Top 5 Inexpensive Thermal Scope for 500 | 300 | 200 | 100 Yards (Without Overpay)

Will it all be worth it in the end –

If you buy a top notch thermal rifle scope with thousand yards of detection capability, when you’ll be using it in wooded area that most of your shots are within hundred yards?

Or you buy thermal monocular with Long Range Finder, when you mostly use it for neighborhood surveillance and personal security?

Most probably not, especially when you have restricted budget.

If you want to get an inexpensive thermal scope for 500 / 300 / 200 / 100 yards, this guide covers the 5 best options to consider – depending on your application and needs.

Top 5 Thermal Scope for 500 | 300 | 200 | 100 Yards

The specification for most of the thermal imaging scopes indicate their detection capability, which refers to the thermal imager’s ability to detect and distinguish an object from background, according to Johnson Criterion.

Combining the product specification and user reviews, here are the top 5 choices of least expensive thermal rifle scopes and thermal monoculars for 500 yards and below:
 

#1: ATN ThOR LT 160 3-6x Thermal Rifle Scope

This is the cheapest available thermal rifle scope on the market today.

While the product description indicates its detection range is 475m (~519 yards), various user reviews revealed this entry level thermal rifle scope works well within 100 to 200 yards.

Check out user reviews >> here and see what they say about this scope.

Powered by ATN Obsidian Core LT, ThOR LT thermal rifle scope features 17 µm thermal sensor at 160 x 120 resolution.

With 3-6x magnification and 1280×720 HD display, this entry level thermal rifle scope surprisingly offers 60 Hz frame rate, which is superior than many mid-range thermal scopes with 50 Hz or 30 Hz refresh rate.

Its 10+ hours battery life is also better than many mid-range thermal scopes.

However, ATN ThOR LT is a thermal scope without video recording function.
 
 
Equipped with 90 mm eye relief and only weigh 1.4 lb (650 g), ThOR LT is indeed the lightest thermal scope in the entire ATN ThOR product line to-date.

Made from hardened aluminum alloy and designed to be mounted with 30mm standard rings, ATN ThOR LT 160 3-6x is certainly a top option for people who is looking for the cheapest thermal rifle scope – especially when the usage is primarily within 100 or 200 yards.

Check out this post for further details: >> ‘Thermal Imaging Rifle Scope around $1000?“
 

#2: Pulsar Core RXQ30V Thermal Scope

If you like what you see on ATN ThOR LT 160 but would like to have one level of upgrade – look no further than the Pulsar Core RXQ30V.

Pulsar Core RXQ30V is highly popular in the past few years, because it was the least expensive thermal rifle scope available on the market at the time when it was first introduced.

This budget thermal rifle scope is highly recommended by hunting experts, as you can learn from the 3 videos below with comprehensive review and sample thermal images.

Their expert views are backed up by these >> impressive user reviews and feedback.

While Pulsar Core RXQ30V also does not have video recording function –

it is equipped with thermal sensor at 384×288 resolution (110,592 pixels), which is significantly higher than the 160 x 120 thermal sensor (19,200 pixels) of ATN ThOR LT 160.

Although the 1280×720 HD display of ATN ThOR LT has higher resolution than the 640×480 AMOLED display of Pulsar Core RXQ30V, it is very important to understand that a high resolution screen can only be as good as the resolution of the thermal detector itself.

As such, the thermal sensor of Pulsar Core RXQ30V with significantly higher resolution offers relatively better image quality over ATN ThOR LT 160.
 
 
On the other hand, the detection range of Pulsar Core RXQ30V is 900m (985 yards), which is far better than the detection capability of ATN ThOR LT 160 3-6x, as shown below.

So if you are looking for a budget friendly thermal rifle scope for 300 or 500 yards, then Pulsar Core RXQ30V is a better and excellent choice.

 

#3: ATN ThOR 4 384 1.25-5x Thermal Riflescope

If video recording function is a mandatory requirement and deal breaker for you –

then ATN ThOR 4 384 1.25-5x with 750m (~820 yards) detection range is the one that you should be looking at, especially when you have restricted budget of around $2000.
 
 
As the base model and least expensive option of ATN ThOR 4 product series, ATN ThOR 4 384 1.25-5x is equipped with 4th generation thermal sensor at 384×288 resolution.

Combined with 60Hz frame rate and 1280×720 HD display, ATN ThOR 4 384 offers great image quality that is superior than the aforementioned ATN ThOR LT thermal scope.

Besides recoil activated video recording function with video record resolution of 1280×960 @ 60 fps, this ATN ThOR 4 384 thermal rifle scope also offers tons of other advanced features and capabilities –

including Wifi, bluetooth, dual stream video, smart mil dot reticle, smart range finder, smooth zoom, ballistic calculator, 3D Gyroscope, 3D Accelerometer, E-Barometer, and more.

One of the most impressive feature that ATN ThOR 4 384 possesses is its long 18+ hours of battery life, so you don’t need to worry about battery run out during hunting trip.

Check out these >> user reviews and find out what they say about this scope.
 
 
Of course, if you have the budget, you can always consider the other ATN ThOR 4 models with higher specifications (eg. upgrade to high resolution 640×480 thermal sensor) –

in which you can learn more in this >> ATN ThOR 4 review guide including more videos.

Otherwise, ATN ThOR 4 384 1.25-5x is a superb thermal scope for 500 yards, without burning your pocket.
 

#4: Pulsar Axion Key XM22 Thermal Monocular

If you are looking for a thermal monocular instead of a thermal rifle scope, then Pulsar Axion Key XM22 is a top budget friendly option.
 
 
Equipped with 320×240 thermal sensor, this thermal imaging monocular features 12 µm pixel pitch core, with thermal sensor pixel pitch refers to the spacing between pixel centers.

Compared to 17 µm thermal sensor of all thermal rifle scopes mentioned above, Pulsar Axion Key that features smaller 12µm pixel pitch offers better picture quality with more image detail.

This small pocket-sized thermal imaging monocular is equipped with 960×720 LCOS display, while it features 2 – 8 magnification (x4 zoom), 8-color palette, picture in picture, instant start-up, and 4+ hours battery life.

However, this thermal scope does not have video recording function.

With 950m (~1039 yards) detection range, Pulsar Axion Key XM22 is an excellent budget thermal imaging monocular for applications within 500 / 300 / 200 yards.

You can check out the user reviews and latest price through the comparison table below.

 

#5: FLIR Systems Scout TK Mini Thermal Monocular

If video recording function is a deal breaker and mandatory requirement for you, or if you are looking for the best cheap thermal imaging scope for 100 yards –

then FLIR Scout TK mini thermal monocular with 90m (~98 yards) detection range is the option that best fit your needs, especially if you have a limited budget of under $1000.
 
 
FLIR is a market leader in thermal imaging world, with FLIR Scout TK is the entry level thermal monocular introduced by the company years back.

This low cost thermal monocular features 160 x 120 thermal sensor, same as the thermal sensor resolution of low cost ATN ThOR LT 160 thermal rifle scope mentioned above.

Equipped with 640 × 480 LCD display, FLIR Scout TK has a low 9 Hz frame rate which refers to the frequency of image creation by infrared detector. This is not as good as the 50 Hz frame rate of Pulsar Axion Key XM22, which provides smoother motion transition and better visual experience by refreshing 50 times per second.
 
 
The good thing is, FLIR Scout TK does offer video recording function, so this cheap thermal scope has its own unique proposition and represent good value at its low price point.