Thermal Bino options

Hi Guys,

I'll be getting into Thermal fairly soon, want to get both a spotter and a scope and looking for opinions on both. These will be for pest control work on everything from possums and pooks at 5m to deer at 400m or more, in open country, tight bush, long vineyards and messy orchards. The spotter needs to have a fairly wide POV as I will be walking/driving/riding and using them to scan a lot.

Scope - I have looked at both the Thermion and the Pard and liked them both, not such such fan of the bigger bulkier models as most of my rifles are short and lightweight and I don't want to stick a big heavy box on top of them.

Spotter - I have my eyes on (pun intended) the Accolade LRF, something about using both eyes really appeals to me. I would like the spotter to be able to record clear images and like the idea of wifi streaming to an iPad etc.

Are there other models I should look at? I see the ATN range has a pair of binos as well and they have a ballistic calculator that talks with the scope which also appeals as that would really speed shots up which is important to me as the trajectory of some of my rifles is a bit of a rainbow at times.

Battery life needs to be decent (or easily swapable/ability to use powerbank) and a good warranty is preferred as I will be using them pretty much daily.

Budget is around $10k, depending on how long I can hold out and save more.

Cheers!

The pulsar 'bino' thermals are an awesome bit of kit . Blow me away every time I borrow the bosses pair .
One thing I will say though which may be worth thinking about is using both eyes , rather than the older monocular single eye version , kills your night vision .
Not necessarily a problem but may be worth bearing in mind .
My only complaint .....

The Accolade with LRF is exc choice
The LRF will ping out to 800m and 1000 in good conditions

Thermion scope hard to go past - but are near 1kg but they are built solid is why they are 350gms more than a plastic shelled Trail
PARD - is proving good - but have not looked through one myself as yet

I have the latest Leica Calonox View which I am extremely happy with
Simple to use and exc clarity
FOV - good - not so good as most other the same - looking up into trees which I just been doing for Possum :-)

+1 on the accolade lrf binos we have a set absolutely Awsome will pick up deer ks away

Most of the FOV for night visions gear is in degrees (angle of view from yr objective lens),so 10.6 degrees wide would be about 62ft at 100yrds.
Using yr right eye in monoculars for hours then see a deer,use right eye in scope,oh bugger theres a big black cloud in the middle of yr view.Yr right eye closed up caus of the white view thru thermal.
Left eye for monoculars,right eye for scope.;)

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Originally Posted by Padox

+1 on the accolade lrf binos we have a set absolutely Awsome will pick up deer ks away

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They sound like the ducks guts... might have to call in for a look one day. How long does the battery last @Padox ?

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Originally Posted by planenutz

They sound like the ducks guts... might have to call in for a look one day. How long does the battery last @Padox ?

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Battery are same as the Trail scope and other Helion
Can get large batt too
5 hours on the standard batt
One negative with the Leica - has internal only but looking like 8 hours

budget may also be an issue with the accolade , they are nigh on $10k by themselves ....

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Originally Posted by Ftx325

budget may also be an issue with the accolade , they are nigh on $10k by themselves ....

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Apparently though
The Accolade along with the Axion models are now fully made in China - not Lithuania :-(
Any diff ??????

Look up Micro Thunder,some fishnhunt shops have them.5k for this unit.Can be used as monoculars or scope.Got pic in picture,vid,camera.Switch off retical and use yr scope cross hairs thru it,no zeroing.Can run off power pack too.Made in the UK.Attachment 168163

Sarvo is the one to talk to re thermal. A few bods I know are putting all their coin in to the viewer for finding and getting in and using a high power small torch like a P7 on a standard scope to shoot. Means you can use your standard day rig. Have found similar with monocular being better with retaining some night vision and getting less black eye. I know of several people using their non shooting eye with the thermal and then closing that to shoot. Sounds complicated though.

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Originally Posted by Ftx325

budget may also be an issue with the accolade , they are nigh on $10k by themselves ....

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Yeh thats the upsetting bit! I might go for the Accolade and just shoot using my Pard NV008 at first and save up more for the thermo scope.

No suggestions for other thermo binos?

10k buy 2 thunder clip ons,use one for monoculars.Still retain yr day scope.

I hunt for a living and use a pard thermal, they are bringing out a handheld in a couple of months I think. I have a spare scope I use as my spotter. What I recommend is get a thermal spotter and a scope don’t worry about the Binos this way you get more bang for buck

Also make sure your scope has a rangefinder, makes life so much easier

Just shoot under 200yds,dont need range finder.Shooting past 200yds at night not good practice.

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Originally Posted by Fat ninja

I hunt for a living and use a pard thermal, they are bringing out a handheld in a couple of months I think. I have a spare scope I use as my spotter. What I recommend is get a thermal spotter and a scope don’t worry about the Binos this way you get more bang for buck

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Which model PARD scope are you using @Fat ninja
Have you or anyone you know had the InfiRay here in NZ yet

https://www.infirayoutdoor.com/outdoor_c1


I approached and talk in length with the Chinese about getting the distribution rights for NZ - but they wanted to stay with the Aussie guys - for NZ too
Very strange - and as far as I know there are none here because of it
The InfiRay also has the French sensor like PARD and Pulsar

Getting some great reviews in Britain

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Originally Posted by Trout

Just shoot under 200yds,dont need range finder.Shooting past 200yds at night not good practice.

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I have been in country that I know like the back of my hand and its bloody difficult judging distance out past 80m with Thermal scopes
Only negative - adds to the weight and cost :-)
But I would be happy with the Hand Held with Range and not the scope

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Originally Posted by Trout

Just shoot under 200yds,dont need range finder.Shooting past 200yds at night not good practice.

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I agree about not shooting over 200, but disagree with not needing the RF, it makes life easier for knowing the distance to target and whether to aim high or low and how much closer you need to get to the animal before taking the shot

@Sarvo I’m using the sa45lrf, never heard of the infiray. Given the size of the pard the rf adds sweet f all weight and size wise. Your right judging distance at night is hard. I ran a thermal without a rf for ages will never go with out one now

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Originally Posted by planenutz

They sound like the ducks guts... might have to call in for a look one day. How long does the battery last @Padox ?

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6-8 hrs normally yea call I if u wanna have a looky

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Originally Posted by Mintie

Hi Guys,

I'll be getting into Thermal fairly soon, want to get both a spotter and a scope and looking for opinions on both. These will be for pest control work on everything from possums and pooks at 5m to deer at 400m or more, in open country, tight bush, long vineyards and messy orchards. The spotter needs to have a fairly wide POV as I will be walking/driving/riding and using them to scan a lot.

Scope - I have looked at both the Thermion and the Pard and liked them both, not such such fan of the bigger bulkier models as most of my rifles are short and lightweight and I don't want to stick a big heavy box on top of them.

Spotter - I have my eyes on (pun intended) the Accolade LRF, something about using both eyes really appeals to me. I would like the spotter to be able to record clear images and like the idea of wifi streaming to an iPad etc.

Are there other models I should look at? I see the ATN range has a pair of binos as well and they have a ballistic calculator that talks with the scope which also appeals as that would really speed shots up which is important to me as the trajectory of some of my rifles is a bit of a rainbow at times.

Battery life needs to be decent (or easily swapable/ability to use powerbank) and a good warranty is preferred as I will be using them pretty much daily.

Budget is around $10k, depending on how long I can hold out and save more.

Cheers!

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My thoughts:
- thermal spotter then using night vision scope/clip on. Best of both worlds. Only snag I find is thermal will see rabbits in long grass where the night vision cant. Grass blocks the view. Ah well, rabbit lives another day.
- monocular spotter paired with scope, I use my right eye for both. While its a bit odd being night blind in one eye only there's a definite advantage being able to see unaided. Saves me walking into strainer posts...
- range finder as @Fat ninja said. It's tricky guessing the range under a thermal. Rabbits are small targets at 80-100m and easy to miss with a rimfire.

I've been out with @Padox using his accolade LRFs. Fantastic bit of kit! They are a reasonable size unit to walk about with on your own combined with all the other gear.

Have had a look through the Pard SA45 briefly. I can see myself getting one eventually as they tick a lot of boxes:
- Range finder
- Being able to swap between rifles once the rails are standarised
- Using 18650 batteries, easy to carry spares in a case. Use them in the spotlight or headlamp if needed.
- Cost friendly (as far as thermal gear goes....)

Definitely go with a rangefinder model . Boss has handheld and scope and headshoots at up to 400m .
I've seen the videos....

It's difficult enough to judge range in the dark anyway...thru thermal nigh on impossible...no depth perception , you are essentially watching a tv screen .

Yes range finder is a must, already learnt that from using my Pard Nv008!

What I really would like is a ballistics calculator like the Burris Eliminator or Sig BDX combo. If it's got a digital ret, a built in range finder, the technology has already existed on other platforms for at least 10 years and I'm paying over $5k for it then I'd be disappointed if it couldn't do it.

[QUOTE=Mintie;1162798]Yes range finder is a must, already learnt that from using my Pard Nv008!

What I really would like is a ballistics calculator like the Burris Eliminator or Sig BDX combo. If it's got a digital ret, a built in range finder, the technology has already existed on other platforms for at least 10 years and I'm paying over $5k for it then I'd be disappointed if it couldn't do it.[/QUOTE @Mintie that would be excellent. I'm sure it's just a matter of time.

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by Mintie

Yes range finder is a must, already learnt that from using my Pard Nv008!

What I really would like is a ballistics calculator like the Burris Eliminator or Sig BDX combo. If it's got a digital ret, a built in range finder, the technology has already existed on other platforms for at least 10 years and I'm paying over $5k for it then I'd be disappointed if it couldn't do it.

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That's going a bit far mate
Not many Gong shooters using Thermal scopes :-)

You can sort of cobble together a dialling system in the pulsars, if memory serves. Each zeroing profile allows you to program it for multiple distances, and you can change between them pretty close to on-the-fly.

Zero at 100
Then run the ballistics for how high above the bull you need to be for 2,3,400 zero, and go through setting those up as new distance/zero combos accordingly.

Test them out, then put them into action..

I set up a thermion XQ50 scope for a friend's father in law after the store cocked it up, you have to be creative in your target, (ice blocks worked well in front of black painted cardboard).
The freeze frame function also is a great help.
A mil dot reticle from the wide range you have to pick from not only allows you to approximate range but also gives holdovers.
Picture in picture is also useful once you get used to it and acts like a FFP scope.
Terrible for scanning, a hand held is streets ahead.

Coach Screw through old Real Estate sign
Spin the drill on top speed for 10 secs and you got about 4 mins heat

Yes the later Pulsar in NV and Thermal have 5 range setting per each one of 4 or 5 different rifles setups
You can have them set on the RHS to turn to ver y quick
Be good in open terrain farm land etc

Your in luck
Check its Warranted - but bloody good deal if it is

https://www.trademe.co.nz/sports/hun...385bf15292-001

Thats a good deal.

We usually set them up for customers at 200 mtr zero (if expect to be shooting longer ranges, such as farmland ) depending on calibre . But generally speaking with 200 zero you will be within a couple of inches from 0 out to 250-300 which is close enough if aiming for a deers engine room .

You must be a Yukon man up there.;)

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Originally Posted by Trout

You must be a Yukon man up there.;)

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We sell Pulsar and Leupold products .... one reason all my scopes are Leupold (and it's good gear ;))
Unfortunately I don't get paid enough to own any thermal gear but get to use the spotting binos if I ask nicely.....:)