Pard had a black Friday sale and I took the opportunity to purchase the Pantera Zoom. So far, I am happy with it. The device was easy to zero and the laser range finder with the ballistic computer is a great feature.
However, the ballistic parameters need to be updated whenever there's a change in temperature or elevation. Along with that, the muzzle velocity needs to be updated in accordance with your temp/MV table that you have created.
Obviously, the ballistic computer will not account for windage, spin drift or aerodynamic jump but considering what I had before with other thermals, the ballistic computer is a major leap.
I suck at range estimation at night. So the range finder feature is something that I will gladly pay extra for.
The menu is accessed with, what would be the elevation turret of a daylight scope. It's not an elevation turret but a switch and digital zoom control. Pard calls it the "Key 1" in their manual. By pressing the Key 1, you can access the menu.
Until I got use to it, I kept accidentally pressing the Key 1 knob. Then the menu appears. You can easily return to the regular display by pressing the Key 4 which is the LRF button. So nothing is really lost.
It didn't take long for an idiot like myself to learn the functions of the scope.
I really think that the future belongs to thermals or night vision devices that will fit in regular scope rings. That way, if you get tired of using it on one rifle, it can easily be switched to another without any problems.
For example, I have all Burris 1st and 2nd generation thermal scopes. They can only be used on flat top type AR-15 style rifles. I could not mount any of them on my Bergara BMR.
So I started looking for an option that would fit in the 30 mm scope rings. Speaking of rings; the supplied rings were too high for my rifle. So I used a pair of spare Burris signature rings to mount the scope.
If I decide to put the scope on an AR platform, it will easily fit a cantilever scope mount.
The other feature that I like is that it uses the ubiquitous 18650 battery. I get these from the 18650 battery store and have a couple of rechargers that will accommodate four batteries at a time.
The devices with internal batteries suck because when the charge gets low, you have to mount an external battery to the rifle which just gets in the way. It's easier to carry spare batteries in the pocket and swap them out.
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I have not used the PARD app for the smart phone. I don't need it. But if you were helping a new shooter or hunter it would be a nice feature to see what they are doing.
If I want video or photos, the micro SD card must be purchased separately. The maximum capacity, according to the manual is 128 MB.
Back to the app. The device is made in China so don't judge me. With that said, I don't want any data transferred to the Chinese that might be able to track it. So I didn't download the app.
I would buy US made thermals if it didn't take a signature loan to purchase one and they weren't left in the dirt by their foreign competitors.
I was also in the market for a Pulsar with the same features but would have been locked into using their APS batteries.
I haven't shot anything with it yet but the first night that I used it, the temperature dropped to 26F with a nasty wind. The humidity was well above 90%.
Due to the high humidity it was like looking at a wall with the Burris thermal scanner, even though I could still detect animals out to several hundred yards.
When I looked through the PARD scope, I could detect terrain features and buildings a lot easier.
There were a few times when the menu would "lock up" and I could not return to normal function. It's a computer. So I turned the device off then back on and the problem was solved.
I didn't measure it but would estimate the spool up time after activating the power switch to be about 5 seconds. All that's needed to put the device in the standby mode is a momentary press of the power switch. Holding it down, will shut it off.
There is a peculiar warning in the manual about firmware updates. It says;
Upgrading firmware may cause damage to the equipment, please operate with
caution!
So I probably won't be doing any firmware updates. If there are any computer geeks that could enlighten me on that please tell us.
I'm giving the device a 4.9 out of 5 stars because of the momentary menu lockup.
EDIT: After using the scope some more I figured out what was causing the lockup of the menu. I had accidently pressed the wi-fi button. When the wi-fi is turned on you will not be able to access the menu to make any changes. Otherwise, everything works as advertised. So I am upgrading my rating to 5 stars.
I liked this scope so much that I purchased their Night Stalker 4K night vision scope. It's on one of my air rifles and can't wait to zero it. I also purchased their Osprey multispectral binoculars and waiting on FedEx to deliver it.
Dual field of view with optical zoom
us.pard.com
The device does what they say it will do and the resolution is amazing!
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