I've decided I want to go in on a setup to shoot at night, mostly for pigs but also for defensive purposes.

I know this topic has been addressed before. But what's the best setup for my budget?

Goggles plus laser? Thermal vs night vision

Scope? Thermal vs night vision

Makes and models?

A buddy showed me his thermal scope last weekend, and I had immediate tech envy. Time to scratch that itch.

Goggles plus laser. No better way.

Buy a pulsar talion xg35 and a decent thermal monocular.

Keep $1k~ in your pocket

OB response:

- Double your budget.
- get something twice as nice.

You're welcome.

Helmet mounted NV for getting around. Weapon mounted thermal. Light, light weight rifle with suppressor.

You're going to have to up your budget for NODS

Id be looking @ thermal scope for your price range - "Buy a pulsar talion xg35 and a decent thermal monocular." This would be good advice, you have the monocular for scanning (youll get sick of bringing your rifle up everytime to just scan)- then the weapon mountain thermal for the shot. Probably wont be as helpful in a personal def type scenario as youll prob be fumbling between things etc.

I know its a meme, but its going to be hard to hit that budget and do both NV and Thermal and be happy with the results. Sorry.

Night vision is great for moving around and navigating.

Thermal is great at spotting animals.

If you want to stick to sub 5k I would pick which of those is most important to you to start with and just get set up with one or the other first, because you're going to have to make a ton of compromises to get both under 5k that you probably won't end up being happy with. Both technologies are still expensive.

I wouldn't buy digital night vision or go under 384 resolution for thermal....and you're going to be happier with 640 and LRF capability for thermal, IMO.

For NV budget not just for the NV device, but the mount and the helmet. If you want to do cool guy stuff with NV you're also going to need to budget for IR laser/illumination options to mount to your suppressed rifle, and an optic capable of low enough settings to be used with NV.

That being said I think NV/Thermal is among the absolute best things you can spend money on gun wise if you're going to actually get out and use them. I shot a night match last weekend under NV and had a freaking blast. Nothing is more fun that hitting targets in complete darkness. Its literally buying superpowers.

I agree with budget issue. For laser and goggles you'll need to be upwards of $10-$15,000

In a perfect world, for night hunting which includes spotting and stalking in areas that are not just wide as open fields with no hazards in the way, I would go with a thermal scope (ideally 640 resolution) and a NV monocular.

We run thermals + thermal monoculars and it's great until I have to put on a 300 yard stalk through brush and cactus. The thermals are way better at profiling the animals from far off for ID (deer vs hog) but suck at picking up brush and cactus.

Plenty of way more advanced folks than me on here but if I had to start from the beginning I would get:

640 resolution thermal (with range finding capabilities)
348 monocular for scanning (do not go 256 because you'll be limited to 200 yards or so)
Some sort of night vision monocular

You can omit the thermal monocular if you have a quick disconnect mount on your rifle but it's a PITA to scan with your thermal on your rifle in my experience.

Good luck!

Ducks4brkfast said:

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I agree with budget issue. For laser and goggles you'll need to be upwards of $10-$15,000

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You can get an okay green phosphor pvs14 for 3k-ish, and while a top tier lam like a mawl is 3500k+, lasers like the holosun iris etc are under 1k and serviceable at the ranges most people new to nv shooting are going to be using them. Even though I have better lasers I was using my Holosun 321 last weekend to make hits out to 200 with no issues (and that's their older tech, the iris is better).

Monocular- 3k
laser- 1k
helmet and monunt- 500

You can absolutely get a NV setup with helmet, mount, laser and monocular for under 5k if you shop around and don't have to have the absolute peak high FOM unfilmed white phos unit and best laser for doing eye surgery at a distance.

I'm currently rocking ghetto duals with bridged 14s, but only had a single monocular for my first year or two of owning NV and while duals are way cooler, you don't need them to get out there and have fun shooting under nods.

Worth noting that even my balling on a budget NV setup leaves zero room for thermal as well, which is why I told op to pick one or the other first if 5k is the budget.

Any thoughts on Pulsar vs InfiRay

For positive ID and killing animals thermal is king. You can do it under NV but detection will be limited vs thermal. NV is great for navigation.

Nocpix, iray, and Pulsar thermals are what I recommend.

If you'd like to reach out with questions my email is my username at gmail.

Ducks4brkfast said:

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Goggles plus laser. No better way.

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in 2008 maybe

If you are doing the spot, attach gun to tripod, & stalk method, here's my 2 cents:

1. you need a good scanner (640 min) to ID hogs at distance. I use the pulsar Telos XP50 LRF. I am able to easily ID the hog and range it out and determine my plan of attack.

2. scope is min 384 sensor for me just because I do like to dart coyotes. But to me, if you are getting up to 50 yards or so on pigs (which is easy if you work your wind right and the moon isnt on full blast), you don't need 1280 res for this. 384 will do just fine. Im biased with Pulsar so ill recommend the Thermion or a used trail line in either 384 of 640 offerings.

3. Base mag is SUPER important on thermal set up. If you are mainly focused on pigs, you want the lowest base mag you can get (1-1.5x) for the widest field of view possible. Especially if you are on a group of pigs and you are planning to take follow up shots.

NV LARP guys will tell you thermal sucks but they just want to play tactical navy seal role play games. Only benefit NV is to me is being able to see through glass when we are driving with lights out.

Couple of other things to consider.
- get a solid mount for your thermal. If you are going to spend the money on a scope that expensive, fcking get a good mount and use the proper torque specs. Dives me nuts when I see cheap mounts on a $5k thermal and watch hunters miss lay up shots

- Get a decent tripod with ballhead/arca Swiss adapter for your gun. The $1000 set ups are nice but you can get a solid rig that works just as good for over half that cost. Here is some links to what I have for my set up:

triopod: Amazon.com: Kopfjager K700 Aluminum Tripod : Electronics
ball head: Amazon.com : EVUMO DX55 Ball Head, 55mm Low Profile Heavy Duty CNC Panoramic Tripod Ball Head Mount with Mlok Arca Swiss Quick Release Plate for Camera Tripod Monopod DSLR Camcorder Telescope, Max Load 88lb/40kg : Electronics

Adapter plate for under your hand guard: Amazon.com : SHINEWEE Arca Dovetail Rail for M-LOK System Quick-Release Tripod Mount Adapter | Compatible with Arca-Swiss/RRS Standards | Lightweight Aluminum Hunting Accessory | 4-Slot Interface : Electronics

Fightin TX Aggie said:

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Any thoughts on Pulsar vs InfiRay

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Im biased as I am an aspiring Pulsar Prostaffer. But the folks I know that use InfiRay love them.

Big advantage with Pulasar is their US HQ is in Mansfield TX. I had an oopsie with my thermion and they sent me a label and It was at their shop the next day, fixed, and sent back to me all within a work weeks time.

KNOW YOUR TARGET. Stay in range of identification and know where everyone is at. I've heard about more near miss shooting incidents when it comes to night hunting.

cant afford to make mistakes when beef prices are this high

Thermal scope and monocular. Ideally monocular has range finder. You'll be happier and better able to ID animals if at least one is 640. Don't go under 384. Figure out what brands and features you like and will fit your budget. Might bd hard to get two 640 units under 5k but it might work. I'd still rather have a handheld and a scope than one pricey scope. You will use the handheld 10x what you'll use the scope.

I like AGM but mostly because other guys I hunted with had it so it was familiar and we can share batteries, apps, and button layouts.

I've been a dealer for about 10 years. In my opinion, the best setup for someone has nothing to do with their budget and everything to do with how / where they intend to hunt. You are also likely to get about as many different answers as if you asked Ford vs Chevy, or Android vs iphone. Keep in mind, many of the loudest opinions are from people that have never tried the alternative.

How often do you hunt at night now? If not much, ask your buddy to let you tag along. Make sure you like it before you drop the cash.

Do you have access to places to hunt regularly? Or will you be relyong on guided trips, invites, etc? A 3K scope and a 16K scope are equal if all they do is sit in your gun safe...

If you have access, how well do you know the places? Well enough to judge distance at night? Or do you need a range finder?

What's the property like? Small openings in thick brush, large open fields, etc? This will impact what base mag ylu're going to want.

You mentioned pigs. Are we talking spot and stalk, hunting from a stand only, hunting from a UTV???

The more details you can give us besides budget, the better we can help.

AstroAggie15 said:

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Fightin TX Aggie said:

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Any thoughts on Pulsar vs InfiRay

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Im biased as I am an aspiring Pulsar Prostaffer. But the folks I know that use InfiRay love them.

Big advantage with Pulasar is their US HQ is in Mansfield TX. I had an oopsie with my thermion and they sent me a label and It was at their shop the next day, fixed, and sent back to me all within a work weeks time.

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I sell more Pulsar than any other brands, mostly because they were the first manufacturer I sold for and am the most familiar with them. They used to be #1 in customer service. Others have caught up in recent years.

Iray, and their spin off nocpix, are decent products. They pioneered the 5 year warranty and 1 week turn around. By the way, they are headquartered in Lewisville - 40 miles from Pulsar. Not to mention Rix Optics, headquartered in Richardson, 45 miles from Pulsar.

All of that said, my personal scopes are all Pulsar and I still recommend them over the others in most cases.

First, thanks to all the great feedback.

I bought a pulsar talion xg3 and a mount. So far, that's it.

My property is varied with woods , a lake and an open field. I have deer feeders that draw pigs and have shot pigs before. I have coyotes, skunks, bobcats etc too.

Most of my shots will be between 50-120 yards. Probably from blinds more often. Pigs run the creek beds a lot. But I have also stalked pigs.

These are showing up frequently lately.

Once the crazy rush slows down, I'll probably get a suppressor and pair it with a Daniel Defense .300 blackout.

Currently my pig rifle is a Saint chambered in 5.56/.223

solid choice for that use case. Should have been able to keep plenty of your budget in your pocket too.

What's a good way to contact you skelso?

Fightin TX Aggie said:

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First, thanks to all the great feedback.

I bought a pulsar talion xg3 and a mount. So far, that's it.

My property is varied with woods , a lake and an open field. I have deer feeders that draw pigs and have shot pigs before. I have coyotes, skunks, bobcats etc too.

Most of my shots will be between 50-120 yards. Probably from blinds more often. Pigs run the creek beds a lot. But I have also stalked pigs.

These are showing up frequently lately.

Once the crazy rush slows down, I'll probably get a suppressor and pair it with a Daniel Defense .300 blackout.

Currently my pig rifle is a Saint chambered in 5.56/.223

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Congrats on your new thermal! Make sure to hit record and send us videos of your first kill.

556 > .300blk. Lot of the big thermal guys are using the 62 gr sabre blade black tip AAC ammo and are knocking the hell out of them with it. Decently cheap for the performance.

AAC "Sabre Blade Black Tip" 5.56 NATO 62 Grain 20rd Box Ammunition | Palmetto State Armory

zooguy96 said:

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OB response:

- Double your budget.
- get something twice as nice.

You're welcome.

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This.

Spend more money. It will be better.

If anyone is in the market, I have a Trijicon Reap IR V1 that I am willing to offload. It is out of warranty but I haven't had any issues with it and Trijicon will always repair their equipment at cost if something ever does go wrong with it. I think $3,500 is reasonable, but willing to visit about it. I also have the fake battery that allows you to put an external power source on it along with the power cable that I'd obviously include.

oscar9 said:

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What's a good way to contact you skelso?

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outdoors@kelsoarms.com