ArizonaShooting.ORG

I find myself wandering towards thermal optics.

Anyone have advice? A good resource to learn what’s worth spending money on?

Thanks!

-Doc

The guys that run this Youtube channel sell thermal scopes. But they also film through them during their hog hunts so you can see the different performance for the various models they carry. They almost always have somewhere in the screen a notation of the model being used at that moment.

I went the inexpensive route and bought a handheld thermal monocular for about $300. This one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08CRZZXDL

My rationale was:

1 - Thermal and NV is expensive
2 - The "technology" for them improves and costs drop as new tech comes out, so it would depreciate and since I wasn't using this for anything but 'fun', I didn't want to invest a bunch into it, initially.
3 - I could go NV or Thermal, but not both. I've had NV in the past and between the two, thermal was definitely more appropriate for what I wanted.
4 - I didn't want a magnified scope/weapon mounted platform because I wanted to be able to use it at times without a weapon attached. Also wanted to be able to use it for activities that didn't require pointing a weapon at someone/something.

That said, I bought the cheapest, yet decent quality Thermal and this is like using cheat-codes. While the high-dollar ones pretty much just get you better resolution and optical zoom levels, this one at the basic level lets me identify that there is SOMETHING over there and whether it's moving or not. I've used it a few times and even used it to help identify hot and cold spots in the house to try to fix them and at some point, I may buy a higher resolution one - but this one is the sweet spot for having SOMETHING that's Thermal and not costing me the price of a car for something I'd really only use once in a while.

i like NV for moving and thermals on scopes personally. I would Look at Iray USA. theyve been around and make great stuff. they also have the best warranty in the business. for NV talk to TNVC

I own gen 3 white phos PVS 14s. they are amazing.

im looking hard at the Iray Alpha. I considered the Halo and other but like the features of the Alpha

I have mostly Pulsar in thermal scopes, with one Trijicon Reap and a DJI dual enterprise thermal drone. The Trijicon is still the standard as far as resolution goes, but there are other companies now matching what Trijicon can do, at a slightly lower price point. After hunting hogs in Alabama and Georgia for 8 years I have concluded a couple of things. The 640 resolution is well worth the extra money, although 320 will get you started in thermal at a much lower cost. Resale value is almost nil with 320 scopes these days.
Extra batteries are a must, along with a means to charge them in the field. 12 volt chargers work fine, although they're slower than a 110 volt.
One scope probably won't be enough. One on the gun still leaves you without a way to scan, so you either buy a second scope or a handheld scanner. There are a lot of good used pulsars available for a decent price. Check the thermal and night vision pages on Facebook.
I have tried hunting hogs with current generation night vision, the good stuff, and it can't compare with thermal. If I could only have one, it would be thermal. It's very difficult to hide from a thermal scope. It can be done, but the slightest slip with your cover and you are revealed. It's been an expensive education but well worth it in the end.

thermals are gonna totally rewrite the "he who smelt it, dealt it" rules

I have been struggling with this subject for a while. Anyone use a thermal sight with a quick release to use as a scanner as well?

Dangerruss wrote: ↑January 25th, 2023, 6:36 pm I have been struggling with this subject for a while. Anyone use a thermal sight with a quick release to use as a scanner as well?

For NV I have a PVS that works very well on my rifle but, not as handy when hand held.

My thermal is a Sig Echo 3 it's also weapon mounted with a quick release and the shape of it is very easy to use hand held.

It is too bad you can't use NV or Thermals for hunting in Arizona. Mine are mostly used for security on our property most of the time they are weapon mounted..