Hunting has become a fashion nowadays and its equipment is also developing day by day. The right equipment and hunting skills work together in improving your shooting experiences.
Finding a bullseye on moving targets is a big challenge, especially in the dead of night. So most hunters rely on advanced thermal gears to give them extra support in the field.
For example, the best clip-on thermal scope is a versatile, easy-to-use tool that helps you achieve your goal more precisely.
The new thermal imaging technology in night vision devices is very useful for hunting, tactical applications, law enforcement, and military purposes. It offers better visibility even in pitch darkness. Also, you’ll get a clear and accurate output at a faster rate.
When surfing all around the web for night vision devices we can always find ATN products in the leading position. Unlike other brands, ATNCORP has an excellent reputation in this field. The advanced technologies and performance of their products hold them tightly in the top position.
Still, they are pumping out new optics to the civilian market and one such new thermal version is the clip-on thermal scope. And here, let me review the ATN TICO LT clip-on thermal scope that suits your style, firearm, and skills.
What’s special in Clip-on?
Clip-on thermal scopes have a dual role; a standalone scope and a thermal monocular which means you can use it as a monocular to survey the surroundings and a standalone scope for short-range shooting.
If your budget is low and can afford only one thermal scope, then you can just go for this clip-on system. It sounds good and can work with various weapon systems.
By introducing a clip-on system to your rifle, you can turn any of your favorite day scope into a high-tech thermal master with just a clip. It just takes a few seconds to clip onto your scope. You can use it along with your day scope to view targets through various hurdles like smoke, dust, tree branches, large bushes, etc.
Also, the major benefit of a clip-on is you don’t want to reset your zero point, instead, you can use your scope’s zero, magnification, reticle, etc. You just want to add the thermal vision with TICO LT for night hunting and no other adjustments are required here.
ATN TICO LT 320 35mm Clip-on Thermal Scope
A quick Overview..
Specifications
- Objective Lens Diameter: 35 mm
- Resolution: 1280x960 pixels
- Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
- Field of View: 6.3 - 4.7 degrees
- Eye Relief: 19 mm
- Battery Life: 9 hours
- Color modes: Black Hot/White hot
- Dimensions: 7.7x3x2.6 inches
- Weight: 1.2 lb
Best Uses: Tactical use, Day Shooting, Night Shooting, Scouting, Hunting, Varmint Control, and Surveillance.
Our Verdict: The ATN TICO LT is a new thermal clip-on version that is true in every sense. It has a low price tag, higher quality, and new features that make it an award winner. If you are on a budget and need a clip-on for your adventure, then you can hopefully go for it. It’s really worth buying.
Say Goodbye to tedious time-consuming scopes and welcome the high-functioning clip-on scopes with all the features that you actually need for hunting.
The ATN TICO LT clip-on thermal scope is equipped for easy use with no bells and whistles, which often makes the scopes difficult to use while you’re out in the field.
The TICO LT 320×240 35mm clip-on thermal comes with an affordable price tag for everyone. It’s best suited for hunting, tactical use, surveillance, search and rescue operations. It’s also excellent for coyote hunting.
Performance
There are plenty of shooters who love the soup-up bells and whistles of digital optics that usually go hand in hand with thermal technology.
However, the TICO LT takes another approach with simplicity and affordable price in mind. This makes the scope with an exceptional and solid performance at its core.
It is a small and lightweight scope designed to fit directly to the front end of your day scope. The special adapter mount is included with this thermal scope to make dismount and remount easier. Honestly, it may not be easier without this adapter.
With a high-performance thermal sensor and core, you can get incredibly crisp, bright, and clear images that you could have never expected.
Features and Benefits
Obsidian Core
The TICO LT clip-on doesn’t have a standard thermal core just because it’s less expensive and very small. ATN has introduced a new Obsidian Core LT for their LT series thermal scopes. It is present even in ATN Thor LT thermal riflescope. The core is responsible for the thermal vision and makes this smart HD optics stand out unique. So you can detect your prey more accurately with thermal power.
Sensor
The TICO LT is equipped with a 12 micron sensor offering 320×240 pixels resolution. This 320×240 clip-on thermal scope is the top line, ATN has not made any LT series above that resolution (640×480).
Though it has only 320x240p resolution, it really provides high definition thermal images of moving targets.
Thermal Quality
The thermal quality is top-notch, and for this price, it’s highly unbeatable.
It offers both Black Hot and White Hot palettes that can be adjusted when you need more.
Based on the lighting condition of your hunting field, you can adjust the levels of both brightness and contrast through the interface and also zoom options when needed.
4. No Zero
As this TICO LT series is a true clip-on, you can use it with any daytime scope. As you’re using your day scope for zeroing you don’t want to zero it further using this clip-on scope. All it requires is to collimate the thermal scope reticle with the day scope reticle. This is similar to the No Shot Zero of other clip-on thermal scopes from alternative brands.
If you’re using the same weapon all the time you don’t want to make any adjustments, even with zeroing. But if you’re consistently dismounting and remounting it to another weapon system, or want to maintain a bore sight with the day scope, then you have to make some adjustments.
Mounting
As it is a clip-on, the mounting process is made to be breeze. This mounting design makes it versatile and can be fitted with any weapon.
The ATN TICO LT clip-on thermal scope sits directly to the objective lens of the day scope. It is extremely light and weighs just 1.2 lbs. It does not make any hassle while mounting or in the performance.
How does this clip-on sit perfectly?
This ATN TICO LT series comes with an adapter for mounting. It is a single-lever quick detach ring mount that provides incredibly fast and easy mounting. ATN claims this fast mounting is under two seconds.
Dismount and remount are also very quick after the initial assembly. The adapter fits 45.5 to 50 mm objective lenses. If you need a different size adapter, then you’ve to buy it separately.
The ATN TICO LT thermal scope is also compatible with a long rail mount. So this versatile scope can be mounted in any way and to any weapon system.
Range Detection
Coming to range detection, the ATN TICO LT clip-on thermal scope is pretty impressive. Though there are many thermal scopes to provide extreme quality at extended ranges, the TICO LT is small, lightweight, and provides exceptional quality thermal images with accurate details.
The 320 35mm thermal clip-on offers a detection range of targets at a maximum of 1510 meters away. You can recognize the target at the range of 680 meters and identify it at 340 meters. It will do more to hunters who are shooting within 400 yards in the daytime or night.
Battery Life
The ATN TICO LT is built with a lithium-ion battery that provides more than 8 hours of operation. You can also recharge the thermal clip-on using a USB charging cable which is included along with the package.
Magnification
The ATN TICO LT 35mm clip-on thermal scope offers 1-2x magnification to view distant objects clearly and accurately. It does not provide higher magnification but can use the magnification of your day scope to change power. So you can get more accurate images even at long distances.
Price
As there is huge competition with thermal devices in the market, it is hard to find an extremely lightweight, clean, and truly effective clip-on thermal scope for this price. But ATN has offered the TICO LT series under $3000. It’s really a good thermal scope with a 12-micron sensor, 320×240 pixels resolution, and a 60 Hz refresh rate. Therefore, it’s worth buying.
All these specs make it an excellent partner for hunting, surveillance, and rescue operations.
Included Accessories
Along with the TICO LT 320 35 mm thermal clip-on scope, ATN also offers some additional accessories to support you in the field. They include;
- Adapter 1 ring mount
- USB cable
- Light suppressor
- Lens tissue
- Soft carry case
Can the TICO LT be used as a Standalone Thermal Rifle Scope?
The answer is a draw.
If you want to use this TICO LT scope as a standalone thermal scope without using a day scope, then you should not consider heavy rifles.
This clip-on scope offers only 19mm eye relief which is not safe to use on a heavy weapon system. So think twice before you make a decision.
If you mount the clip-on far ahead, you will be out of the eye-box range and so you can’t make use of the entire FOV to make an accurate shot.
For handheld use, the eye relief is longer and more sufficient even for those who wear glasses.
Limitations
The only limitation we found in the ATN TICO LT scope is it is only weather-resistant, not waterproof. This is not really a ding but something to look out for.
ATN has offered a variety of thermal optics to date, and none of them are waterproof but water-resistant. Which means, all are water-resistant but not submersive waterproof. This is more than enough to protect the electrical components from a drizzle or slight rain.
Not only rain, wind, and other climatic changes can affect your hunting but also it’s quite difficult to see things and will affect the accuracy of your shot. But ATN TICO LT is weather resistant and can withstand different climatic conditions.
Final Words
Clip-on’s are easy to mount, easy to use, and will not affect the zero of the day scope. The image quality is out of the world. We love this new and upgraded ATN TICO LT clip-on scope for its basic quality and performance.
It’s true to its design and turns your day scope into a thermal scope when the need arises. Also, it is difficult to beat the price point of the ATN thermal clip-on.
Take with you this ATN Tico Lt thermal scope for hunting and feel its goodness in the field.