Ep. 251 | How To ZERO Your Thermal Scope **PRO TIPS**

Some of the most common question we get at Outdoor Legacy from our customers revolves around zeroing their new thermal or night vision scope. We decided it would be a good show topic to discuss tips, tricks and best practices for mounting and zeroing your new night optic. On this episode Jason and Hans talk about the methods that they use themselves when zeroing their scopes.
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*** "The Late Night Vision Show" Podcast ***
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*** Why Hunt Hogs? ***
Our journey into wild/feral hog hunting started like many others living in rural communities. We didn't start hog hunting for fun or sport... we did it because we had to. You see, hogs cause millions of dollars of damage and destruction each year in rural communities and our situation was no different. Hogs were destroying our land and that our of friends and family. The vast majority of hunting stories that you hear about on this channel are hogs, boars and sows, taken from family land... this problem is personal for us...
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*** Why Hunt Coyotes and Predators? ***
Coyotes and Predators, similar to hogs, cause financial stress for many families in rural communities. Coyotes kill livestock, plain and simple. Ranchers have battled coyotes killing cattle since the early days of ranching and it costs them dearly. Cattle ranching is a business, the cows aren't pets, every time they lose a calf to a coyote those families lose a paycheck. Cattle ranchers hate coyotes just as much as Farmers hate hogs! We hunt coyotes to protect the livelihood of our friends and neighbors that depend on their cattle business to feed their family...
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*** Comin' Up Next ***
Coming soon is more hog and predator hunting talk! Thank you for watching, liking, subscribing, sharing, and commenting!
- Hans and Jason

[@user-kq9wb7uk5x]

We take an AA battery and wrap it in foil. The battery contacts are closed and the foil is heated. The battery in the foil is stuck end-to-end into a cardboard box. It turns out an excellent heat target

[@erice_twentyone13]

Outdoor Legacy (Jason in particular) will absolutely take care of you. I had an MFG issue with a thermal scope. I called OL and was given the best customer service I have ever had, from any retailer, ever. If you're going to spend this kind of money choose a seller you can trust. I highly recommend Jason and his company!

[@TheLateNightVisionShow]

Thank you SO much for the kind words and review. This means so much to both Hans, our whole team and myself. We really appreciate your business and the compliments. Thank you again. - Jason

[@craigevans2086]

Make sure to also write down your X & Y axis numbers once you confirm your zero. It has saved a few headaches with the super hogster, after it dumped my zero while out hunting.

[@TheLateNightVisionShow]

very good point Craig.. thanks for watching

[@kerrybridges4971]

Very good point!

[@brandonmaupin6558]

Bought my first thermal for hog and coyote hunting in florida, Agm rattler ts35 640. Watched this video and zero’d my rifle in 30 minutes. Love the show, I listen to the podcast religiously. Keep up the good work boys 🍻

[@TheLateNightVisionShow]

Thanks for watching, we hope you bought it from Outdoor Legacy! That’s the only thing that keeps the podcast going. Enjoy the scope!

[@brucew.willett8196]

Great info and thanks for sharing it. Good luck with the FB stuff.

[@lancelamoon6743]

Aluminum foil works great and doesn’t put off a bigger signature like hot hands. You have to put a small angle towards the sun but works perfectly.

[@TheLateNightVisionShow]

We agree.. Thanks for watching Lance!

[@ngaoutdoors4157]

Very informative videos as always, want to add that depending on how much moa is built into rail or possibly a adm mount with moa built in will cause a lot of vertical adjustment to start so starting off with 25 yard target with a large area around it to locate first shot will be a good start! Also I run supersonic and subsonic on same pulsar c50 and xq50 and will make two zeros and can switch depending on where I’m shooting in urban areas or out in country 👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@bradcutright520]

Using the freeze command -place at the point of impact ? And thus a good way to remember to chase the bullet with the reticle. . .

[@TheLateNightVisionShow]

yessir.. thanks for watching brad

[@nowherespecial6780]

Your explanation on 0 in your thermal . Is spot on I think ATN with there 1 shot 0 Was just a selling point when that's what we do with every scope They just tried to Have a slick marketing Term to do so. But nowadays all thermals Work that way make a shot you miss. Hold center of original aim Adjust your radical to point of impact And done. Once again love this stuff. Use the thermal and the night vision year round here in Maine

[@TheLateNightVisionShow]

Awesome! Thank you for watching...

[@bwbw3647]

Surprised you didn't talk about using the freeze image function that a lot of scopes have while you are moving your reticule to zero the scope, much easier to do than trying to move the reticule and hold the scope steady at the same time. Also something I have done when setting up profiles for different rifles is to use a different color reticle for each rifle so it is immediately obvious which profile you have active, and that it is correct for the rifle you are shooting. Foil is definitely the most convenient target to use and my rifle (5.56x45) is exactly on at 200 yds when zeroed at 50 yds. Great show as usual.

[@lancelamoon6743]

The freeze function works great to.

[@DerekCarrillo7541]

Hope you guys go over the freeze feature on the rattler. Have it affixed to my gun and updated to newest version but haven’t had a chance to zero it yet . Can only find indoor ranges near my location 🤬

[@TheLateNightVisionShow]

Thanks for watching Derek!

[@GIANTSECRETS]

I watched a video today that showed white packaging foam with black tape facing the sun. The black tape really stands out.

[@TheLateNightVisionShow]

That's a great idea also! Thanks for watching...

[@longyx321]

For bolt action rifles and any nv I always bore sight at 50 yds usually gets first shot on paper. Many scopes now have Freeze facility makes it easier

[@TheLateNightVisionShow]

Absolutely!

[@rossmara8377]

When Zeroing at 50m, are you then required to change the distance in the menu to 100, when zeroing again at 100?

[@bwbw3647]

A question about the durability of thermal scopes, can exposure to heat such as the cab heater in a vehicle degrade the sensitivity of a scope? My owners manual says to avoid pointing the scope at the sun, are there any other actions I shouldn't do (other than the obvious)? And finally what type of sensor is Pulsar using in their scopes, specifically the talion xq38 (thanks again, by the way) Vanadium Oxide, Barium Strontium Titanate, or Amorphous Silicon?

[@ngaoutdoors4157]

I would not point it a fire, sun or any other hot sources with high temperatures.

[@alpha1gorilla20]

I use a 55 gallon plastic barrel. Shows every bullet strick very well. Dairy farms usually give them a away for free. They last a long time.

[@TheLateNightVisionShow]

good point... thanks for watching Jason

[@charleswolfe8486]

I have found a cold target works better than a warm/hot target. i take a soda can put 1-2 inches of water freeze the night before, i can see the soda can perfectly at 100 yards. The ice last more than long enough to zero a thermal scope.

[@TheLateNightVisionShow]

good idea... thanks for watching Charles

[@jamesbernard9998]

How to move the reticle

[@sub-tac749]

YES Some of us get in trouble around here (Blaming you guys haha) but it don't stop us!

[@TheLateNightVisionShow]

haha.. exactly

[@terrycrissman7392]

I don’t own a thermal but what about using small amounts of 2 part epoxy to make a target?

[@TheLateNightVisionShow]

good idea.. thanks for watching Terry

[@kerrybridges4971]

Hey guys, Woody here. I use a 1 in piece of foil tape at 49 yds. Point blank range for my loads is 49-225yds. I hand load and this 49 yd zero puts me dead on out to 225. Shooting a 6.5 Grendel for coyotes.

[@kerrybridges4971]

Chronograph everything!

[@kerrybridges4971]

As someone else said, you can use an old prescription bottle filled with ice.

[@TheLateNightVisionShow]

That’s great to hear! We love the Grendel too. Thanks for the purchase and thanks for watching.😎

[@kerrybridges4971]

Hope you guys got the Tiapan I sent you.

[@TheLateNightVisionShow]

Yes sir we got it Friday. Thanks!

[@useruser400]

Am I addicted to night hunting? Totally. I saved my marriage by buying my wife a thermal scope too! 🤣 Let me start by saying that I know the exact ballistics profile of every rifle I shoot. I zero at the OPBZ for a 1” or 3” circle, depending on the range that I expect to shoot a given rifle. For most I use 1”. I know where the first zero crossing is, I know where the second zero crossing is, and I know every trajectory point between the barrel and the far OPBZ range. I want to know exactly where my bullets are going every time I pull the trigger. The foil tape works well as a thermal target because its thermal emissivity is different than that of the cardboard or paper target behind it. My foil tape usually shows up as a cooler target. Still quite visible against a hotter background. If it ever becomes invisible because it’s the same temperature as the background (like on a scorching summer day when everything heats up) just rub an ice cube on it. And now you know why you always bring a cooler to the range! Pro tip: I affix my 2x2 squares of foil tape to pieces blue painters tape. I then tape those resulting bullseye assemblies to the inside lid of the flat plastic box containing my GlowShot targets. Open the box, grab a GlowShot target, peel off a prepared foil bullseye from the inside of the lid and you’re ready to carry it downrange. Why a 2x2 target? Yes, a larger bullseye is easier to see, but the real reason is the digital reticles. The smallest reticles on my digital scopes are 2 MOA squares. At 100 yds, that’s 2”x2” so the reticle completely covers a smaller target! A conventional scope has a much finer reticle, thus allowing more far precise and consistent shot placement. A 2 MOA reticle will not generate a sub-MOA group at 100 yds because you cannot aim the rifle any better than the reticle allows. Pro tip: This doesn’t operationally matter for any type of night scope. Of more concern is the kinematic envelope of your rifle. Stay within that kinematic range and you’ll be just fine. The toughest animal to kill at night is a feral hog. Its brain is the size of a 3x5 card. So go kill ‘em with your 2” group! To help initially get on paper with a new scope, I don’t take a shot. I tape one of my foil bullseye to a tree 13-15 yds away, put a laser boresighter in the barrel, adjust the rifle position (Az and El) so that the laser dot is in the middle of the foil, then adjust the thermal reticle to the same point on the foil. The optical axis of the scope is now well aligned to the mechanical axis of the rifle. This also works for conventional scopes. I’m fact, if you know the computed muzzle angle angle as derived from a ballistics calculator, you can figure out the exact range where the optical and mechanical boresights will intersect. I’ve done one shot zeroes using this method. My 13-15 yd suggestion is just a guess that works to most rifles on paper. I always set my target at the range of my bullet’s first zero crossing. This target range is obviously dependent on my desired second zero crossing, which depends on the caliber I’m shooting. For me, these first zero crossing points are between 50 and 75 yds. When I correct for POI, I do exactly as Jason said. Lock the rifle at the original aimpoint and move the reticle in Az and El until it covers the latest bullet hole. Pro tip: using a thin piece of metal as a base behind all of the paper targets will make this job easy. The metal backing get really hot when the bullet passes through it. You can “see” the hot bullet hole for a while in the thermal scope. If you’re quick enough, you can then easily move the reticle to the latest hotspot. Pro tip: If you end up putting rounds all over the paper (because, for example, you perhaps failed to properly torque all the screws on your scope mount), use the blue painter’s tape to cover up previous bullet holes on the target. Once zeroed at the bullet’s first zero crossing range, I know that the bullet will fly the path from the ballistics calculator. I only need to correct for wind at longer ranges. Use the scope’s reticle profile settings for different rifles, not different ranges! My AR-10 zeroed at 52 yds will never be off in elevation by more than 1.5” from 25 yds out to 220 yds. No manual correction required - point and shoot. If you zero the rifle at the proper range, you only need one reticle profile per rifle.

[@ngaoutdoors4157]

😳

[@fowllab]

Good advise. I know some people will make a hole in the cardboard and put the hand warmer behind the target, makes for a smaller bullseye. I was shocked he went to FB. Just stay out of FB Jail. Lol.

[@darrelstewart3002]

No music on the intro?? I’m one of those that zero at 100 yds Bore sight off a lead sled. Use a professional punk. Chase the impact. Inverse of logical. When the punk goes dark. Verify with frozen water bottle Go hunting!

[@TheLateNightVisionShow]

haha.. thanks for watching and commenting Darrel