Whats best NV or Thermal?

mrhim

Well-Known Member
So I am potentially looking to buy a Thermal scope. I currently have a Pulsar N870 NV Scope and a Flir First Mate hand held scope.

What is the best option for bagging rabbits and foxes. TI Scope or NV?
 
From what I've gathered, and I have looked in to this with a view to buy thermal scope (I have thermal spotter) it depends on a few things. If you positively know what's in front, and what's behind and intended quarry then thermal. If you have to visually ID your quarry, backstop and possible interference of shot then NV.
 
Your thinking being that with TI you can get a good understanding of terrain and back stop and you may mistake a cat / dog or worse person for a rabbit or fox etc? Makes sense.
 
Your thinking is that with TI you cant get a good appreciation of terrain and back stop? And you may mistake a rabbit or fox for cat / dog or worse human? Makes sense..
 
I use a thermal spotter, and it's brilliant, but it doesn't have the clarity of nv. To my mind thermal is more of a "finder", it saves a lot of scanning with nv in as much as if it's there the thermal will see it. If the thermal doesn't see it then it's not there.
But take in to consideration that's just in my view and on my ground (which are pretty average English farms)

Unlikely you'll mistake rabbit for cat or dog after a little while using it, but as you say terrain can be difficult especially on warm / humid nights when the temperature difference isn't so great.
 
been looking through a couple and been very disappointed with the image quality and the magnification.

TI is not for me, to much money for what IMO is a poor picture...better of with a dedicated gen three than TI. and that's saying something.

I am happy with my drone 10x and a hand held spotter from some bloke on the NV forum,

bob.
 
been looking through a couple and been very disappointed with the image quality and the magnification.

TI is not for me, to much money for what IMO is a poor picture...better of with a dedicated gen three than TI. and that's saying something.

I am happy with my drone 10x and a hand held spotter from some bloke on the NV forum,

bob.


Bob, a thermal spotter is a game changer, while you're still scanning for quarry I would be counting them out to you.
 
Bob, a thermal spotter is a game changer, while you're still scanning for quarry I would be counting them out to you.

Hi Rod

I have been using a TI spotter (not mine) and that's fine for finding a heat source but unless your sat on it the images are not to my liking.

a TI hunting scope is just pants, the lad on a nearby estate has one and for the very very large amount of money his boss spent on it rod. I could have taken myself and my family to Florida for a fortnight all expenses paid, and I would not have missed the cash at all.

long way to go IMO: for a true TI hunting scope with stunning images for the money has yet to be seen.

bob.
 
Hi Rod

I have been using a TI spotter (not mine) and that's fine for finding a heat source but unless your sat on it the images are not to my liking.

a TI hunting scope is just pants, the lad on a nearby estate has one and for the very very large amount of money his boss spent on it rod. I could have taken myself and my family to Florida for a fortnight all expenses paid, and I would not have missed the cash at all.

long way to go IMO: for a true TI hunting scope with stunning images for the money has yet to be seen.

bob.

Bob, think you must have misread my post buddy, I said spotter not sight. Quite agree about the sights, I don't think they're there yet for most (not all) situations. A thermal spotter beats a nv spotter hands down though nearly every time. My shooting buddy uses a nv spotter, I use thermal, while he's searching around and waiting for eye shine I'll be pointing them out to him.
 
Bob, think you must have misread my post buddy, I said spotter not sight. Quite agree about the sights, I don't think they're there yet for most (not all) situations. A thermal spotter beats a nv spotter hands down though nearly every time. My shooting buddy uses a nv spotter, I use thermal, while he's searching around and waiting for eye shine I'll be pointing them out to him.

sorry bud

late night last night on the foxes, and your 100% on the spotters. great to ident then take the shot with a proper scope :)

bob.
 
I am trialling an XD50 Apex sight at the moment

Have to say I am really impressed
image quality is good enough to ID at the ranges I shot at no problem

picked up a badger at around 150-175 yds last night, clearly a badger, very obvious

the image quality for the rest of the sight picture is arguably better than some of the Digital IR Night vision spotters I have used.
not a sight to sight comparison

I am currently using it as a spotter with the intention of making a base to fit my Leupold QR mounts

if that works it will change the way i fox completely

the only thing I am just getting used to is the picture freeze that this does every minute or so for half a second
Wondering if that is a trait or if this one has a fault
 
Bewsher 500

If I remember correctly, the Apex instruction manual recommends that you set the calibration to manual, which avoids the picture freeze each time auto calibration kicks in. Downside is having to press button for manual calibration every so often. But at least you choose the calibration timing and it avoids the inevitable picture freeze just as you squeeze the trigger ..........
 
I was out foxing last night in stubble, on the edge of town. Took me a while to realise that one of the 3 cats I was watching through the thermal spotter was a bit different, turned out to be a fox cub and could only id with the dronepro. You would have to be careful with thermal to id correctly.
 
So I am potentially looking to buy a Thermal scope. I currently have a Pulsar N870 NV Scope and a Flir First Mate hand held scope.

What is the best option for bagging rabbits and foxes. TI Scope or NV?

i use the 50 pulsar thermal to find em and the N870 on the rifle its works to perfection, one thing about the difference with TI and digital NV if you can't get a clear picture to see any debris front and back stop on digital don't squeeze the trigger wait until you got all the safety and ID aspects out of the way. Digital NV is a good safety scope
 
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