The episode opens with the Bolt Action Builds crew introducing a special night vision competition featuring Clint, Matt, Ryan, and Ka. They lay out the full rifle lineup: a Savage Axis, an Aero Precision Solus, a US Arms Co. Azrael, and a Bergara, all configured as giveaway builds. Sponsors get a prominent shoutout, including Aero Precision, US Arms Co., Thrice Barrels, Southern Variety Guns and Ammo, and AGM Global Vision. The hosts walk through the optics stack in detail: AGM Neith night vision scopes are mounted on the Aero, Savage, and Bergara, while an AGM Rattler thermal rides on the Azrael. Traditional optics like a Bushnell on the Savage, a Witon on the Bergara, a Leupold (nicknamed “Lulu”) on the Aero, and an EOTech on the Azrael are also part of the packages. They then outline the core drill: rifles start on the ground about 10 yards away, shooters sprint to them, chamber a round, and choose either offhand or tripod-supported shooting to fire five shots at a 150-yard target lit only by infrared.
The hosts formalize the night vision drill rules so every run is comparable. Each competitor loads five rounds, aims for five hits on the 150-yard target, and is timed from the sprint to the final shot. To prevent overly cautious shooting, every miss adds a five-second penalty to the recorded time, making accuracy and speed equally important. Between joking about punishments for the loser, they tease ideas like the discontinued one chip challenge and rib Kai about potentially “crying in thermal” if his rifle package underperforms. The crew then explains how their night vision system works. An AGM night vision optic is paired with a Sue IR emitter that throws invisible infrared light downrange. To the naked eye, the target area looks dark, but through the Neith and the IR camera, the 150-yard steel appears clearly illuminated. They finalize the shooting order and clarify that competitors can either shoot standing offhand for speed or spend extra seconds clamping into a tripod for more stability and better odds of five solid hits.
As the standing offhand stage begins, the shooters debate how much support and magnification they really need at 150 yards under night vision. Some consider fully clamping the rifle into the tripod, while others prefer simply resting it to save time. Magnification becomes a key decision point, with the group allowed up to 8x but several shooters preferring much lower power for a wider field of view and faster target acquisition. The first competitor runs the course twice due to an early tripod collapse, which throws off rhythm and confidence. Across both attempts, he ends with four total hits, openly acknowledging that rushing shots under the clock led to misses. The second shooter delivers a cleaner, more controlled run in roughly 28 seconds, but still picks up two misses and their associated penalties. He discovers that an accidental bump of an optic adjustment knob shifted the reticle mid-string, illustrating how small gear issues can compound under pressure in a timed night vision drill.
Attention shifts to tripod-supported runs, where stability and speed must be balanced carefully. A standout performance comes from a shooter running the US Arms Co. Azrael, who manages a smooth clamp-up and begins rapidly stacking hits. He describes how quickly bringing the crosshairs onto the illuminated target and trusting the AGM optic allows him to send rounds confidently. Ryan then takes his turn, completing the course with a recorded time of 37.11 seconds. After each run, the crew walks downrange to count and compare hits, mixing friendly trash talk with serious evaluation of technique and gear. They joke about performance relative to rifle cost, highlighting how an expensive setup does not automatically guarantee better results. One competitor reflects on a particularly rough outing with the Savage, emphasizing that elevated heart rate, rushed trigger presses, and the earlier tripod leg failure all contributed to misses. The segment underscores how movement, stress, and unfamiliar conditions change the dynamics of precision shooting at night.
With the main runs complete, the hosts break down how each rifle actually performed on steel. The Savage rifle, which initially seemed to struggle, is revisited with the shooter taking responsibility for the poor showing, pointing to his own rushed cadence and instability rather than any mechanical fault. In contrast, the Aero Precision Solus earns special praise. When they examine its target, they find five tightly grouped impacts that demonstrate roughly 0.3 MOA performance, an impressive result for a factory bolt-action in a dynamic environment. The group highlights how the Solus maintained consistency even under time pressure and night vision conditions. Sponsors receive additional thanks, particularly Southern Variety Guns and Ammo for supporting the builds and AGM Global Vision for supplying the Neith (referred to as “Nice” at times) and the Rattler thermal used on the Azrael. This portion of the episode reinforces that the rifles and optics are capable of high precision when the shooter does their part.
The shooters revisit the earlier controversy around the Savage rifle to set the record straight. One participant explains that the misses seen on camera were not due to the rifle’s inherent accuracy, but to his own rushed shooting, elevated heart rate, and less-than-ideal position during the timed drill. He emphasizes that, when shot more deliberately, the Savage holds its own. Discussion turns to the AGM Global Vision optics used throughout the competition. The Neith night vision scope is singled out for being straightforward to zero once the X and Y axes are dialed in correctly, making it approachable even for shooters new to digital night vision. The team thanks AGM for providing both the Neith and the Rattler mounted on the Azrael. They also highlight the Aero Precision bolt-action as an impressive first bolt gun from the company, noting that its performance in this demanding night shoot suggests strong potential for future Aero precision platforms.
One shooter describes his experience running the AGM Rattler thermal on a cold target that offered almost no heat signature, a challenging scenario for thermal imaging. Despite the lack of contrast, he adapts to the Rattler’s display and learns to pick up subtle differences to stay on target. He notes that this was his first real bolt-gun experience, and that cycling multiple rifles in one night, under night vision and thermal, was both demanding and enjoyable. The group uses this to stress the value of stepping outside comfort zones, moving beyond static benchrest groups into cardio-heavy, dynamic drills that expose weaknesses in fundamentals. They talk about how sprinting to the rifle, managing breathing, and building a stable position quickly are skills that do not show up on a traditional paper target session. The camaraderie of staying out late to film, share gear, and push each other’s performance becomes a central theme as they hint at more collaborative projects to come.
In the closing segment, the hosts pivot from the range back to the audience. They tease another series that will be discussed in an upcoming wrap-up episode, signaling that Bolt Action Builds is not finished yet. Viewers are asked for specific feedback on the night vision portion of the show, including opinions on the IR camera footage, how clearly the targets and impacts appeared, and whether there is interest in more low-light or night vision content. The team also wants to know what types of actions and rifle platforms fans would like to see in future builds. They direct the audience to Rumble for an additional blooper clip tied to this episode, jokingly warning people not to watch that particular video while simultaneously encouraging exploration of other Classic Firearms uploads there. The episode ends with thanks for ongoing support, a reminder that one more wrap-up installment remains, and an open invitation for comments and continued engagement with the channel.
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