2022 Thermal and Night Vision thread.

[ATI]

No sir, radio silence. The last I was told was early May.

The 3 new Axion handheld models showed up a couple weeks ago so that's a good sign. Hopefully the Talions will follow them soon....

Jason

By the way, I just found out that the Talion XQ35 is for Europe only.

[gingib]

Don't have thermal is on my dream list though, every time I save some money something comes up, hopefully I can afford to get a used one from one of y'all that gets a new upgrade

Budget and set it aside and you will have one in no time. Thermal market price wise has alot of good entry level scopes.

Can't budget and spend it on something else

[Outdoor Legacy]

By the way, I just found out that the Talion XQ35 is for Europe only.

I haven't heard of the Talion XQ35? There is a Talion XQ38 and Talion XG35 both of which are supposed to be US models according to Pulsar USA. Maybe they announced the Talion XQ35 in Europe and I missed it? I don't usually pay close attention to what goes on across the pond.lol

[Fordnandez]

Video from one of RedYotes hunts.

https://youtu.be/i35MQLay8wA

[gingib]

Video from one of RedYotes hunts.

https://youtu.be/i35MQLay8wA

It still amazes me how people spend more money on a scanner then they do with what they actually shoot/hunt with

[RedYote]

It still amazes me how people spend more money on a scanner then they do with what they actually shoot/hunt with

I could explain it to you but I cant understand it for you.

[Fordnandez]

It still amazes me how people spend more money on a scanner then they do with what they actually shoot/hunt with

Depends on the type of hunting you do. If I could do it all over again I would start with a handheld, keep using my red/green light and then get the weapons mounted scope or got a high dollar handheld and then a digital NV that came out to the same cost combined as a high end weapons mounted scope. The majority of my night hunting has been in very dense cedar country where you couldnt see that far so being able to scan much quicker with a handheld to spot close targets would have resulted in more success IMO. There is no telling how many animals we never even saw because we were trying to swing a gun around, got tired, rested for 10-20 seconds and then do it all over again vs just continually scanning much quicker.

EDIT: In principle I agree that for the majority of hunters our there it is a better idea to have your best device on your gun.

[jofus]

Trying to sight in my new iray Rico. The reticle and reticle menu are missing. I can’t find anything in the manual for how to turn it on. Anyone know what to do?

[sharkhunter]

Looking for opinions

1) What thermal scope manufacturer has
the best customer service and warranty?

2) If you had a budget up to $3000 what scope would you buy?

This would be used for coyote and hog hunting out to 300yrd max.

Looking at the AGM Rattler TS35-384 2.2-17.6x

[gingib]

Looking for opinions

1) What thermal scope manufacturer has
the best customer service and warranty?

2) If you had a budget up to $3000 what scope would you buy?

This would be used for coyote and hog hunting out to 300yrd max.

Looking at the AGM Rattler TS35-384 2.2-17.6x

I would run from ATN.

In that price range Pulsar is hard to beat. Try to save a little more and get in the 3500 range. Buy a Rico 384 used. It looks very similar to a 640 unit

[gingib]

Depends on the type of hunting you do. If I could do it all over again I would start with a handheld, keep using my red/green light and then get the weapons mounted scope or got a high dollar handheld and then a digital NV that came out to the same cost combined as a high end weapons mounted scope. The majority of my night hunting has been in very dense cedar country where you couldnt see that far so being able to scan much quicker with a handheld to spot close targets would have resulted in more success IMO. There is no telling how many animals we never even saw because we were trying to swing a gun around, got tired, rested for 10-20 seconds and then do it all over again vs just continually scanning much quicker.

EDIT: In principle I agree that for the majority of hunters our there it is a better idea to have your best device on your gun.

i agree. Heck with a thermal mounted on a gun scanning. I remember my first few months. Never again.

Why a QD is the most important. Scan with a good scope, pop it on in 5-10 seconds and shoot.

No need for a handheld IMO. I scan 1000's of acres a night driving mostly and would not buy a handheld to save my life.

Just buy another scope or upgrade scope and use it to scan and shoot. Problem solved.

In this situation, stand hunting: Makes 0000000 sense to scan with a decent thermal and shoot 1 hog with a redlight. Shoot with a a similar scope and you could prolly shot the 2nd pig

[Outdoor Legacy]

Handheld thermals are made to be handheld. They are ergonomically designed to be (obviously) held in your hand. They are usually smaller, lighter, often have padded hand straps, better image quality than their similarly priced weapon mounted counter parts and are often the best bang for the buck.

Some people need a back up or spare scope and for those people a 2nd scope makes good sense but you're still putting an oval shaped peg into a round hole. If someone has the budget for a dedicated handheld and they hunt very much there is 0 reason to not own the tool that was made for the job. I understand not everyone has the budget for a scope, a back up scope and a handheld. That's understandable and for them a second scope is probably a better option.

[Bazo]

Handheld thermals are made to be handheld. They are ergonomically designed to be (obviously) held in your hand. They are usually smaller, lighter, often have padded hand straps, better image quality than their similarly priced weapon mounted counter parts and are often the best bang for the buck.

Some people need a back up or spare scope and for those people a 2nd scope makes good sense but you're still putting an oval shaped peg into a round hole. If someone has the budget for a dedicated handheld and they hunt very much there is 0 reason to not own the tool that was made for the job. I understand not everyone has the budget for a scope, a back up scope and a handheld. That's understandable and for them a second scope is probably a better option.

Agreed.

More often than not I hunt alone. The need for a backup scope or a second scope is very minimal.

I love my iRay Cabin. Its compact, good quality and easy to use. It’s small enough for a lanyard and when scanning can easily stick it in a coat/shirt pocket to jump on the gun and take a shot.

Not to mention, it’s small enough to put in my pack during deer season for after the last light shots. Why walk around after dark looking for a blood trail when I can scan with my 2x Cabin to see if my deer is close by. That would be a pain with a scope.

To each their own, but personally, I prefer and am happy with my handheld.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[gingib]

Handheld thermals are made to be handheld. They are ergonomically designed to be (obviously) held in your hand. They are usually smaller, lighter, often have padded hand straps, better image quality than their similarly priced weapon mounted counter parts and are often the best bang for the buck.

Some people need a back up or spare scope and for those people a 2nd scope makes good sense but you're still putting an oval shaped peg into a round hole. If someone has the budget for a dedicated handheld and they hunt very much there is 0 reason to not own the tool that was made for the job. I understand not everyone has the budget for a scope, a back up scope and a handheld. That's understandable and for them a second scope is probably a better option.

What does your average handheld cost? Most scopes nowadasy in that range are not heavy and big and why not spend a tad more and have another scope

As anyone who I have seen who uses a handheld is buying it to save money and hence its not a good optic

[GregO]

Trying to sight in my new iray Rico. The reticle and reticle menu are missing. I can’t find anything in the manual for how to turn it on. Anyone know what to do?

On my Super Hogster there is a button sequence that turns the reticle on and off. I use it as a spotter, so I keep it Off. If I had to turn it back on, I'd have to dig out the manual. I would say that if you are just now starting to set it up, and no setting to lose, I would just follow the factory reset process. Hopefully that will bring it back.