Night Vision ATN Thermals??

[Aquatic_Robotic]

I have an opportunity to purchase an ATN thermal at cost, but have no idea which one best suits my needs and wants.

I want a stand alone, weapon mounted thermal unit, not a clip-on unit. I want to able to fire it on 223, 308, 300 Black, maybe 6.5x47. It will be fired suppressed. I need to be able to shoot point blank out to 300 yards and delineate targets at this distance quickly and reliably. I would also like to have good variable magnification ability at least 3-12X +-?? Mostly to be used for pig and yotes, but we will have livestock and game animals in the same location. Need to identify targets quickly reliably and get on target at multiple distances.

The guy helping me acquire a unit is not pushing me towards any particular unit and since I am getting it as cost he really doesn't care what I buy. He suggested getting either Thor 336 3x-12x 30 Hz or step up to the Thor 640 2.5x-20x 30 Hz.

I Know very little about thermal units, but I do know what I want to do with it. Any help on quality/reliability of ATN thermal and which unit may best suits my needs would be greatly appreciated. I know there are other units of equal or better quality in the same price range, but I have not been offered anything but ATN at cost so this is what I think I am going to buy. If you have a reason not to purchase an ATN unit related to quality/reliability issues, please voice that as well.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Phantom223]

I have a ATN OTS-X mono it's a great unit housing is built very strong and performance is high end. The THOR is a good scope like ATN or not aside it's hard to say the THOR hasn't proven itself the last few years. Personally I think the THOR 336 3X model is a great value for the money. The 640 2.5X videos on YouTube look great it just comes down to how much you what to spend.

 

[ncorry]

If you're tied to the magnification up to 12x, go with the 640 unit. I have the 2x 336 unit and it's almost perfect for my uses. Would be perfect if it was 3x. When you use the digital zoom, you are cutting the resolution in half each 2x you magnify. Take a look at your HD TV through a 3x scope. Now raise it to 6x. Yes, you magnify, but you're just making the pixels bigger, so resolution is decreasing. With the 640, you're starting with 4 times (640X480= 307,200 vs. 320x240=76,800) as many pixels as compared to the 336.

 

[shooter6.5]

Excellent answer. I will add that whatever you do-try it before you buy it. There is a lot more to thermal than meets the eye. With thermal it does seem that you get what you pay for. And that should be based on what you plan to use it for.

If you're tied to the magnification up to 12x, go with the 640 unit. I have the 2x 336 unit and it's almost perfect for my uses. Would be perfect if it was 3x. When you use the digital zoom, you are cutting the resolution in half each 2x you magnify. Take a look at your HD TV through a 3x scope. Now raise it to 6x. Yes, you magnify, but you're just making the pixels bigger, so resolution is decreasing. With the 640, you're starting with 4 times (640X480= 307,200 vs. 320x240=76,800) as many pixels as compared to the 336.

 

[ncorry]

Excellent answer. I will add that whatever you do-try it before you buy it. There is a lot more to thermal than meets the eye. With thermal it does seem that you get what you pay for. And that should be based on what you plan to use it for.

Thanks for the props. Best advice so far on this thread- I will add that whatever you do-try it before you buy it. There are several companies that rent thermal scopes now.

 

[maxscm]

I'd buy the 640. I have a Thor 320-2x and it works Great for my type of Nite Hog Hunting. But that said. The Higher Dollar Thermals are Awesome Clear.

 

[ThermalSpy]

Thermal scope purchase

I have an opportunity to purchase an ATN thermal at cost, but have no idea which one best suits my needs and wants.

I want a stand alone, weapon mounted thermal unit, not a clip-on unit. I want to able to fire it on 223, 308, 300 Black, maybe 6.5x47. It will be fired suppressed. I need to be able to shoot point blank out to 300 yards and delineate targets at this distance quickly and reliably. I would also like to have good variable magnification ability at least 3-12X +-?? Mostly to be used for pig and yotes, but we will have livestock and game animals in the same location. Need to identify targets quickly reliably and get on target at multiple distances.

The guy helping me acquire a unit is not pushing me towards any particular unit and since I am getting it as cost he really doesn't care what I buy. He suggested getting either Thor 336 3x-12x 30 Hz or step up to the Thor 640 2.5x-20x 30 Hz.

I Know very little about thermal units, but I do know what I want to do with it. Any help on quality/reliability of ATN thermal and which unit may best suits my needs would be greatly appreciated. I know there are other units of equal or better quality in the same price range, but I have not been offered anything but ATN at cost so this is what I think I am going to buy. If you have a reason not to purchase an ATN unit related to quality/reliability issues, please voice that as well.

Thanks for the input.

Hi Aquatic,
Do you ever get out to Las Vegas? We have a retail store here and have a large selection of thermal scopes
for you to try out, we have a nice shooting range close by as well, we have all the scopes on the market here
for folks to try, we even have the really low quality garbage thermal scopes here to show as well so you can
see what's good and what's not.

I know you said you do not want a clip on however the resale value and the performance
of a clip on is much more attractive then a stand alone, I'd recommend a clip on, and if you select a good
one you can use it as a stand alone with the same performance as a dedicated scope.


SPI corp 702-369-3966
FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared) Thermal Infrared Cameras and night vision equipment

 

[Phantom223]

I’m curious on the 640 Thor 2.5X myself. I was looking at buying a Thor 336 3X and was wondering just how much nicer the Thor 640 2.5X image really is? Price wise it’s about $3000 for me to step up to the 640 2.5X scope. That’s a lot of difference I could use that money for a big down payment to buy another NV or thermal system. Heck 90% of my shooting is less than 100 yards anyway.

 

[Daryl licht]

I've got both a Thor and a flir and they both have their place. I love the 0 power of the Thor on the Bennelli and the flir in front of an acog is pure heaven.

 

[SkyPup]

FLIR T-50 + ACOG is indeed a match made in heaven!

 

[6.5x61Super]

I’m curious on the 640 Thor 2.5X myself. I was looking at buying a Thor 336 3X and was wondering just how much nicer the Thor 640 2.5X image really is? Price wise it’s about $3000 for me to step up to the 640 2.5X scope. That’s a lot of difference I could use that money for a big down payment to buy another NV or thermal system. Heck 90% of my shooting is less than 100 yards anyway.

"....Heck 90% of my shooting is less than 100 yards anyway...."


in my experience with hogs....80 yards is a long shot at night!

AND unless you can range at night= which most CANNOT beyond 100 yards...

so....all these Thermal vendors touting long range capability at night is blowing smoke.

HIGH resolution for video playback is what I look at..first and foremost...as soon as you step up in digital zoom = resolution and video playback goes to shit...

 

[Delta4-3]

"....Heck 90% of my shooting is less than 100 yards anyway...."


in my experience with hogs....80 yards is a long shot at night!

AND unless you can range at night= which most CANNOT beyond 100 yards...

so....all these Thermal vendors touting long range capability at night is blowing smoke.

HIGH resolution for video playback is what I look at..first and foremost...as soon as you step up in digital zoom = resolution and video playback goes to shit...

It's easy to range with a PVS-14 on your nugget and a LRF! Just look where the laser on the LRF goes, then check your reading. Done! However, if you don't have a monocular, ranging with thermal is very difficult. With no depth perception what so ever, It's hard to tell if it's a little pig close up, or a big pig a long ways out. The furthest I have managed to get a critter with a thermal was a coyote at 400 yards on the nose. The only way I knew that is because he was standing two feet from my 400 yard marker.

If you have something of known size by their position you can also use a mil reticle to range the target. OR...if you are hunting an area you are extremely familiar with, like the farm I have lived on for over 25 years, you know pretty much every distance on the property.

Other than those few instances, I agree...if all you have is a TWS, ranging is tough.

I did shoot a tank at 3,000 meters with a thermal once though!

 

[Phantom223]

We have hunted the same family ranch since I was a kid so guessing range is very very easy . Wearing my BNVDs makes ranging a lot easier also compared to a thermal or even my pvs-14.