Thermal Scope Recommendations.

[scottnorthwest]

What is the best thermal imaging scope you can get for a decent price? I know your not getting quality for 300 bucks but I wouldn't want to spent 4K either.

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[OrPackrat]

Ave always been tempted to get an ATN Thor.

I have a basic 1080 scope from them, a 5-15 with night vision

 

[JustShoot]

What is the best thermal imaging scope you can get for a decent price? I know your not getting quality for 300 bucks but I wouldn't want to spent 4K either.

You going to want to stick to IRAY, and Pulsar, as they are the best bag for your buck-$
.

 

[Ben B.]

If you can find one with integrated range finder, take a hard look. If you are shooting 250 yds or so with a .223, for example, it might not be so important. If you are using a .22 LR on varmints, the difference between POI at 50 vs 70 yds, or 80 vs 100 yds, is considerable.

 

[alelord]

@SunTzu

 

[SunTzu]

What is the best thermal imaging scope you can get for a decent price? I know your not getting quality for 300 bucks but I wouldn't want to spent 4K either.

I've ran a lot of different thermal scopes over the years. Although I've used a bunch, my current primary thermal is an iRay RICO RH50 640 Core, and my buddy scope is an agm rattler, I'd consider selling one for a deal if you're interested.

First of all, what's "budget"???

Anyway, the best budget thermal scope is the AGM Rattler V2... If "budget" means $1,200 then you'll be stuck with a 256 core. Or, if budget means $2k then get the agm rattler ts25-384 core... this is literally the best bang-for-buck thermal on the market.

If you do want to step up to 4-6k, that's where iRay and pulsar thermion 640 cores come into play. With these higher end optics, I've made hits on rat/squirrel at over 130 yds at 3am.

In the 7k-10k range, you're getting into 1024 core sensors.

Someone else mentioned ranging lasers... i personally don't run those on mine because they make an active IR signature that can be visible to night vision. AND, 556 or 6.5 creed etc are very flat shooting anyway.

 

[sealine]

What is the best thermal imaging scope you can get for a decent price? I know your not getting quality for 300 bucks but I wouldn't want to spent 4K either.

Scott - what is it that you're using the thermal for?

@SunTzu recommended the Agm Rattler v2 25-385 core which is a fine scope. A possible drawback to this is the base magnification being 2x. If you're hunting coyotes in open areas, 2x base magnification is a little low in my opinion.

You might also look at the 35-384 core. It's a few hundred dollars more, but the base magnification is 3x. It doesn't seem like much, but there's a big difference in the view of a 2x base magnification thermal, vs a 3x.

Not sure where your exact location is, but if you're close to Beaverton, OR, there's a business there called P&R Infrared. You can go in there, test any of the thermals mentioned so far in this thread, plus several others. Also, they give a significant discount to local folks. And they have a 30-day return policy - if you buy something and don't like it, they'll give you a full refund within 30 days.

 

[SunTzu]

Scott - what is it that you're using the thermal for?

@SunTzu recommended the Agm Rattler v2 25-385 core which is a fine scope. A possible drawback to this is the base magnification being 2x. If you're hunting coyotes in open areas, 2x base magnification is a little low in my opinion.

You might also look at the 35-384 core. It's a few hundred dollars more, but the base magnification is 3x. It doesn't seem like much, but there's a big difference in the view of a 2x base magnification thermal, vs a 3x.

Not sure where your exact location is, but if you're close to Beaverton, OR, there's a business there called P&R Infrared. You can go in there, test any of the thermals mentioned so far in this thread, plus several others. Also, they give a significant discount to local folks. And they have a 30-day return policy - if you buy something and don't like it, they'll give you a full refund within 30 days.

yeah, there's a trade-off between base magnification and field of view. All thermals (except a few high end ones) have only digital zoom past their base magnification. this means that unless you have a 640 core or better, you're gonna want to do most of your shooting at base magnification.

The problem is that higher base magnification means a more narrow Field Of View (FOV). And, a narrow FOV is super annoying when you're scanning an area and need to cover a lot of space.

My main thermal is a 3x base magnification 640 core. Which is great. But, there are times when I wish i had a wider FOV for scanning. I'll probably get into an iRay RICO Micro 640 core 1x at some point for this reason.

 

[sealine]

Ahhh...the thermal rabbit hole. Scanning with a thermal mounted rifle scope flat out sucks! Can it be done? Sure. But after 30 minutes of being behind the thermal and running the gun to pan, tilt, and traverse, most people are done. And that's best case scenario with the rifle mounted on a tripod. Holding the rifle off-hand to scan really sucks and will drastically reduce your scanning time.

If you get a thermal scope first, you'll most likely want some type of handheld or helmet mounted thermal to scan with next. It's a spendy rabbit hole.

 

[SunTzu]

Ahhh...the thermal rabbit hole. Scanning with a thermal mounted rifle scope flat out sucks! Can it be done? Sure. But after 30 minutes of being behind the thermal and running the gun to pan, tilt, and traverse, most people are done. And that's best case scenario with the rifle mounted on a tripod. Holding the rifle off-hand to scan really sucks and will drastically reduce your scanning time.

If you get a thermal scope first, you'll most likely want some type of handheld or helmet mounted thermal to scan with next. It's a spendy rabbit hole.

putting the optic on a riser, having a tripod, even a chair if you're setting up a hide site all makes it better. But yeah, a separate device to scan is nice.

I've ran the rico micro 640 core on a helmet mount and it's great for scanning, but i hate trying to move using it... so it's never gonna be a pvs14.

For scanning, I'm considering getting into a "jerry c" or other ECoti type device to run nvg with a thermal overlay.

 

[SunTzu]

PS, for as deep as i am into low light rabbit hole, I'm surprised i've never heard of P&R infrared, the prices on their website seem reasonable, especially if they have stuff in stock.

 

[3MTA3]

Don't forget the Arken Zulus 5-20. $650 w.o rangefinder and $940 w/ built in rangefinder

Store

www.arkenopticsusa.com

Rex Tibor review:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leaDdF9l82k&t=600s

 

[SunTzu]

Don't forget the Arken Zulus 5-20. $650 w.o rangefinder and $940 w/ built in rangefinder

Store

www.arkenopticsusa.com

Rex Tibor review:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leaDdF9l82k&t=600s

i'm not so much a fan of digital night vision, for a number of reasons but mostly due to active IR signature. For that price range, i'd rather get a budget thermal.

 

[Devlin96]

Selling a dope thermal right now! Can be used as a Handheld scanner, Helmet mounted monocular, Clip-on or a stand alone thermal optic!

Thread: AGM StingIR 384 Handheld/Helmet mounted/Clip-on Thermal https://www.northwestfirearms.com/t...ndheld-helmet-mounted-clip-on-thermal.501393/

 

[Certaindeaf]

What is the best thermal imaging scope you can get for a decent price? I know your not getting quality for 300 bucks but I wouldn't want to spent 4K either.

Whatever this bugger is using..

View: https://youtu.be/xXnBmeymIWU?feature=shared

 

[3MTA3]

Whatever this bugger is using..

View: https://youtu.be/xXnBmeymIWU?feature=shared

Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF XL60 1024x768 HD a mere $7,500

 

[ORhutner]

Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF XL60 1024x768 HD a mere $7,500

Start a varmint control business and you could write it off on your taxes along with the gun, ammo and other related items.

 

[dinky450]

I have a Gen 1 Burris I bought about 2 years ago. Price was $1200 then on sale and I have been super impressed with the quality and actually works very well. If i had to buy another one it would be the newer version. You can watch sales on opticsplanet.com they were on sale over Christmas and down to $1800. Thermal scopes you want to make sure it actually has a thermal lens vs 100% digital. You also want to make sure the resolution isn't crap min 400x300 and 50hz refresh rates.

Burris BTS35 v3 2.3-9.2x Thermal Rifle Scope 300603, Color: Black, 17% Off w/ Free S&H

Shop Burris BTS35 v3 2.3-9.2x Thermal Rifle Scope | 17% Off Be The First To Review Burris BTS35 v3 2.3-9.2x Thermal Rifle Scope + Free Shipping over $49.

www.opticsplanet.com