Night Vision Thermal Preference

[MattB38701]

I am getting ready to purchase a thermal scope, mainly for hog hunting. Shots probably average 50-100 yards, with longer shots possible. My budget is about $4000. I have narrowed it down to a Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF 50 384 or an AGM Rattler TS 50-640. The Thermion has LRF and the AGM has 640 resolution, but is Chinese. Not sure what to do here, is the 640 resolution that good?

 

[bmicek]

I am getting ready to purchase a thermal scope, mainly for hog hunting. Shots probably average 50-100 yards, with longer shots possible. My budget is about $4000. I have narrowed it down to a Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF 50 384 or an AGM Rattler TS 50-640. The Thermion has LRF and the AGM has 640 resolution, but is Chinese. Not sure what to do here, is the 640 resolution that good?

Truly, you don’t NEED lrf or 640 for 50-100 yard shots. They’re both a luxury for shots at that distance. So pick your luxury’s if you want them.

 

[shoots100]

640 resolution trumps an LRF for the distances you plan to be hunting, but what's even more handier to have is a thermal monocular with a wide FOV for scanning.

SJC

 

[kirsch]

Every situation is unique. You provided some information, but more is necessary to really be able to get into what would be best for you. A large part of my job is product testing, so I sent you a PM with my contact information.

 

[FuhQ]

I am getting ready to purchase a thermal scope, mainly for hog hunting. Shots probably average 50-100 yards, with longer shots possible. My budget is about $4000. I have narrowed it down to a Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF 50 384 or an AGM Rattler TS 50-640. The Thermion has LRF and the AGM has 640 resolution, but is Chinese. Not sure what to do here, is the 640 resolution that good?

This: AGM Rattler TS50-640

 

[PhilOX11]

Have a look at the Hikmicro Thunder.

 

[kirsch]

For hogs at 50-100 yards, you are looking for a wide FOV scope with lower base magnification (probably 1.4 to 2.0). The Rattler TS 50-640 has a 8.8° FOV and the Thermion XQ50 has a 9.3° FOV. Both are a bit tight for close quarter hog hunting but useable especially if you use them also for coyote hunting, etc. I would actually look at a 25mm or 35mm option instead. I would look at the Super Yoter 35 (11°) or Super Yoter 25 (18°) or 25mm or 35mm in the scopes and brands you are looking at.

 

[Rerun7]

Something to think about.

How far are you trying to spot/ID your targets? You would be better served getting a 384 scanner and 384 scope for virtually the same cost vs a single 640 scope if you are hog hunting within a few hundred yards.

At night it’s very easy to get within 30 yards of hogs so you may find out that your shooting is much closer than you planned and you can easily pick out hogs at a few hundred yards with a good 384 scanner.

Having a scanner is way easier to use when walking around vs having to bring your gun up all the time and makes it much more enjoyable. You’ll also use it for other situations when you aren’t hunting during the day. I ditched my binos when deer hunting and carry my scanner instead.

I’d choose the combo over the higher res scope 10 out of 10 times if I were starting out.

 

[PhilOX11]

Thermal is used a lot in Britain for foxing.
Most go for a lower spec monocular (mine is also a LRF) & a higher spec sight.
For the ranges you are looking at you should be able to get away with a lower spec sight as well. However, I would always suggest getting as higher spec sight as your budget allows for the extra clarity when trying to identify a target you are not 100% sure of.