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Night Vision Trijicon IR hunter or Snipe IR

Rlb40x

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Full Member
Minuteman
May 2, 2012
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I've been trying to decide on a thermal. I was looking at Pulsars first , then was afraid I'd waste $2-$4000 grand and not be happy and be able to recover my money. I thought the IR hunter 35mm would be great, then started looking at the Snipe IR in case I ever wanted to use it as a clip on or hand held.
My main use would be for coyotes probably max distance 200yds in my area.
So, does the Hunter have any advantage over the Snipe IR other than clip on use?
Im also wandering if the cheaper Hunter with the 19mm VS the 35mm gives a larger field of view, like the 35 vs 60mm.
ive been searching the old threads and I'm not opposed to the extra coin for the Snipe, but don't want to spend extra if not needed.
I mainly like the solid reputation of trijicon, I have a few of their optics and have been pleased. Thanks in advance.
 
For inside 201 yds for shooting distance ... the 19mm or the 35mm or the 60mm hunters (or reaps) will work fine.

The SNIPE is an edge case sort of unit. I've cranked it up to 8x magnification on the day scope, but it is a bit fuzzy ... 6-7x is the max unfuzzy you can get. The main benefit of the SNIPE in theory would be moving it around on your rifles without having to take off your day scopes.

BUT, the main problem with the SNIPE, is that even though they have collimating prisms on the rear end of it, they didn't seem to have put the device on a collimating table and actually collimated it. At least not the one I had. And that sort of defeats the purpose of a clipon. You would have to "readjust" the SNIPE for each rifle you put it on. You would've have to rezero your day scope, but you would have to re-adjust the SNIPE.

So, I recommend the 35mm hunter (or REAP) ... the magnification is on the front ... and no loss of clarity for that optical magnification. And the 35mm is the best balance between FOV and magnification for inside 200yds IMHO.
 
Another vote for the 35mm. I own a Mark 3 35mm, & it’s great under 250 yards. Anything past that, & you’ll wish you had a 60mm. I love mine, but I do wish I had a 60mm for those longer shots;)
 
I have a mk3 35mm that started life out as a mk2 19mm. Purchased used for a good price, used it for a few months and decided that anything 200yds and beyond left you wanting more clarity/zoom for positive ID. Sent it back for the 35mm upgrade and couldn't be happier. Anything 200yds and in easy to see without sacrificing FOV. Resolution is top of the list.
 
My suggestion with ir scopes for shooting Coyotes is get a range finder either a rail mounted one or a scope with an integrated laser. The ir Hunter has the grid to find range. Its not relavent and its a pain to use on moving targets like a coyote. If youve never messed with ir or nvg, it is extremely hard to judge distance because your vision is on a single plane and not 3d.

I'd say get a built in lrf.
Just my 2 cents.
Xdeano
 
Non-integrated range finders work just fine also ... I zeroed this one to the mk3 60mm reticle 3 months ago and it is still dead on ...

44078236160_7d73c04d35_k.jpg
 
If you can swing the cash I can't imagine regretting a REAP. I've hunted with a couple and it's just a real treat.
 
Thanks for the input guys. I found a good deal and a like new demo Reap IR. After your advice I decided to go that route.
It was painful, but I didn't want to buy and then upgrade at a loss.
Now I need to find a Silencer co Radius. Thanks again.
 
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I just picked up a MKIII 60mm and its awesome. I haven't even got to use it on a weapon yet and Im already looking to get a REAP or MKIII 35mm to scan with. I had a feeling these thermals would be addicting.