Recommendations for the Best Thermal Vision Scope for Night Hunting?

[Uxas]

Based on some experience I had, I recommend the ATN X-sight 4k Pro With Ultra HD Optics 3-14x scope.

 

[Inline6]

Budget is the key.

To some 300.00 is a lot for a scope. Other can drop 50k for a set of panoramic goggles.

I'm running RH25, it is a jack of all master of none. I scan in hand held, when I see something and have a PID. I clip it on and go to work.

For those who have not use a 640, all I can say is the pictures are impressive. IRay has a 1280 scope, would love to try out.

 

[Sideshow]

Most of the points are made above. The market has advanced so much from even 5 years ago. InRay are imo some of the best units out there for scopes. Handheld units is more a personal thing. Im not a fan of the binocular range for the simple reason that using both eyes ruins your night vision which you still need to get on the rifle. Otherwise you come off the spotter if bins and are fumbling around trying to get on the rifle. Spot with your non shooting eye.
The InRay clip on series is great if you use the rifle during the day and move into night. It just clips on the front of your scope no need to sight in again you’re just ready to go in 30sec.
On a separate subject with hand held thermal spotters. Do you PH use them to follow up on DG? That buff or what ever might know how to hide in the thick stuff but he hide his body heat.

 

[Daisy]

I was under the impression thermals could not be taken out of the country.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

This topic is always changing and I'm not one to keep up with it. I hunt a lot with Swaro optics and I decided to try their TM35, which can be hand held or clipped on to your scope with numerous sized adapters. I plan on using it this season in Africa for some night cats. EO has them on a deep discount.

Personally, being able to clip on and use the same unit to scan is the way to go.

 

[Green Chile]

I'm not familiar with all of the options out there but the Swaro TM35 has an interesting setting for either Black/hot or White/hot. That contrast has been interesting in some simple field tests I did. Maybe that's a common setting but I found it to be helpful.

 

[Daisy]

I disagree with the clip on. If money is an issue then maybe. But the image and features aren’t even close to those of a dedicated scope.

Multispectrao scopes are rising and are the answer if you want daytime optics also.

I have a clip on. There are situations to use. But would never recommend for first thermal. Maybe in Europe for driven hunts and no shots over about 100

 

[mdwest]

I was under the impression thermals could not be taken out of the country.

They are ITAR items… which means you have to obtain a temporary export license from DDTC at the State Department..

While not impossible, that’s not an easy or an inexpensive task for an individual..

It honestly might be cheaper, and would certainly be easier, to buy one on the local economy and just gift it to the outfitter on the way out…

The other challenge is.. thermals are illegal in several African countries… for example in South Africa they require a special permit.. otherwise you are committing a crime..

So even if you manage to get your export license from DDTC at the state dept, you still have a pretty huge hurdle to get over on the South Africa side of the house…

The easiest path is to go Day/Night Vision… the ATN X-Sight and Sightmark Wraith are both legal in South Africa, and also don’t require export licenses from the US..

They aren’t thermals… but if you’re trying to take a small cat or a jackal at night, etc… they’re capable of engaging those types of targets out to 200 as long as you’ve got a good IR source and/or enough ambient light from the moon, stars, etc…

 

[Daisy]

They are ITAR items… which means you have to obtain a temporary export license from DDTC at the State Department..

While not impossible, that’s not an easy or an inexpensive task for an individual..

It honestly might be cheaper, and would certainly be easier, to buy one on the local economy and just gift it to the outfitter on the way out…

The other challenge is.. thermals are illegal in several African countries… for example in South Africa they require a special permit.. otherwise you are committing a crime..

So even if you manage to get your export license from DDTC at the state dept, you still have a pretty huge hurdle to get over on the South Africa side of the house…

The easiest path is to go Day/Night Vision… the ATN X-Sight and Sightmark Wraith are both legal in South Africa, and also don’t require export licenses from the US..

They aren’t thermals… but if you’re trying to take a small cat or a jackal at night, etc… they’re capable of engaging those types of targets out to 200 as long as you’ve got a good IR source and/or enough ambient light from the moon, stars, etc…

Pulsar c50 a much smoother system than two you mentioned IMO.

I find once you have thermal the night vision becomes pretty obsolete. I rarely turn it on on the multi spectral scopes I have. I do use daytime optics on them a good bit.

I do think they would be a great option for a night hunt when thermals are not possible.

 

[mdwest]

Pulsar c50 a much smoother system than two you mentioned IMO.

I find once you have thermal the night vision becomes pretty obsolete. I rarely turn it on on the multi spectral scopes I have. I do use daytime optics on them a good bit.

I do think they would be a great option for a night hunt when thermals are not possible.

Im not sure if the Pulsar is ITAR or EAR unrestricted (It may be.. I just dont know).. what it really amounts to is what "generation" of NV it is.. Anything Gen 3 or above is controlled by ITAR, just like thermals are.. and require a temporary export license..

My understanding of how the USG views/defines NV "generations" is that both the X-Sight and the Wraith work on 2nd Gen technology (has nothing to do with all of the extra features.. it just relates to how the optic generates and image and its use of ambient vs IR light as I understand it)... so they are both ok to just put in a bag and take with you..

Pulsar may have intentionally stayed inside the Gen 1 / Gen 2 boundaries with the C50 so that export/international travel wouldnt be an issue with it.. I just dont know..

Gen 2 today vs Gen 2 when it was first released (think PVS 7's) are very different.. modern Gen 2 is much crisper and much more capable than early Gen 2 stuff IMO..

Truth be told, my guess is 999 out of 1000 TSA and Customs personnel couldnt tell the different in Gen 1, 2, 3, or 4 NV if you handed them the user manual and showed them the page that says what Gen the optic is..

But.. if its Gen 3... you should know the law is against you if you "export" without obtaining the license first (which is expensive and a PIA for an individual)..

The good news is, to the best of my knowledge, South Africa doesnt regulate night vision at all.. theres no law/regulation that limits what you can possess or use there.. so once you are out of the US, youre in the clear (assuming RSA is the destination)..

 

[Daisy]

Im not sure if the Pulsar is ITAR or EAR unrestricted (It may be.. I just dont know).. what it really amounts to is what "generation" of NV it is.. Anything Gen 3 or above is controlled by ITAR, just like thermals are.. and require a temporary export license..

My understanding of how the USG views/defines NV "generations" is that both the X-Sight and the Wraith work on 2nd Gen technology (has nothing to do with all of the extra features.. it just relates to how the optic generates and image and its use of ambient vs IR light as I understand it)... so they are both ok to just put in a bag and take with you..

Pulsar may have intentionally stayed inside the Gen 1 / Gen 2 boundaries with the C50 so that export/international travel wouldnt be an issue with it.. I just dont know..

Gen 2 today vs Gen 2 when it was first released (think PVS 7's) are very different.. modern Gen 2 is much crisper and much more capable than early Gen 2 stuff IMO..

Truth be told, my guess is 999 out of 1000 TSA and Customs personnel couldnt tell the different in Gen 1, 2, 3, or 4 NV if you handed them the user manual and showed them the page that says what Gen the optic is..

But.. if its Gen 3... you should know the law is against you if you "export" without obtaining the license first (which is expensive and a PIA for an individual)..

The good news is, to the best of my knowledge, South Africa doesnt regulate night vision at all.. theres no law/regulation that limits what you can possess or use there.. so once you are out of the US, youre in the clear (assuming RSA is the destination)..

All good info. My scopes would be awesome for African hunts, but not worth the hassle to take. I use the heck out of them here though.

 

[Daisy]

This is Pard I got. It’s really a cool scope. I know it’s made it china, but so is iray. I do like how pulsar is made in Europe

Pard TD62-70 Multi-Spectral Riflescope - Optics Trade Blog

At IWA 2024 fair, our team stopped by PARD's booth. Among their new products, we also checked out the Pard TD62-70 Multi-Spectral Scope.

www.optics-trade.eu

 

[mdwest]

Pard had an excellent booth at the NRA convention here in Dallas a few weeks ago.. lots of very nice stuff on display.. I was particularly impressed with an optic they had out that was both thermal and had very crisp day/NV capability as well.. It might have been the TD62-70 that you linked above..

 

[Daisy]

Pard had an excellent booth at the NRA convention here in Dallas a few weeks ago.. lots of very nice stuff on display.. I was particularly impressed with an optic they had out that was both thermal and had very crisp day/NV capability as well.. It might have been the TD62-70 that you linked above..

It is very crisp visually. The interface is not as slick as pulsar. Things I like.

1. It’s actually pretty light for so many features
2. I like the round screen. It feels more like you are looking through a regular scope
3. The day and night vision cameras don’t feel like an afterthought. Great images out to several hundred yards.
4. Good clean thermal imaging.
5. Price is several thousand cheaper than pulsar

I got it significantly cheaper than retail also. I’m using it on my AR and even my crossbow some.

Main reason I got it is I use my pulsar dxp50 on my blaser system and with unique blaser mount I couldn’t put it on any of my other guns with picatinny rails.

 

[Nevada Smith]

If you're considering a hand held device, how about Teledyne FLIR's hand held monoculars?

 

[Angelo_orygun]

If you're considering a hand held device, how about Teledyne FLIR's hand held monoculars?

The Scout III and TK are both approaching 10 year old products/tech.

The Scion is probably close to 5 YO tech.

Proceed with caution!

There are much newer and more advanced options out there.

 

[Angelo_orygun]

Also, I would strongly caution against anything with a fixed focus.

 

[mdwest]

The Scout III and TK are both approaching 10 year old products/tech.

The Scion is probably close to 5 YO tech.

Proceed with caution!

There are much newer and more advanced options out there.

Agree..

Not bad devices.. but over priced IMO when you compare other options in the same price range and what you can get elsewhere for the same money…

 

[Daisy]

I would get a pulsar axiom model in 640 and call it a day on a spotter.

Pulsar Axion 2 LRF XG35 Thermal Monocular

Boost your hunts with the Pulsar Axion 2 LRF XG35 Thermal Monocular at SCHEELS. IPX7 waterproof, 1900+ yard detection, video recording, and more! SCHEELS

www.scheels.com

I have seen them when looking around closer to 2k.

I do like the binos. I had the opposite experience of the person above. I had a monocular, and when I would look for a while then stop, one eye would be wonky from the light and the other not. I much prefer the binocular vision.

 

[RLL]

I singled out the value of the Pulsar XG50 because it’s the only 640 sensor on the market being discounted and sold at 3k. There are many other options out there that are cheaper that may suit your specific needs.