Night Vision Who makes range finders for thermal

If you can set up a "point blank" zero using a fast enough hunting cartridge to cover your shooting area... Then you may have no need for one.

Do you shoot further than say 200 yards? Do you use any fast falling / subsonic calibers?

Do you have areas that will allow you to shoot far enough that you can't zero in such a manner to allow a hit on whatever the vital size of your target is?
 
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Here's two solutions that work for me.

01 - Wilcox RAPTAR on top of NF 7-35x T3 behind BAE UTC-x thermal clipon

02 - SilencerCo Radius mounted on Trijicon Patrol

Both of these offer range finders which work in conjunction with thermals.

In case 01, I use NV devices to zero the RAPTAR aiming laser to the center of the day scope reticle at a man made object at 415 yds distance ... and then when I mount the thermal clipon in front of the day scope, I can range anything that I point the center of the day scope reticle at. I'm zeroed at 100yds, so I can only range when my elevation dial is set at 100yds. But I'm using a T3 "no dial" reticle, so I hold for both wind and elevation for every shot.

In case 02, I use NV device on a second gun to help me zero the aiming laser of the Radius to the same point on the object at 415yds that the center of the patrol reticle is aimed at. I used an RRS tripod for aiming the Patrol and a manfrotto tripod for the NV observing gun.
This results in giving me a handheld range finder.

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Do you need a range finder ? As Plinkit says, depends on the distances you are shooting and the cartridges you are shooting.

If the "danger space" (in the Applied Ballistics sense of the words) of your rifle/cartridge combination is less than half of the size of the vertical kill space on your target at the farthest distance you are shooting AND you can accurately estimate whether the target is inside that distance without a range finder, then no, you do not need a range finder. Otherwise a range finder will help. :)
 
Yup, if you want to optimize for "long distance" night hunting .. there are several options ... including

6CM 87 VMAX
204RU 32 VMAX

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I use 4 inches as the "danger space" (in the Brian Litz sense of the term) for yotes, meaning 4 inch up and 4 inch down .. a.k.a. 8 inches total. BL defines the DS and half of the total.

For my .308s ... (depending on atmospherics) 225yds is my maximum "flat" distance ... i.e. the distance I can aim dead center and hit within the 8 inch elevation (2x 4 inches danger space) kill zone of the yote.
 
... Hell I just wish someone would show up with a $500ish dollar 1k yard (so that I knew it would work too 500) range finder that mounts to a pic rail ...

You're in luck, they exist !! Called the "Radius" !! :D

At night, works to 3,000 yds ! In the day 1,100 yds ... (a bit more in some conditions)
 
All items are "vanishing items" ... some are vanishing faster than others.

In their first year, the buyers thought they were crap and complained and places like Brownell's were "dumping" them for $400 ... and SilencerCo reacted and shut down the program.
Now 3 years later, I guess the night shooters decided they were great, so we're still snapping them up. And yes the prices are rising. But within the last 2 months I've gotten 3 offers to sell them to me for under $751 ... so I'd keep looking for one for $750 or less.
 
Holy shit I am an idiot. Sorry for not giving all the parameters. I bought my first Thermal, used in like-new condition. I got a smoking deal on it. I got pulsar Apex xq50. This is what I can afford. It is going on an LWRC 223 running a 69-grain match king. No subsonic for me. with a 200y zero, I figure I will be able to hit a yote or hog at 300. That would be my max distance.
 
So, if you are using a 200yd zero and then just "holding down" for inside 100yds ... then you should be good ... as long as you can judge your 300yd max without an LRF. :)

Otherwise, you could fire a round and if you miss then figure it was over 300yds :)