Bells and whistles?

P

parson

Member
I know very little about thermal other than what I read here. I am half heartedly considering a thermal scope, not so much because I need one but think I want one. If I do I want a good one, a top of the line without getting ridiculous price wise. My question is, is there a good quality thermal scope without all the bells and whistles. I have no interest in recording, gps and the multitude of other features I read about. Just a simple straight forward quality scope. Thx
 
I would look at the hogster 35 as it falls between the 25 and the super hogster as far as fov and power. I have the 35 on my gun and was thinking about a super hogster but decided not to get it as I do like the fov with the 35. I am in the east so don't hunt wide open area like out west.
 
You should have a thermal scanner also. That being said it will effect the budget pretty decently. I see you are in ND so assuming wider open spaces. FOV is very important but if you are hunting wider open areas less FOV and more magnification may be more what you want. A lot of these scopes are coming out with all the B@W's if you want an expensive one. Knowing that you will also need a scanner and will have to split your budget between 2 items why don't you give us a monetary figure you have in mind and the terrain you hunt and we'll be able to direct you better.
 
under 5k could have the hogster 25 for scanning (or guest gun) and the 35 for rifle. I have the 25 for scanning and just sold my thermion xq38, which was on my rifle. Probably gonna buy a hogster 35 this year for the rifle to replace it. I liked the image quality of the hogster better. Especially in higher humidity.
 
Originally Posted By: parsonI know very little about thermal other than what I read here. I am half heartedly considering a thermal scope, not so much because I need one but think I want one. If I do I want a good one, a top of the line without getting ridiculous price wise. My question is, is there a good quality thermal scope without all the bells and whistles. I have no interest in recording, gps and the multitude of other features I read about. Just a simple straight forward quality scope. Thx You would think Bells and Whistles would lead to higher prices, but it doesn't always work that way in the thermal world. The gold standard as one of the most expensive civilian thermal brands is Trijicon and they have very few bells and whistles.

I agree with what everyone has said that the Hogster line up is a great value. A thermal scope is very nice but as many are saying, you can't shoot what you can't see. Not many people want to lug around a gun with a scope on it just to see what is out there. I am a ND coyote hunter as well, and a scanner is about the most important tool you can use to if you are serious about night hunting. I would recommend a Bering Optics 25, 35, or Phenom. The Phenom has the best image. My hunting partner wouldn't give up his 35 as a scanner for anything. For me, the FOV is a little tight for a scanner.

For the gun, for ND coyotes specifically, I would recommend the Super Hogster. Although most of my shots are 100-150 yards, there are usually multiples that provide opportunities. I have shot at least 40 coyotes this year alone at ranges over 300 yards. The Super Hogster allows you to make further confident shots.

So, vs spending 6-7K on a top tier unit, I would recommend the Phenom or Hogster 35 as your scanner and a Super Hogster for your gun. Your investment in thermal will be right at the same price point as if you went for a top tier unit but still not cost you what one Trijicon would usually cost. The image on all of these scanner is not just OK, they are really good. ND nights are also very humid and the Bering Optics thermals work in humidity better than virtually any brand I have ever used. You will put a lot more coyotes in the back of your truck with this approach vs spending a ton of money for one thermal.
 
Is this correct Korey, the 12 micron Phenom has a FOV of 13x10 and the 17 micron one had a 17x13 FOV? Is this due to the slightly larger base mag. of 2.5x vs. 2.0x?
 
Yes the only difference between the two is 12 µm verses 17 µm. That difference increases the mag and decreases FOV with the numbers you stated for the 12 µm. The image is also better. Due to the image improvement, Bering decided to only produce the 12 µm version. I know the people who like a wider field of view would not prefer this, but it was their decision.
 
Was in this same boat. Decided I’ll spend the money now so I don’t regret it later. Went with a super hogster and a phenom
 
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