Thermal and Nightvision equipment is a constantly evolving market and it can be mind boggling if your new to the whole concept, my name is Mark Ripley or 260RIPS as many of you will know me as, and have used pretty much all the latest thermal and night vision on the market, so can help you make the right choice.

Most of us will be governed primarily by our budget when it comes to choosing the right product for our needs and like most things in life, the more you spend the better the product. 

The guys at Scott Country International are very experienced when it comes to anything Nightvision or thermal and that knowledge is very useful when choosing products, especially like thermal spotters, where sometimes perhaps spending a little extra can take you up to a whole new level of picture quality.

They also have this really handy Thermal Jargon page to help you with all the tech terminology, i definately recommend you check it out.

Equally, the guys are often quick to point out cheaper options that might offer everything you need for the type of shooting that you do rather than simply sell you the most expensive product on the shelf.

Choosing the right supplier

Ive worked closely with Scott Country over the past 5 or 6 years reviewing their products as well as many others, and customer service has always been high on their agenda, which in turn has given them the reputation of the leading Nightvision and thermal supplier in the country.

As you might expect, having the privilege of being able to try all the latest gear on the market, I end up using all the best gear on the market!

As the band ‘James’ famously sang in one of their songs “if I hadn’t seen such riches I could live with being poor!” The same idea true for me, and had I not of tried some of their products I would probably still be used a lamp for all my foxing!

Thermal Technology 

If you are new to thermal and nightvision, then let me just say, the purchase of a hand held thermal spotter over any other product is by far the biggest game changer you can make to your night shooting.

Thermal spotters and riflescopes use the difference in temperatures of their surroundings to form an image, making the body heat from an animal stand out brightly against the background.

These units are extremely sensitive and can create detailed images of both game and your surroundings even in poor weather such as rain or fog which would otherwise render most nightvision equipment useless.

Equally, a thermal spotter can also be used during the day, and is particularly useful to spot deer in woodland or game in low light conditions. They are also great for finding shot game or for spotting potential safety issues, such as a dog walker in a wood, or livestock in fields which you may have otherwise not spotted with the naked eye.

Over the years I’ve used a lot of thermal spotters, yet in my mind the Pulsar products are still among the best of them all in terms of performance and build quality, particularly the Helion models which offer excellent performance and features at their price point. If you want to go top end then the Pulsar Accolades or the latest Pulsar Mergers leave nothing to be desired and also include a built in laser range finder, which is a massive advantage when shooting at night where ranges can be deceiving.

For the past year or so I’ve used the Accolade pro 2 unit and it’s been brilliant but I’ve recently upgraded to the Merger after testing them a few weeks ago!
When it comes to Nightvision scopes there is a vast array to choose from but I must say there’s a few units I particularly like. The first is without doubt the best value nightvision scope currently on the market and one that I have used to cull hundreds of foxes, the Sightmark Wraith. This is now available in several versions but the Wraith Ultra 4k is the best all round scope, especially when paired with an aftermarket upgraded infra red torch.

The other couple of units I’ve been impressed with has been the Pulsar Digex C50 and InfiRay TD50. Both of these offer very similar performance and features which leaves little between them to choose from!

Similarly there are several thermal scopes which I would happily recommend. Firstly there’s the Pulsar Thermion. All of these scopes offer a good quality unit and good performance. The next would be the InfiRay TL35, this is a great little scope offering good value and a really nice magnification range with a sharp image.
For me though the best thermal scope out there I’ve used would be hands down the InfiRay TH50 - wow what a scope! Very clear even out to extended ranges and a really nice unit to use. This would definitely be my top pick for a foxing scope!

Again this unit has a variable magnification with a high end of up to an impressive 28x using Picture in Picture mode and has been great for me when shooting out on the open downlands. I recently shot a fox at over 350 yards using this scope and I could still clearly identify it as a fox even at that distance and beyond.
Scott country also supply a host of other impressive products other than nightvision and thermal, and several products have become part of my everyday foxing gear, and none more so than the Rekon tripod system.

These tripods are brilliant and I couldn’t be without mine now. They may not be the cheapest tripod on the market but I would say they are certainly one of the best, in fact I even spotted police marksmen using the very same model I use on the tv the other week so that must say something of how good they are!

Another great product I’ve been impressed with has been the Wicked light torches, these are amazingly bright and compact LED torches, with some models also combining different coloured LEDs and even infra red for use with nightvision scopes such as those mentioned earlier.

Whatever type of shooting you wish to undertake - particularly after dark, Scott Country International will have a product to suit your needs and I couldn’t recommend them anymore highly!

 

Mark Ripley (260Rips)
The shooting show, S&C tv, shooting times and rifle shooter magazine