I have an iRay Bolt 50 that is on my hog/coyote rifle. We have chickens at home and foxes are coming during the night and my hunting rifle is too much to be shooting around my house. I am looking to set up a suppressed 22 with a thermal to deal with these foxes. Shots would likely be 25-50 yards and most definitely less than 100 yards. This will be the only purpose for this scope so I don’t need anything fancy just something that will work when I need it to. The cheaper the better. Any recommendations?

Even at that distance, I would not want to go with a 256 resolution optic. I would not want to be below 384/320 and my suggestion would be for a Rix Storm S3. It is 384 resolution with a good image. The benefit over 256 resolution is in being able to more quickly and reliably identify your targets.

Rix Storm S3 is $1800. You will like it on a .22. You would probably like it on a .308 or .300 win mag just as well.

I agree, 384 min. I shot an armadillo @ 50, 384 - took a second kill shot. About the same size target. I was on base mag and target didn't move fast. My ATN scanner is 256 and poor resolution past base mag.

Agree with the above. 384 resolution is worth every single penny over 256 resolution. I'd also consider something with a lower base magnification and a wider FOV for quick detection and getting on the target easily at those close ranges. It also gives you a better overall picture of what's going on around so there are no surprises of a dog or chicken etc running into your line of fire since you'll be shooting so close.

Feel free to give us a shout. We'll be happy to discuss the options and help you find something in your budget that will get the job done.

Jason

I have an AGM Rattler TS25-256. They are about $1,000 (some wouldn't call that cheap, but it's pretty inexpensive in the thermal world)

I've used it for hog hunting a couple times and it works very well.

Just watching the dogs in the back yard, I would be very comfortable shooting foxes or yotes at 25-50 yards with it.

Another option, most of the thermals show the X-Y coordinates when you sight in and they are pretty repeatable. So write down the coordinates as sighted in on your hog gun. Move it to your suppressed .22 LR, sight it in again, write down the coordinates. Now you have the set up for each gun as you move the scope back and forth.

agm rattler, I have this one and also have it's big brother (640), either is good at 200 or less, the 640 is good for a lot farther out.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1023232679?pid=152813

TC35-384


this is the 640 and for the money it is well worth upgrading from the 384 imo

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1024103312?pid=445580

TS35-640

you can get the non v2 for a good discount if you shop around, they recently upgraded the rattler line to v2. I got the 640 for 500.00 off but was still almost 3k I think.

You may want to consider a digital night vision like Sightmark Wraith Mini. Its half the price of some of the thermals and it will do a great job for ya. My buddy has several thermals but just purchased an Arken Zulus with laser range finder for $710, he loves it.

+1 for BigDad

So long as the chicken area are isn't cluttered with a lot of obstructions, that would be the most cost effective way to go. The downside is the IR light that is needed to illuminate things for the digital night vision optic will over illuminate things closer to you than things farther away and things in the foreground will cast shadows on things in the background.

The up side is that you will see critters that much more clearly with digital NV than with cheap thermal.

The Brits and others do a tremendous amount of barnyard hunting with digital night vision, rats and foxes and the like. You can check our their "ratting" videos.

It would certainly fit the criterion of nothing too fancy, but it isn't a thermal.