Any recs on these ? No experience with thermal scopes but can you get a good one for around 4k? Going to be used for hogs and just ****ing around. Been watching YouTube vids but rather get recs off here.

Anything good in the $2500 range ?

Appreciate any help !

Nocpix Slim H35 is a great option for ARs. Pulsar and iRay are also good choices.

Property you know well or random properties?

Cows on property?

Open fields or thick brush?

Which is more important to you, gokd enough to get job done (budget friendly) or best image for your budget?

Know the property well. Yes cows there, some brush, looking for the best image possible.

I do like that Nocpix slim mentioned above. That one looks nice

Anyone else can help me out ?

Pulsar XP50

For your price range the only options will be Chinese thermals. Nvision, Trijicon, teledyne and pixels on target all pursue gov contracts and don't care about the commercial market.
DNT Optics is another foreign brand with compelling features but they're relatively new and warranty is only 3 years compared to 5 for iRay and Nocpix.

I sell the American brands and the only overseas models I trust are IRay/Nocpix/Pulsar

Search other threads on the topic, then call Skelso to talk through it. He'll line you out.

Pulsar Talion seems to fall within your budget. Not as many creature comforts as the thermion but it gets the job done

Also take a look at Bering Optics. Texas based company. The Hogster and Yoter lines are increasingly popular.

The D said:

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Any recs on these ? No experience with thermal scopes but can you get a good one for around 4k? Going to be used for hogs and just ****ing around. Been watching YouTube vids but rather get recs off here.

Anything good in the $2500 range ?

Appreciate any help !

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I have an AGM Rattler V2 35-384. Within your budget, and has performed well for me

If you're not shooting past 300m then a 384 Core will work fine

I've bought 4 in the last 10 or so years.

My best overall experience has been pulsar.

I would say set your budget, and then spend $1000 to buy up to whatever the next equivalent pulsar level is.

Don't buy ATN

I bought an ATN and the first hour of operation was really impressive……. And now it doesnt work.

Have a badass Athlon Cronus 640 for sale. Friends have compared it favorably to Trijicon models.

Lifetime warranty to which is cool for an electronic optic.

Significantly less than $4K.

Layne Staley said:

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I bought an ATN and the first hour of operation was really impressive……. And now it doesnt work.

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Username checks out

The D said:

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Know the property well. Yes cows there, some brush, looking for the best image possible.

I do like that Nocpix slim mentioned above. That one looks nice

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Sorry, crazy busy past week.

Since you know the property well, you should be able to get by fine without a range finder. Just know thermal flattens the picture so judging distance is much more difficult. Spend some time memorizing distances during the day and apply it at night.

Cows on property and pig hunting can make things interesting when calves are on the ground. That's where a higher res core or higher base magnification scope come in handy.

You didn't say thick brush which opens up your options on base mag. In heavy brush I recommend higher base mag. You give up field of view but also cut down on the amount of stuff within fov that can reflect IR back and wash your screen.

Best image possible is going to mean a higher res core or higher base mag. If you get both in a single scope, it's a bonus.

Pulsar uses both Ulis cores (France) and BAE cores (USA). Here's the break down:

XQ - 384 core Ulis
XP - 640 core Ulis
XG - 640 core BAE

You can read more here - https://support.pulsarnv.com/hc/en-us/articles/29540933151124-The-Difference-between-XQ-XP-XG-XL-Thermal-Sensors

Unfortunately, you just missed a decent sale on Pulsar's Talion XG35 and Thermion 2 XG50. Both fit your need nicely. The Talion XG35 runs $2600 and the Thermion 2 XG50 runs $4K at normal pricing.

iRay / nocpix has good picture quality. iRay was my go to when Pulsar was fighting supply shortages. I'm still a little unsure about their spin off even though it's been a year. It doesn't make much sence to me that they don't just rebrand rather than add to an already very confused market.

Want to make it really confusing?? Bering optics uses iRay cores but their own firmware...

Hope this helps rather than further muddy the water. Have any more queations, please fire away.

My son, our family ranch numero uno pig-slayer, recently went with the AGM Rattler 50-640, to supplement his Pulsar unit. He found the higher base mag (3.5x) not user friendly, somewhat for scanning, but mainly the routine "running pigs" shots. AGM was very helpful in finding him a nearby dealer, to swap for a comparable 2x base mag unit.

Me? I'm a happy camper with my Nocpix Slim H35.