APOD Firearms

Thermal for a Rimfire

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  • SwwPlayboy

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    Feb 21, 2015
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    I'm looking for a good thermal for a 17hmr semiauto.

    I have a reap-ir on my 6.5, but I feel like that is a bit over kill for a rimfire. So, I'm looking for something that is good for its value, not overly big, max range ill be shooting at is between 50 to 100 yards.

    A friend of mine has Sigs echo dot (for $800 its not a horrible thermal), however with sig stopping production, makes me think there was either an issue, or they are coming out with an upgraded model. I would like something a bit more clear though.

    Any information is appreciated. Happy hunting!!!
    Texas SOT
     

    FireInTheWire

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    Double Naught Spy

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    50-100 yards. Got it. What are you going to be shooting? Open field or cluttered field/forest with lots of branches and brush?

    You could probably get by just fine with a Pulsar Core RXQ30V, but you aren't going to be happy with it after using a Reap. It is probably your least expensive option. I would avoid anything ATN like the plague. Why? Because when they don't work, they have the worst CS in the business. Sometimes they take care of people, and sometimes they treat them poorly. That is just the opposite of how companies like Trijicon or Sellmark (the company the markets Pulsar in the US and is the parent company for Sightmark) treat their customers.

    If you are plinking varmints, I would really suggest getting something like a Sightmark Wraith digital NV scope for about $500. You will have a much nicer image than any inexpensive thermal and be able to make identifications much better. The down side is that if you are in a cluttered environment is that you will have issues with IR light being reflected back at you. If you are going to be sniping predators in the field around your house, it should be great with the IR illuminator that comes with it.

    Sig is stopping production on the Echo series not because there is a problem so much as because it was just such an awkward product. Interesting concept, but one of the things you don't want when hunting at night is to be backlit by your scope and the Sig Echo was horrible about that. It is about as night stealthy as a broken muffler is sound stealthy.
     

    rotor

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    I have a FLIR Systems Thermosight Pro PTS233 1.5-6x19mm Thermal Imaging from Optics Planet. Usually they have a sale. You tube has some nice videos. Records video but no sound and can fit several rifles. I paid less than 2K. I mount to several rifles.
     

    Sam Colt

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    Amen on the ATN. I tried the new ThOR HD and it was a total shit show. From horrible image quality to completely dead within 10 rounds of 300 aac. Hung a Pulsar Thermion XP50 on top of the same rifle and it’s just amazing.
     

    Double Naught Spy

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    rotor mentioned FLIR. FLIR is no longer making riflescopes for the civilian market. They had a crappy product with the RS series and they purchased Armasight in hopes of incorporating Armasight features into their line (which they did with the PTS series) and boost sales. Unfortunately, they banked on the then new Boson core which they could not get to work right in the 640 resolution scale. The PTS line in 320 resolution had all sorts of problems initially and basically the whole rollout was an abysmal mess.

    Those scopes that work, work well enough, except FLIR has this Rube-Goldberg series of menu adjustments to make in order to get the best image. I believe their are 6 different adjustments to balance whereas Pulsar, Trijicon, and N-Vision has just 2. That you have to adjust so many things to get the image correct is overboard in my estimation. Most people find a generic reasonable spot and then don't adjust things too much, mostly because they don't understand what each of the adjustments does and what needs to be tweaked and how much given a change of conditions (be it humidity, dust, background temperatures, etc.). I have hunted with a FLIR PTS scope and it worked well enough, but the low end ones are much like the Pulsar Core in the sense that you have a small lens and low resolution and a blurry image.

    FLIR's customer service is a pain in the butt. I have used it. More than anything, they seem to tolerate the civilian sportsman market, but their real money is in the military side of the business.

    I am not suggesting these products don't have their place. What I am suggesting is that for a person that already has a REAP-IR, that person is not going to be impressed. Making proper identifications with a FLIR PTS233 or Pulsar Core is much more challenging. Check out vids on YouTube where the folks their provide distances and you will see what I mean.
     

    HKShooter65

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    I've had an enormous "overkill" Trijicon IR-Hunter MK2 thermal scope mounted on my Ruger SR22 rifle for a couple of years.

    $5,000 optic on a $500 rifle with a $600 Gemtech MIST suppressor.

    Silly?

    NO WAY. I use it to scour my surroundings each and every night.

    It is an absolute delight.

    I've mounted that IR Hunter on at least 5 other rifles but it's the trusty Ruger SR22 and Mist that can silently dispatch a rat on my firewood pile in utter darkness at 50 yards.

    Buy the best thermal you can afford.

    'nut said.

    HKS
     

    Nietzsche

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    One consideration for the rimfire might be the ability to focus the optic on smaller targets, especially at closer distances. I have read that some of the cheaper thermals use a fixed focus.
     

    lightflyer1

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    I've had an enormous "overkill" Trijicon IR-Hunter MK2 thermal scope mounted on my Ruger SR22 rifle for a couple of years.

    $5,000 optic on a $500 rifle with a $600 Gemtech MIST suppressor.

    Silly?

    NO WAY. I use it to scour my surroundings each and every night.

    It is an absolute delight.

    I've mounted that IR Hunter on at least 5 other rifles but it's the trusty Ruger SR22 and Mist that can silently dispatch a rat on my firewood pile in utter darkness at 50 yards.

    Buy the best thermal you can afford.

    'nut said.

    HKS

    I have been able to do the rat thing with my Savage MKII, Sparrow suppressor, CCI standard velocity ammo and a $150 used Sightmark Photon IR scope. No need to spend that kind of money for rat killing. Even killed some pigs with it.
     

    HKShooter65

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    I have been able to do the rat thing with my Savage MKII, Sparrow suppressor, CCI standard velocity ammo and a $150 used Sightmark Photon IR scope. No need to spend that kind of money for rat killing. Even killed some pigs with it.


    Yes. It's an IR illuminator and highly sensitive IR video camera in a great package. I have a pair of binos that work marvelously with similar design
     

    Double Naught Spy

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    I have been able to do the rat thing with my Savage MKII, Sparrow suppressor, CCI standard velocity ammo and a $150 used Sightmark Photon IR scope. No need to spend that kind of money for rat killing. Even killed some pigs with it.

    There is just so much more you can do with thermal over digital NV. You don't need a Savage MKII to kill rats either, but yet you are using it.
     

    lightflyer1

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    There is just so much more you can do with thermal over digital NV. You don't need a Savage MKII to kill rats either, but yet you are using it.

    Well I would disagree that there is "so much more" that you can do with a thermal. They both have their pluses and minuses. There is nothing that I am doing that would have me spend $5k for a thermal scope though. I use my Savage for other things mostly, but killing a rat or two works well too. I have better things to spend the $4850 on I saved by not having a high end thermal scope I would seldom use. Kind of why I bought a $150 IR scope. It seldom gets used, so no sense tying a huge amount of money up in it. More of a specialty want item that serves my limited need very well. But if you have a great need for $5k high dollar items go right ahead. Maybe you were one of the posters who made fun of me for my inexpensive $300 AR15's I have built. They too function just fine and don't have to cost $1500 each. Being that I am not a professional hit man or operator or soldier (anymore) I just want something that works properly without breaking the bank doing it.
     

    Double Naught Spy

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    They both do have advantages and disadvantages, but there is so much more you can do with thermal, period. I have spent plenty of time hunting with both. Now, that you don't want to spend the money for thermal is a whole other matter and quite understandable.
     
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