ARD's ( anti reflective devices ) VRS Sun Shades... anyone play ???

Magnum Wheel Man · March 21, 2014, 09:35 AM

So I've been up grading my bolt action scopes lately... ( some of the new options like re-settable turrets ) have greatly improved convenience... as well as some of the new reticles ( I particularly like a couple Burris has out like the E-1 & C-4 Wind reticles are great improvements IMO )

one of my newest scopes ( I have 2 of them on the way right now ) is a Burris Predator Quest 4.5 - 14 with the E-1 reticle... these scopes come with ARD's...& will be my 1st scope with them... I understand their main use is to prevent reflection off the glass, so game doesn't get spooked

however I'm often looking for sun shades, as my shooting range runs east to west, & I'm often out in the evenings, & the sun setting can sure screw up sight picture at 300 yards... I've gotten a little longer shooting times with an extended sun shade...

since I've not played with ARD's a little reading I did on Midway's site ( particularly Sun Guard Killflash ARD's they say it'll kill the reflection like a 7" sun shade...

anyone that's played with them, know if they could help with my situation on the range with glare as I'm looking towards a setting sun ???

any comments either good or bad about ARD's ??? seems I'm getting 2 to play with, included with my new scopes, so I'll get to make my own opinions...

BTW... as part of my upgrades, I've bought 2 Nikon Prostaff 5 scopes, both 42 mm... I'm seeing ARD's & sun shades for for the Nikon Monarch 42mm anyone know if the sun shades for the 42 mm Monarch will fit on the 42 mm Prostaff 5's ??? I'd assume so, but hate to buy one & find out the thread pitch is different or ???

Skadoosh · March 21, 2014, 10:37 AM

Have you ever used a scope with an ARD? I have found that they interfere with overall light transmission ability of a scope to a certain degree. But more importantly, ARD's definitely diminish resolution. I remove ARD's whenever I find them installed on a scope I am about to use.

Unless you are in a situation where the targets shoot back, go with a sunshade.

Magnum Wheel Man · March 21, 2014, 10:53 AM

thanks for the comments... I've never used one, or for that matter looked through a scope with one installed... they are just included with the 2 scopes I just ordered ( Predator Quest, is all about the Coyote & Fox shooting, which is why I assume they are included with the scopes, to be more "stealthy" )

I think Burris's are just threaded, so they should come off & on as easy as unscrewing a sun shade, & I'd have no issue just ordering sun shades if I find they either don't help with the glare from the setting sun, or impede my vision through the scope

wogpotter · March 21, 2014, 10:57 AM

Yes I've tried them & I dislike them a lot.

A shade is a little bulkier, but as its attached to a bulky rifle anyway it doesn't bother me. All it does is block stray light from outside the FOV of the lens. Optical quality is completely unaffected. Get the longest deepest shade you can fit, length is the key to performance when blocking stray light.

The ARD honeycombs are IMO a pointless "Kewl gimmick". They cut light & degrade image sharpness at magnification. That seems a bad trade off for 1/2 an oz in weight & 4" of length on something 45"+ long to begin with.

To see the effect without wasting money borrow a pair of black knee-highs & tape the toe over the objective, it mimics the blurring & diffusion perfectly.

Magnum Wheel Man · March 25, 2014, 07:26 AM

I received both my scopes yesterday... & got them mounted on the rifles...

we still have piles of snow & too much mud to get out to my range, but I looked through them at the mailbox ( we have a 1/4 mile long drive way ) & I honestly couldn't see much difference in actual sight picture with the ARD screwed on, or off...

perhaps having the threaded kind like the Burris uses, instead of the kind that fit into Butler Creek scope caps get less light behind the honey comb filter ??? or perhaps Burris has done something with the lenses since this was designed to have the ARD put on it ??? either way, I didn't notice enough difference in clarity with or without it, to pull them off...

weather or not I keep them on, will be if they make any difference looking into a setting sun ( I was looking east, down the drive way, as the sun was setting ) so perhaps there will be clarity issues looking towards the sun, or they will offer no shading of the lenses at sun set, & I'll have to pick up a sun shade ???

wogpotter · March 25, 2014, 07:37 AM

They are really designed more to keep you from creating reflections off the front glass & spooking game ( or allowing enemy snipers to out taktikewl you)

than shading the optic like a lens shade does. IMO its an either/or proposition, not a "belt & suspenders" one.

March 21, 2014, 09:35 AM	#1
Magnum Wheel Man Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern Minnesota Posts: 9,333	ARD's ( anti reflective devices ) VRS Sun Shades... anyone play ??? So I've been up grading my bolt action scopes lately... ( some of the new options like re-settable turrets ) have greatly improved convenience... as well as some of the new reticles ( I particularly like a couple Burris has out like the E-1 & C-4 Wind reticles are great improvements IMO ) one of my newest scopes ( I have 2 of them on the way right now ) is a Burris Predator Quest 4.5 - 14 with the E-1 reticle... these scopes come with ARD's...& will be my 1st scope with them... I understand their main use is to prevent reflection off the glass, so game doesn't get spooked however I'm often looking for sun shades, as my shooting range runs east to west, & I'm often out in the evenings, & the sun setting can sure screw up sight picture at 300 yards... I've gotten a little longer shooting times with an extended sun shade... since I've not played with ARD's a little reading I did on Midway's site ( particularly Sun Guard Killflash ARD's they say it'll kill the reflection like a 7" sun shade... anyone that's played with them, know if they could help with my situation on the range with glare as I'm looking towards a setting sun ??? any comments either good or bad about ARD's ??? seems I'm getting 2 to play with, included with my new scopes, so I'll get to make my own opinions... BTW... as part of my upgrades, I've bought 2 Nikon Prostaff 5 scopes, both 42 mm... I'm seeing ARD's & sun shades for for the Nikon Monarch 42mm anyone know if the sun shades for the 42 mm Monarch will fit on the 42 mm Prostaff 5's ??? I'd assume so, but hate to buy one & find out the thread pitch is different or ??? __________________ In life you either make dust or eat dust...

March 21, 2014, 10:37 AM	#2
Skadoosh Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2010 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,016	Have you ever used a scope with an ARD? I have found that they interfere with overall light transmission ability of a scope to a certain degree. But more importantly, ARD's definitely diminish resolution. I remove ARD's whenever I find them installed on a scope I am about to use. Unless you are in a situation where the targets shoot back, go with a sunshade. __________________ NRA Life Member USN Retired

March 21, 2014, 10:53 AM	#3
Magnum Wheel Man Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern Minnesota Posts: 9,333	thanks for the comments... I've never used one, or for that matter looked through a scope with one installed... they are just included with the 2 scopes I just ordered ( Predator Quest, is all about the Coyote & Fox shooting, which is why I assume they are included with the scopes, to be more "stealthy" ) I think Burris's are just threaded, so they should come off & on as easy as unscrewing a sun shade, & I'd have no issue just ordering sun shades if I find they either don't help with the glare from the setting sun, or impede my vision through the scope __________________ In life you either make dust or eat dust...

March 21, 2014, 10:57 AM	#4
wogpotter Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2004 Posts: 4,811	Yes I've tried them & I dislike them a lot. A shade is a little bulkier, but as its attached to a bulky rifle anyway it doesn't bother me. All it does is block stray light from outside the FOV of the lens. Optical quality is completely unaffected. Get the longest deepest shade you can fit, length is the key to performance when blocking stray light. The ARD honeycombs are IMO a pointless "Kewl gimmick". They cut light & degrade image sharpness at magnification. That seems a bad trade off for 1/2 an oz in weight & 4" of length on something 45"+ long to begin with. To see the effect without wasting money borrow a pair of black knee-highs & tape the toe over the objective, it mimics the blurring & diffusion perfectly. __________________ Allan Quatermain: “Automatic rifles. Who in God's name has automatic rifles”? Elderly Hunter: “That's dashed unsporting. Probably Belgium.”

March 25, 2014, 07:26 AM	#5
Magnum Wheel Man Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern Minnesota Posts: 9,333	I received both my scopes yesterday... & got them mounted on the rifles... we still have piles of snow & too much mud to get out to my range, but I looked through them at the mailbox ( we have a 1/4 mile long drive way ) & I honestly couldn't see much difference in actual sight picture with the ARD screwed on, or off... perhaps having the threaded kind like the Burris uses, instead of the kind that fit into Butler Creek scope caps get less light behind the honey comb filter ??? or perhaps Burris has done something with the lenses since this was designed to have the ARD put on it ??? either way, I didn't notice enough difference in clarity with or without it, to pull them off... weather or not I keep them on, will be if they make any difference looking into a setting sun ( I was looking east, down the drive way, as the sun was setting ) so perhaps there will be clarity issues looking towards the sun, or they will offer no shading of the lenses at sun set, & I'll have to pick up a sun shade ??? __________________ In life you either make dust or eat dust...

March 25, 2014, 07:37 AM	#6
wogpotter Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2004 Posts: 4,811	They are really designed more to keep you from creating reflections off the front glass & spooking game ( or allowing enemy snipers to out taktikewl you) than shading the optic like a lens shade does. IMO its an either/or proposition, not a "belt & suspenders" one. __________________ Allan Quatermain: “Automatic rifles. Who in God's name has automatic rifles”? Elderly Hunter: “That's dashed unsporting. Probably Belgium.”