Among the leaders in outdoor and hunting-related thermal imaging units, InfiRay Outdoor thermals are currently sold in more than 90 countries and in this country are distributed by iRAY USA. The company owns 645 patents related to thermal sensors and optics and has a production capacity of 7 million units per year.
Among its more recent accomplishments, InfiRay Outdoor was the first to market new technological advancements in thermal including 1280x1024 resolution sensors, 12um, 10um, and 8um sensors, dual field-of-view optics, and shutterless calibration technology.
Now, InfiRay Outdoor offers the new BOLT TX60C thermal scope, built with a high-resolution 1024×1024 InfiRay Micro II thermal sensor at a native 3× magnification that can digital zoom up to 16×. The BOLT is a long-range thermal capable of running all night long, features an easy-to-use menu system, and takes fine photographs and videos.
No Lightweight
The BOLT TX60C is a big boy, weighing in at just over 35 ounces and stretching out a good 15 inches. It also sports a rather massive 60mm objective lens, while the side knobs present a 4-inch wingspan.
Don’t avoid this reality with customers. Tell them upfront: in the field, a hunter is going to need a shooting tripod with a stout clamp or something similar to get the best out of this unit. (Which also presents the chance for an additional sale.)
The scope itself is built around a 30mm tube and includes a quick-detach scope mount with dual-locking levers. The QD mount attached easily onto the Picatinny rail of my rifle, and quickly adjusted for a snug fit. That QD design makes it easy to swap out the BOLT for a day scope or to share the thermal on multiple rifles.
Just above the eyepiece sits the unit’s basic control circle, which includes (from the top of the circle and going clockwise), the power button, brightness button, photo button and palette selection button.
A long press of the power button turns the unit on and off, while short presses can perform various shortcuts without going into the menu itself like making a manual non-uniformity correction or NUC.
The palette button lets a user select from White Hot, Black Hot, Red Hot, Color (Rainbow), Violet, Crimson, or Viridian. The color palette options really popped too and did not obscure the target as other thermals I’ve used frequently do. Instead, these color options differentiated the target/heat signature, which stayed white, from the surrounding objects which took on the selected palette color.
A short press of the photo button takes a single photo while a longer press starts or stops a video.
Short presses on the brightness button adjust screen brightness. Longer presses let the user enter or exit the unit’s stadiametric rangefinder.
Knobs
Much like a day scope, the BOLT has three knobs located on the top and both sides of the scope tube.
However, the top center knob is the only one that actually works specific functions. Unscrew the right knob cap to reveal a USB-C port, while the left knob holds an 18650 cell battery for additional power. (More on the power system below.)
The center knob controls the BOLT’s menu system. A long press down brings up the main menu in the rear lens. The knob also adjusts the scope’s magnification level.
Power On
The BOLT TX60C features a dual power supply system, featuring a built-in battery pack and an 18650 battery.
If the battery is installed and fully charged, the BOLT uses it as the preferred power source. When battery power gets low or the battery is removed, the thermal automatically switches to the built-in battery pack as its primary power supply.
That internal battery pack charges via the USB-C port under the right knob cap and a charging cord is included with the accessories. The port also allows for the use of an external power pack, as well as providing access to the unit’s photos and videos.
When the TX60C is on, the 18650 battery can be replaced at any time. Power will automatically switch to the internal battery pack and then switch back to the new 18650 battery after replacement. No loss of thermal viewing!
The unit comes with two 18650 batteries and a charger for them.
Range Time
To test out the unit, I mounted the BOLT TX60C onto a Ruger American GenII bolt action rifle chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. As noted, the QD mount snapped onto the rifle’s rail without a problem.
I had already charged the unit and the battery, so I turned on the scope and using the online owner’s manual began to investigate the menu system. As noted, a long press of the central knob brought up the line of menus along the left side of the screen. Turning the knob moved the menu selector up or down.
As with most higher-end thermal units, the BOLT TX60C offers the user both a Quick Menu and a more detailed Main Menu.
The Quick Menu lets a user select one of the six reticle types as well as the reticle color. Image contrast and sharpness levels can be changed, and selecting the zeroing distance and the zeroing itself are Quick Menu capable, too.
The BOLT’s Instruction Manual runs some 49 pages and so an examination of all the unit can do, its menus and settings, isn’t possible here though I do present an overview (below) on the zeroing process.
But here’s a key point for sales staff to tell and then show customers: The menus are intuitively accessed and entered, with adjustments easily made.
Of course, this all takes some practice; I spent an hour running through menus and applications before I got to my shooting range.
Zero Time
I used the thermal’s Main Menu to zero the Bolt and the American Rifle, and the Main application worked very well.
I started my zeroing process at 50 yards, shooting at a cross made of black duct tape on a cardboard rectangle. The sun was out, and the black tape absorbed more than enough heat to show up in the scope. In the Main Menu, I adjusted my zero distance for 50 yards. I’d already selected my reticle and my magnification was at 6x.
The zero process was simple enough. I took two shots to see where the rounds impacted. Holding the reticle on the point of aim, I then “froze” the screen. Using the X and Y Axis controls, I moved the reticle over to my original point of impact and then saved these settings.
My next two shots were close to the center of the cross but not exactly there.
No worries, as my 50-yard work is really just the setup for 100-yard shooting.
At 100 yards, my first two shots at a new black cross hit 4.5 inches high, and a little left. I went back into the Menu and adjusted the zeroing distance for 100 yards, froze the screen and moved the reticle to the impact position.
Next two shots, right in the middle of the cross.
I taped a HotHands Super Warmer over the vitals area of a Birchwood Casey Boar Splattering Target. The Super Warmer measured 5-inches long by 3.5 inches high. I shot three rounds at the heat packet, which showed up fine and sharp-edged even in daylight. The shots drilled near the center of the packet, for a .90-inch group.
Damned impressive, both the accuracy potential in this thermal and how well the menu applications actually work in real life.
I should also note that throughout my shooting, the objective lens focus ring spun smoothly, and I quickly adjusted the thermal for various distances. The diopter adjustment ring at the rear did a fine job of further sharpening the screen image, too.
Selling the BOLT
With an MSRP of $7,000, the BOLT TX60C is not an impulse buy for most customers. No doubt, some will be rather shocked at that price, although most retailers will offer it below suggested retail.
Still, that’s a lot of green. How to show a customer the money will be well spent?
First, let customers use this thermal. Turn it on, and hand it to them, and point them to a few scannable heat sources in your establishment. Even some dark pieces of paper cut into various shapes and taped to a far wall will do.
Sales staff need to have hands-on time with the BOLT, too. There’s no better way to show potential customers that the unit is user friendly than by talking the customer through several menu changes.
“With thermal optics, the physics typically dictates building for higher resolution or higher magnification,” Pliny Gale, marketing and communications manager for InfiRay Outdoor told me. “It is hard to do both. Yet this unit balances those directions really nicely.”
As he explained, “Most 3X base magnification optics are significantly lower resolution. The only other available 1024-resolution thermal scope is a 1.75x base magnification, which means you immediately throw away that magnification advantage when you zoom in. The TX60C gives you an extra step of magnification at the same resolution or extra resolution at the same magnification.”
Gale suggested sales staff also explain the dual-power system to customers and that the power pack/battery combination means the BOLT can usually run all night without ever turning off the unit.
Ballistic Help
Another potential sales point: the BOLT TX60C also has ballistic capabilities.
When the thermal pairs wirelessly with the InfiRay Outdoor ILR-1200-1 Laser Range finding (LRF) module (sold separately—another extra sales possibility), the TX60C can display real-time ranges on-screen. It can even calculate a firing solution using customizable projectile data and the onboard ballistic calculator.
“Input the cartridge’s ballistic coefficient, weight, and velocity, and some basic environmental conditions, and the TX60C will build a custom BDC reticle,” Gale explained. “When using the LRF, the scope can even dial the drop for you based on the target range.”
In Store Help
InfiRay Outdoor dealers can expect to receive significant in-store resources from the company. These include, but are not limited to, banners, catalogs, and display cases. Digital marketing content is also available for dealers.
“We also have a dedicated trainer hosting online and in-person classes to help dealers become more educated on these products,” said Gale.
Sales staff can also earn credit towards a thermal unit of their own through the company’s “iRayBucks” program. Similar to airline miles, “Bucks” accumulate and can then be redeemed through iRayUSA, the company’s dealer/wholesale network.
Direct to Dealers
Dealers can use distributors to stock InfiRay Outdoor thermals or may buy them direct from the company.
“Direct accounts tend to get newer products or limited availability products first,” Gale noted. “But InfiRay Outdoor products are available through RSR, Sports South, Bill Hicks, Zanders, and Chattanooga Shooting supplies.”
Those dealers truly committed to thermal sales, he added, tend to take the direct buy route as it is faster for product deliveries, gives access to a wider selection of products, and provides better profit margins.
The best way to begin the process of becoming a dealer in InfiRay thermal is to fill out the Become a Dealer form at irayusa.com. Once completed, a representative will be in contact.
While he concedes that the new BOLT is a pricey unit, Gale also noted that many InfiRay dealers find themselves selling out of their products on a regular basis. The growing popularity of thermals among hog and predator hunters is one important factor, of course. At the same time, Gale believes the most successful dealers are committed to the total thermal experience.
“Keep products in stock and available to show,” Gale advised. “Much like binoculars or cameras, customers need to be able to look through a demo unit and a customer needs to be able to compare multiple options from multiple manufacturers. Dealers can win by having inventory on hand and having the heart of a teacher to educate and guide the consumer through the process.”
