Thread: Thermal Imaging Rifle

Originally Posted by Rex

Good point timsttalon. Guess one caliber can’t do it all!

308, accelerator a 22 cal projectile in a 308 sabot, std 308 ammunition, and subsonic heavy projectiles, see one cal can do it all.
Mind you Im not sure if the accelerator is still on the market but a resourcefull chappy could easily make plastic sabots.

I don't think the accelerator round has the accuracy required to shoot even possums tried them when they first came out a flogged out .303 shot better,
a .30 is a better calibre for allround use, with subs it's about as small as is really practical, flat trajectory and sub sonic don't go together no matter how good the B.C
zeroed at 50 m the drop at 100m is going to be between 9"- 12" same as a .22LR subsonic
As for recoil not much can be done about it if you want performance Barnes 130 grain copper bullets will help.

Originally Posted by Rex

Good point timsttalon. Guess one caliber can’t do it all!

Oh if only......One calibre is never enough.

just remember that a .22 cal can still shatter a persons window at a mile away, so regardless of calibre do not be reckless with your shot.

Originally Posted by Rex

GDay.
I’m after the perfect caliber to shoot deer with a quality Thermal Imager.

I am currently shooting the TI off an AR platform. This has smoked countless animals, however isn’t giving me the desired results at 250m.
Looking to change to a bolt

These are my restraints

- light weight
- flat shooting
- quiet
- low recoil
- ammo price
- want to shoot dead as animals can be hard to find in the dark

What caliber suppresses the best?

I have been leaning toward .308 because ammo is cheap and have the option of subsonic rounds.

Thoughts?

Cheers
Rex

This is physically impossible which is why people don't think you're a genuine hunter. Replies here are for the benefit of new shooters who may be trying to achieve some of this.

You have listed many directly conflicting tradeoffs:
low recoil vs "want to shoot dead"
Flat shooting vs quiet
light weight vs low recoil
Thermal imager vs 250m

A shooter wanting this would have to prioritise which aspects they are happy to compromise on.

The most likely problem in this hypothetical scenario is lack of accuracy. 250m is a long way. Hunting in daylight and stalking closer will solve most of it.
Achievable accuracy at 250m for an expert shot is likely to be 30cm in the field so you need a good amount of kinetic energy, like the full power .308 mentioned.
A proper night vision scope is said to have better resolution for target identification and shot placement and a bolt action will be easier to get to shoot accurately enough. A range finder will be essential too.

Originally Posted by Paddy79

just remember that a .22 cal can still shatter a persons window at a mile away, so regardless of calibre do not be reckless with your shot.

Definitely a big risk with night vision/thermal with little depth of field view.

Our professional pest control clients shoot wallabies out to 250m with our Pulsar Trail XP50 thermal sights on .223's regularly.

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

308, accelerator a 22 cal projectile in a 308 sabot, std 308 ammunition, and subsonic heavy projectiles, see one cal can do it all.
Mind you Im not sure if the accelerator is still on the market but a resourcefull chappy could easily make plastic sabots.

He doesn't mention a suppressor, buuuut if so, sabot induced disassembly syndrome (SIDS) might be a problem for the can. Please video the first couple of shots if you give it a try.