Palmetto is running the TS25-384 for $1200. I’m running a sightmark wraith on my primary hunting rifle as it’s a bit more desirable for deer hunting than using a thermal. And the price was right.

I have a little 300blk AR that is currently wearing a red dot. My thought is to pick up the AGM and use it on the 300blk but when hunting with the rifle with the wraith use the AGM as a spotter. Then I could also use the 300blk as a buddy rifle so they could watch game if we go night hunting.


Thoughts?

That's a pretty good deal, IMO. You're likely to want something better in the future, but that's not a bad way at all to start out in thermals provided that it's not that far behind the TS35 models. When you do move up you could hang onto that one to use strictly as a spotter and probably do just fine with it. I am expressing an opinion based on my use of another thermal, though, specifically a TS35-384 Adder.

I have a 170 (IIRC) ATN scanner and a 384 AGM Rattler (V1). Scanner works OK but low resolution. I used the Rattler on my BO pistol for hogs @ 50, worked fine. I upgraded to the 640 on my BO carbine and it also works fine. Personally I would not go lower than the 384 for hunting. I only night hunt but IR works OK in the daytime also (target temp is usually 20F above background). Possum @ 100 yds with the 640 on a foggy night. Of course a hog will be much larger, this was 16x mag. Got a dillo @ 100 Wed nite, had to use the IR to find it in the tall grass.

For spotting purposes, thermal works better than digital night vision. Using the Wraith for spotting is alright, but generally not the ideal.

for a budget thermal, the rix storm s1 should be considered. at the g spot level, i'd consider the dnt, day/night ir and thermal all in one

To quote one of the guys who first fielded the S1, that is a thermal that will get somebody killed. It is 192 resolution. It is pretty crappy. That is part of the reason you don't find too many YouTube videos with it being used is because it sucks as a weapon sight. It is fine for 192 resolution, but 192 resolution is really pretty poor.



Here is one. This guy has sheep at 120 yards, except you don't know that they are sheep except for the fact that he told you. At 15 and 20 yards, he can't even get his sheep in focus.

The 384 AGM will be so much more than 2 times better despite being less than 2 times the cost. The amount of frustration saved will be virtually priceless over the Rix Storm S1. If you get the Storm S1, you will spend a lot of your time trying to refine the image (focus and environmentals) that can never actually be better than poor.

While I didn't get below the S2 myself, I did try out the DNT Optics Thermnight TNC225r which is 256 resolution on the thermal, less than I would like, but it performed fairly well with the addition of the digital night vision to check IDs and such. It is a cool scope, if not a bit complicated as you are running two different optics (at the same time, if you like). So you have 2 sets of focus, environmental controls, zoom, etc. Once you figure it all out, it is really pretty cool.



There are several reviews of this optic other than mine, plus they now have the 384 and 640 versions as well.

i see, so nix the rix s1 at 192, and the s2 at 256 wouldn't be much better

Take a look at the DNT ThermNight Thermal & Night ...r - PMS - Picatinny 0 MOA Short #TNC225R for only $999.99
DNT Optics TNC225R ThermNight, features a state-of-the-art thermal sensor for detecting targets and advanced high-definition digital night vision for identifying the.
The TNC225R excels in delivering superior operational effectiveness in various environments and conditions.

Thermal Channel:
Resolution: 256x192px
Pixel Size:12x12um
Base Magnification: 3X
Image Sensor: Uncooled Infrared Image Sensor
Digital Zoom: 3X, 6X, 9X, 12X
Frame Rate: 50FPS
Objective Lens: 25mm

Visible Light Channel:
Resolution: 1920x1080px
Sensor Frame Rate: 60FPS
Video Resolution: 1024x768px
Objective Lens: 19mm
Base Magnification: 5X
Digital Zoom: 5X, 7.5X, 10X, 12X, 15X, 17.5X, 20X

Battery Power Supply:
Battery: 18650 Flat Top
Operating Time: 5 Hrs
External Power Supply: 5V – Type C USB

Display Specifications:
Type: Oled
Display Resolution: 1920x1080
Frame Rate: 50 FPS

Physical Specifications:
Net Weight: 22.8 oz
Dimensions: 6.7”x3.1”x3”
Storage: Internal Storage, 32GB
LRF Range: 5 – 1000 yards
Wi-Fi/App: Supported, DNT Optics App
Bluetooth: Yes
Ingress Protection: IP67
Operating Temperature: -4 – 122 degrees Fahrenheit
Shock Resistance: 800Gs

Specifications