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Thread: Thermal imaging rifle scope

  1. #1
    Tool & Die Maker
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    Default Thermal imaging rifle scope

    Looking ahead to hog hunting next year I'm looking at a Thermal Imaging rifle scope.

    https://www.amazon.com/Thermal-Rifle.../dp/B01FJDFG8S

    The Firefield night vision scope works great but now I'm curious about thermo imaging. I'm wondering if thermo imaging might work better in the Florida jungle. The Firefield scope uses infared light which lights up the vegetation making it difficult to see on the other side of the vegetation. I think thermal imaging might do that.

    I saw a $3000 thermo site on Amazon.com on sale for $580 yesterday but today it is gone. Wonder if they were HOT? Besides, I'm not buying more stuff until I know my hunting lease is renewed.

    A place called "Optics Planet" pops up with scopes all the time. I see they are in the Chicago
    area. I may drive in there and visit this place and take a look.

    Just checking to see if anyone here has seen thermal imaging equipment for some opinions.

    I know how much you guys enjoy spending my money!! Jim


  2. #2
    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    It is really nice of you to put together the list of toys(?) that work and some maybe not so much...

    No experience with a rifle scope....but did have a buddy that had a monocle style thermal imaging scope.
    Was for location of downed animals in the dark.

    Most stuff that was alive looked like a colored blob more that an animal.

    Come to think of it....haven see it in a while....he might have still been carrying it?
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  3. #3
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    I have a night vision monocular. It is great for panning the bait area, small light and weight but it is of no help for aiming the AR-15. The reason for the night vision scope. I recommend having both. The monocular has 0 magnification and wider field of view so it is great for snooping around. The scope has 3X magnification which I don't need but it is much brighter, just about like daylight but with less field of view.

    I started out with the monocular thinking I could identify a hog then use a laser gun sight for shot placement.
    But the hog was spooked by the laser and ran off. It required two hands to operate the monocular and the rifle at the same time, all from a tree stand but it was worth a try. After that I ordered the Firefield night vision scope for shot placement. Still use the monocular along with the scope. The monocular helped me overcome my fear of the jungle at night because I was able to look around and see, got a kick out of it actually. Jim
    Last edited by jim Glass; 03-12-2017 at 12:57 PM.

  4. #4
    Senior Member alaskabushman's Avatar
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    I've been drooling over thermal Imaging for a few years myself. FLIR is pretty much the standard, but running anywhere from $3k to $8k there is no way I can justify that.

    The ATN unit you linked looks pretty decent for an entry level thermal scope. For myself I want something more compact so I was looking at the Sig Sauer Echo 1 reflex thermal sight. Its about the same price as the ATN.

    If you want to dip your toe into the thermal imaging waters without spending 20 Benjamins, you can look at the Leupold thermal viewer monocular. Not a scope, but it gives you a thermal view for for around $700. Never used it, but hopefully it does better than "colored blobs".

    The all time cheapest route is the Seek thermal imaging camera adapter for a smartphone. https://www.amazon.com/Seek-Thermal-.../dp/B00NYWAHHM Since I don't own a smartphone it does me no good.

    You do have to be careful of knockoffs, the optics industry is really getting hit by counterfeit units lately, and not just thermal. If the deal is too go to be true, it probably is. Your best bet probably it to go get some hands on time at Optics Planet, and get a feel for what you are buying into.
    There ain't too many problems you can't fix with $500 or a 30-06.

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  5. #5
    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    I deal with Optics Planet all the time. They carry all the major brands and about 100 minor brands no one ever heard about.

    I had to make myself get off their website last night for the sake of thrift and the budget.

    I have to say that the only night vision I have used mounted on a rifle was the old "starlight" scope of 40 years ago and that technology is obsolete x10. I do have a set of cheap binoculars that do well out to 100 yards but they are blury. If I could afford a good NV scope I would buy one in a minute and set up a dedicated rifle just for night work.
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  6. #6
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    I spent the weekend looking at thermo scopes. I keep looking at the ATN Thor-HD 384, the newest ATN model on the market. I stumbled across one for $499 at Amazon.com. This scope has WIFI, weather, GPS, compass, range finder, elevation to name a few. Almost need to be an engineer to set the thing up.

    I also stumbled across a ATN Thor 320-1x. This model came out in 2012, judging from the product reviews. This scope sold for $4000 in 2012. I found these for $499 at Amazon.com, probably a clearance sale. This scope doesn't have all the bells and whistles the 384 has. One thing I like about the Firefield night vision scope that I already have is, you turn it on and it is ready to go, simple as that.

    Forgot to mention, the 384 takes pictures and videos even recoil activated videos which would be great for posting here. Bottom line, all I really want to do is shoot wild hogs. Are all these features really worth the trouble?

    Almost forgot to mention, I called Optics Planet and they do not have a showroom,
    they are strictly internet. I hate going to Chicago anyway.
    Last edited by jim Glass; 03-14-2017 at 11:41 AM.

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