HTRN field trial review of the FLIR Thermosight Pro PTS233

Originally Posted By: bobfoxNoniesleman, I have a RS 35 as well. It is away at Flir right now being repaired. I am not happy about that whole ordeal but that is another story. I was thinking about getting one of these new scopes. Is it really better than the RS 35s that we have? Can you identify and shoot at the distances that we can? Thanks for any help.

I assume you mean and RS32, if not let me know. That unit uses the prior 17 micron microbolometer (FLIR Tau2) which is not quite as sharp as the 12 micron microbolometer (FLIR BOSON). Upon positive ID, I would estimate that you could shoot out to 200 yards for coyotes, and out to 250/300 for hogs with this unit. You would probably need to hit the 2x digital zoom (making it a 3x optical) to shoot a coyote at 200 yards since the core 1.5x would give you a rather small target. The 4x (6x optical zoom) could be used also on larger animals beyond 200 yards but it pixelates rather badly as can be seen in the demonstration. This unit is more compact that the RS series scopes and can also be used as a monocular if you want (removing the quick attach rail makes it even more compact and lighter weight). It also has a built in video recorder too if you are into that. Kevin
 
Originally Posted By: LDhunterDoes the PTS233 come with a remote and if not can one be had and if so how much is it?

This unit does not come standard with the remote (that would mostly be useful to activate the stand-by mode). I will check with Flir to see what these cost and get back with you. Edited: Per response from Flir, the remote retails for around $100. Kevin
 
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Originally Posted By: 6mm06
Thanks Kevin. Yes, it is pretty well centered in your video. I guess some scopes are more problematic than others. If I interpret correctly, all dedicated NV scopes may have this issue. I wasn't aware of that.

Thanks for all the good discussion that further helps educate us.



Yes, all of the dedicated Digital/NV/Thermal scopes that I've played around with (Digital, Gen1, Gen2, Gen3, Thermal) will move the reticles beyond dead center unless your particular rifle actually needs no windage/elevation adjustment. The only way around this to my knowledge is to use a clip-on with a regular day scope (like your homemade model). Kevin
 
Originally Posted By: jaywmustangHow far has anyone been able to detect on fox and yotes? And when can u identify?

Considering you can see mice in the field at distances of 40 or 50 yards, I would estimate (under the right conditions) that you could probably see the heat signature of a coyote or fox out well beyond 500 yards. Positive ID is also difficult to answer. Take a look at the actual footage hunting clip that I also recently posted on this forum. When shot, the coyote was at 75 yards since we stepped it off. When the video begins, I would estimate the closest one to be 150 yards, with the back one at 200+ yards. You really need to judge for yourself when you can confirm that the first one is actually a coyote. We had our NV scopes with us and could positively ID all of them easily at the 200+ yard mark. A fellow hunter with me actually shot it with his HTRN MX-160 Clip On. I would have to agree with most members on here that it's hard to positively ID with the cheaper thermal units but they are hands down great for detection. Kevin
 
Originally Posted By: 6mm06Originally Posted By: NonnieselmanYes it's better in every way. I like the lower magnification the best. But at distance it's a little more clear than the RS32. And less than half the price
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How close can you use the scope with good clarity / focus?




The user manual posts it at 10 meters (around 11 yards).

Kevin
 
Originally Posted By: HTRN57Originally Posted By: 6mm06
Thanks Kevin. Yes, it is pretty well centered in your video. I guess some scopes are more problematic than others. If I interpret correctly, all dedicated NV scopes may have this issue. I wasn't aware of that.

Thanks for all the good discussion that further helps educate us.



Yes, all of the dedicated Digital/NV/Thermal scopes that I've played around with (Digital, Gen1, Gen2, Gen3, Thermal) will move the reticles beyond dead center unless your particular rifle actually needs no windage/elevation adjustment. The only way around this to my knowledge is to use a clip-on with a regular day scope (like your homemade model). Kevin

Thermal scopes try to take advantage of all/most of the core's pixel elements so a reticle positioned anywhere other than 0,0 would not have enough pixels to fill the display at the edges.

FLIR's R-Series made an attempt at re-centering the reticle when zoom was activated. A nice feature, especially with the 640 models where zoom was actually useful. Not sure why the PTS233 doesn't do the same. I wonder how well the unit is boresighted WRT the mount. I know R-Series took a lot of adjustment to zero, even on a high quality rail. Maybe the PTS is better so the need for re-centering isn't as great.
 
Originally Posted By: sbmarmamOriginally Posted By: HTRN57Originally Posted By: 6mm06
Thanks Kevin. Yes, it is pretty well centered in your video. I guess some scopes are more problematic than others. If I interpret correctly, all dedicated NV scopes may have this issue. I wasn't aware of that.

Thanks for all the good discussion that further helps educate us.



Yes, all of the dedicated Digital/NV/Thermal scopes that I've played around with (Digital, Gen1, Gen2, Gen3, Thermal) will move the reticles beyond dead center unless your particular rifle actually needs no windage/elevation adjustment. The only way around this to my knowledge is to use a clip-on with a regular day scope (like your homemade model). Kevin

Thermal scopes try to take advantage of all/most of the core's pixel elements so a reticle positioned anywhere other than 0,0 would not have enough pixels to fill the display at the edges.

FLIR's R-Series made an attempt at re-centering the reticle when zoom was activated. A nice feature, especially with the 640 models where zoom was actually useful. Not sure why the PTS233 doesn't do the same. I wonder how well the unit is boresighted WRT the mount. I know R-Series took a lot of adjustment to zero, even on a high quality rail. Maybe the PTS is better so the need for re-centering isn't as great.

I will have to check this out with Tech Support and get back to you guys on it. I can see the cross hairs move when I make the adjustments, however, not sure if the scope re-centers after you exit the bore-sighting mode. Kevin
 
Last night was the first night out with the Flir Thermosight PTS233. I absolutely love this sight. After predator calling for 5 minutes we had what we thought was a coyote show up at the tree line roughly 250-300 yards out. After some time we decided the coyote wasn't coming any closer, and it was time to take a shot. I took a shot and dropped what turned out to be a bobcat with a headshot. Is there a way to post video or pictures? It's clearly a lucky headshot, but the scope's performance is very nice and worth taking a look.
 
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Originally Posted By: RiverNickLast night was the first night out with the Flir Thermosight PTS233. I absolutely love this sight. After predator calling for 5 minutes we had what we thought was a coyote show up at the tree line roughly 250-300 yards out. After some time we decided the coyote wasn't coming any closer, and it was time to take a shot. I took a shot and dropped what turned out to be a bobcat with a headshot. Is there a way to post video or pictures? It's clearly a lucky headshot, but the scope's performance is very nice and worth taking a look.

Glad to hear you are enjoying the PTS233 but PLEASE remember your four rules of firearms safety (referring to #4 "Be sure of your target") before pulling the trigger.
 
Originally Posted By: HTRN57Originally Posted By: sbmarmamOriginally Posted By: HTRN57Originally Posted By: 6mm06
Thanks Kevin. Yes, it is pretty well centered in your video. I guess some scopes are more problematic than others. If I interpret correctly, all dedicated NV scopes may have this issue. I wasn't aware of that.

Thanks for all the good discussion that further helps educate us.



Yes, all of the dedicated Digital/NV/Thermal scopes that I've played around with (Digital, Gen1, Gen2, Gen3, Thermal) will move the reticles beyond dead center unless your particular rifle actually needs no windage/elevation adjustment. The only way around this to my knowledge is to use a clip-on with a regular day scope (like your homemade model). Kevin

Thermal scopes try to take advantage of all/most of the core's pixel elements so a reticle positioned anywhere other than 0,0 would not have enough pixels to fill the display at the edges.

FLIR's R-Series made an attempt at re-centering the reticle when zoom was activated. A nice feature, especially with the 640 models where zoom was actually useful. Not sure why the PTS233 doesn't do the same. I wonder how well the unit is boresighted WRT the mount. I know R-Series took a lot of adjustment to zero, even on a high quality rail. Maybe the PTS is better so the need for re-centering isn't as great.

I will have to check this out with Tech Support and get back to you guys on it. I can see the cross hairs move when I make the adjustments, however, not sure if the scope re-centers after you exit the bore-sighting mode. Kevin

Sorry, I forgot that I had left this an open issue. So when you exit the boresight application the cross hairs do not re-center within the display. However, at maximum adjustment for both windage and elevation, it is not all that noticeable. Perhaps this is a compromise for ensuring that the scope will hold POI accurately versus other models that have some type of re-centering firmware and do not hold their true POI. Kevin
 
Originally Posted By: DarknightWhen will you get your paws on the 12 micron 640 Zeus units?

Good question, right now they still don't have the FLIR Thermo-Sight Pro PTS536 or the PTS736 units available (at least to me). So really hard to say when they might be available on the Armasight brand. I'll try to keep everyone updated on how this progresses. Kevin
 
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