Different styles of thermals

[Shootermick]

IMG_3350.jpeg (18.65 KiB) Viewed 3928 times

Apart from the obvious looks.
What are the differences, pros and cons between a traditional looking scope thermal, and one of the more compact looking type that are set back on a mount to achieve the eye relief.?

[stihl88]

Not a lot of difference but the main reason for the traditional tube thermals is their appeal to the tradionalist otherwise they're pretty much the exact same.

The tube style will need scope rings purchased whereas the modern style usually comes with a mount. Even though mine came with a QD mount I went to the trouble of purchasing a German made QD return to zero Innomount. If you're considering a thermal, there's a couple of brands that have built in range finder with ballistic calculator that will auto calculate hold over based on the measured distance and ballistics entered in by the user.

Probably stay away from the clip ons...

[Billo]

Yeah Clips ons seem to be a less than popular trend due to the hassle and size.

I've noticed mates are using the more compact style of Thermals and it what I'll do next year when the prices come down and the features increase

[niteowl]

I would stay away from "clipons" unless they are rail mounted.
The compact ones are without question the way to go. I have NEVER seen the need for R Finders when using the best selection of cartridge for the job, short or long range shooting. (That is long range for thermal shooting, up to about 400y).
There is only one brand that I would consider, can't mention it here as I am connected with them. Genuine professional quality, not just so called by the Chinese.
Yes expensive, but long term far better value.
This comes from about 14 years of working with thermal.

[brinny]

I would stay away from "clipons" unless they are rail mounted.
The compact ones are without question the way to go. I have NEVER seen the need for R Finders when using the best selection of cartridge for the job, short or long range shooting. (That is long range for thermal shooting, up to about 400y).
There is only one brand that I would consider, can't mention it here as I am connected with them. Genuine professional quality, not just so called by the Chinese.
Yes expensive, but long term far better value.
This comes from about 14 years of working with thermal.

Geez....i wonder what brand that could be..???

[niteowl]

I would stay away from "clipons" unless they are rail mounted.
The compact ones are without question the way to go. I have NEVER seen the need for R Finders when using the best selection of cartridge for the job, short or long range shooting. (That is long range for thermal shooting, up to about 400y).
There is only one brand that I would consider, can't mention it here as I am connected with them. Genuine professional quality, not just so called by the Chinese.
Yes expensive, but long term far better value.
This comes from about 14 years of working with thermal.

Geez....i wonder what brand that could be..???

I wonder But they are very good I believe

[Shootermick]

So, do people find the compact scopes a bit high to look through? Need a cheek riser? Or just get used to it?

[Die Judicii]

Yeah Clips ons seem to be a less than popular trend due to the hassle and size.

I've noticed mates are using the more compact style of Thermals and it what I'll do next year when the prices come down and the features increase

Pardon my mirth,,,,
Did you say "when the prices come down" ??

[Die Judicii]

I would stay away from "clipons" unless they are rail mounted.
The compact ones are without question the way to go.

Yes expensive, but long term far better value.
This comes from about 14 years of working with thermal.

I would beg to differ,,,,,
I own two of the higher end brand "clipons" and not only love em, but get consistent & excellent results.
And I'm using them in a semi professional manner.

[niteowl]

I would stay away from "clipons" unless they are rail mounted.
The compact ones are without question the way to go.

Yes expensive, but long term far better value.
This comes from about 14 years of working with thermal.

I would beg to differ,,,,,
I own two of the higher end brand "clipons" and not only love em, but get consistent & excellent results.
And I'm using them in a semi professional manner.

I guess I need to clarify here, clipons do work, no problem there. The problem that arises with clipons is that when attached directly on the day scope and they are a bit heavy, as some are, and if you are using a fairly high recoiling firearm they will damage the day scope in time, if not immediately, due to the force exerted on the day scope, and on top of that I feel they tend to be cumbersome in most situations.
I am a contractor and use thermal scopes almost exclusively but always have a dedicated thermal scoped rifle and the same with a day scope in all the firearms I use.
I will only use a high end brand (Not Chinese) and can be a bit expensive for some people..Although you may be surprised at how many people do use them too.
The top end ones are good for ALL calibres and also include machine guns.

[Faedy]

Ive tried several brands, and own IAiming 612.
I love it even though it isnt a traditional shape.
The larger batteries have great duration.
Each to their own,but they are all so good now days

[stihl88]

I would stay away from "clipons" unless they are rail mounted.
The compact ones are without question the way to go.

Yes expensive, but long term far better value.
This comes from about 14 years of working with thermal.

I would beg to differ,,,,,
I own two of the higher end brand "clipons" and not only love em, but get consistent & excellent results.
And I'm using them in a semi professional manner.

I guess I need to clarify here, clipons do work, no problem there. The problem that arises with clipons is that when attached directly on the day scope and they are a bit heavy, as some are, and if you are using a fairly high recoiling firearm they will damage the day scope in time, if not immediately, due to the force exerted on the day scope, and on top of that I feel they tend to be cumbersome in most situations.
I am a contractor and use thermal scopes almost exclusively but always have a dedicated thermal scoped rifle and the same with a day scope in all the firearms I use.

I will only use a high end brand (Not Chinese) and can be a bit expensive for some people..Although you may be surprised at how many people do use them too.
The top end ones are good for ALL calibres and also include machine guns.

I agree, the clip-ons are tempting at first however I decided against this route in the end and took the approach of mounting picatinny rails and Quick Detach (QD) scope rings to my day scopes and QD to the compact Thermal also. This way i can swap the day scope with the thermal as required. Most Thermals have the ability to store around 5 zeroed firearm profiles so it's easily swapped with your day scope as night falls.

One of the main attraction to the Compact Thermal for me is that it can be placed in my pocket and although not as effective as a spotting thermal it will function very similar to one. My model also has an onboard LRF with ballistic calculator which will calculate and show an adjusted shot placement based on the LRF reading and BC profile. It kills a lot of birds with one stone!

I will look into thermal spotting scope one day, I'm running Gen3 NVG in situé with the Thermal scope which works well for my requirements.

[Die Judicii]

I agree, the clip-ons are tempting at first however I decided against this route in the end and took the approach of mounting picatinny rails and Quick Detach (QD) scope rings to my day scopes and QD to the compact Thermal also. This way i can swap the day scope with the thermal as required. Most Thermals have the ability to store around 5 zeroed firearm profiles so it's easily swapped with your day scope as night falls.

One of the main attraction to the Compact Thermal for me is that it can be placed in my pocket and although not as effective as a spotting thermal it will function very similar to one. My model also has an onboard LRF with ballistic calculator which will calculate and show an adjusted shot placement based on the LRF reading and BC profile. It kills a lot of birds with one stone!

I will look into thermal spotting scope one day, I'm running Gen3 NVG in situé with the Thermal scope which works well for my requirements.

When referring to use as a spotting device,,,,, why not do the job properly and get thermal binocs and be done with it ,, with all the trimmings.

[Tilb004]

I have just bought a second hand rico rh 50 .
Even know i have not yet shot anything , when i was sight it in i was sooting beer cans at 200m .
Its was fully zoomed and still very clear , was filling them with hot water .
I think foxes at 300m shouldnt be a problem .

[stihl88]

When referring to use as a spotting device,,,,, why not do the job properly and get thermal binocs and be done with it ,, with all the trimmings.

I guess what i mean is that a traditional tube scope thermal won't fit in the pocket and is awkward as a spotter and the clip-ons usually require an adapter to convert them into spotter mode and constant removal from the scope is not ideal. The compact thermal I have covers all of these issues quite well...

Eventually i'll look at a dedicated spotting scope but for now I don't need it. The Thermal drones are a killer, would love one of these if i had a lazy $18k!!!! Thermal drone identifying pigs... https://youtu.be/TtoxMqtYjLE?t=461