ATN Mars Thermal Scope Review

I recently took possession of a ATN Mars ltv 640x480 4-12 thermal scope which through Peter at ATN I acquired at a superb discounted rate but only if I rated it .After bore scoping the first shot was approx 4inch out and soon rectified on the one shot zero I did use more than one shot as I tested it and fine tuned it out to longer ranges .After recently taking on alot of forestry areas I found my usual NV set up being plagued with white outs with the amount of brash mats etc on the clearfell and restock areas so on my maiden voyage with the scope ( it's mounted on a .270 ) I managed to quickly find and identify my target and account for 2 deer at approx 180yds on a misty night with little wind since then I've been out and shot out to 277yds and think the scope is an easy no frills unit ie turn it on and shoot which suits me and like the stepped magnification ie 4x base for quick target acquisition and then step up depending on distance - I've set it on black hot which seems to suit the unit and like the simplistic method of brightness control etc ie simple tap on one the 4 buttons the units battery system is excellent as a fully charged internal battery after several hours use has hardly used any power and at 650gr the unit is very light which assists with speed of getting onto sticks etc - the only mod I've made it to put a coaster on to the front focus ring but not because it's stiff it's just easier to use in the pitch black I'm fairly old school and don't understand ( or want to ) all the jargon from reviewers on pixels - sensor measurements etc I just want a scope to turn on - quickly identify your target and shoot out to reasonable distances and I've found this scope fits the bill for me as more than capable work tool ( although it's got a recorded facility I haven't used it as yet ) my only criticism of the unit is that it would benefit from a front lens cover as I found the other day when snowing I was having to clear the lens but as a lightweight capable simple unit I'm more than happy with it and at way under 50% of the price of the new must have thermal scopes I'd recommend to others

 

[User00051]

Thank you Andy! hugely appreciated for your positive comments.

A front lens flip cover will be making its way to you Sir!

Peter

 

[Drum123]

I bought a refurbished x sight 5 lrf from Atn , paid £350 . Arrived but never got it mounted for a couple of weeks . Annoyingly there was an issue regarding the unit turning itself off under recoil. I immediately contacted Peter on here for advice. He couldn't have done more to rectify the problem, indeed within three days I had a brand new scope land on my doorstep to replace the refurbished unit.
It's the first time I've dealt with Peter at ATN and I was very happy with the overall experience.

 

[WalkedUp]

I’ve dealt with Peter too, really helpful.

 

[forever]

Great write up, i have the same thermal myself only 4 months old, TBH i find it a bit hit and miss, day time its not great at all, night its fine if the object is large otherwise there is lots of noise in the picture... Maybe i am using the wrong settings but have factory reset a few times and the same..

 

[User00051]

Great write up, i have the same thermal myself only 4 months old, TBH i find it a bit hit and miss, day time its not great at all, night its fine if the object is large otherwise there is lots of noise in the picture... Maybe i am using the wrong settings but have factory reset a few times and the same..

You should have pm'd me or called the office! We're not here to sell something you are uncertain of is performing at it's best

If you want to send it to the Hereford office, we can compare it to the other similar units, and if it's sub-par in comparison, we will send you a new one that has the best image.

All people have to do is ask, and we are open to help, don't suffer in silence fella's.

Now, as a caveat - I don't want everyone on the SD sending their units to us chancing it in the hope there's a chance of a new one - it has to be constructive and with good reason please

Best wishes

Peter

 

[Andy - Fish]

Great write up, i have the same thermal myself only 4 months old, TBH i find it a bit hit and miss, day time its not great at all, night its fine if the object is large otherwise there is lots of noise in the picture... Maybe i am using the wrong settings but have factory reset a few times and the same..

I played with the brightness and contrast control ie the right hand button and find it more than usable now that I've played around with it and shot a small Roe Deer at 277 yards so I'm very confident with it and probably won't be using it much during the day but I found zeroing it in daylight quite easy with a small kitchen foil square at 150 yards

 

[forever]

Thanks Peter, not having a pop , I guess I just don't know what to expect in terms of how sharp the image is as this is my first thermal scope, I have a thermal monocular but not sure if that should be comparable?..