I'm bored. Help me spend some money!
I'm looking to upgrade my Yoter-C this summer with the primary purpose of coyote hunting with a 22 Creed bolt rifle paired with a Radius LRF.
50% of the coyotes I killed this year were within 100yds, 30% were 1-300 and the rest were as far as 450yds. I'm looking for a clip-on that will let me engage one up to 600yds without giving up too much FOV for the closer ones. My priorities, in order are.
1. Once zero'd as a system, the thermal must cause no more than 1/2 moa of additional shift on a day to day basis. I believe a coliminated unit is best suited for that.
1.5 The damn thing has to work. I'm not interested in buying the "hottest" new thermal with all the bells and whistles just to find out that it needs to be sent back immediately for "warranty" work.
2. Image. I'd like a "usable" image of at least 10x. I realize the BEST image will be at a lower zoom, but holdovers are easier to use above 10x. It will be paired with an NX8 2.5-20 or possibly a Razor G3 1-10. I'd like to be able to accurately aim at a coyote at 500+ yds using 10-12x on the day scope. If I need to use an additional 2x digital zoom, that's fine.
3. FOV. I realize the xELR or a Utc-xii is better suited for longer ranges, but I hunt in a 3-4 person group with a partner that uses a hand held scanner while I'm scanning with the rifle. I need to be able to rapidly find the close ones based on others directions.
4. Availability. I'd like to purchase something before August to give me time to work any bugs out and practice with it.
5. Price. I'd like to stay in the $12-14k range. Less is better, I can spend more if I believe I need to or if it will hold it's value better.
Is the Theon Clip-LR (the medium range of the 3) going to be my best compromise? Are there any other units I should be researching before I buy one once they are released?
Thanks!
I'm looking to upgrade my Yoter-C this summer with the primary purpose of coyote hunting with a 22 Creed bolt rifle paired with a Radius LRF.
50% of the coyotes I killed this year were within 100yds, 30% were 1-300 and the rest were as far as 450yds. I'm looking for a clip-on that will let me engage one up to 600yds without giving up too much FOV for the closer ones. My priorities, in order are.
1. Once zero'd as a system, the thermal must cause no more than 1/2 moa of additional shift on a day to day basis. I believe a coliminated unit is best suited for that.
1.5 The damn thing has to work. I'm not interested in buying the "hottest" new thermal with all the bells and whistles just to find out that it needs to be sent back immediately for "warranty" work.
2. Image. I'd like a "usable" image of at least 10x. I realize the BEST image will be at a lower zoom, but holdovers are easier to use above 10x. It will be paired with an NX8 2.5-20 or possibly a Razor G3 1-10. I'd like to be able to accurately aim at a coyote at 500+ yds using 10-12x on the day scope. If I need to use an additional 2x digital zoom, that's fine.
3. FOV. I realize the xELR or a Utc-xii is better suited for longer ranges, but I hunt in a 3-4 person group with a partner that uses a hand held scanner while I'm scanning with the rifle. I need to be able to rapidly find the close ones based on others directions.
4. Availability. I'd like to purchase something before August to give me time to work any bugs out and practice with it.
5. Price. I'd like to stay in the $12-14k range. Less is better, I can spend more if I believe I need to or if it will hold it's value better.
Is the Theon Clip-LR (the medium range of the 3) going to be my best compromise? Are there any other units I should be researching before I buy one once they are released?
Thanks!