Thermal vs Night Vision

[Blr243]

Sorry to hear you are not getting anywhere .....I’m mostly shooting pigs at half the range. But maybe the dingo hunting I will be doing in the next three months dictates that I should be checking on my scope more often to see she is all good. Had not heard of GSCI before so I googled it , and then somethingI read about Canada reminded me I had heard a little bit about them. If anyone here is hesitating to spend 7 or 8 on a pulsar then whatever you do don’t look up the prices of the GSCI It will scare you half to death.

[brinny]

Sorry to hear you are not getting anywhere .....I’m mostly shooting pigs at half the range. But maybe the dingo hunting I will be doing in the next three months dictates that I should be checking on my scope more often to see she is all good. Had not heard of GSCI before so I googled it , and then somethingI read about Canada reminded me I had heard a little bit about them. If anyone here is hesitating to spend 7 or 8 on a pulsar then whatever you do don’t look up the prices of the GSCI It will scare you half to death.

A lot of blokes that hunt pigs are happy to put up with the POI shift as they have such a big target to aim at it doesnt bother them....When the target is considerably smaller and double the range they are shooting...their tune would change...not much room for error there....

Yep....GSCI thermals are dear....but on the flip side of that....I would rather pay a bit more and have something that worked and did what it was supposed to do than to go through all the crap i went through with the others....
I dont go out all night just to scare the foxes away from cockys sheep....
If this one i have works and works well, i will be getting another one for my 17 Rem....

On one particular night i was asked to go to a property near Mansfield Vic.....Farmer was loosing heaps of lambs..
He came out with me and after missing 6 and only gettting one...He thought i was the biggest clown of all times and quickly showed me the gate and told dont come back....
Checking the scope next day, found it was shooting 3 inches out to the right....
That was the last straw....
Pulsar can stick their scopes where the sun doesnt shine.....

[JimTom]

Hard to make a decision. Just watched a YouTube clip again comparing Pulsar to ATN. The comments following regarding the ATN were not at all positive. I was leaning towards the ATN. Seems there is negative publicity for both. Hmmmm not an easy decision when you’re about to drop circa 5k on a thermal scope. Maybe I should just spend the coin on a new Sako in something I don’t have.

[brinny]

Hard to make a decision. Just watched a YouTube clip again comparing Pulsar to ATN. The comments following regarding the ATN were not at all positive. I was leaning towards the ATN. Seems there is negative publicity for both. Hmmmm not an easy decision when you’re about to drop circa 5k on a thermal scope. Maybe I should just spend the coin on a new Sako in something I don’t have.

Can do a lot worse than buy a new Sako mate....

My XQ50s were going from this at 100m....


To this at 100m......


Could happen at any time....
Sometimes they would shoot spot on for two weeks....then shift...Sometimes would do it in half an hour...
Major pain in the arse....

[JimTom]

Yes mate I can fully appreciate your frustration. Definitely unsatisfactory for an optic of that price and supposed quality.
The comments regarding the ATN suggested that the after sales service was terrible at best, whereas it was supposedly not to bad with Pulsar.

[JimTom]

In saying that mate, it doesn’t sound as if it’s the case for you.

[Blr243]

Brinny those misses in front of the landowner would be very embarrassing. I can see why your not happy. . Settle jimtom, Forget the new sako, While you are saving some dollars u have plenty of time to research and make the right choice. I’ll never forget my first bunch of pigs in a thermal scope in thick cover 20 m away in total darkness Some time over the weekend I’ll put together an exciting tale with a couple of pics of a huge 1130 pm boar that got my adrenaline going so much I was a mess and could not function. It affected me as if I had just received a huge electric shock and my brain was short circuited .... I was standing , with rifle and all I had to do was shoot. But It took everything I had to round up some brain cells , coordinate my body and pull the trigger

[brinny]

In saying that mate, it doesn’t sound as if it’s the case for you.

No...the after sales service from the distributor to me was great....
They were spot on in fact and never hesitated to replace the scopes that i sent back....
The after sales service, or the distributor was not the problem.....the damn scopes were....

[brinny]

[quote="Blr243"]Brinny those misses in front of the landowner would be very embarrassing. I can see why your not happy. .

You have no idea mate....
I pushed hard to get access onto this property and laid claim to having the most up to date technology for the task.....
s**t did i hear about that as he was escorting me to the gate.....
The scope obviously picked that night to do its little POI altering thing.........

[Blr243]

Another bloke I know useing thermal to shoot foxes down your way gets tons of properties to shoot foxes because the landholders are so impressed with the results , Not sure what type he uses

[Ferrisweil]

Mountain pig

[JimTom]

Mate bloody nice hog. Well done, I can definitely see the attraction of thermal.

[Blr243]

Very nice boar Ferris, The grin is indicative of adrenaline and endorphins running riot through your body

[Ferrisweil]

Lol. Thanks mate. Yeah, there was a fair degree of adrenaline still going. The property owner could not believe how many pigs were on his place when we took him out. Another advantage of thermal. The owner and his mates go out (older blokes) and sometime get 1 or 2 with a torch; and then to see the numbers and size of the pigs on his block has astounded him. He’s one happy property owner. So much so, he went and bought a thermal monocle himself. We’re VERY lucky to access to that spot.

[JimTom]

Just doing a bit more research and see that Pard are releasing a Thermal scope. After watching Ozzie review the Pard008 I would be interested in seeing how the thermal goes. Will no doubt be fairly cheap. I think Ozzie eluded to the fact the he was going to review the thermal this year when available.

[Blr243]

I would love another thermal scope for either my shotgun or another rifle but I’m not spending another 7-8 so I will research the pard too

[Blr243]

I just had a look but I could not find a price on them. Because they only have 384 res instead of 640 I hesitated but it won’t matter to me as I can use my hi res binos to locate and identify species, then stalk in and use a low res device at close range eg 150 m or less to shoot ..... it seems to have an impressive detection range but that will still be white blobs. I depend on my pulsar s 640 res when I’m looking at longer ranges it helps me identify necks and tails and triangular shaped bodies so I don’t end up walking along way just to find out my boar is actually a roo

[mchughcb]

Just doing a bit more research and see that Pard are releasing a Thermal scope. After watching Ozzie review the Pard008 I would be interested in seeing how the thermal goes. Will no doubt be fairly cheap. I think Ozzie eluded to the fact the he was going to review the thermal this year when available.

I don't wait for Ozzie Reviews. I do my own reviews.

https://youtu.be/HlSZFWznoE0

[mchughcb]

G’day Gents

For those who have gone down this path and are using either night vision or thermal scopes, I would greatly value your opinion on either of these two systems.
Interested in why you chose one over the other and why you think it’s a better option.
I have quite a bit of experience using night vision equipment (goggles not optic sights) occupationally so I have some understanding of the limitations there. In saying that, it was conventional (intensifer tubes, etc) high end night vision and not the digital Night vision available to us.
I have started reading and watching reviews, however would appreciate some input from you blokes.
Thanks in advance gents.

Watching free reviews on Youtube. Its better than splashing your own cash then finding you have a lemon.


https://youtu.be/asxtnT5oE-o

[JimTom]

So what do you think of it mate? Are they even available here yet?

[mchughcb]

To tell you what I think? Best answer is to compare to some base product you understand like a Pulsar Apex, Trail, Thermion or Ward T1 50-3, GSCI or Thor Mars.

[JimTom]

Have found them. Not as cheap as I thought they would be. Anyone know or have heard anything more about these?

[JimTom]

To tell you what I think? Best answer is to compare to some base product you understand like a Pulsar Apex, Trail, Thermion or Ward T1 50-3, GSCI or Thor Mars.

Ok mate, I have done a fair bit of research on the ATN Mars 4 and Pulsar Thermion. How do you think they stack up against those two?

[JimTom]

Would anyone here on this forum entertain the idea of purchasing one if you were in the market?

[Blr243]

I will def have a closer look because I can’t afford another 7 k for athermal on a second rifle Just be aware they advertise eyepiece specs as 1024. But sensor spec at only 384. And I’m 90 per cent sure it’s the sensor specs that give you clarity of images. If they post vids of the image , any manufacturer is likely to display game animals up close to excite potential customers with the detailed imagery

[Blr243]

Do you know when they are avail for purchase.? It will b a couple of months before I do anything. That should give me some time to research others real field experiences. With 384 res and only a 25 mm tube It’s definitely not going to be a long range identifier

[JimTom]

Do you know when they are avail for purchase.? It will b a couple of months before I do anything. That should give me some time to research others real field experiences. With 384 res and only a 25 mm tube It’s definitely not going to be a long range identifier

Mate I don't know when they are available, only just come across them. The 384 sensor is the same size as the ATN and slightly bigger than the Pulsar Thermion. Would really like to see a review on them before I did anything. I have heard good reviews on the Pard 008 Night Vision however that does not necessarily mean their thermal will be good also.

[JimTom]

Just out of curiosity BLR, what sort of distances are you shooting with your thermal? I am tossing up if I use the thermal on my 300AAC or put on 6.5CM. My budget for the thermal will dictate which rifle it goes on I guess. Thinking the Pulsar XM30 for the 300AAC for use circa 100m. If I am able to get the next size up, would prob put on my 6.5. What do you reckon?

[Blr243]

Ferris has a range finder on his xp50. Other than that our scopes are the same. He may have better advice regarding ranges as I’m uncertain about my ranges because distance is so hard to judge with a thermal at night. Mostly I stalk up to the point where I can hear them munching but plenty of times I have to take the shot at longer rangers. I guess prob not more than 200. I prefer close Because of the excitement of getting so close and it’s more ethical for great shot placement .... after the first shot on a close mob I watch when they bolt I never shoot at em on the run I think it causes wounding but often after a short bolt one or two will stop to listen to hear for more danger and to correct themselves that they are running away in the right direction. That’s when I shoot again and that’s when I really need that bipod for ethical shot placement. Because of thes range uncertainties and cause u can b shooting at smaller targets eg dingo fox cat that’s where I think it’s pretty crucial to have a flat shooter. I have my 243 25 mm high at 100 and 25 mm low at 200 Definitely I suggest the 6.5 Use your 300 AAC during the day ..........actually you will love the thermal so much that u will want to be using it daytime as well. When pigs are standing in shadows in the day our eyes looking and normal scopes mostly miss them but with a thermal they stand out like dos balls

[Blr243]

Jimtom im really looking forward to your stories about your first few hunting trips with a thermal. It will be impossible from the read not to get an idea of what a fantastic time you will be having