Buying Guides, Thermal, Thermal Scopes
How to Choose a Thermal Scope in Australia
Buying guide · Thermal scopes
How to Choose a Thermal Scope
Sensor, lens and budget, matched to how you hunt
The number that matters: field of view at 100 metres
Ignore base magnification. It isn’t comparable between brands. The number to compare is how many metres of country the scope shows at 100 metres. Too wide and the image spreads thin. Too narrow and you can’t follow a moving animal up close.
| Sensor and lens | View at 100 m | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 384 with 25 mm | 18.4 m | Close range on a budget |
| 384 with 50 mm | 9.2 m | Long range on a budget, hard to track moving targets up close |
| 640 with 35 mm | 21.9 m | Better for closer to mid range timber and mixed country |
| 640 with 50 mm | 15.4 m | The all-rounder for close, mid and open paddocks taking longer shots |
| 1280 with 60 mm | 25.6 m | The exception: a wide view up close, and the high pixel count keeps the image clear for shots past 300 m |
The best all-rounder
For most hunters, it’s a 640 sensor with a 35 to 50 mm lens. A 35 mm gives you a wider view for close work and fast follow-up shots. A 50 mm holds shape recognition further out for longer shots, while still giving a usable view up close. If you hunt mostly timber, cane or nut farms, lean to 35. If you shoot mixed types of country and open paddocks, lean to 50.
Budget scopes
If you only shoot close range, a cheaper, lower-resolution scope will get the job done. Be careful with a long lens on a small sensor, though. A 384 with a 50 mm lens gives good clarity and shape recognition at distance, but only about 9 metres of view at 100 metres. That makes tracking a moving animal at close range hard work.
When to wait, or consider night vision
Sometimes the right call is to save a bit longer and buy the scope you’ll actually want to keep. Or look at digital night vision, which can be better bang for buck. A night vision scope shows you detail for identifying the animal, but it needs some light or an IR illuminator, and it won’t pick animals out of cover the way thermal does.
There are a lot of night vision scopes for under $2,000, fully set up with IR torches ready to go, that can be very effective for those starting out. The best thing about day/night scopes is they work during the day and during the night. Even if you get a thermal scope later on, you will likely find that you will keep the day/night scope and potentially use quick-detach mounts to swap between different rifles.
Lens size: match it to your distances
Judge a scope by how many metres of country it shows at 100 metres, not by base magnification. Base magnification isn’t comparable between lens size and brands. Field of view is.
Width of view at 100 metres on 12 µm sensors, checked against published specs. In a scope, the all-rounder in the 640 range is a 640 with a 50 mm lens, at around 15 metres. In the 384 range, the better all-rounder is a 384 with a 35 mm lens, at around 13 metres. The 1280 is the exception to the rule: most come with a 60 mm lens at around 25 metres, but with such a high pixel count, the image quality stays very good. Go up one lens size for open plains and long shots. Go down one for thick bush at close range.
Sensor resolution: 384, 640 or 1280?
At the same lens size, a bigger sensor gives you a wider view as well as a cleaner one. A 384 sensor with a 35 mm lens will generally do what most close to mid range shooters need under 150 m. Past that, smaller animals and good shot placement can become a problem. The further out you go, the more likely you’ll be going for centre of mass or chest shots.
If you’re intending to shoot long distance on a budget, and you’re usually shooting 100 m or further, consider a 384 with a 50 mm lens. This will give you good long-range shape recognition and be able to make better shot placement at the expense of field of view, making those closer shots much harder, especially when you need to track a moving target.
If you want the versatility to take both close-range and long-range shots while getting the best value for money, a 640-resolution sensor paired with a 50mm lens is an excellent choice.
This combination provides a wide enough field of view to track moving targets at closer distances, while still delivering excellent image clarity out to 200–300 metres. That means better target identification, more confident decision-making, and more precise shot placement.
For those who want the very best, a 1280 scope may be for you. You get the best image quality, the widest field of view at close distance, and the maximum long-range performance for those 250 m-plus shots with the best shot placement. Generally speaking, though, a 640 with a 50 mm lens will do what most people need for pest control, game meat harvesting and recreational hunting.
A 1280 is more of a privilege: an upgrade in image clarity and in your identification ability at longer distances. In most normal hunting situations, it’s unlikely to get more animals on the ground than a 640 would. But the 1280 scopes certainly have an appeal for those wanting to shoot past the 300-metre mark.
Detection range on the box vs what you’ll see
Manufacturers quote detection on a big target in ideal conditions. This means do not count on the detection range for the animals that you’re targeting to be anything near what’s written on the box. Smaller animals like rabbits and foxes will have a much shorter detection distance than a large deer or a cow.
Laser rangefinder and ballistics
Many scopes in the range have a built-in laser rangefinder (LRF), and some add a ballistics calculator that moves the aim point for the measured distance. This is very handy because you can zero your scope at 100 m and then make accurate shots at further distances, such as at the 300 m mark, with high confidence (providing you get your ballistics data correct).
Scope, clip-on or monocular?
If you don’t already own a thermal monocular, we strongly recommend getting one first. Once you’ve got that covered, the next decision is whether to go with a dedicated thermal scope or a thermal clip-on.
In our opinion, a dedicated thermal scope is the better choice for most people. You get the complete thermal scope experience, typically with a better display, excellent image quality, and all the features and functionality you’d expect from a purpose-built thermal optic.
Clip-ons certainly have their place, though, and they’re one of those products that people tend to either love or hate. Some shooters absolutely swear by them, while others can’t stand the extra setup and tinkering involved.
The biggest advantage of a clip-on is the convenience of being able to attach it to your existing day scope and remove it whenever you want to go back to shooting with your normal optics. This is particularly appealing if you already have multiple rifles fitted with high-quality day scopes.
However, there are a few things to consider. You’ll generally need adapters to suit the different objective lens sizes of your day scopes. You’ll also need to calibrate or zero the clip-on to match each rifle and day scope combination, which means setting up and managing individual profiles.
As you can probably tell, clip-ons tend to come with a little more baggage, extra setup, and ongoing tinkering compared to a dedicated thermal scope.
One thing people often overlook is that you can still move a dedicated thermal scope between rifles. By fitting your rifles with Picatinny rails and using quality quick-detach mounts, you can swap between your thermal and day optics while achieving excellent return-to-zero performance.
With a properly set up mounting system and good return-to-zero practices, both your day scope and thermal scope can maintain very consistent zero when removed and refitted. Of course, it’s always worth confirming your zero before relying on it.
Admittedly, going down the dedicated thermal scope route can end up costing a little more once you factor in additional rails and mounts for multiple rifles. However, the price difference often isn’t significant, and we believe the improved shooting experience more than makes up for it.
Our recommendation: Unless you have a specific reason for wanting a clip-on, we’d generally steer you towards a dedicated thermal scope. It’s a simpler, more complete setup that we believe most shooters will be happier with in the long run.
Kit Builders and bundles
Need a full setup? The scope, the mounts and everything in between? Reach out to our team to build you a custom bundle deal: 0468 095 851. You can also start from one of our Kit Builders.
Thermal scope brands we stock
HIKMICROThe range runs from the pocketable Lynx handhelds up to the Stellar and Thunder scopes. HIKMICRO has some of the lightest and best-balanced overall scopes on the market.
NocpixHas moved fast on sensor and battery design, and the Ace and Bolt scopes have become some of the best value in the country. Nocpix is a leader in some sensor resolutions and we recommend watching all our reviews to get the full picture.
PulsarHas been doing this longer than most, and the Thermion and Trail scopes are still the benchmark a lot of buyers measure everything else against.
RIXBuilt its name on the Leap scopes, and the range has grown into scopes that punch above their price. Rix offer very high-quality optics and are designed by the Americans and come close to offering or surpassing Nocpix in some areas.
GuideSits in the value end without feeling like it. They do offer good-quality optics overall that are comparable to the top brands, with slightly fewer bells and whistles in some cases, but still very good value and image quality for what most people want to do.
PixfraSolid sensors, sensible prices, and a range that covers scanning and shooting. They still have a ways to go but have come a long way in recent years and we may start to see them become a competitor to the major brands in Australia.
DNTThese guys offer something different to the others on the market, often aiming to fill the gaps where the majors miss, such as multispectral thermal scopes like the Thermnight (a real popular one for those on a budget that want all-in-one optics). They do tend to be the second best of each technology but still very usable and practical and great value.
Your questions
Thermal scope FAQ
What’s the difference between a thermal scope and a thermal monocular?
A monocular is for scanning: finding the animal. A scope is for the shot once you’ve found it. Most people scan with a handheld and shoot with the scope. In fact the majority of Australians will remote-mount monoculars and control them either by a remote-controlled robot (and have it wirelessly go back to a tablet) or they’ll mount it to their spotlight or their spotlight handle. This creates the ultimate scanning experience.
What lens size thermal scope should I buy?
Simply put, if you’re mainly shooting at closer distances (under 150 metres) and don’t need the extra image detail for precise shot placement at longer ranges, a 384 sensor with a 35mm lens will get the job done.
If you want a great all-rounder that can handle just about anything the average hunter can throw at it, a 640 sensor with a 50mm lens is our recommendation. It offers an excellent balance of field of view, image clarity, versatility and value for money.
If you’ve got deep pockets and want the ultimate all-rounder for everything from extremely close-range hunting to long-distance shooting, you can’t go past a 1280 sensor. The extra resolution gives you significantly more image detail, particularly when zooming in, helping you make better-informed decisions and achieve more precise shot placement beyond that 200–300 metre mark.
Is a 384 thermal scope good enough, or do I need a 640?
For the average Joe Blow doing pest control at distances under 150 metres, a 384 thermal scope will get the job done. You’ll start to notice limitations in image clarity and precise shot placement as you push beyond 100 metres, but at closer distances, it’s more than capable of delivering accurate shots.
Ultimately, if you want a true all-rounder, you can’t go past a 640 sensor with a 50mm lens. This combination gives you an excellent balance of field of view and image clarity, making it ideal for close, mid-range and longer-range targets. For most capable hunters, it’ll comfortably cover the majority of their shooting needs, out to around 300 metres, provided conditions and target identification allow.
How far can a thermal scope actually see?
You’ll be able to see heat to a lot further distance than you’ll be capable of shooting. It’s very important that you get in closer so that you can identify the animal properly, which you’ll generally assess based on the shape, size, and movement of the species. Once you get past that 200-metre range depending on the quality of your thermal scope, the animal will give you hints and your experience in the field will help you understand what species you’re looking at.
Do thermal scopes work during the day?
Yes, thermal scopes work both day and night. Unlike traditional optics, thermal imaging detects heat rather than visible light, so it doesn’t need darkness to operate. However, just because a thermal scope works during the day doesn’t necessarily mean it will perform well.
The biggest limitation is thermal contrast. As the sun heats up the surrounding terrain, trees, rocks and other objects, their temperatures can get closer to that of the animals you’re looking for. This makes it much harder to distinguish an animal from its surroundings, particularly at longer distances.
Generally speaking, thermal scopes aren’t at their best during the day unless conditions are favourable. You’ll typically have much better results in the cooler months, particularly during early mornings and late afternoons when the ground hasn’t absorbed as much heat. Overcast conditions can also help, as can grassy paddocks where animals may stand out more clearly against the cooler vegetation.
Hot, sunny days are where thermal imaging really starts to struggle. This is especially true in the northern parts of Australia, where even an average daytime temperature can make it difficult to pick animals out from the surrounding terrain.
That’s not to say thermal is useless during the day. If you can already see an animal with your own eyes and know exactly where to look, you’ll often still be able to pick it up through your thermal scope. However, locating animals in the first place can be considerably harder, especially when everything around them is giving off a similar heat signature.
Heavy rain and fog can also significantly reduce thermal performance, as moisture in the atmosphere absorbs and scatters infrared radiation, reducing image clarity and effective detection range.
Our recommendation: While thermal scopes can certainly be used during daylight hours, we still highly recommend having a traditional glass optic or a quality digital day/night scope for daytime shooting. You’ll generally get a clearer, more detailed image, making it easier to identify your target, assess your surroundings and make confident decisions before taking a shot.
Should I get a thermal scope or a night vision scope?
Thermal helps you find what’s out there. Night vision helps you see exactly what it is. Thermal detects heat signatures and works in complete darkness, while digital night vision relies on available light or an infrared (IR) illuminator to produce an image.
Ultimately, choosing between the two comes down to your budget, personal preference and how you intend to use the scope.
If you’re on a tighter budget and want to identify animals and shoot at longer distances (150–300 metres), you’ll generally get better value for money from a digital day/night scope. The real advantages of thermal imaging become more noticeable as you move into higher-resolution sensors and more expensive models.
Where thermal has the advantage
The biggest advantage of thermal is how quickly and easily you can detect animals. Because thermal picks up heat signatures, animals often stand out against the surrounding terrain, even when they’re partially obscured by grass or light vegetation.
You also don’t need an IR torch or any external illumination, making it much easier to scan large areas and locate animals in complete darkness.
The downside is that you generally need to spend considerably more money on a thermal scope to achieve the same level of fine image detail and precise shot placement at longer distances. Lower-resolution thermals can make it harder to distinguish an animal’s features, particularly as you push beyond 150–200 metres.
Where night vision has the advantage
With digital night vision, a good $1,500–$2,000 day/night scope can deliver excellent performance for the money. With a quality IR illuminator and favourable conditions, you can clearly see an animal, identify the species and achieve precise shot placement out to that 200–300 metre mark.
The biggest downside is that you’ll generally need an IR torch when shooting in darkness. Think of it like shooting under a spotlight, except the illumination is infrared rather than visible light.
Unlike thermal, where an animal’s heat signature can immediately stand out, night vision requires you to actually locate the animal within the illuminated scene. Trees, grass and other vegetation can obscure your view, and reflected IR light from nearby objects can make it even harder to see what’s behind them.
This means it can take longer to locate, identify and get onto a target with night vision, particularly in areas with heavy vegetation. Thermal can’t see through solid obstructions either, but it can make exposed portions of an animal much easier to detect.
Our recommendation
If your priority is finding animals quickly and efficiently, thermal is the clear winner. It’s particularly useful when scanning large paddocks, detecting animals at distance and hunting in complete darkness.
If your priority is image detail, accurate shot placement and getting the most performance for your money, a quality digital day/night scope is extremely hard to beat. This is especially true if you’re working with a budget under $2,000 and regularly shooting at longer distances.
If your budget allows, the ideal combination is a thermal monocular for spotting and a quality day/night scope for shooting. You get the detection advantages of thermal combined with the excellent image detail and target identification capabilities of digital night vision.
How do I sight in a thermal scope?
Zeroing a thermal scope is actually very easy, and most modern thermal scopes have built-in features that make the process quick and straightforward.
The first thing you’ll need is a target that produces a clear heat signature or reflects the colder sky, creating enough thermal contrast for you to see it through your scope.
One of the most common methods is using foil-backed targets, reflective flashing tape or aluminium foil attached to cardboard or a box. By tilting the target slightly upwards towards the sky, the reflective material can create excellent thermal contrast, giving you a clearly visible aiming point.
Another popular option is self-heating thermal targets. These use an air-activated chemical reaction to generate heat, making them highly visible through a thermal scope. They’re quick, convenient and can be attached to just about any suitable target backing.
One thing to watch out for is thermal blooming, where an excessively hot or reflective target appears larger or less defined than it actually is. Fortunately, most modern thermal scopes do a pretty good job of managing this, allowing you to achieve a very accurate zero.
One-shot zeroing
Most modern thermal scopes feature one-shot zeroing, which makes the whole process considerably easier. The basic process is:
- Open the zeroing menu on your thermal scope and select the appropriate zeroing profile.
- Take your shot at your intended target, making sure you have a clearly defined aiming point.
- Keep your crosshairs on your original aiming point and activate the freeze-frame function. This freezes the image, allowing you to make adjustments without having to hold the rifle perfectly still.
- Use the X and Y adjustments to move your crosshairs to where the bullet actually landed. If you’re having trouble seeing the bullet hole through your thermal, you can safely go downrange and mark the impact point with reflective tape, a heat patch or another suitable thermal marker to make it easier to identify.
- Save your adjustments to complete the initial zeroing process.
And that’s it! You’ve effectively established your initial zero.
From there, you’ll want to shoot a few groups to confirm everything is spot on and make any necessary fine adjustments.
Our recommendation: Don’t overcomplicate it. A simple foil target or a purpose-made thermal target, combined with your scope’s built-in one-shot zeroing function, makes sighting in a modern thermal scope a relatively quick and easy process.
How long do thermal scope batteries last?
Most modern thermal scopes offer around 5–10 hours of battery life, depending on the model, battery capacity and how you’re using it.
Our advice is to check the manufacturer’s rated battery life on each product listing, then allow for a little less in real-world conditions. In our experience, thermal scopes typically deliver around an hour less than their advertised runtime, particularly once you factor in battery degradation, general wear and tear, and how the device is being used.
Many modern thermal scopes use removable 18650 batteries, either as their main power source or as a backup to an internal battery. If your scope supports them, we highly recommend carrying a few fully charged spares. They’re easy to swap out throughout the night, and you can recharge your spare batteries in the vehicle using a suitable charger.
Another handy trick is to top up your thermal scope while you’re driving around the property. If your rifle isn’t in use and your scope supports USB charging, you can connect it to a suitable vehicle charger to keep the battery topped up between shooting sessions.
Our recommendation: Don’t rely entirely on the advertised battery life. Carry spare batteries where possible, take advantage of vehicle charging when the scope isn’t in use, and you’ll generally have no trouble keeping your thermal running throughout a full night of hunting.
Are you an authorised dealer?
Yes! Bristle Up is an authorised Australian dealer for HIKMICRO, Nocpix, Pulsar, RIX, Guide, Pixfra and DNT.
Buying from an authorised dealer means you have the peace of mind of knowing you’ve got genuine Australian warranty support and a retailer who will stand behind you if anything goes wrong.
At Bristle Up, we’ll back you to the hilt when it comes to after-sales service and warranty support. If you ever have an issue with your thermal, we’ll do everything we can to get it sorted. And if things get complicated, we won’t leave you holding the baby.
We take looking after our customers seriously, and we’ll go above and beyond to make sure you’re looked after.
What warranty do your thermal scopes have?
Every thermal scope and monocular we sell comes with local Australian warranty support through Bristle Up.
The majority of thermal scopes and monoculars come with a 3–4 year warranty on the complete unit, while many manufacturers also offer an extended 10-year warranty on the thermal sensor. Some models have a shorter warranty on the battery, typically around 12 months. Exact warranty periods and conditions vary between brands and models, so always check the individual product listing.
One thing we’ve found over the years is that the major thermal manufacturers are generally very good when it comes to looking after their customers. We’ve seen plenty of cases where brands have gone above and beyond their standard warranty obligations to get an issue sorted.
Even if you’ve accidentally damaged your scope, we’ve had good experiences with manufacturers offering repairs, depending on the extent and nature of the damage.
Ultimately, these brands want happy customers who will come back and buy their next thermal optic from them, so they’re generally motivated to get things sorted.
In our experience, the overwhelming majority of warranty and repair cases end with a good outcome for the customer.
And here’s where buying from Bristle Up makes a difference. If a manufacturer won’t come to the table, we’ll do our absolute best to find a fair solution for you, even if that means contributing out of our own pocket.
We’re not interested in selling you a thermal and forgetting about you. We want you to be confident that you’ve got someone in your corner if anything goes wrong.
How does your price beat guarantee work?
At Bristle Up, we guarantee to match any advertised price on an equivalent new thermal or night vision device, excluding demonstration units, refurbished products and clearance sales where stock availability or special circumstances may affect pricing.
But we don’t just want to match prices. We’ll do our absolute best to beat any genuine competing offer you receive, or at the very least match it.
And remember, when you’re buying a thermal scope, price isn’t the only thing that matters. When you buy from Bristle Up, you’re also getting:
- Brutally honest advice from people who actually know and use the products they sell.
- Genuine Australian warranty support with a team that will go out of its way to look after you.
- Loan units during warranty repairs, where available, to help keep you going while your optic is being sorted.
- Excellent after-sales service from a business that genuinely cares about its customers.
We don’t want to just sell you a thermal scope. We want to make sure you buy the right one, get the best possible deal and have the support you need for years to come.
Our philosophy is simple: great prices, honest advice and after-sales support that goes above and beyond. We’ll do our absolute best to look after you every step of the way.
Keep reading
Our scope reviews and guides
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