Economic NV/Thermal Scope

Any recommendations on a NV/thermal scope that is on the low end of pricing? All shots will be ~100 yards or less. Wanting to put this on my brother's AR for him so we caa shot some pigs and don't want to break the bank.

Big gap there.

NV- $499

Thermal- $2k to $30k

My apologies...as you can tell I am not well versed here......

Ok.

If all you will be doing is hunting at night occasionally, a Sightmark Wraith is a good daytime/nighttime scope.

https://outdoorlegacygear.com/collections/digital-rifle-scopes?_=pf&pf_v_brand=Sightmark

If you hunt mostly close, the Wraith 2-16. Further, pick a Wraith 4-32.

Put the light that comes with them in a drawer. Mount a better light forward of the scope. Like past the muzzle if possible.

These are good IR lights and are Texas owned. (I'd get the kit, with mount, charger, control switch etc.) https://sniperhoglights.com/66lrx-rifle-light-1-color/

If you are hunting a bit more seriously, you might consider something fairly low end to mid level thermal.

Once again, I refer you to Outdoor Legacy. Good guys. They are here at THF as well.

For my purposes, a minimum would be the Hogster. https://outdoorlegacygear.com/produ...ermal-rifle-scope?variant=32380718383178

Better yet, is a Super Hogster. I hunt behind one of these, and it's lots of scope and clarity for the $$. Hard to beat what you get for the price. https://outdoorlegacygear.com/produ...ermal-rifle-scope?variant=32508616540234

There's lots of choices. Lots of opinions. But mostly I'd stay away from ATN. You may be tempted to get one, but I wouldn't.

I hope others here offer opinions as well, as these are just mine.

No need to apologize. 499 for a digital IR scope such as a Photon that I graduated to from a green light attached to the rifle. 1899 Pulsar rxq30v thermal I currently use and prefer over the digital IR scope. Either will work for the 100 yd limit you specified. Entry level, but will allow you to kill hogs in the dark. I greatly prefer the thermal, but have killed with both out to the 100 yds you mentioned. Spend more and get better resolution, but I've been and am satisfied with my low end for my conditions.

NV - budget minded the Wraith mentioned above and pay attention to his recommendations on power...if you spot and stalk then get low power and if you blind and feeder then higher power.

Thermal - I've had good luck with Pulsar so I'd probably stick in that brand...the Core (rxq30v) is about as cheap as you can get into the thermal market. I started here and have since upgraded.

Good luck.

Common for many Core owners.

If I was going to get a core, I'd just find another $700 and get a Hogster.

Different strokes for different folks, but dead is dead.

Sorry I'm just digging out of the snow and ice and the power came on a few minutes ago and I feel like a bear coming out of hibernation and I have no idea what's gone on in the world around me for the last week.


Great advice above and I'd consider the new AGM Rattlers as well. Super similar to the Hogsters and very affordably priced. I'd suggest giving me a call one day next (not Monday, it's going to be crazy as we try to catch up) but any other day and I'd be glad to offer any advice I can and make some suggestions and let you do some research on your own.

Thanks!

Jason

...you did sound a bit frazzled over the phone yesterday morning...😂

You have no idea!lol Over a week without internet and most of a week without power and no cell phone service is not a good combo for running an online business.lol On top of that, keeping a fire in the fireplace 24/7 for over a week, keeping a generator running enough to keep things stable in the house, chopping ice and hauling water for cattle, shoveling snow and ice off my metal roof when friend's started collapsing, rescuing elderly family members who were not prepared and battling sub zero and single digit temps....I felt like were just surviving all week. Now we're crawling out from under a mountain of work but in true Texas style....it was 68 degrees today and it will be 75 later this week. Someone said there might be another front heading out way in a couple weeks but I don't have the nerve to even look.lol

In all seriousness, we sustained no real lasting damage and we are back up and going and I'm thankful for that and for all the power, water and other service men out there working over time to get us all back up and running.

Jason

Jason,

Is the AGM RATTLER TS35-384 2.2-17.6X comparable to the regular Hogster or more like the Super Hogster?

Sir, back to your original question, for 100-150 yard shots the Wraith should work well for you. $499 is as low as you could ask for any usable unit for night hunting. I ordered one for a friend that didn't have a computer and played with it when it came in. I was somewhat surprised with how well it worked.
I use a 3rd gen PVS-14 with a 3X magnifier and a IR laser and illuminator for my hunting, but I too would also like to try thermal. It is just hard to shell out $2-3 thousand when I already have the NV. Maybe after I win the lottery!

Nothing wrong with NV if you have a limited budget. But for killing animals, there just isn't any comparison to thermal. You can do a WHOLE lot of damage with a 25mm Hogster-R at $2300.

The Rattler 25 is comparable to the Hogster 25, Rattler 35 comparable to the Hogster 35. When we interviewed AGM on The Late Night Vision Show on Ep. 144 they broke the news that they will be coming out with a Rattler 384x288 12 micron model this year which sounds like it will be aiming to compete with the Super Hogster. No more info than that now but hoping for a summer release....

Jason

As mentioned before I think the Wraith with the base magnification of 2x is going to work really well for you if you dont want to spend a ton and are less than 100 yards. Below are a couple of videos from my BIL's Wraith with the 4x base mag. As you will see the field of view is not very big.

No one better to call than Jason at Outdoor Legacy

https://youtu.be/GaKlS8CCgG8

https://youtu.be/-alYgVbITZw

Thanks for the feedback on the Rattler vs Hogster Jason.

I agree that the Wraith is an excellent night vision scope, I have to 4-32X version and the base magnification seems more like 8x instead of 4x. I really like it though and the only complaints I have are the small FOV and weight, its a brick. Its a pretty darn good daytime scope as well. I like it much more that the Photon RT I had previously.

All of these NV and thermal scopes are pretty heavy.

The thermals that I've handled are nowhere near as heavy as the Wraith. The Hogster weighs 16.5 oz and the Wraith weighs 36.5 oz without the IR light and mount which probably adds another 5-6 oz. Even my old Photon RT is lighter than the Wraith at 31 oz including the IR and that is a huge scope.

Put it on a .308 with a suppressor and you'll forget about the scope.

Charlie

My .308 lost several pounds when I took the Wraith and heavy IR light off it, and replaced it with a Super Hogster.

Nice transition.