On to the thermal

J

jamesd

New member
So now that I ordered my night vision scope I'm trying to decide what to get for a thermal unit. Looking to spend between 3-4K. Any pros or cons with different units? I'm looking at a ATN OTS-X-F314 or a FLIR PS 32.
Thanks
I'm also considering getting a scope and using it as a monocular.
 
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I've had no experience with ATN products. My FLIR ps32 has served me very well. Using gen3 NV is great, but the hand held thermal is the game changer when hunting at night.
 
I have the ATN and I like it....never used the Flir but I know they make good stuff. I chose the ATN because it uses a CR123 battery and I can change it in the field if needed.....I get about 2 hrs. out of a battery. Jusy my 2 cents....hope it helps
 
Originally Posted By: larrybI have the ATN and I like it....never used the Flir but I know they make good stuff. I chose the A.TN because it uses a CR123 battery and I can change it in the field if needed.....I get about 2 hrs. out of a battery. Jusy my 2 cents....hope it helps
Thanks,
The battery is the main concern for me,sometimes I hunt for several hours and it can be kinda chilly around here near and below zero is not uncommon.
Can you get CR123 rechargeables?
 
I have a Flir ps32, my pal has that & the ps64.
They are the tops for scanning at night IMO & will say I have not used any other brand of thermal to compare it to.
I have a 3000mha battery pack (about $25 @ menards)that fits into my shirt pocket and run the usb cord to it that I hook up when it drops to 1/2 charge and run it all night long steadily on unless Im moving in the truck.

The only issue I see w/a thermal clip on scope is scanning w/it and trying to attaché it fast as you can on the firearm and looking back through it to shoot said animal. A pal does it that way and I have shot every coyote I saw with him as he is messing w/putting it back on the gun and the coyote is starting to head out of the area.
Needless to say he got a dedicated thermal scanner and don't monkey with taking it off & on.
 
Originally Posted By: 5spdI have a Flir ps32, my pal has that & the ps64.
They are the tops for scanning at night IMO & will say I have not used any other brand of thermal to compare it to.
I have a 3000mha battery pack (about $25 @ menards)that fits into my shirt pocket and run the usb cord to it that I hook up when it drops to 1/2 charge and run it all night long steadily on unless Im moving in the truck.

The only issue I see w/a thermal clip on scope is scanning w/it and trying to attaché it fast as you can on the firearm and looking back through it to shoot said animal. A pal does it that way and I have shot every coyote I saw with him as he is messing w/putting it back on the gun and the coyote is starting to head out of the area.
Needless to say he got a dedicated thermal scanner and don't monkey with taking it off & on.
I'm thinking of using the termal scope as a scanner and shooting with my night vision scope. I could also use it as a dedicated scope if I wanted to.
I could be happy with a aux. battery pack,thanks for the info!
 
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I have not found rechargeables but I'm sure they have them. The ATN scope I have, uses three Cr123's and I get about 7 hrs. out of it....the handheld gets about 2.5 hrs out of one battery....
 
Get a flir rs32.
We pop ours off to scan out of the truck, then reattach to shoot. Much better image than ps32 and the Larue mounts return to zero reliably. About the same money or a little more compared to ps32, but offers weapon mount capability.

ETA
the rs32 is a convenient size for handheld use, and the battery lasts for a full night 10pm to daylight hunt. We do have an external power pack if we ever need it, but so far have only used it for cell phones
 
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I've been looking for a used Flir RS32-35mm or 60mm for several months now and haven't even found one for sale. I think that speaks well of customer satisfaction... LOL

I know that for what you get, and compared to other IR scopes, they're cheap but they make even my NightForce regular daytime scopes look inexpensive by comparison...

This night hunting ain't cheap and I end up with rifles dedicated to it as well plus a bunch of other night hunting gear... I've certainly had less expensive hobbies but few that were more addictive... LOL

$bob$
 
I found a First mate, looks like the PS32 with the same specs. for a decent price so I will be giving that a try very soon.
If this is like everything else optic related I'm sure I will be wanting better and will upgrade as budget allows.
My scope from TNVC should be in my hands Thursday!
 
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