Decoding Darkness

That was one of the furthest shots I’ve even made with a thermal optic, at night, on a hog. My guide and fellow hunters were cheering my shot, and I certainly felt good about it. But I also knew the REAP-IR made the shot possible.

I’m an unashamed shotgun nerd, and I love all types of shotguns. This includes guns that are technically not shotguns but use shotgun patterns, shotgun ammunition, and the like. You know, those pesky little firearms like the TAC-14 and Shockwave firearms. These guns tend to be tough to aim and tough to shoot, at least compared to a stocked shotgun. Crimson Trace has your back in making that a fair bit easier via the Crimson Trace Laser Saddle.

Thermal optics have long been the domain of the, uh, not poor. While some people have a job that can justify the upfront cost, it has not been a realistic option for the masses. Granted, prices have gone down. But not down to the point of accessibility to the masses. Until now.

The new infiRay Cabin CBL19 thermal monocular is now available to the US market, through a relatively new company, iRayUSA. It features a high-resolution display and a 384×288 sensor core. The result is a crisp, detailed image that’s able to detect heat out to 1,070 yards.

This article is the second of two on thermal optics. In part one I discussed night vision, how I decided to invest in thermal optics, and profiled the iRay MH25 thermal scanner. In this article, I cover the Bering Optics Super Hogster thermal riflescope.

The Streamlight TL Racker casts a bright and wide beam that eats through the darkness and ensures you positively establish identification to a threat. The TL Racker is a powerful option that’s ergonomic and capable.

The Rein Micro provides users a very potent and capable light that combines a high lumen count with a massive amount of candela. It’s a blinding bright light that will certainly blind a home invader and buy the home defender a second to react. The impressive ergonomics combined with the unbeatable power makes the Rein Micro an awesome option for defensive use.

The first of a two part series, this article covers the scanning portion of thermal night hunting with a review of the IrayUSA Mini MH25 thermal scanner.

Weapon lights are pretty standard these days, right? Pack in a lot of lumens and candela, use a 18650 or a couple of 123s, and call it a day, right? Well, that’s mostly fine, but it’s always nice to see a company do something a little different. Streamlight did just that with the latest in [...]