Dedicated thermal riflescopes - units that replace a day scope on the rifle rather than sitting in front of one. If you are after a front clip-on that mounts ahead of your existing scope, or a handheld unit for finding beasts before you set up, those are in Night Vision & Thermal Imaging and Thermal Monoculars.
What actually decides the picture
Sensor resolution comes first. A 640x512 sensor gives you a usable image at ranges where a 256x192 unit is showing you a warm blob you cannot identify - and identification, not detection, is the job. 384x288 is the sensible middle ground for most UK foxing and stalking distances. Lens size then trades reach against field of view: a 25mm lens finds things quickly in a wood, a 50mm or 60mm reaches out across a field but gives you a narrow window to find them in. Buy for the ground you actually shoot, not the longest shot you can imagine.
LRF versions carry a built-in laser rangefinder. On a thermal image, where the usual visual cues for judging distance are stripped out, that is worth more than it is on a day scope.
What is stocked
HIKMICRO - Stellar 3.0 (SQ35L, SQ50L, SH50L, SX60L, SX60LS), Stellar Pro, Thunder 2.0 and the NEOS line at the entry end. Pulsar - Thermion 2 in XQ, XG and XL, the Thermion Duo multispectral, and the Trail XP50. Pixfra - Cetus C225, C335 and C650, Pegasus P450 and the Pegasus 2 LRF units. Pard - Pantera and Landsat. Plus NocPix Ace, ThermTec Ares 360, RIX Storm and the Bolt P25R.
Before you buy
Check the mount. Several of these ship without rings or bases - the Thermion 2 units marked "No Mounts" in particular - so budget for mounting and make sure it suits your rail or dovetail. See Scope Mounting.
On the law: a thermal sight is not itself a certificate item, but the rifle it goes on is. Shooting deer at night is separately restricted - in Scotland it requires authorisation from NatureScot, and in England and Wales it falls under the Deer Act. Foxes and most pest species are treated differently again. Check your own position before you use a thermal sight after dark, and ask if you are not sure.
Related: HIKMICRO, Thermal Binoculars, Pulsar Ex-Demo & Second Hand and Rifle Scopes.
