Thermal vision scopes

[will083031]

Hi anyone have any Info on them cal vision scopes? What are some of the better quality brands? I have a budget of 5-6K on a scope. Thanks

 

[grumper]

The most popular ones in that price range are the FLIR RS series and ATN Thor.

 

[will083031]

Ok thanks for info on scopes, someone also suggested Raytheon W1000 but it seems large and bulky. Anyone have any info on these?

 

[Kaos]

I dont own the Raytheon W1000, but its a pretty nice thermal scope. That and its military grade. One of my buddies has one, while bulky, he uses a trigger stick to help balance everything out. His cousin has one and is a pretty well known hog hunter in the north Texas area. TexasLawMan is his username on alot of the boards. Here is his youtube videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/LoneStarBoars/videos.
Like the other poster said, it does seem large and bulky. When my buddy first put it on his rifle, I asked him if he had to put a vcr tape in it. He didnt find the sense of humor in it.
I went with the Flir RS64 35mm. I dont have any first hand experience with it, but should after today once FedEx delivers it by noon today.

 

[Kaos]

Update... Got the new Flir RS64 35mm yesterday and played around with last nite. My buddy broke out his Raytheon W1000 so we could compare. The Flir looks tiny compared to the W1000. While the W1000 was def better in the daylight than the Flir, I thought the Flir was better at nite. Who really needs a thermal scope during the daylight anyways was the common thought of all of us, but nice to have. Heck we coulda had something set wrong on the Flir...The Flir def exceeded my expectations as I only had experience with what others had with their videos. There was one street light in the vincinty, but we were seeing crystal clear images out to 275 yards. Played with the different color palettes alittle bit and the zoom. Real test will be next wkend on the scope and 6.8s first hog hunt. Hopefully the mdvr I ordered will be here in time so I can get some videos.

 

[grumper]

That's odd. The RS64 is double the resolution of the older unit. Should have been better at night and during the day. The W1000 has a higher refresh rate (60hz vs 30hz) but the RS64 has double the resolution.

Did you use the rubber eyecup on the FLIR? I can't see a thing without it during the day, too much glare on the display. If you didn't use the eyecup try putting it on next time, should notice a huge improvement during daytime.

 

[Kaos]

no..didnt use the eyecup and prob was main culprit as the sun was to our back while viewing and def creating a glare. Like I said earlier, had just received it that day and the 5 hr wait for it to charge was painfully excruciating...prob shouldve read the operational manual, but who reads those things anyways? The one thing to take into consideration, is that the RS 64 35mm might be newer, but the glass on the W1000 is way bigger. The rifle this is going on is the LWRC 6.8 and really is only a 400 yrd rifle, so this scope should match up perfectly with it. Thursday night we are heading out, and we will get a better opinion with it in action with no city lights to interfere. Again, the videos posted online of both the W1000 and the RS 64 35mm do not do either justice!

 

[Renegade]

Ok thanks for info on scopes, someone also suggested Raytheon W1000 but it seems large and bulky. Anyone have any info on these?

The W1000 is military grade and a proven performer. I think user Lawman on other sites uses one and has taken down a thousand hogs. I do not have a W1000 but have used it and it works. I think the center of W1000 expertise is Ident Marking Services.

 

[Kaos]

Did you use the rubber eyecup on the FLIR? I can't see a thing without it during the day, too much glare on the display. If you didn't use the eyecup try putting it on next time, should notice a huge improvement during daytime.

You were spot on... was just outside playing around with it with the rubber eyecup and without and what a huge difference... Crystal clear in the daylight also.

 

[Kaos]

The W1000 is military grade and a proven performer. I think user Lawman on other sites uses one and has taken down a thousand hogs. I do not have a W1000 but have used it and it works. I think the center of W1000 expertise is Ident Marking Services.

Todds(TexasLawman) an alright guy! Hunted with him last June. He is cousins with one of my buddys and they both have the W1000.
Heres the video my buddy made that evening. 2 W1000s, 3 suppressed rifles, 2 unsuppressed rifles.

 

[will083031]

Ok thanks for replys, I think I'm gonna go with the flir R series.

 

[Delta4-3]

I'm not a big fan of the RS, and I have sold them. I don't like the internal battery, lack of focus, display, etc. However, I am not saying they are worse than anything else, just not my personal cup of tea. I hunt with TEXASLAWMAN some and have used his W1000 and others. It is a good proven sight for the money. I like the Armasight's quite well and sell a lot of those. The IR Hunter has fixed focus as well, but I like it better than the RS. The Thor's are a better fit for me as well. Try to get hands on before you buy, I think you will be glad you did. That is a lot of money to spend and not be completely happy.
There is a charity night vision event this weekend that will have some of every consumer thermal on the market there to try out. If you are free, it may be a good way to actually shoot with each thermal. It is in Marble Falls.

 

[Kaos]

Nothing wrong with the RS series. The RS64 35mm performed awesome this last wkend. Could clearly see identify hogs from deer or cows out to 300 yds with no zoom.
As for the internal battery, I dont see the issue with this being an issue as you can get a portable usb charger that weighs next to nothing to keep it charged up. Lack of focus? Not sure what your meaning by this. Have no issue with the focus. Display...again...not sure whats the issue. In daylight you can make the hot black and at nite you can make the hot white. Or active scan by making the hot items red. I can zero my RS and take it off and reinstall it and it holds the zero. Flir customer service is top notch, not sure ATN can say that. Also ATN uses the flir sensor.
Overall, for the size of the RS, I think its well worth the price.

 

[Renegade]

Nothing wrong with the RS series. The RS64 35mm performed awesome this last wkend. Could clearly see identify hogs from deer or cows out to 300 yds with no zoom.
As for the internal battery, I dont see the issue with this being an issue as you can get a portable usb charger that weighs next to nothing to keep it charged up. Lack of focus? Not sure what your meaning by this. Have no issue with the focus. Display...again...not sure whats the issue. In daylight you can make the hot black and at nite you can make the hot white. Or active scan by making the hot items red. I can zero my RS and take it off and reinstall it and it holds the zero. Flir customer service is top notch, not sure ATN can say that. Also ATN uses the flir sensor.
Overall, for the size of the RS, I think its well worth the price.

Sure it works, but it was overhyped and underdelivered. Kinda like the FLIROne. When your battery only runs for 10 minutes, you will know why internal batteries are hated for expensive units. Bottom line is this a mass market consumer grade unit, Hopefully nexgen units will take user feedback into account and fix some of these things.