foxdropper
Well-Known Member
Wait til you see a mustelid mate .Fascinating .
Thermal vs night vision
- Thread starter Tommy2bucks
- Start date
So, in my case with the thermal scope I use and where and when I use it mounted on a 17 rem for additional peace of mind I do not shoot into vegetation or need to if on different ground nv used.
Ok, frangible 25 grain 17 rem bullets, expand by definition which is imo their beauty hence shooting into or through minor or any foliage not an option, example long rape stubble will end bullets path.
So to be clear for me it makes life easy, horses for courses, but works for us.
Again to be clear I personally if have any reasonable doubt regardless of tubed or digital nv or thermal do not shoot, but that’s just me and am lucky to use good thermal and night vision, with an option of Calibers.
Hope this helps.
So missed a good point which should have mentioned it due to domestic non bliss and wife in one ear, majority of shots with thermal and 17 rem taken from truck roof ( elevated shooting down at angle) on mostly grassland with many woolly maggots little cover few hedges, but fences pain in the botty, 17 centre fire just so safe to use, but in long stubbles specially rape not the best.
About 25 yrs ago i got my first centerfire, was keen as mustard to sort foxes out on a good friends fairly large dairy farm. I only had a fairly ordinary scope mounted lamp at the time. I got into a big silage field to see 3/4 pairs of eyes and was just about to pull the trigger when one of the pairs of eyes moved and started to look more like a sheep and less like a fox… (my mate had no sheep but the smallholding across the boundary hedge had a few and also had crap grazing and even worse fencing).
The feeling in the pit of my stomach still haunts me now and taught me a valuable lesson. Since then i’ve moved onto better lamps then into nv, (have had an archer for a few years now and love it) but whatever you are looking through target id is king. Ive only had very limited experience with thermal, will hopefully have the use of one as a spotter in the near future and am really looking forward to it
The feeling in the pit of my stomach still haunts me now and taught me a valuable lesson. Since then i’ve moved onto better lamps then into nv, (have had an archer for a few years now and love it) but whatever you are looking through target id is king. Ive only had very limited experience with thermal, will hopefully have the use of one as a spotter in the near future and am really looking forward to it
So worth it, no words can really paint the true picture only thing is after a while becomes soooo addictive with so much to enjoy watching
Foxyboy43
Well-Known Member
A bit of a segue from the original Thermal v NV thread but on saturday I took Mrs FB and the Pulsar to one of my bits of ground where there is a bit of a rabbit problem. One long hill is covered by gorse and I would usually see two or three rabbits out and with luck shoot two with the .17hmr, then move on as anything else would have gone to ground. Or so I thought. This time however through the Pulsar, as well as the customary two/three rabbits out grazing, the thermal revealed 11 other hotspots in the gorse, two of which were small birds - which took off when Mrs FB shot the first rabbit. A quick second shot dropped the other and in pre-thermal times that would have been time to move on from a then clearly deserted hill but a further thermal scan revealed 7 hotspots still showing in the gorse but absolutely not visible through the bins. Soooo we waited - standing about 100 yards off. Long story short I could watch these unseen rabbits move slowly through the depths of the gorse/thorns and eventually re-emerge with us having plenty of warning as to when and where they would be. Mrs FB on the 17 and me on the thermal and bins really was a lethal and totally different experience and thanks to some pretty average shooting (rifle/ammunition/my/Pard’s fault of course) she we only managed another three for seven more shots. Now five rabbits for nine shots off B&Q’s finest quad sticks is nothing to crow about but the difference was that because of the thermal and what I could see we stayed put and more than doubled our tally. I found it to be a totally different way of hunting, just having the ability to detect rabbits in heavy cover was really something else and made for a fascinating and totally absorbing afternoon. We do not have much by way of deer in NI but if we did I can now “see” how thermal would utterly transform their hunting though to be honest as an old fart school stalker I have not yet formed an opinion on the rights and wrongs of this in those different circumstances.
Best of all as the Pulsar had been a big birthday present from Mrs FB only one week ago, she was as delighted as me by its performance and the obvious enjoyment I got from using it - so it was a great result all round. Tomorrow night is foxes so fingers crossed - I will be on the .222!
Best of all as the Pulsar had been a big birthday present from Mrs FB only one week ago, she was as delighted as me by its performance and the obvious enjoyment I got from using it - so it was a great result all round. Tomorrow night is foxes so fingers crossed - I will be on the .222!
God soon got tired of lugging those thunderbolts around, & despaired of their inaccuracy, so on the third day he decided to get something better.
Foxyboy43
Well-Known Member
Ahhhh. The Triple Deuce, only a world record holder for forty odd years and it is rumoured father of that rather unruly child aka the .223. Speak softly when you refer to it and with due reverence for it is indeed the big fella’s own choice. Soft of recoil, deadly accurate and plenty of poke for foxes out as far as you could wish (or more likely, be able to shoot, never mind see). The tyro reloader’s dream with it’s long neck and forgiving benevolent nature, only those who have had one can speak of it with true affection verging on idolatry and usually in hushed tones in dark corners where words like Creedmoor dare not be uttered. Blessed indeed are those who bear the Triple Deuce…….
Overlay
Well-Known Member
in some quarters the 222 and 22 hornet would seem to be on the back shelve, until when you scratch the surface these 2 calibres are widely used but don’t shine as the “in vogue “, people who have them keep and shoot them long term have found their real time foxing rifle, I really appreciate mine as good all round calibres and both of them aren’t tooooo much gun, very nice shooting and accurate to a t, I won’t be chopping mine in that’s for sure, NV and or thermal suit both calibres
Praise be .Ahhhh. The Triple Deuce, only a world record holder for forty odd years and it is rumoured father of that rather unruly child aka the .223. Speak softly when you refer to it and with due reverence for it is indeed the big fella’s own choice. Soft of recoil, deadly accurate and plenty of poke for foxes out as far as you could wish (or more likely, be able to shoot, never mind see). The tyro reloader’s dream with it’s long neck and forgiving benevolent nature, only those who have had one can speak of it with true affection verging on idolatry and usually in hushed tones in dark corners where words like Creedmoor dare not be uttered. Blessed indeed are those who bear the Triple Deuce…….
One interesting Jc quote from the bible, the modern rifle which sticks in my mind, “ when it comes right down to the business of busting chuck, at 400 yards the 220 swift is king” but also said gods choice the 222, was effective on critters to ranges most of us could make use of, and let’s not forget the American varminters were using high powered scopes and shooting at extended ranges before we caught on.
Praise be the deuce, praise be!
Praise be the deuce, praise be!
Elmer fudd 1
Well-Known Member
I don't think we're there with thermal scopes yet, too much risk of misidentification or shooting through bushes! When they get to the point of overlaying thermal on NV like some of the new spotters then they might become an option. For me I'll stick to old school glass for now
The Senopex A7 will let you identify animals way further than you would ever normally shoot them at night...
Elmer fudd 1
Well-Known Member
Can't say I've seen through one so will have to take your word for it! A lot of my shooting is in woodland so the risk of hitting a branch that I can't see in the thermal (at least in my price range) is still a bit too high at the moment!
Amazing the tech that is out there though
Amazing the tech that is out there though
Talion should not be too long to hit the market... under £2k worth a look.
Senopex A5 is £2.5k also.
Yes there's a lot on the market and technology is at a fast pace for sure to keep up with..
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