Thermal Scopes

[RogSon]

Good morning yall, I was prepping to get into the thermal market. I've only done some homework on the higher end Pulsar stuff like the XP50 LRF PROs. They're quite expensive but I can rely on the higher end stuff for having better resolution. Im not in a rush to buy so my budget can vary for the time being but ideally the less cash used the better. Hopefully I'd be using it to hunt deer, hogs, etc. on a 308 AR platform. Would yall recommend buying a "budget" thermal scope to pop my cherry or just go straight to the top to avoid wasting cash? What thermal scopes do yall have experience with / own?

 

[PBramble]

the general consensus on thermal purchases is to spend what you can. Don't buy a lower priced model that doesn't do what you want, you'll just get frustrated. There's a plethora of info on decent thermals for the price, although most of them are not cheap by any means, over on the hide.

Oh and hogs and coyotes are good to go. You may get in some trouble using it to deer hunt as it's prohibited in the regulations.

Im currently using an ATN Thor 4 with pretty good results. My only gripe about it is the aiming setup. Once I got it sighted in, the crosshair is in the lower left quadrant of the screen. It shoots fine, but my OCD says it should be closer to center.

 

[RogSon]

the general consensus on thermal purchases is to spend what you can. Don't buy a lower priced model that doesn't do what you want, you'll just get frustrated. There's a plethora of info on decent thermals for the price, although most of them are not cheap by any means, over on the hide.

Oh and hogs and coyotes are good to go. You may get in some trouble using it to deer hunt as it's prohibited in the regulations.

Im currently using an ATN Thor 4 with pretty good results. My only gripe about it is the aiming setup. Once I got it sighted in, the crosshair is in the lower left quadrant of the screen. It shoots fine, but my OCD says it should be closer to center.

Thanks for the info! Did not know about the deer part..

 

[Blackdog]

To me it really depends on how often your using it. Spending 5000 plus on a scope to be used 3 times a year is dumb to me. I also believe you will get more use out of a cheaper scope and buying a viewer. For the same money. That way your not just flagging everything looking all the time. I went with agm rattler and agm tipan viewer and they are working great for me. Depending on shot distance you can go cheaper res for say hogs at a feeder than yotes at 200 yards. Just my experience so far

 

[RogSon]

To me it really depends on how often your using it. Spending 5000 plus on a scope to be used 3 times a year is dumb to me. I also believe you will get more use out of a cheaper scope and buying a viewer. For the same money. That way your not just flagging everything looking all the time. I went with agm rattler and agm tipan viewer and they are working great for me. Depending on shot distance you can go cheaper res for say hogs at a feeder than yotes at 200 yards. Just my experience so far

I was also curious about this route too. Having a thermal viewer instead of having a dedicated thermal scope... I'll have to do some more digging. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Blackdog]

It struck me as odd on my first outing that dudes will be waving loaded guns around looking for something as if there are not other peoples homes and animals around. I mean of you have a bunch of land go ahead, but do you leave your binos at home and just rifle scope everywhere on a day hunt... no they just cheap out and buy the thermal and not a viewer

 

[7stw]

I bought the Rix leap 6. I don’t have a scanner yet. Lots of features and while it’s no nvision the Rix punches above its weight class. I have looked through and hunted with some high end ones and am happy with the Rix. The factory mount was low quality. I went with a set of warne rings and since I don’t plan on swapping it from rifle to rifle the warne’s have been fine. The video is okay but if that’s what you’re looking for there are better options of course they cost more.

 

[RogSon]

I bought the Rix leap 6. I don’t have a scanner yet. Lots of features and while it’s no nvision the Rix punches above its weight class. I have looked through and hunted with some high end ones and am happy with the Rix. The factory mount was low quality. I went with a set of warne rings and since I don’t plan on swapping it from rifle to rifle the warne’s have been fine. The video is okay but if that’s what you’re looking for there are better options of course they cost more.

Thanks! I'll have to look into the Rix!

 

[retrieverman]

Outdoor Legacy Gear can answer any questions about thermals you might have.
https://outdoorlegacygear.com/

 

[RogSon]

Outdoor Legacy Gear can answer any questions about thermals you might have.
https://outdoorlegacygear.com/

Thanks! I'll be sure to check them out!