll need to send them somewhere else to see them in that quality.

Basically, for what you’re getting, it’s a more expensive option.

Buyer’s Guide

Unless you’ve purchased a night vision crossbow scope before, chances are that you don’t know what you’re looking for. That’s why we created this comprehensive buyer’s guide that breaks down everything that you need to know about these awesome attachments.

What to Look For in a Crossbow Night Vision Scope

When you’re looking at a new night vision scope for your crossbow, there are a few different features that you need to focus on. First, you want to look at the magnification level of the scope. While it’s obvious that crossbows don’t have the same range as rifles, that doesn’t mean a little magnification can’t make everything easier.

In fact, a crossbow with a magnification of 3x to 4x is ideal. But in the end, it’s up to you how much magnification you prefer for your crossbow scope.

Next, you need to look at the field of view and eye relief for your scope. Neither are deal-breakers, but if you have a little more money to spend, these are nice to improve. Extra eye relief will allow you to look through your scope more comfortably, while a larger field of view will let you see larger areas at one time.

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Deciding What Features You Need

There are few scopes loaded with more features than night vision scopes. A large part of that has to do with the fact that many states don’t allow you to hunt at night, which turns these scopes into nothing more than fancy video cameras.

But if you are looking for a scope for night hunting, you might not care as much about the recording and streaming features, which means that you don’t need to spend more money on them. So, decide what you want; there’s nothing wrong with going with a lower-end option if you’re not interested in the extras.

But if you are interested in hunting and recording, features like a recoil-activated camera can be great for capturing all the action while saving your battery life. Even better, you don’t have to worry about taking the time to turn your camera on before you take your shot.

Image Credit: Maria Dryfhout, Shutterstock

Also, keep in mind that you can’t use most night vision scopes during the day. In fact, if you do, there’s a good chance that you’ll damage your scope. So, if you’re looking for a more versatile scope, finding one that has both a daytime and nighttime mode is a huge perk. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck swapping your scope out over and over again, which can be frustrating and lead to you spending extra days at the range to keep everything zeroed in properly.

Keep the Weight in Mind

All the fancy features are nice, until you’re stuck carrying them around for hours at a time. A scope with HD recording and streaming capabilities weighs far more than a regular night-vision scope. That means you’re going to have to get used to carrying an even heavier crossbow to line up shots and record your videos. So, if you don’t plan on using those features, you’ll appreciate it if they’re not around.

If they’re what you want, they’re worth it, but otherwise, you should opt for a simpler model.

You’ll Still Need to Sight It In

Image Credit: andras_csontos, Shutterstock

It doesn’t matter what kind of sight or scope you get; you need to take the time to sight it in; otherwise, you’ll never hit a thing. The good news is that sighting in a new scope is easy. If you select a night vision scope that works during the day, you don’t even need to worry about setting anything up differently than when sighting in a normal scope.

That said, if you are sighting in a night vision scope that only works at night, you can follow a few simple tips and tricks to sight your scope in.

You could go with an expensive night vision target that allows you to see everything that you need when zeroing your scope, but we recommend a far more cost-effective method: reflective tape.

All you need to do is put a small piece of reflective tape on the middle of your target, and it will shine like a beacon in a night vision scope. This will allow you to set up and easily see your target, which makes it much easier to zero your scope.

Once you can see your target, zeroing a night vision scope is no different than zeroing a traditional daytime scope!

Battery Life Matters

Night vision uses quite a bit of power, and so does recording and streaming HD video. So, it’s no surprise that you might end up going through quite a few batteries when you combine all three features. That’s why it’s best to find a night-vision scope that uses energy-saving features to preserve battery life.

Some night vision scopes make it easier to change the batteries than others, which means that you may or may not be able to change your batteries out in the field, depending on what scope you go with.

Keep in mind that if you plan on using all these features continuously when you head out, a battery life of 8 hours is considered phenomenal. Be sure to also consider the fact that a company with cameras with a stated maximum battery life of 17 to 18 hours assumes that you aren’t using all the features continuously.

Conclusion

Hopefully, after reading these reviews, you now have a better idea of what you need and have the confidence to purchase your next night vision crossbow sight. While we like the ATN X-Sight II HD 5-20 Smart Day/Night Scope for all the features that it offers, if you’re looking to save a little money, the Firefield NVRS 3×42 Gen 1 Night Vision Scope is an outstanding choice too.

So, what are you waiting for? Why not get the best night vision scope for your crossbow on order today?

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