Nv or thermal
- Thread starter weatherby
- Start date
Phil fox man
Well-Known Member
spot with thermal then I'd and place shot with nv
Buy a thermal spotter and an NV scope.
When you have enough experience with thermal and are confident in your ability to correctly identify target species with it, sell the NV scope and buy a thermal scope.
If you buy a thermal scope without being sure you can identify targets species, then you run the risk of shooting something you didn't intend to shoot
Cheers
Bruce
When you have enough experience with thermal and are confident in your ability to correctly identify target species with it, sell the NV scope and buy a thermal scope.
If you buy a thermal scope without being sure you can identify targets species, then you run the risk of shooting something you didn't intend to shoot
Cheers
Bruce
Phil fox man
Well-Known Member
try your thermal out where dog walkers go ore on lambing fields to gain some Id practice
I had a thermal spotter for about 18 months before I bought a thermal scope. I was using a pard nv008 with my spotter.
It takes time and experience berfore you can 100% I’d targets with a thermal. Also thermal sight pictures can vary depending on how much moisture is in the air. It’s all a learning curve. But you will want a thermal scope but best not to get it before your confident with your spotter
Phil fox man
Well-Known Member
we use two axion key spotters then Id and shoot using an archer behind nxs Nightforce with a dragon fly I can see a fox clear enough to take a shot out to 500 yds if my skill set was up to it.but it's not so Id is good enough for me.
Thermal spotter NV scope, my Nv (Drone ) has accounted a number of Muntjac at dusk and lost count of the foxes.
using .243 with 95gn head.
Bowderdale
Well-Known Member
As already stated use a thermal spotter and NV to shoot
Get the best thermal spotter you can afford,there’s a lot of difference in picture quality from the low end gear to the high end gear.
then get yourself a drone pro with a kevgun mount,these things are old-expensiv-no warranty but still the best nv ,a drone will let you stay out longer than any other nv in rain mist fog damp conditions,also work well with no ir in the right conditions and with a good laser you’ll id stuff out to stupid distances
then get yourself a drone pro with a kevgun mount,these things are old-expensiv-no warranty but still the best nv ,a drone will let you stay out longer than any other nv in rain mist fog damp conditions,also work well with no ir in the right conditions and with a good laser you’ll id stuff out to stupid distances
Andy seatrout
Well-Known Member
I do a reasonable amount of fox control due to running a DIY small shoot; I’ve been out five nights in the last three weeks and accounted for seven foxes ( if I wasn’t so knackered chopping up fallen trees I’d have been out this week) I go out on foot… jumping out of the car in various hot spots we have on the 500 or so acres ….
I’d definitely go for thermal spotter ( I’ve a hik micro lynx) and a NV scope ( Pulsar 550) ….. in foggy misty conditions the thermal picture is 90% reliable but not 100%….. in clear conditions it’s great, but I like the NV to clearly identify it’s not a farm cat or funny looking lamb….. also more usefully the thermal won’t show up twigs in hedgerows or overhanging/ obscuring light vegetation….. as an example I was on a track last week whos downhill side has a hedge and then the fields drop further away…. Fox spotted amongst the sheep working uphill, accounted for it waiting for it to clear the hedgerow…with a thermal scope i may have been fooled into taking an early shot which would have been fouled by twigs…..
I’d definitely go for thermal spotter ( I’ve a hik micro lynx) and a NV scope ( Pulsar 550) ….. in foggy misty conditions the thermal picture is 90% reliable but not 100%….. in clear conditions it’s great, but I like the NV to clearly identify it’s not a farm cat or funny looking lamb….. also more usefully the thermal won’t show up twigs in hedgerows or overhanging/ obscuring light vegetation….. as an example I was on a track last week whos downhill side has a hedge and then the fields drop further away…. Fox spotted amongst the sheep working uphill, accounted for it waiting for it to clear the hedgerow…with a thermal scope i may have been fooled into taking an early shot which would have been fouled by twigs…..
Spot with Accolades, shoot with Wraith HD or Pard depending on quarry.
Looking at a helion xp50 pro I looked through one the other night it was a lovely clear image a big step up from the helion xp50 mk1 The spotter I think I’d worth spending more on as it will be used for stalking and security aswell really like the idea of the thermal and nv scopes that look like a normal scope !! But then I’d be looking mega money for a set up 
Hi All,
Some interesting replies here and good advice.
From my perspective I shoot with both thermal and NV. The NV is only when I have to for work. For shooting I would always choose thermal, without hesitation, but my frame of reference is different to most I would expect.
My reasoning is that the scope I use (T-Ceptor PRO 55) gives me as good an image as any NV out to 200 yards for putting bullets in the right place, and beyond 200 yards it gives a better image due to the vastly higher contrast. The other big plus is that it's all self contained, very light and compact with no illuminator, etc. to faff about with. It also allows me to shoot in conditions when you would be going home with NV, a lamp or even a different thermal scope. It will also allow me to shoot foxes that just wouldn't be able to be seen with a lamp or NV, even in perfect conditions. It's just much more efficient and absolutely top of the pile.
All that said, and NV setup on the rifle will be a lot cheaper and do the job fine most of the time when weather is playing ball and the foxes are out in the open.
A good spotter is a must though and a great starting point. Don't get the cheapest, unless you want to be verifying every 'blob' you see with the rifle. It will soon get boring and tiring. Also you don't need the most expensive either. At the other end of the scale the lenses get bigger and the units heavier and more cumbersome (and some of these units won't perform as well as cheaper ones).
For a spotter a budget of £1500-£2000 will get you something plenty usable. If you can push it out to £2500 you can get something pretty much 'ideal'...in my opinion.
What sort of shooting is it for? What are your ranges and expectations?
Cheers
Clive
Some interesting replies here and good advice.
From my perspective I shoot with both thermal and NV. The NV is only when I have to for work. For shooting I would always choose thermal, without hesitation, but my frame of reference is different to most I would expect.
My reasoning is that the scope I use (T-Ceptor PRO 55) gives me as good an image as any NV out to 200 yards for putting bullets in the right place, and beyond 200 yards it gives a better image due to the vastly higher contrast. The other big plus is that it's all self contained, very light and compact with no illuminator, etc. to faff about with. It also allows me to shoot in conditions when you would be going home with NV, a lamp or even a different thermal scope. It will also allow me to shoot foxes that just wouldn't be able to be seen with a lamp or NV, even in perfect conditions. It's just much more efficient and absolutely top of the pile.
All that said, and NV setup on the rifle will be a lot cheaper and do the job fine most of the time when weather is playing ball and the foxes are out in the open.
A good spotter is a must though and a great starting point. Don't get the cheapest, unless you want to be verifying every 'blob' you see with the rifle. It will soon get boring and tiring. Also you don't need the most expensive either. At the other end of the scale the lenses get bigger and the units heavier and more cumbersome (and some of these units won't perform as well as cheaper ones).
For a spotter a budget of £1500-£2000 will get you something plenty usable. If you can push it out to £2500 you can get something pretty much 'ideal'...in my opinion.
What sort of shooting is it for? What are your ranges and expectations?
Cheers
Clive
Most people do until it's put into the field. On a mechanical (normal) scope, the controls have to be where they are and it has to be the size and shape it is.
To make an electro optical scope in the same footprint is completely nuts to me. You end up with a gigantic heavy scope with buttons by your eyeball, some more knobs and switches half way up and the focus miles away on the end of the objective.
With a properly designed electro optical scope all the controls are in one place and can be operated by one hand in the same position.
I took this photo when a customer came to compare their big scope with the comparatively tiny Pard. It does highlight the difference between designing for function and performance vs 'nostalgia'. The customer purchased a Pard.
Cheers
Clive
Spotter will be used for everything really stalking to security so was thinking spend more on that to get as good picture as possible. And scope I try to keep most my shots under 200 yards on foxes less chance of miss !!
Clive,
I totally agree with you on the "it must look like a scope" thing and your photograph illustrated the point perfectly
However, by making a thermal/NV scope look like a glass scope, and mount on the rifle like a glass scope, you will attract potential buyers who might otherwise have been put off by the non standard mounting systems used on many NV/thermal scopes.
So, at the end of the day, it's much more about marketing than technical neccessity
Cheers
Bruce
I totally agree with you on the "it must look like a scope" thing and your photograph illustrated the point perfectly
However, by making a thermal/NV scope look like a glass scope, and mount on the rifle like a glass scope, you will attract potential buyers who might otherwise have been put off by the non standard mounting systems used on many NV/thermal scopes.
So, at the end of the day, it's much more about marketing than technical neccessity
Cheers
Bruce
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