Thermal Scope
- Thread starter Jwilliam
- Start date
Bowhntr6pt
Well-known member
After much going back and forth I settled a couple years ago on the Pulsar Trail XP50.
Initially I had issues with it holding zero...wasn't bad really, few inches here and there but enough to cause concern for long range shots. I hunt areas that give 300-500 yards and more opportunities. My longest night kill so far is just under 400 yards. I captured it on video and have posted it on here a couple times.
Sent it in and within a couple weeks had it back with updated firmware... so far, so good. I've started a log to track the changes but have taken the summer off from hunting. Between getting the unit back and the start of the summer, I think I made one adjustment of about 1 1/2" and that was it. So long as I'm killing things and hitting relatively close to POA, I haven't checked it.
Hands down a game changing piece of gear for night hunting... glad I made the jump and glad I spent the money.
Friends can't believe I dropped that kind of money ($5K) on a thermal but when I compare my night hunting hobby, which is mostly what I do, against other hobbies like fishing (boat, motor, trailer), it becomes clear the money spent is justified.
The customer service from Pulsar has been second to none.
Initially I had issues with it holding zero...wasn't bad really, few inches here and there but enough to cause concern for long range shots. I hunt areas that give 300-500 yards and more opportunities. My longest night kill so far is just under 400 yards. I captured it on video and have posted it on here a couple times.
Sent it in and within a couple weeks had it back with updated firmware... so far, so good. I've started a log to track the changes but have taken the summer off from hunting. Between getting the unit back and the start of the summer, I think I made one adjustment of about 1 1/2" and that was it. So long as I'm killing things and hitting relatively close to POA, I haven't checked it.
Hands down a game changing piece of gear for night hunting... glad I made the jump and glad I spent the money.
Friends can't believe I dropped that kind of money ($5K) on a thermal but when I compare my night hunting hobby, which is mostly what I do, against other hobbies like fishing (boat, motor, trailer), it becomes clear the money spent is justified.
The customer service from Pulsar has been second to none.
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Gman757
Active member
Originally Posted By: JwilliamDoes anyone have experience in using thermal scopes, especially ATN Thor or similar models?
thanks
You might want to spend some time in the NIGHT CALLING forum. There is a lot of information available there to help you get familiar with thermal technology. You can also use the search engine to get more specifics about any questions you might have.
Bowhntr6pt brought up the issue of cost which is usually the first consideration when researching for a thermal device. Generally you can spend from $2k to $9k depending on the unit. Do your homework and plan to spend enough to get a unit that will be sufficient for your hunting strategy. A lot of the cost is affected by lens size since the Germanium material used for production is expensive.
Just keep in mind that bigger is not always better due to a reduction in your Field of View. It's especially important with thermal because anything outside of your scopes FOV is completely undetectable in the dark.
The following specs are to be considered and will affect cost.
Core Resolution: 320 vs 640 (640 better)
Core Pitch: 17 micron vs 12 micron (12 is better)
Lens size: 20mm to 100mm (This will affect usable range and FOV)
With regard to FOV....any unit with a single digit FOV is getting tight IMO. (Below 10 degrees)
Most of the major manufacturers are producing quality units and provide good customer service. However, ATN would be at the bottom of the list for me.
thanks
You might want to spend some time in the NIGHT CALLING forum. There is a lot of information available there to help you get familiar with thermal technology. You can also use the search engine to get more specifics about any questions you might have.
Bowhntr6pt brought up the issue of cost which is usually the first consideration when researching for a thermal device. Generally you can spend from $2k to $9k depending on the unit. Do your homework and plan to spend enough to get a unit that will be sufficient for your hunting strategy. A lot of the cost is affected by lens size since the Germanium material used for production is expensive.
Just keep in mind that bigger is not always better due to a reduction in your Field of View. It's especially important with thermal because anything outside of your scopes FOV is completely undetectable in the dark.
The following specs are to be considered and will affect cost.
Core Resolution: 320 vs 640 (640 better)
Core Pitch: 17 micron vs 12 micron (12 is better)
Lens size: 20mm to 100mm (This will affect usable range and FOV)
With regard to FOV....any unit with a single digit FOV is getting tight IMO. (Below 10 degrees)
Most of the major manufacturers are producing quality units and provide good customer service. However, ATN would be at the bottom of the list for me.
Yeah i use an ATN Thor HD 384 1.25-5x thermal scope, and it works better than I'd thought it would. Of course I'd prefer a 640/60Hz device, but this thing I was willing to gamble on for the price. I hunt pigs and coyotes at night and thats all we use is thermals.
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Kirsch
Active member
I have used various brands and models of thermal. It is very addicting. Very few thermal dealers carry ATN due to a high % of returns. This has led to a lot of negative press on forums such as these. This negatively has also led to a potential lower resale value, so I try to stay away from ATN personally. I am a prostaff member of Night Goggles and if you have any specific questions send me a PM or give me a call (701) 261-9017. Tom Austin is the PROGRAMS DIRECTOR for Night Goggles. He has used a lot of the Night Vision and Thermal options and would be a great resource to ask questions as well. 909-312-5424 X531
Either of our recommendations is going to depend on budget, terrain, and hunting needs.
The link Santiago posted says it is a review of the best scope of 2019. However, it lists old scopes that aren't even produced any longer. Armasight was bought by Flir so all the scopes that say either brand are no longer produced. They now have the PTS series. It also talks about the Trail XQ being the choice and Pulsar has moved on to heavily promoting the Thermion now. This would have maybe been an OK review back in 2017.
Either of our recommendations is going to depend on budget, terrain, and hunting needs.
The link Santiago posted says it is a review of the best scope of 2019. However, it lists old scopes that aren't even produced any longer. Armasight was bought by Flir so all the scopes that say either brand are no longer produced. They now have the PTS series. It also talks about the Trail XQ being the choice and Pulsar has moved on to heavily promoting the Thermion now. This would have maybe been an OK review back in 2017.
New guy here just sharing my experience, I've been running the ATN Thor4 640 and love it! I haven't had any issues other than technical settings questions and so far their customer service has been top notch. The battery life is also insane! Probably overkill to the 10th power. I don't have time on other vendors and can't speak to them directly but it seems like all of these devices that were designed to cost $15-$20K for MilSpec can be kind of glitchy at times in the consumer budget level.
Mr. Poppadopalis
New member
I have an ATN, IRHunter Mark3 60mm and a Pulsar Trail XP50.
ATN - It is the older model that is built like a tank with a 50mm Lens-sent it into UNV and they revamped the entire scope
IR Hunter - I feel this one has the best picture by far
Pulsar Trail - Easiest to use and has many bells & whistles
I can only use 1 at a time and ast year i used the Pulsar and brought the IR Hunter as a backup.
No complaints on any of the Thermal scopes i own.
I use an IR Patrol M250 for scanning - Very Happy with it.
ATN - It is the older model that is built like a tank with a 50mm Lens-sent it into UNV and they revamped the entire scope
IR Hunter - I feel this one has the best picture by far
Pulsar Trail - Easiest to use and has many bells & whistles
I can only use 1 at a time and ast year i used the Pulsar and brought the IR Hunter as a backup.
No complaints on any of the Thermal scopes i own.
I use an IR Patrol M250 for scanning - Very Happy with it.