I'm looking to jump into the thermal scope arena for hogs, out to 200 yards, off a bolt action rifle.

Are there any options for a scope that could have different "modes" based on the rifle so you could swap them out among rifles? Sure you might need to verify zero, but for the most part, it's interchangeable.

Yes. Most of them can be sighted in for multiple rifles and you just change the settings between the profiles you’ve already set up. Just get a high quality mounting system such as Bobro or American Defense.

Can you recommend one?

Look up Camera Land (Doug) or Outdoor Legacy (Jason) they’re dealers who frequent this board and have all the recommendations and pricing you need

You can download the manual for most before purchase and get all the details.

After owning thermal scopes and spotters since 2013 I’m a Pulsar and IRAY fan myself but there are several others that are suitable. Intended average shooting range, base power, resolution and battery type are my first things to consider.

I really like my Bering Super Hogster A3. It has I think 4 reticle "zero" settings so you can easily move it from gun to gun. It's very clear, easy to use, and decently affordable.

Pulsar Krypton is what I bought a few years ago and I would highly recommend it. Any rifle with a scope is a thermal and you can get the monocular and look through it when you just want to look around

Hey WT, feel free to reach out to us and give us a call. We'll be happy to help you navigate the world of thermals and help you figure out exactly which optic is right for your needs and fits your budget. We use every single scope we use in the field and if we don't like a scope, we don't sell it. We've been selling NV and thermal optics exclusively for going on 12 years now.

Give us a call when you have a few minutes to talk and we'll be happy to help and we'd love to have your business.

(877)350-1818

https://outdoorlegacy.com/

Most brands now offer gun "profiles" where it will save settings allowing you to switch from one to the other.

Pulsar comes highly recommended by many, and they do make pretty good equipment. However, I would warn you if something goes wrong with it, no matter how small it is, apparently you'll be without your scope for a while. I simply lost a button while night hunting and they refused to send me a new button(even with my offers to buy it). It easily screws into place so a 4-year old could DIY the "repair". Instead, they want you to remove the scope and send it in over even the smallest of issues. Talked to my nearest dealer and they said they also cannot get parts either and directed me to the same warranty department I had already dealt with. The employee of that dealership told me about a customer who was having a battery charger issue and he was forced to send the whole scope in to Pulsar in order to get a replacement charger through warranty. Seems ridiculous to me. I bought an AGM thinking it would be a buddy gun scope and can say without a doubt it's a better value, I hear customer service is amazing and it is now my preferred scope over the Pulsar that cost me $1,500 more.

Trijicon did that to me over a battery cap for a scope out of warranty. We went back and forth over why they needed to install my battery cap for me (just screws on). It was going to cost me a bunch of money for shipping each way that I did not want to spend. In the end, they had to get approval from some supervisor and then they just gave me the part for free and sent it to me at their cost. It was a really weird and unnecessarily difficult experience.

All I'll say about Pulsar warranty policies is that they'll take good care of you and I say that based on my own single one-time experience.

I'll say this much about modern electronics, though: it's not 1980 anymore. Consumers generally have no real idea what's going on when a microprocessor-controlled device starts acting up and will misdiagnose a problem more often than not---I've even seen "trained technicians" do it. That includes batteries and chargers these days and I can understand Pulsar's service techs wanting to see the entire setup in order to make sure the cause of a problem is properly identified and addressed.

For the money it's really hard to beat the AGM Rattler V2s, even the entry level 25-256 which sells for under $1k isn't a bad scope for hog hunting under 100yds. The 50-640 in the $3500. range is an AWESOME scope.

If I was buying today, no way I would Pulsar

You aren't alone in that opinion.

My pulsar products suck in humid conditions. My IRAY still works fine in the same conditions. That’s the only issue I have with them.

Some things to consider before plunking down a significant wad of Benjamin's.

Is the use of thermal legal where you plan to hunt?

What is your budget. (Major consideration) It is very easy to go down the rabbit hole once you decide to get into thermal hunting, it's addictive and expensive.

Will you be switching rifles. Compact/Camera style optics work best on AR's. Traditional tube style optics will work on both AR's and Bolt/Single shot rifles. If switching rifles you will want a mount that will return to zero.

I stand to be corrected, but these days most any thermal optic will have video recording. That is the current market. Whether it has audio and streaming capabilities is more of an option.

Do you plan to employ a hand held thermal scanner to detect your quarry in addition to a dedicated optic.

Would a handheld thermal scanner and night vision be more affordable/applicable? The old saying "Rome was not built in a day" is applicable. If you already have night vision, you might want to start with a thermal scanner, then once that cost has been digested, add a thermal scope.

IMHO, 300 yds at night is a different ball game than 300 yds. in the daytime. The price of thermal optics tend to increase in direct proportion to the ability to detect, observe and most critical, identification, as the distance increases.

Are you shooting at known and identifiable distances with landmarks for judging such distance. If not a LRF is a most helpful feature.

Will you be shooting at stationary or fast moving targets.

There is little to no depth perception with thermal. In consideration of the ballistics of a 223 @ 300 yds on a coyote size animal that is moving, a laser rangefinder would seem to be imperative

Refresh rate is something to consider, especially if you are targeting moving vs. stationary targets.

Will you be shooting in inclement weather with high heat and humidity and or cold misty weather?

Without knowing the answers to the above, a definitive answer is just a WAG.

So, in general.......

Device Technology: Thermal Imaging
Sensor Resolution: 640×512
Sensor Pixel Size: 12μm. (lower number is better)
Thermal Sensitivity. <20mk (lower number is better)
Sensor Frame Rate: 50 hz minimum.
Base Magnification: 3X
LRF Yes
QR mount Yes
Battery 18650 or internal, or combo.


ya,


GWB