Night Vision Thermal insight

[Browerka]

I’m at the beginning stages of buy a thermal system and looking for insight.

Will be going on a bolt gun
Will hunt mostly open fields.
Average shot of 150yds
Hunting coyotes.

The Pulsar Thermion XQ50 seems like a nice unit. Not wanting to spend more than 4K. Is there a better system that I’m over looking for the same price?

Thanks

 

[elwarpo]

If you are going to spend 4k, save a bit more and get a Trijicon or Halo. Costs about 50% more but is significantly better. For up to 150 yards, another option is a pvs 14 and coti for about 5k. This way you have a thermal overlay on a gen 3 nv sight.

 

[TheHorta]

Lots of options for 200y and under. Halo 25mm. Pulsar. Bering Optics Super Hogster. All great options.

 

[P&Y]

I'd get a super hogster or keep saving like elwarpo suggests.

 

[kirsch]

The Super Hogster from Bering Optics is a coyote's worst nightmare. 2.9x base mag, Picture in Picture, internal video recording (.mp4), color reticles and palettes, wifi and more. The Thermion XQ50 has very similar specs. The benefit on a bolt gun is you can get it farther back for eye relief. On an AR, I would say Super Hogster all day long. However, on a bolt, it depends on how far back you can mount it. Here is a chart comparing. The Hogster has a 4 year warranty vs 3, is half the weight and length, less expensive, and already comes with a QD mount.

Here is a recent video of the Super Hogster in action. Keep in mind, Bering uses a ton of compression so the image through the eyepiece is way better.



Tom Austin (ext 531) at Night Goggles can get you either scope. Just mention the "Hide" and get special pricing.

 

[Crews]

I've gone through the process of mounting a thermal on a bolt action, pay special attention to the LOP on whatever stock you're going to use. I had to search for quite a while to find something that I could set up properly. For me, it's about 11" or so for LOP. Ended up with a 700 barreled action in a JTAC chassis and it's as close as I could get to what I was after, a little under 12". Still needs to be a bit shorter, but with the sliding stock design I've got the option of getting more notches milled out to set it where I want it. This is all a consideration if you're wanting to set your rifle up properly like you would for a precision application. You can make it work with just about anything, but it isn't going to be very good for your natural POA.

I'll second the suggestions for Bering Optics, I've got a Hogster-R and I've been very impressed with it. Gets the job done well and leaves a little room in the budget.

 

[kirsch]

I did something similar with a 22-250 build.

For those using a standard 700, I have been told the following https://www.egwguns.com/scope-mounts-rings-hd-dual-ext-remington-short-action-picatinny-rail-scope-mount-0-moa helps get a scope like the Hogster far enough back. The three things you have to watch for is does it get the scope back far enough, does it mount too high and mess up your cheek weld, and does the 700 action hit the scope as you work the bolt. Having a chassis helps with a lot of these, but it typically is doable on a standard bolt gun as well. I prefer a chassis because of all the night stuff a person wants to mount such as battery packs, laser, etc.

 

[Browerka]

Thanks for all the input guys.

 

[Crews]

The three things you have to watch for is
1. does it get the scope back far enough,
2. does it mount too high and mess up your cheek weld, and
3. does the 700 action hit the scope as you work the bolt.
Having a chassis helps with a lot of these, but it typically is doable on a standard bolt gun as well. I prefer a chassis because of all the night stuff a person wants to mount such as battery packs, laser, etc.

1. Need a LOP of less than 12"
2. Have to have adjustable cheekpiece for sure, and if it's not set up right there will for sure be issues with bolt travel since you need a short stock. The cheekpiece on my chassis is at the highest setting and it's high enough for the bolt to cycle beneath it.
3. I have a narrow cylinder shaped bolt knob on my 700 that's 1.25" long. It's long enough to work the bolt comfortably and not hit the thermal. Unless I have an external battery plugged in. On a Hogster, there isn't room to manipulate the bolt without hitting the wire plugged into the side of the scope.

Agreed that a chassis is just about the only way to set it up properly given all these considerations.

 

[kirsch]

3. I have a narrow cylinder shaped bolt knob on my 700 that's 1.25" long. It's long enough to work the bolt comfortably and not hit the thermal. Unless I have an external battery plugged in. On a Hogster, there isn't room to manipulate the bolt without hitting the wire plugged into the side of the scope.

I would recommend a 90° USB C connector and you can run it up vs down. This can help a lot. There are people running them on standard 700's with a few different considerations.

 

[Crews]

So that’s what the cord is... regular usb to usb c? I need to get one just for my battery instead of using the factory one that has a splitter for DVR. Too much extra cords.

 

[kirsch]

Yes,Lots of options on Amazon for various lengths for reasonable costs. The nice thing about USB-C is the port is the same in either direction so you can run the plug down or up if it’s a 90° connection.

 

[Browerka]

So after a lot of searching, really liked the Thermion XQ 50. After talking with a buddy that does a lot of predator hunting, he found a deal through his dealer on a Thermion XP50. A touch more than I wanted to spend. Buy once cry once I guess.

Thanks everyone for the input.