Estimated reading time: 12 minutes
What bobcat? The bobcat at the edge of the field I whispered. It’s tucked behind that clump of brush in the corner. Two hours past sunset the moon was silver in the night sky. My buddy couldn’t see the bobcat through his night vision scope. I could see it white hot, clear as day—pointed ears and all—with the Sight Mark Wraith Mini Thermal.
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Using thermal optics adds a new dimension to hunting. A thermal scope is very different from a traditional rifle scope and night vision scope. The brush concealed the bobcat when viewing through a night vision scope. A traditional scope would have been useless at night, too, but a thermal scope looks for objects that emit heat and displays that heat signature inside the optic. That bobcat was just one situation where the Wraith Mini Thermal offers an edge, and it’s not just at a night, the Wraith Mini Thermal works in daylight, too.
Thermal Optic Review
Before the Wraith Mini Thermal, the problem with thermals was their high cost. Sight Mark has made it owning a thermal affordable for the average hunter. With an MSRP of $1800, the Wraith Mini Thermal is a fraction of that cost of other thermal optics, which can range from $2,000 for a low-end model up to $7,000 for a top-of-the-line unit. The Wraith Mini Thermal is a good entry point into thermal optics.
How The Wraith Mini Thermal Works
With a traditional rifle scope, you view the target through a set of lens built into the scope tube, with a thermal scope there is a tiny computer screen that you view. You don’t actually see the target, but you see a visual representation of the target on the screen projected by a digital sensor. The image instantly and constantly refreshes. The guts in the Wraith Mini Thermal feature a 384×288 pixel inferred sensor that displays the image on a 1024×768 pixel OLED screen. An OLED display or organic light-emitting diode is what is used in television screens, smartphone screens, and computer monitors. The sensor features a 17-micron sensor pitch for sharp, crisp images and the ability to increase magnification.
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At the front of the sight, what we call the objective lens on a traditional rifle scope, is a 35mm germanium lens that senses changes in temperature. The NEDT or Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference is less than 40mK which means the Wraith Mini can pick up temperature differences of .04 degrees Fahrenheit. That ability to differentiate at such a fine level means the Wraith Thermal provides a very detailed image with great clarity. Those specifications are impressive for the cost.
Magnification
The Wraith Mini Thermal features 2x magnification and a 1-8x digital zoom. We are talking pixels with the digital zoom so at the high end of the digital zoom, the image becomes a bit pixelated or blurry. At most I increase magnification 4x times for the best clarity. The Wraith Mini Thermal is not meant for long range shooting and in my experience, an excellent choice for close to medium range shots. A coyote out to 300 to 400 yards is doable. Sight Mark says the detection range is out to 1,400 yards and I believe that. You can pick up signatures at that distance, and you tell the difference between a boar and a deer. The shots I made with the Wraith Mini Thermal were from 50 to 100 yards.
The diopter adjustment at the rear on the unit is used to for viewing the display inside the unit. This adjusts and focuses the text and icons. Once the display is clear there’s no need to touch the diopter. The focus ring is located at the front of the unit and has a removable throw lever. This is used to focus the target and sight picture the viewfinder.
Wraith Mini Thermal Display Features
It is about the size of an LPVO scope and weighs a little over 19 ounces. The large control button located on the topside of the unit does all the work. This button is user friendly even for those who had a hard time playing Pong back in the day. There are four arrows, up and down, left and right. Press the center to turn the unit on, press and hold to turn it off. Use the arrows to scroll through the menu where you can fine tune the brightness and contrast of the display.
You can choose one of five color palettes such as white hot, which is my favorite, black hot, green hot, magenta, and a multi-color rainbow palette. I like the white hot since it is simple and the white pops on the black and gray background.
Reticle Choice
There are 10 reticle choices from a simple chevron to mil-spec style crosshairs with hash marks for adjusting elevation. There are nine reticle color options so you can customize the reticle that suits you.
Five weapon profiles can be saved. These profiles store the reticle setting. I saved my favorite 110-grain 300 BLK loads as well as my go-to sub-sonic load. You can also mount the optic on another gun and caliber and store that setting. The Wraith Mini Thermal is rated for .308 Winchester, so most AR15 or AR10 calibers are compatible. I would prefer a quick release mount on the Wraith Mini for exactly this feature, but the hex nut works too. I took the unit off the rifle and reattached it with no discernible shift in zero.
You can also take photos and record video with the unit, but you need to buy a micro card and format it after inserting it into the optic. The micro slot as well as a USB port are located under a rubber cover that seal out moisture. The unit is waterproof and operates in temperatures ranging from -4 degrees to 122 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sighting In The Wraith Mini Thermal
I mounted the Wraith Mini on my Ruger SR-556 Takedown. I have two barrel assemblies for this rifle, one in 5.56 and the other in 300 BLK. It an old school piston-driven AR with a Key Mod rail (don’t judge me) that Ruger produced in 2015. It breaks down fast to fit in a small go bag. I zeroed the Wraith Mini Thermal staring with the 300 BLK. Sighting in the Wraith is simple, but your target needs a heat or cold source so it can clearly be seen. A bullseye might work on a warm day since the black ink of the bullseye and rings will heat up in the sun. I taped a pocket hand warmer to the target and took three shots at 100 yards.
Through my spotting scope I could see I was hitting down and to the left. This is the simple part: Follow the holes. Open the menu and go to Reticle Settings once there I centered the crosshairs on the hand warmer where I was originally aiming and used the arrows on the button control to move my point of aim to the group. Press the center of the button to save the setting. I took another three shots and was pretty much on the money.
You can’t view an object through glass or screen with the Wraith Thermal. The display also projects light so there is a signature when using the unit. The flexible rubber eye piece reduces the signature and helps to be better view the display.
Hunting With The Thermal
The Wraith Mini Thermal offers a decent 13 degree field of view which gives you plenty of peripheral view. The display shows the weapon profile you are on, the magnification, date, memory card status, and life left in the batteries. I heard that that the Wraith Mini chugs battery juice like your buddy drinking cold ones from your Yeti. During zeroing and hunting I had an extra pair of CR123 batteries, but didn’t need to swap them out. Battery life is 3.5 hours in video mode and 4.4 hours in preview mode. If you are in a stand your can easily turn the scope on for a shot, which is what I did. You can put the unit in sleep mode to conserve battery life. To activate the unit just tap the power button and it turns on instantly.
On another occasion I took the Wraith Mini pig hunting and at dusk the pigs started to move. I could hear them but couldn’t see them through the leaves. Firing up the Wraith Mini Thermal, I could easily see the pigs and figure out which was a boar and which was a sow. The Hornady 110-grain CX bullet went straight through her lungs. She galloped a few step then trotted, then flopped onto her side. I’ve since zeroed the Wraith Mini with the 5.56 barrel assembly for varmints.
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Is The Wraith Mini Thermal Worth It?
I’ve trained with night vision equipment and shooting close to medium range and long distance at night, and that brings a whole different dimension to shooting. Night vision, however, is different from using a traditional scope. With a thermal optic you own the night. It changes the way you hunt and without limitations since it can be used in bright daylight to the blackest night. Depending on your ability and your equipment, you could squeeze 400 yards out of the Wraith Mini Thermal. For the cost, the clarity and image detail is excellent, plus it is compact and lightweight. Most of all it is easy to use. If you hunt deer, pigs and varmints, the Wraith Mini Thermal is a piece of equipment worth having.
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