Thermal Scope clip ons vs actual thermal

From what I've researched and read on other forums from people who know a lot more about thermal then I care to, say the "decent" clip-on thermals start at $10,000 and go up form there.

Its something about the collimating eyepeice. This is from Trijicon:

Collimates and de-magnifies the display end of the optic to optimize for use with a magnified day optic

Apparently the lower cost Clip-Ons dont do it very well.

The other issue is when you turn up the power on a day scope. On the lower cost clip ons the screen becomes very grainy.
 
Thermal Clip-Ons always cost more than dedicated thermal scopes due to proper collimation.

However, if yo have twenty rifles with day optics, it takes five seconds to turn any of them into night hunters.



HK%20Black%20Coyote%20225%20yards.jpg
 
Thermal clip-on is very versatile and comfortable because you can put it on and off easily on any riflescope. But the setting seems unmanageable and exposed to possible impacts with the vegetation if it is used in stray hunting. Also I don't think it can give a detailed image like the one you see with a thermal riflescope. Kirsch on 08/11/19 posted a video showing that with a compact thermal riflescope (FLIR PTS536) you can go hunting well both day and night.
http://www.predatormastersforums.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=3210009h
 
Clip-Ons give detailed images and stray vegetation is not a problem, you can use them day or night, don’t know where you getting contradicting info?
 
Originally Posted By: SkyPup375 yards at 18X no pixelation .308



Vis%20Coyote.jpg


Which is that clip on? Will it fit a normal zeiss or swaro 40mm?
 
SkyPup you are absolutely right. Mine, however, is not contradictory information, but only contradictory impressions. Because I believe that a performing thermal clip-on needs a high-level riflescope to be able to see well day and night. Surely with my cheap and modest ($ 500) Chinese Konus riflescope 3-12x56 it would look bad ....
 
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SkyPup is correct, but in fairness to Ernest49 and others comparing a high-end mil-spec clip on thermal (and scope) to a $3K stand alone thermal isn't exactly an apples-apples comparison. Not many standard night hunters are going to have a T-75 in their arsenal. Kudos to those who do.
 
Originally Posted By: SkyPupAn accurate 500 yard plus shooting thermal scope of any kind is not going to be cheap.

500 in the dark? I wouldn't shoot 500 in the day. No way I'm in your league feller
 
Originally Posted By: SkyPupSF sniper buddy with .338 Lapua and T-75 makes head shots at twice that distance.

Im not man enough to even say 338 much less shoot 1
 
Bling, I own an Armasight Apollo 640 clip-on and also a Pulsar XQ38 and although the Apollo is kinda dated imo, there are pro/cons and is comparable. Is it comparable in image for my use (sort of)(& coyote hunting 100-200 yds max)... my clip-on (& I would assume others) are much less flexible in options than the dedicated thermal. Ex- zooming, etc...while my clip-on can zoom and have other functions, in front of a 3x scope, I cannot see my menu very well (b/c it's zoomed 3x from my day-scope), so functionally I never zoom my clip-on and if I did, would not be as good of an image as if I zoomed in my Pulsar. The clip-on is nice to transfer to one gun to another, but when I do that, I still have to re-zero (to collimate the clip-on...or "re-align it" to the day-scope). So saying all that, if I had to choose one, I'd go with a dedicated thermal on a dedicated gun...but having both is nice...even though both are becoming dated. Hope that helps...from a novice night hunter.
 
Sorry if I reopen this old post .... but the mountain hunter friend (to whom I sold my Pulsar Accolade XP50 lrf ...) keeps asking me. He sold his Pulsar Trail XP50 because he couldn't stand the constant change of POI anymore. He asks me for advice: almost at the same cost .... is the Pulsar Thermion XP50 riflescope better or the new Pulsar Krypton XG50 clip-on? Thanks for your advice.
 
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