Educate me on night vision/thermal imaging

[Balrog]

I am interested in a night vision or thermal scope. I have developed a coyote problem on my land and would like to use it for shooting them at night.

I would put it on either a 223 bolt action Ruger, or possibly on an AR. I would anticipate shooting at 150 yards max, and most likely 50-100 yards.

I would rather have something that is not very bulky, fairly light weight, and could be used in a variety of weather conditions, including when it is hot, cold, or foggy. Not sure how much weather conditions play into which is best.

Most of the time, shooting would be either in the woods or around the edges of fields.

I would rather not break the bank but looks like these are pricey. Night vision seems to be cheaper than thermal. I don't necessarily need the best, just need to be able to properly ID a coyote, and then be able to hit it at the ranges noted above.

What are some scopes I should like at that would meet these criteria? I have done a little reading, but just don't know much yet about my options.

 

[Railroader]

Rix Tourer NV, and a big aftermarket IR torch...

Best bang for the buck.

To improve on that, you gotta spend big money.

 

[transfixer]

@Todd E

 

[Todd E]

Cheapest route is NV. If you go that route, you may as well expect a one shot only deal. I highly doubt you will follow a wounded coyote with NV and you surely won't be able to follow multiples.

Go thermal and never look back.
Consider an ATN Thor LT. Will give you everything you need in a Therm without the recording and such.

 

[Todd E]

........

 

[Balrog]

Cheapest route is NV. If you go that route, you may as well expect a one shot only deal. I highly doubt you will follow a wounded coyote with NV and you surely won't be able to follow multiples.

Go thermal and never look back.
Consider an ATN Thor LT. Will give you everything you need in a Therm without the recording and such.

Not sure I am seeing that model. Do you have any other info?

 

[Todd E]

Not sure I am seeing that model. Do you have any other info?

......

 

[sghoghunter]

Cheapest route is NV. If you go that route, you may as well expect a one shot only deal. I highly doubt you will follow a wounded coyote with NV and you surely won't be able to follow multiples.

Go thermal and never look back.
Consider an ATN Thor LT. Will give you everything you need in a Therm without the recording and such.

I’ll second what Todd E said,buy thermal and don’t waste your time or money on a night vision unless you’re hunting a feeder or bait pile with a cellular camera on it. Thermals have gotten way better and somewhat cheaper the past five years and getting better every yr. Todd showed an example of his thermal and here’s an example of my Bering optics Hogster. These hogs were around 200 yds away

 

[bighonkinjeep]

Though I dont have any personal experience with them I've always read and heard."friends dont let friends buy ATN."

You might want to look around on some of the thermal forums and sites. Read up and get a feel for which specifications, numbers, warrantys, battery life, resolution, magnification etc. make the most sense for you and educate yourself.
Thermals like all electronics are getting better and better and prices are coming down. Heck theres 1280 available now so the 640s 384s etc are selling for less and less.
There have been some.great prices on Pulsar, AGM, Bering optics and Iray.(probably the best reputations in the entry level range) Ive seen 640 units for under 3k available lately with warrantys longer than ever before.

Just be aware Thermal works nothing like typical rifle scopes. It's basically a camera with a screen you're looking at instead of an actual object. With thermal, base magnification is very important. Every time you turn up the magnification in a thermal you cut resolution in half. As an example a 640 with a base magnification of 2X becomes the same as a 320 as soon as you turn it up to 4x also the more base magnification the smaller the field of view, so its kind of a balancing act) Also be aware detection range and Identification range are two very different things and look carefully at descriptions of how different manufacturers judge these attributes.
For me battery life, resolution, base magnification, and warranty were deciding factors. Almost forgot "recoil rating" which I found very important too.
I selected an Iray and have been very happy with my choice. ( Bering uses Iray cores)
Good luck and learn all you can before purchase.

 

[Todd E]

@bighonkinjeep you are spot on. I don't know that the op is wanting to get on up in the $2300 plus range. So I showed a lower route.

I have an ATN on my bolt gun. Confirmed kills at 285 yards. I have a Bering Optics Hogster Vibe on my AR. Way clearer than my ATN. Both suit me just fine. Hogs, coyotes, and bobcats have all fallen to each of those. I don't need to count the hairs on a hogs back. I just need to acquire, identify, and thump.

 

[Todd E]

I highly recommend this shop. Serious thermal hunters. They offer affirm financing if you do not want to drop cash. They sell several brands. Pay attention to those numbers bighonkinjeep mentioned. The higher the number, the better the clarity.

Ex 384, 640, on up.

 

[dslc6487]

I have an ATN. Would not recommend that scope. Had problems and customer service is not good.

 

[bighonkinjeep]

@bighonkinjeep you are spot on. I don't know that the op is wanting to get on up in the $2300 plus range. So I showed a lower route.

I have an ATN on my bolt gun. Confirmed kills at 285 yards. I have a Bering Optics Hogster Vibe on my AR. Way clearer than my ATN. Both suit me just fine.

I understand budget. But some things the difference between cheap being cheap and good being a few bucks more is a pretty well defined line. In my research thermals are one of those things.
I dont.know the OPs budget but 2-3k for a.decent 384 thermal seems to have pretty much been the standard for about 2 years or so now. Ive been seeing a few sales on 640s in that price range.from Iray and Pulsar.

If you want.a straight up smokin product recommendation, this Iray RICO MK 1 640 35mm with 2x base magnification and a 5 year 1 week turnaround warranty is a straight up STEAL at $2999 with No Tax ( not paying 8% of 3k saves $240) and free shipping.

InfiRay RICO MK1 640 2X 35mm Thermal Weapon Sight (RH35)

Need a high-quality thermal for Feral Hog hunting? The RICO MK1 640 2X 35mm Thermal Weapon sight (RH35) is best for accurate targeting in any conditions.

darknightoutdoors.com

I've been very pleased with the service from DKO.

 

[chase870]

If you plan on hunting or shooting it much do not be afraid to spend some money on thermal, you will not regret it. .223 is plenty of gun for yotes, and pigs. As others have said the quality has improved and the price has improved over the years. I shoot Trijacon thermals not the most expensive but by far not the cheapest you can buy either. If you would like to see thermal in action and play with it some let me know, be happy to bring mine and let you shoot them some so you have a feel for it. If you look at the coyote hunt thread in the predator hunting section here you will find several members who post video of thermal kills. I also put mine on RUMBLE "its like U TUBE" as I figured out how to up load them there. I'm chase870 there as well

 

[fauxferret]

First off the market now has way more choices than what it use to have. I personally run pulsar thermion and a trijicon ir-hunter. To me they are a lot like computers and phones the higher end you buy the more usable life you will get out of them. Granted there are critics of both brands they have worked for me just fine. Some people can really get down in the weeds over details. I personally don't use night vision but the person who drives the buggy does because thermal won't work through glass. The only issue I have with using optics at night is trying to judge distance. At least you're in the market at the right time of the year companies are clearing out inventory so you can probably get a deal on something.

 

[sleepr71]

Bad reviews about ATN Q.C. + Customer Service is pretty common. Night Vision,with a good IR illuminator will allow 200 yd shots + great target ID. Downside is poor performance during Fog,and “washout” when trying to hunt in wooded areas. I mainly hunt open fields + powerlines..so not an issue for me. If I were starting from scratch..I’d plan on spending +|- $2,000-2,500 & buy a Thermal..much more versatile,and effective..IMO.

 

[chase870]

I almost forgot to add that customer service is a very important issue with thermal and over the years I have had several issues that needed customer service and trijicon has handled each and every thing in a surprisingly fast and cost free manner

 

[notnksnemor]

Are thermal images clear enough to distinguish a coyote from a dog at 150 yards?

 

[chase870]

Are thermal images clear enough to distinguish a coyote from a dog at 150 yards?

Some are, I have no trouble with I D on yotes or anything else most days. After you look at enough yotes you will know the difference between a them and a dog they have a distinctive heat signature

 

[bighonkinjeep]

Some are, I have no trouble with I D on yotes or anything else most days. After you look at enough yotes you will know the difference between a them and a dog they have a distinctive heat signature

This ^^^ As with most anything practice definitely comes into play. The way things move etc all pieces of the puzzle.

I've seen optics that were 3-5k a couple years ago at 2-3k now. On the other hand if you wait forever for them to come down or for the next best thing then youll spend all your time wanting one instead of using one...