Night Vision The Official: Steiner C35 Thermal Clip-on Review and User Thread!

Just got my Burris eyepiece, and unless there is something I am missing it does not work as expected. It actually makes things worse. It has a rubber cup that slips over the ocular on the C35, it does not thread on. When looking through it, the screen looks a bit smaller and out of focus. Rotating the focus ring does not help. I'm planning to return it unless someone else gets theirs and figures out what I am doing wrong.

Going to wait a few days to see if any of you have any better luck, cause sometimes I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
 

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Just got my Burris eyepiece, and unless there is something I am missing it does not work as expected. It actually makes things worse. It has a rubber cup that slips over the ocular on the C35, it does not thread on. When looking through it, the screen looks a bit smaller and out of focus. Rotating the focus ring does not help. I'm planning to return it unless someone else gets theirs and figures out what I am doing wrong.

Going to wait a few days to see if any of you have any better luck, cause sometimes I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
Maybe adjust the focus on the C35? Mine doesn't come apart, btw.

Call Burris
 
Just got my Burris eyepiece, and unless there is something I am missing it does not work as expected. It actually makes things worse. It has a rubber cup that slips over the ocular on the C35, it does not thread on. When looking through it, the screen looks a bit smaller and out of focus. Rotating the focus ring does not help. I'm planning to return it unless someone else gets theirs and figures out what I am doing wrong.

Going to wait a few days to see if any of you have any better luck, cause sometimes I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
I'm getting mine tomorrow. I'll report on findings.
 
Mine just arrived from EuroOptic and seems to work just fine. Super tight eyebox, but that was expected. Definitely magnifies the image and the rubberized mounting cup seems to hold on pretty solidly. Took 2-3 CCW turns of the eyepiece to extend it into full sharpness and maximum magnification, but it hit a firm stop and didn’t come apart into two pieces like the one above.
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Mine just arrived from EuroOptic and seems to work just fine. Super tight eyebox, but that was expected. Definitely magnifies the image and the rubberized mounting cup seems to hold on pretty solidly. Took 2-3 CCW turns of the eyepiece to extend it into full sharpness and maximum magnification, but it hit a firm stop and didn’t come apart into two pieces like the one above.
Got mine today as well and same experience as mentioned here
 
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Thanks JWramp, your comments made me realize what I was doing wrong. I put it back on, and turned the eyepiece a couple of turns until it focused properly. If I keep turning it will come apart as shown above, but that's several turns past the focus point so I am not concerned about it. I am happy now, thanks for the info.
 
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Do y’all find it to be a giant brick of a turd? 2.25 lbs for the S35 is crazy heavy.

S35 feels the same on an AR that I've used it on as when it had a LPVO in a spuhr. So while it's a brick of an optic, the weight doesn't bother me when it replaces an optic that's the same weight.

The C35 however in front of my Atacr 1-8 in QD spuhr mount makes that AR feel like a pig with the suppressor on it also. For this reason, I'm looking into a dedicated handheld for scanning.
 
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S35 feels the same on an AR that I've used it on as when it had a LPVO in a spuhr. So while it's a brick of an optic, the weight doesn't bother me when it replaces an optic that's the same weight.

The C35 however in front of my Atacr 1-8 in QD spuhr mount makes that AR feel like a pig with the suppressor on it also. For this reason, I'm looking into a dedicated handheld for scanning.

So how do you plan to take your shot if you aren't using the clip-on?
 
Scan with the handheld. Shoot with the thermal still on the rifle.

Holding the rifle up scanning with it in front of the 1-8 atacr when not on a tripod gets old quick.

Ahh ok, so you aren't ditching the clip-on simply not using the rifle to scan, thanks for the clarification.
 
S35 feels the same on an AR that I've used it on as when it had a LPVO in a spuhr. So while it's a brick of an optic, the weight doesn't bother me when it replaces an optic that's the same weight.

The C35 however in front of my Atacr 1-8 in QD spuhr mount makes that AR feel like a pig with the suppressor on it also. For this reason, I'm looking into a dedicated handheld for scanning.
What is the viability of swapping daytime optic with nighttime optic based on use? In other words, you keep the ATACR on during daytime work and have it zeroed, at nighttime you remove the ATACR and use the S35 (previously zeroed) and then back to the ATACR the next day and so forth. With modern QD mounts I have found very good repeatability of RTZ. Almost seems like this situation (front heavy with clipon) provides justification for this type of setup, at least until we get more lightweight thermal clipon options.
 
What is the viability of swapping daytime optic with nighttime optic based on use? In other words, you keep the ATACR on during daytime work and have it zeroed, at nighttime you remove the ATACR and use the S35 (previously zeroed) and then back to the ATACR the next day and so forth. With modern QD mounts I have found very good repeatability of RTZ. Almost seems like this situation (front heavy with clipon) provides justification for this type of setup, at least until we get more lightweight thermal clipon options.

Haven't tried RTZ with the S35 yet. Will do it next time out. C35 in front of Day optic better suites this roll and the RTZ taking that on and off has been spot on. The S35 equipped rifle is just setup for dedicated use and doesn't have a plan to get a day optic.
 
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I’m looking for something to serve as full time thermal optic for my suppressed 9” 300BLK for night time predator duty. I love the price of these on the secondary market and the performance looks to be there as well but the weight and footprint seem to be a huge detractor at least on paper. Thoughts?
 
I’m looking for something to serve as full time thermal optic for my suppressed 9” 300BLK for night time predator duty. I love the price of these on the secondary market and the performance looks to be there as well but the weight and footprint seem to be a huge detractor at least on paper. Thoughts?

It's all a trade off. Dedicated scope like a super Yoter or Halo will be several thousands more, to save what, half a pound? I can't even find Bering's weight on the SY.

I use mine on a big ass large frame AR10.

If I was trying to cut weight on an SBR for inside 100 yards, I'd get a Pvs14, an Aimpoint and a mawl and just IR Lazer point them down and acquire accuracy through volume
 
It's all a trade off. Dedicated scope like a super Yoter or Halo will be several thousands more, to save what, half a pound? I can't even find Bering's weight on the SY.

I use mine on a big ass large frame AR10.

If I was trying to cut weight on an SBR for inside 100 yards, I'd get a Pvs14, an Aimpoint and a mawl and just IR Lazer point them down and acquire accuracy through volume

This is a great option that I haven’t explored but where we hunt the cedars are thick and thermal would provide an advantage of showing me what might be behind a tree or just out of natural sight.

I could get a commercial peq for $1250 in the classifieds and a decent PVS14 for $2600 but I think I’d be much happier with mods and the mawl or ngal and there we are back to big money lol. Like y’all said, it’s all a trade off.
 
This is a great option that I haven’t explored but where we hunt the cedars are thick and thermal would provide an advantage of showing me what might be behind a tree or just out of natural sight.

I could get a commercial peq for $1250 in the classifieds and a decent PVS14 for $2600 but I think I’d be much happier with mods and the mawl or ngal and there we are back to big money lol. Like y’all said, it’s all a trade off.
Just buy both. For critter gettin, you don’t need the most expensive WP goggles or quads. A single 14 with a laser to supplement a c35 is more than enough IMO
 
I’m leaning towards setting up the 300BLK with a full time thermal optic like the S35 or Nox and then running a Peq or Mawl on the 556 gun along with a PVS14. Best of both worlds.
 
I use the c35 in front of a nxs 1-4 on a 10.5 inch 300BO from time to time. I have mounted the laser on the 9 side and helmet mounted the 14 with it as well
 
Hog hunt last weekend. Took a bunch of recordings but forget to hit the button half the time. Action starts around the 2:00 mark.


Wild how the little ones didn't know what to do, they usually take off immediately. Crazy to see that big boy trot back through after the madness only to take a dirt nap front and center. That was a damn good shoot sir. Now if only you could do that every night for weeks and really put a hurt on your immediate numbers haha.
 
For those of you who have sent your C35 back to Steiner because of issues with the clamp:
What issues were you having?
If it wasn't getting tight enough, how loose was it?
What did they do to fix it?

Reason I ask is I slapped it on yesterday to shoot a groundhog in the daytime with it to get some practice and use it as an opportunity to check zero. I finally killed it, but I was very obviously impacting to the right. This was not a far shot. It was approximately 50 yards and I was shooting off of a RRS tripod and shooting a Giessele Super Duty rifle with a Nomad 30 suppressor and the E-brake, so this should have been extremely easy.
Had just shot the same setup without thermal at much smaller targets at 200 yards and it wasn't even a challenge.
Im just wondering if there is the tiniest bit of slop in the clamp that could account for my experience yesterday.

Thanks in advance gentlemen.
 
For those of you who have sent your C35 back to Steiner because of issues with the clamp:
What issues were you having?
If it wasn't getting tight enough, how loose was it?
What did they do to fix it?

Reason I ask is I slapped it on yesterday to shoot a groundhog in the daytime with it to get some practice and use it as an opportunity to check zero. I finally killed it, but I was very obviously impacting to the right. This was not a far shot. It was approximately 50 yards and I was shooting off of a RRS tripod and shooting a Giessele Super Duty rifle with a Nomad 30 suppressor and the E-brake, so this should have been extremely easy.
Had just shot the same setup without thermal at much smaller targets at 200 yards and it wasn't even a challenge.
Im just wondering if there is the tiniest bit of slop in the clamp that could account for my experience yesterday.

Thanks in advance gentlemen.
Did you zero the thermal?
 
For those of you who have sent your C35 back to Steiner because of issues with the clamp:
What issues were you having?
If it wasn't getting tight enough, how loose was it?
What did they do to fix it?

Reason I ask is I slapped it on yesterday to shoot a groundhog in the daytime with it to get some practice and use it as an opportunity to check zero. I finally killed it, but I was very obviously impacting to the right. This was not a far shot. It was approximately 50 yards and I was shooting off of a RRS tripod and shooting a Giessele Super Duty rifle with a Nomad 30 suppressor and the E-brake, so this should have been extremely easy.
Had just shot the same setup without thermal at much smaller targets at 200 yards and it wasn't even a challenge.
Im just wondering if there is the tiniest bit of slop in the clamp that could account for my experience yesterday.

Thanks in advance gentlemen.
My C35's stock clamp was loose on my KAC SR15 URX4 handguard pic rail, it was loose enough for me to shift it by hand pushing it towards the muzzle end and back rearwards towards the stock but every other pic rail I had for my other firearms it was perfectly stable and could not be easily shifted by my arm strength just my KAC URX4 handguards on my 16" and 11.5".
I contacted Steiner and they sent a brand new clamp to replace the original one and it fixed my issue.
 
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Good to know.
I always felt like mine locked up tight but after my misses I tried rocking and twisting it. I think any movement is all in my head because it’s definitely not obvious.
 
It sure looks like you could take out the screw on the throw lever and put a shim under the leaf spring looking thing. It floats in there and is captured by the lever. Pop can shim?
I contacted Steiner so I'll see if the new mount helps first.
 
Received this reply from Steiner:
"With the mount un-latched, you can loosen the 4 screws underneath the mount and remove it from the clip on.
Once it is removed, there are two large screws that can be tightened. Tighten the screws until snug and then a little past that.
This should correct the loose mounting."

Does this make any sense to those that have had the mount off?
 
Received this reply from Steiner:
"With the mount un-latched, you can loosen the 4 screws underneath the mount and remove it from the clip on.
Once it is removed, there are two large screws that can be tightened. Tighten the screws until snug and then a little past that.
This should correct the loose mounting."

Does this make any sense to those that have had the mount off?
Yes, that’s exactly what I did with mine (including some Loctite blue) and it took all my wobble out.
 
Received this reply from Steiner:
"With the mount un-latched, you can loosen the 4 screws underneath the mount and remove it from the clip on.
Once it is removed, there are two large screws that can be tightened. Tighten the screws until snug and then a little past that.
This should correct the loose mounting."

Does this make any sense to those that have had the mount off?
Yeah, the mount is held in place with 4 screws into the C35 body and the mount itself is two pieces held together with two larger screws.
This is the post I made with how much torque I set for each screw, but this is not official values just something I felt like is good amount: https://www.snipershide.com/shootin...and-user-thread.7124087/page-15#post-10507672
 
Just a fyi,

I ordered the burris 1x eye peice for the C35, hoping it would make useing it as a scanner better, and was super unimpressed by it. It zoomed in on the screen a little bit but cut off a good bit of the corners. I sent it back as looking through it without an eye peice is fine enough.