NV/Thermal Gun Sights

A dedicated night vision sight is often what shooters go for if they shoot a large number of foxes and rabbits. Here we look at some options.

• PULSAR DIGISIGHT ULTRA N355

  The Digisight Ultra N355 is priced at £1,249.95 and proves that the digital age has really come full circle, with a costeffective, reliable and quality NV sight that is no more than a decent scope. It’s 314 x 67 x91mm and weighs 800grams, you now have as compact a sight as you can get.
  
  Internally, the N355 has a sensitive CCD of 752 x 582 pixels that gives a highresolution image. This is also enhanced by the 640x480 AMOLED HD eyepiece display, that gives a clear image in black and white and is also frost-proof. You have a smooth zoom from 3.5x to 14x, or an optional stepped facility fast zoom of 2x or 4x. I really like the reticle system that has 17 optional styles, but the centrally lit red illuminated Mil-Dot is hard to beat.
  
  The IR illuminator is supplied as standard and is a great unit. You hardly notice the Ultra on a rifle and once you are sighted in it’s time to appreciate its features. That OLED screen is very fine and gives a fizz-free image and the reticle is really good too.
  
  I fitted the Ultra N355 to a Weihrauch HW66 .22LR and what an outfit it made; superb accuracy and great down range performance. With a half moon and cloud in and out, the Ultra is good up to 8x-10x without the IR - that’s good! With zero ambient light, sure, use the IR and this instantly makes the image like day, although take care in barns or around trees, as it can reflect off and bleed the image.
  
  The image is clear and that gives confidence for small targets at range. I constantly get asked what is the maximum distance? Honestly, a better NV sight like this is not about increased range but better images at realistic distances for rabbits or foxes for a safer and more confident shot.
  
  Name: Pulsar Digisight Ultra N355
  
  Price: £1249.95
  
  Contact: Thomas Jacks www.thomasjacks.co.uk
  
  Reviewer: Bruce Potts

• PULSAR TRAIL XP38 THERMAL SIGHT

  

  The Pulsar Trial XP38 is a new breed of thermal sight and offers a superb level of detection and clarity at a price of £4059.95. It has an uncooled detector and 640 x 480 pixel resolution with a frame rate of 50Hz so no slurring of the image. You have an F38mm F1.2 lens, which gives 1.2x mag, whereas the XP50 gives 1.6x mag. But you do have the option of a continuous digital zoom from 1.2 to 9.6x mag or set digital zoom of 2x, 4x and 8x. It’s quite compact at 11.5x2.8x2.6” and weighs in at 620grams.
  
  The AMOLED display is 640 x 480 resolution and has a nice greenish tinge, which really gives good contrast to the image. You have a technical maximum range of a detected 1.7m tall object of 1476m, and a useful 5m minimum close-up distance, so great for rats in barns. Nice, is the black and white-hot options, which give two different colours to switch between, to really define the image. Don’t forget, a thermal needs no light for detection, so is just as good day or night! Performance is quite breath taking!
  
  I was picking up thermal signatures out to 1,000 yards on walking humans with dogs easily with definition, so a near 1500m range I would say is doable. Deer at 1000-yards and foxes to be honest almost the same 800-900-yards, although at that range it’s only a thermal blob! But, after months of use, you get to recognise the outlines of each species better. Black hot has a far better definition to the image i.e. really like a black and white photograph.
  
  Start-up is quite speedy and the controls and whole unit are waterproof; I had it in deluges in Scotland looking at stags and it did not falter.
  
  I have genuinely been blown away with the XP38 Trail’s performance and it is a game changer in all respects and will provoke comment from traditionalist I am sure. As a pure tool for viewing, counting, detection, safety and security, it’s superb; the fact that you can use it as a rifle sight as well is a bonus!
  
  Name: Pulsar Trial XP38
  
  Price: £4,059.95
  
  Contact: Thomas Jacks [email protected]
  
  Reviewer: Bruce Potts

• TP LOGIC T20 THERMAL IMAGER

  

  The new TP Logic T20 Thermal Imager takes mini thermal imaging to the next level and is tiny at just 2.75 x 1.8 x 1.5-inches; it incorporates a 3-5.5x optical magnification, accessed via the front lens housing, providing a sharp image for quick object acquisition on the 1.3-inches OLED screen. It has automatic focus, providing a boar sized detection range of 150m, making it perfect for a wide range of applications, such as hunting, airsoft, and tactical use, as well as search and rescue, law enforcement and fire services etc. It has a smooth 30hz refresh for fast moving object definition and selectable colour palettes and it’s possible to switch between Black Hot, White Hot, Green NV and Colour.
  
  The T20 has three reticle choices, cross, tac and dot for speedy acquisition.
  
  The diminutive yet rugged T20 thermal is perfect for close range use, allowing it to be mounted to cameras, additional handles and mounting adaptors for various applications. A Weaver 30mm ring mount comes as standard. Power comes from a single, easy to source CR2 battery. Setting up the T20 is quick and easy with the X, Y axis menu system, which is ideal in the field. The unit Is very light at only 133grams, so won’t upset the balance of anything it is mounted on.
  
  Name: TP Logic T20
  
  Thermal Imager
  
  Price: £695
  
  Contact: Scott Country www.scottcountry.co.uk
  
  Reviewer: Graham Allen