{"id":573,"date":"2020-02-07T07:02:08","date_gmt":"2020-02-07T07:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hunterswiki.com\/?p=573"},"modified":"2021-03-17T14:35:50","modified_gmt":"2021-03-17T14:35:50","slug":"best-thermal-scopes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hunterswiki.com\/best-thermal-scopes\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Best Thermal Scopes for the Money (Buying Guide 2021)"},"content":{"rendered":"
Hunters Wiki may receive some form of compensation from the links on this page, at no extra charge to you. Learn more<\/a>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking to go out on a night-time hunting adventure, thermal scopes<\/strong> are perfectly suited to your purpose. Also known as thermal imagery sights, these units use infrared light, invisible to humans, to pick up heat signatures. For example, in a snow-covered area, hunters can easily detect prey lurking in the dark on the basis of heat imaging.<\/p>\n They can easily be used in pitch-black conditions as they do not depend on light, like night-vision scopes. Instead, they focus on temperature difference in the environment, alone.<\/p>\n Inside a thermal imaging scope, a thermographic camera is installed which uses heat\u2014like a normal camera uses light\u2014to create images. These images facilitate the hunter. Most hunters use thermal<\/strong> scopes for coyote hunting <\/strong>while some use thermal scopes for hog hunting.<\/strong><\/p>\n Thermal scopes do not come cheap. We have sorted through a number of thermal scopes to bring you the 7 best thermal scopes for the money<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Starting with<\/p>\n ATN is a smart optics company that has been around for more than 2 decades. They have a variety of products for different uses. The ATN ThOR-HD 384 1.25-5x is the thermal rifle scope that we\u2019ll review.<\/p>\n Picatinny mount with quick detach. 1.25-5x magnification. Objective lens is 19 mm. Proprietary system. HD display. Multiple patterns and colour options. Video resolution is 1280×960 at 30 fps. Microphone. WiFi streaming (Android and iOS). Bluetooth 4.1. 4 to 64 GB MicroSD card supported. 4 AA batteries required (8 hours battery life).<\/p>\n It comes in black. Weighs 1.7 lbs. Overall length is 6.8 inches, width is 3.1 inches and height is 3.1 inches. Ergonomically well built for easy use.<\/p>\n Quick detach makes it easy to mount on any firearm. It has many company-trademark features. A Ballistic Calculator is present, which tells you the point of impact after calculation based on different variables that matter, to give the best possible shot for hunting. Recoil Activated Video (RAV), which automatically records all your activity before, during, and after the animal is shot. Profile Manager, to create different data profiles for different firearms, which makes it very easy to switch between them without having the need to calibrate every time. Smooth Zoom helps you zoom in without letting your target out of your sight. Other features include HD recording, barometer, compass and gyroscope. IT comes under the category of some of the best thermal scopes with GPS.<\/strong><\/p>\n The ThOR-HD 384 is a good performer for hunting. Image quality is great up to 100 yards. Rangefinder is quite accurate. User interface is quite minimalistic and easy to learn for starters.<\/p>\n It comes with a help card, quick star guide, Facebook group and ATN forum card, firmware update card, nylon case, manual.<\/p>\n The scope is quite good for beginners but that\u2019s just it. Works well for its price, as it gives value for money. It has many features but still has room for improvement in many departments. However, for the price, it\u2019s one of the best thermal scopes for its price.<\/strong><\/p>\n No products found.<\/p>\n FLIR Systems is a company that has been giving sensing solutions for decades. They have a wide range of applications, from military, to government, to personal. The Armasight products are a range of thermal imaging scopes for different purposes. We\u2019ll review the Armasight by FLIR Zeus 336 3-12×50.<\/p>\n It has a Picatinny\/Weaver mount with quick detach. 3x magnification is available. Objective lens is 50 mm. Proprietary system. 800×600 AMOLED display. Multiple patterns and colour options. Video resolution is 768\u00d7574 pixels (PAL) and 640\u00d7480 pixels (NTSC). Two CR123A 3V batteries or CR123 rechargeable batteries (battery life up to 4 hours at 20\u00b0C).<\/p>\n It comes in black. Weighs 1.5 lbs. Overall length is 10.2 inches, width is 2.9 inches and height is 3.3 inches. Compact design.<\/p>\n Its quick-detach technology makes it easy to mount on any firearm. Many company trademark features are included. Active Contrast Enhancement (ACE): a digital contrast correction feature. Digital Detail Enhancement (DDE): a digital sharpness correction feature. Smart Scene Optimization (SSO) for correcting thermal colours to separate them from the background. Automatic Gain Control (AGC): a feature that adjusts the gain of the imaging signal.<\/p>\n The Armasight performs perfect up to about 200 yards and works quite well till about 500 yards. It may sense further, but it\u2019s hard to recognize due to the quality. Display and image quality are quite well as it is an AMOLED.<\/p>\n It comes with a battery cassette, video cable, wireless remote control, quick start guide, carrying case, lens cloth.<\/p>\n The Aramsight is an average performer as compared with its price. It also lacks several features that other thermal scopes offer at a much lesser cost. Addition of these features would require buying other products from the company.<\/p>\n No products found.<\/p>\n The second ATN product on our list. The ATN ThOR-HD 640 5-50x is basically a bumped-up version of the ThOR-HD 384 and is the highest end product in the ThOR-HD series.<\/p>\n Picatinny mount with quick detach. 5-50x magnification. Objective lens is 100 mm. Proprietary system. HD display. Multiple patterns and colour options. Video resolution is 1280×960 at 30 fps. Microphone. WiFi streaming (Android and iOS). Bluetooth 4.1. 4 to 64 GB MicroSD card supported. 4 AA batteries required (8 hours battery life).<\/p>\n It comes in black. Weighs 2.75 lbs. Overall length is 10.6 inches, width is 3.9 inches and height is 3.4 inches. Ergonomically well built for easy use.<\/p>\n Quick detach makes it easy to mount on any firearm. Same trademark features of ATN thermal scopes. Ballistic Calculator, which tells you the point of impact after calculation based on different variables that matter, to give the best possible shot for hunting. Recoil Activated Video (RAV), which automatically records all your activity before, during, and after the animal is hunted. Profile Manager, to create different data profiles for different firearms, which makes it very easy to switch between them without having the need to calibrate every time. Smooth Zoom helps you zoom in without letting your target out of your sight. Other features include HD recording, barometer, compass and gyroscope.<\/p>\n The ThOR-HD 640 performs great for hunting. Like the ThOR-HD 384, it has a great rangefinder and image quality. The 640 sensor changes a lot in the scope, making it perform even better.<\/p>\n It comes with a help card, quick star guide, Facebook group and ATN forum card, firmware update card, nylon case, manual.<\/p>\n The ThOR-HD 640 is the best available thermal imaging scope in its price. It upgrades in an amazing way, making all the good even better, and finishing the bad with it. Highly recommended. It is one of the best thermal scope under 5000.<\/strong><\/p>\n Pulsar is an optics company known for its award-wining products. They make versatile products that can be used for many purposes. The Pulsar Trail XP38 1.2-9.6×32 Thermal Riflescope is one of their law enforcement range scopes. Price starting from<\/p>\n Picatinny\/Weaver mount with quick detach. 1.2-9.6x magnification. Objective lens is 32 mm. Proprietary system. 640×480 AMOLED display. Multiple patterns and colour options. Video recording (8 GB internal storage). WiFi streaming (Stream Vision app). B-Pack batteries (8 hours battery life).<\/p>\n It comes in black. Weighs 1.3 lbs. Overall length is 11.2 inches, width is 2.8 inches and height is 2.9 inches.<\/p>\n Detection range is 1,475 yards. IPX7 certification. Picture-in-picture for zooming in on the target. 3 rifle profiles with 5 zero saves. Updateable software. Integrated high definition video and sound recorder. Multi-functional remote control. IRIS technology increased recognition and detection software. White-hot\/black-hot viewing model. Wi-Fi for wireless video monitoring, streaming and transfers makes it a contender among thermal scopes with Wi-Fi<\/strong>. Stadiametric rangefinder.<\/p>\n The Trail XP38 works well with lots of different firearms. It is built for resisting shock, helping it hold zero. The refresh rate of 50 Hz keeps the image quite smooth and clear.<\/p>\n It comes with a battery pack charging unit, USB cable, wireless remote control, cleaning cloth, carrying case, hex wrench, user manual, warranty card.<\/p>\n A versatile thermal scope that cannot be a starter only, but can also be trusted as a backup sight for many situations. Gives all basic features in lower specs and lower price than others.<\/p>\n Product is available at the Amazon Store:\u00a0Pulsar Trail XP38 1.2-9.6×32<\/a><\/p>\n The ATN X-Sight II HD 3-14X is our third ATN product, but differs majorly in functionality. It is a day\/night scope, which means it only has night vision built in. The technology of thermal imaging is completely different and advanced than this.<\/p>\n Picatinny mount with quick detach. 3-14x magnification. Objective lens is 50 mm. Proprietary system. HD display. Multiple patterns and colour options. Video resolution is 1080p at 30 fps. Microphone. WiFi streaming (Android and iOS). Bluetooth 4.1. 4 to 64 GB MicroSD card supported. 4 AA batteries required (8-12 hours battery life).<\/p>\n It comes in black. Weighs 2.1 lbs. Overall length is 11.5 inches, width is 3.1 inches and height is 3.4 inches. Ergonomically built on the trademark ATN scope design.<\/p>\n Quick detach makes it easy to mount on any firearm. Same ATN trademark features as thermal scopes but in accordance with night vision capabilities. Ballistic Calculator, which tells you the point of impact after calculation based on different variables that matter, to give the best possible shot for hunting. Recoil Activated Video (RAV), which automatically records all your activity before, during, and after the animal is hunted. Profile Manager, to create different data profiles for different firearms, which makes it very easy to switch between them without having the need to calibrate every time. Smooth Zoom helps you zoom in without letting your target out of your sight. Other features include HD recording, barometer, compass and gyroscope.<\/p>\n The X-Sight II HD 3-14X is one of the best-selling scopes from ATN. All functions are known to work really well. It is durable and quality is exceptional for a night vision scope. Customer reviews have shown great response towards it due to its functionality. Known to be completely accurate. Comes with ATN IR850, an 850 mW infra-red illuminator.<\/p>\n It comes with a quick start guide, nylon case, 2 CR123A batteries for the illuminator, warranty card, manual.<\/p>\n An exceptional starter for night hunting and viewing. It is universally regarded as the best night vision scopes for its price.<\/p>\n Yet again another ATN product, ATN OTS-HD 640 1-10x, which is a monocular and serves only the purpose of viewing and as a backup for hunting. It lacks ATN\u2019s hunting-assisting features.<\/p>\n 1.1-10x magnification. Objective lens is 19 mm. Proprietary system. HD display. Video resolution is 1280×960 at 30 fps. Microphone. WiFi streaming (Android and iOS). Bluetooth 4.1. 4 to 64 GB MicroSD card supported. 4 AA batteries required (8 hours battery life). GPS capabilities.<\/p>\n It comes in black. Weighs 1.5 lbs. Overall length is 6.8 inches, width is 3.1 inches and height is 3.1 inches. Built on trademark ATN design with focus on the viewing function of the monocular.<\/p>\n Lacks several features that are found on ATN scopes as it as a monocular. Trademarks features include: Smooth Zoom helps you zoom in without letting your target out of your sight. Smart Rangefinder which helps find the point of impact. Other features include HD recording, barometer, compass, GPS capabilities (elevation, geotagging etc.) and gyroscope.<\/p>\n The ATN OTS-HD 640 offers Smart HD Monoculars\/Viewers w\/ High Res Video, Geotagging, Rangefinder, WiFi, E-Compass, E-Zoom, 3D Gyroscope, IOS & Android Apps<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The OTS-HD 640 1-10x is a great monocular with regard to its performance. Image quality is excellent up to 1000 yards but works great for farther distances, as it is built for this function only. Rangefinder is quite accurate. User interface is quite minimalistic and easy to learn for starters.<\/p>\n It comes with a quick start guide, nylon case, manual, warranty card.<\/p>\n Amazing thermal imaging but too pricey for just a monocular. Limited in applications. Getting an ATN scope in a similar price but with more functionality would be a better option.<\/p>\n No products found.<\/p>\n The second Armasight product on our list. It is the Armasight by FLIR Predator 336 2-8×25 (60 Hz). It also comes in a 50 Hz variant.<\/p>\n Picatinny\/Weaver mount with quick detach. 1.6x magnification. Objective lens is 45 mm. Proprietary system. LED VGA display. Multiple patterns and colour options. Video resolution is 640\u00d7480 pixels (PAL\/NTSC). Two CR123A 3V batteries or CR123 rechargeable batteries (battery life up to 4 hours at 20\u00b0C).<\/p>\n It comes in black. Weighs 1.5 lbs. Overall length is 10.2 inches, width is 2.9 inches and height is 3.3 inches. Compact design.<\/p>\n Quick detach makes it easy to mount on any firearm. 60 Hz refresh rate for good image quality. Digital zoom tracking while maintaining boresight. Various colour modes for thermal images (option for custom as well). Wireless remote control. Water and fog resistant.<\/p>\n The Predator 336 has a good display due to the 60 Hz refresh rate. Range detection is good. Colour modes for the thermal images are really good for a low-spec thermal scope.<\/p>\n It comes with a battery cassette, video cable, 2 CR123A batteries, wireless remote control, quick start guide, carrying case, lens cloth.<\/p>\n Just like the other Armasight product on our list, the Predator 336 is just a basic thermal scope with nothing special, while costing a lot more than its competitors. People should go for lower-priced models that offer a lot more features.<\/p>\nBest Thermal Scopes On The Market<\/h2>\n
1. ATN ThOR HD 384 – Smart Thermal Riflescope<\/h3>\n\n
Technical Specs<\/h4>\n
Design<\/h4>\n
Features<\/h4>\n
Performance<\/h4>\n
What\u2019s in the box<\/h4>\n
Pros\/Cons<\/h4>\n
\n
\n
Verdict<\/h4>\n
2. Armasight by FLIR Zeus 336 – Thermal Imaging Rifle Scope<\/h3>\n
Technical Specs<\/h4>\n
Design<\/h4>\n
Features<\/h4>\n
Performance<\/h4>\n
What\u2019s in the box<\/h4>\n
Pros\/Cons<\/h4>\n
\n
\n
Verdict<\/h4>\n
3. ATN ThOR-HD 640 – High Res Thermal Rifle Scope<\/h3>\n
Technical Specs<\/h4>\n
Design<\/h4>\n
Features<\/h4>\n
Performance<\/h4>\n
What\u2019s in the box<\/h4>\n
Pros\/Cons<\/h4>\n
\n
\n
Verdict<\/h4>\n
4. Pulsar Trail XP38<\/h3>\n\n
Technical Specs<\/h4>\n
Design<\/h4>\n
Features<\/h4>\n
Performance<\/h4>\n
What\u2019s in the box<\/h4>\n
Pros\/Cons<\/h4>\n
\n
\n
Verdict<\/h4>\n
5. ATN X-Sight II Scope Smart HD Optics Gen 3-14 x 50mm<\/h3>\n\n
Technical Specs<\/h4>\n
Design<\/h4>\n
Features<\/h4>\n
Performance<\/h4>\n
What\u2019s in the box<\/h4>\n
Pros\/Cons<\/h4>\n
\n
\n
Verdict<\/h4>\n
6. ATN OTS-HD 640 – Top Thermal Scope<\/h3>\n\n
Technical Specs<\/h4>\n
Design<\/h4>\n
Features<\/h4>\n
Performance<\/strong><\/h4>\n
What\u2019s in the box<\/h4>\n
Pros\/Cons<\/h4>\n
\n
\n
Verdict<\/h4>\n
7. Armasight by FLIR Predator 336<\/h3>\n
Technical Specs<\/h4>\n
Design<\/h4>\n
Features<\/h4>\n
Performance<\/h4>\n
What\u2019s in the box<\/h4>\n
Pros\/Cons<\/h4>\n
\n
\n
Verdict<\/h4>\n