Night Vision Trijicon IR Hunter MK3 60mm versus Trijicon IR Hunter MK3 35mm distance, usability, etc

[HBARLeatherneck]

I have done tons and tons of reading and research. Still, I cant decide what to do.

This is a ton of money for me. Its not something I have been able to buy before, but I now used money from selling something else to purchase it.

I bought the Trijicon IR Hunter MK3 60mm scope. It came Friday. I took it out of the box and tried it for a few minutes only. I started to wonder if I should return it and buy the 35mm version instead. So, I put it away so it would still be like new.

My primary use is for long range shooting. I have an 800meter range at my house with AR500 plates at every 100 meters. That is just to give you an idea of the open spaces we have. I can see for miles and miles here. Most shooting is long. That is why I picked the 60mm.

The problem is this was a HUGE purchase. I want to get the most use out of it. If I bought the 35mm verison instead would I have more close in usability for little things like...an animal got into the barn and I need to find it? something or someone hiding under a vehicle or trailer? But, still be able to get out there and shoot a coyote or other target at a fairly long range?

anyone with experience on how far out the 35mm version would be useful against a coyote sized target? Shooting it, not just detecting it.

Thanks

im hoping to figure it out early today, so I can keep the one I have or send it back today.

 

[MarinePMI]

Perhaps @wigwamitus has some insight...

 

[7P's]

In my opinion you probably have one of the best thermal scope on the market, all you need is a small spotter for looking around. That MH 25 that has been discussed on this forum might be a good choice, as a spotter for your needs.

 

[HBARLeatherneck]

HBAR - long time no shoot together. \

My main question is, do you have regular night vision gear too?

It has been a long time. Im still here.

I own 2 PVS-14s.

I should clarify. I dont need to shoot coyotes at 800 meters. I hope to identify and shoot an animal that is deer to coyote size between 200-400 meters. Obviously I want to be certain of my target.
I really just want to make sure I get the most out of the purchase. Will the 35mm be good enough for those distances? Will it give me more field of view flexibility up close without sacrificing all of my long rang ability?

 

[wigwamitus]

For long distance shooting ... like on heated steel out to 900yds ... or maybe yotes out to 500yds ... for actual long distance shooting at night ... you need to look at either the Trijicon OASYS UTC-xii or the Insight LWTS-LR ... those are the only semi-available units that will do long distance thermal clipon right now.

==
For night hunting with thermal at "long distance" ... i.e. beyond the PBR distance of your setup ... the Halo-LR is the place to go ... since it has hold-over reticle that has been validated by hide members to be accurate.

==
The trijicon reticles are more "classical hunting" type reticles and are good for your PBR distances ... using the critters as the reticle ... and that's whether 19mm or 35mm or 60mm on the lens.

The 60mm is best beyond 100yds ... is gets pretty fuzzy inside 50yds .. The 35mm is the best balance between short distance and "long distance" .. I've used the 35mm to spot for a utc-x on heated steel out to 900yds ... I could see the splash (fragmentation) of the hits, the splash (dirt flying in the air) of the misses and the bullet flying thru the air ... on 4x digital.

The 60mm is a great long distance spotter and that's why I got it ... I could pair it with the utc-x and spot critters out to 5000yds (as far as I can see things on the ground from my land). But it is not a better shooter than the 35mm. They have the same reticles.

==
So for true long distance shooting (over 500yds) with thermal, must go LDTC (Long Distance Thermal Clipon) of which two units are currently semi available (LWTS-LR and UTC-xii) ... for intermediate (long distance at night) 300yds - 500yds ... those clipons ... the LWTS (no LR) and the Halo-LR would be at the top of my list ... and for inside 300yds ... lots of things work.

The vast number of night hunting shots are under 300yds ... and within that ... the vast number are under 200yds ... and hecque within that probably still most are under 100yds ... 97% of my hog shots have been under 100yds ... probably half of my yote shots under 100yds ... since my land has a lot of woods ... with hogs, you can stalk right in on them ... yotes sometimes, depends on conditions ...

 

[BamaSE]

I am not much of a long range shooter....and not at all with thermals, at least over 300ish yards, but I can input a little on the scopes. I have the Hunter 60 and a Reap 35. I really like the Hunter 60.....but no way I could use it as a general purpose thermal (woods and fields) without the Reap as a scanner. During winter, when the foliage is down, it is not that bad in the woods. But this time of year, it is awful as all the leaves between you and the target create a blur. With a clear LOS to the feeder I still use it, but you gotta have something else to scan at those ranges. And as Wigwamitus notes above, it shines over 50 yards, less than that things get blurry due to the 4.5 base mag.
One of my hunting buddies got a Hunter 35 at the same time as I got my 60. He is the opposite and prefers to shoot with less magnification. He really likes the 35 and his first kill was a head shot on a pig at 330 yards with a .308. He also has a Pulsar Helion XP38 scanner which works really well, but if you have glasses (like me) then you may have difficulty with eye relief and obtaining a full view of the picture. I use my Reap 35 for this purpose, but that is an expensive solution.

 

[HBARLeatherneck]

Thanks King for the phone consult.

I kept the 60mm. There are no trees here, nothing but miles long unimpeded views. I can live with it being less useful up close. I would be disappointed if I had something that wouldnt perform well at longer distances.

 

[wompa]

I'd keep the 60. You don't have to try shooting them at long range, but it is nice to be able to ID them far out.

 

[texasleftychef]

Thanks King for the phone consult.

I kept the 60mm. There are no trees here, nothing but miles long unimpeded views. I can live with it being less useful up close. I would be disappointed if I had something that wouldnt perform well at longer distances.

I think you made the right choice given your open spaces. The 60 should extend your observation and identify capabilities the furthest without going clip on.