Many of the latest generations of thermal riflescopes have an addition that seemed impossible just a couple decades ago: a built-in laser rangefinder. And not simply a rangefinder for determining distances but one which, when paired with the right firmware, can produce ballistic solutions for those far-away shots. 

Pretty amazing.

Among those units offering this triple play of thermal, ranging and ballistic capabilities is the ATN ThOR 5 640 LRF 4-32x Thermal Scope, with the “LRF” denoting the laser rangefinding capabilities of the unit. The ThOR 5 640 LRF  was introduced to the hunting public at the SHOT Show in January 2023. Previously, ATN Corporation www.atncorp.com only offered rangefinding with its Auxiliary Ballistics Laser (ABL) accessory for their units, which could be Bluetooth paired and attached to past generations of ThOR thermals.  

I had the chance to run the ThOR 5 640 LRF recently, at my outdoor range during the day and at night to evaluate the unit’s photo and video applications, and to see just how well the rangefinder worked at night.

The ThOR 5 640 LRF features easy-to-navigate menus, solid photo and videos, and a long-life built-in battery for long nights afield. My unit zeroed quickly and produced some very accurate groups. The rangefinder worked great, too, and at night when hunters need it most.

Features and Functions 

As the numbers in the name proclaim, the ThOR 5 640 LRF 4-32x is powered by a 640x480 sensor, with digital magnification of 4 to 32x.  

The unit features a 1280X1024 OLED display, a one-shot zero, a profile manager, and recoil activated video. Battery power is provided by a built-in, Li-ion charged through the USB-c port on the right side of the unit. The charging cable is included. ATN rates battery life at 10 hours when fully charged.

Magnification increases or decreases with the UP and DOWN  buttons on the keypad.

The laser range finder is located to the front, left of the unit, and is activated by simply pressing the Function 1 button on the right bottom corner of the keypad.  When that button is pressed, four red lines appear coming from the corners to the center.  Center the object within those four lines and the rangefinder calculates the distance and presents it at the bottom of the display screen.

As with most thermals, the ThOR 5 has a number of color palettes and reticle types. The unit is also Wi-Fi capable, and can take both photographs and videos at a fairly high resolution. A mini-SD card (not included) is needed to store media. The Mini-SD card also allows the user to perform firmware updates.

ThOR accessories include an eyecup, a flip-open front lens cap, scope cover, two standard 30mm rings for mounting onto a rail, and a USB-c cable, as well as a Quick Start Guide and a larger, more detailed user manual.

Zeroing 

To try out the thermal, I mounted the ThOR 5 640 LRF onto one of my favorite hunting rifles, A DPMS Hunter GII chambered in .260 Remington. Mounting the thermal only took a few minutes thanks to the two 30mm rings included.

As with many thermals, the ThOR 5 features an one-shot zeroing system, where the shooter takes an initial shot or two and then adjusts the reticle to the point of impact, saves this information, and follow up shots should be on target. Other units require a shooter to choose between the one-shot and the manual zeroing. However, the one-shot system on the ThOR is the zero system.   

The day at my outdoor range was in the low 60s, but very sunny. To create a heat source, I used a heat pad and affixed it to carboard backing with black duct tape. Actually, the duct tape heated up much faster than the pad, and the duct tape rectangle became my target for my 50-yard zero. 

My first shots were about a foot low and 4 to 5 inches right. I accessed the ZERO application and moved the X and Y axis lines onto the area where my first shot impacted.  

My next shots were much closer to the taped heat packet, but just a little low.  One more adjustment via the one-shot zero put me right on target.

Yote at 100

Time for some 100-yard shooting.  

For this, I used a life-size paper coyote target made by DELTA McKenzie. Over the heart-lung area of the target, I placed two strips of my black duct tape to form a 3.1x3.7-inch heat signature/aiming point. I also applied a single strip of tape over the yote’s head for a 1.8x3.0-inch aiming point.

First, I took a few shots at a different target at this distance to make sure the ThOR and rifle were on at this distance. Slightly off, so I made another one-shot adjustment.

I then shot the double strip of duct tape six times, the single strip also six times. My ammunition here (and at 50 yards) was Remington Premier Match .260 Rem loaded with a 140-grain open-tip bullet. 

My first six shots all hit the black double tape and produced a group of 1.6 inches. 

One of my “head” shots on the single strip struck just off the left edge of the tape, while the other five shots clustered in at 1.1-inches.

The ThOR 5 640 LRF will definitely put a hunter on coyotes and hogs and other varmints and will clearly do so at some distance, too.  

Keypad 

The ThOR keypad is arranged around a center OK button, with the UP, DOWN, RIGHT and LEFT buttons arranged in a circle. Which is a simple and functional enough setup. But I wished the button pads on the non-OK buttons were raised up a bit. They had very smooth surfaces and my fingertips frequently had trouble finding the correct pads by touch. 

Also, the focus adjustment ring at the front of the thermal was very tight, and the laser rangefinder is located alongside the rear of the ring and nearly touching. Those two realities made it very tough to do a quick focus adjustment. 

That rangefinder, though, worked well. I used it at known distances and the rangefinder proved extremely accurate. I also used it in conjunction with a high quality handheld rangefinder and the two units provided almost exactly the same distances.

Selling ThOR 

Based on his many in-store discussions with people looking to buy thermals, Schuyler Pedroza, ATN’s strategic marketing director, said two features of the  ThOR 5 640 LRF 4-32x will be of prime importance to most customers.

“First, it’s the Recoil Activated Video or RAV feature, which gives the shooter the ability to capture video without pressing record manually. When activated the feature lets the recoil tell the scope to save the video clip of the shot.”

Night hunters, he added, really want to be able to record their hunts, but people have told Pedroza they forgot to press the video ON button, time and again, in their excitement at spotting a hog or coyote. RAV guarantees a record of the hunt.

“Hunters also want the built-in laser rangefinder, especially when we tell them what ours can do when used in conjunction with the onboard ballistics’ calculator,” he noted. “With that coyote or hog ranged, the calculator will give real time, onscreen adjustment of the reticle. This eliminates the need for ‘hold over’ for those longer shots.”

While I did use the unit’s rangefinder, as noted, I didn’t take shots at longer distances with the aid of the ballistics calculator. However, I did access the calculator app and entering the ballistic data was a very straight-forward process. Of course, as with any ballistics program, this means the shooter must know the muzzle velocity of the round being used, the weight of the bullet and ballistics coefficient, etc. 

A good sales technique will be to run the potential customers through the use of the rangefinder (simply point the ThOR at a far wall for distance measurement), and then take the customers through the calculator input process.

A Real Turn-On

In any event, it’s always a great idea for sales staff to turn on a thermal and hand it to the interested customer. Let them see what a heated object looks like in the thermal when the palette is set to White Hot or Black Hot. Then, switch over the palette color to Rainbow or Rain for dramatic effect.

Another “hands-on” technique to show off the ThOR’s capabilities is to let the  customer zoom the scope’s magnification up and then back.

Explain, too, that the ATN website has dozens of very helpful overview and how-to videos that show how to prep and use the ThOR and other ATN thermal lines. 

ATN help

Speaking of help, retailers carrying ATN products can expect a good deal of support from ATN.

“ATN provides Dealer Kits with ATN’s marketing and branding collateral, not only for the Thor 5 line but for all ATN products our dealers decide to carry, said Pedroza  “Those kits are created with dealer sell-through as the priority.

“We include sell sheets for the sales staff spec sheets, attention grabbing display fliers, social media assets that follow the ever-evolving social media ‘guidelines,’ and product videos showcasing the specific product being used in the field.” 

ATN offers in-store or Zoom sales training through their sales rep groups. Co-op advertising and Sales Performance Incentive (“spiff’) programs are available, too.  

Additionally, ATN dealers can utilize point of purchase displays and can participate in various promotional opportunities throughout the year.

Dealers can buy directly through ATN or several distributors, including Gun Accessory Supply, Davidson's, Bill Hick's, Crow, Lipsey's, Hick's, RSR, Chattanooga Shooters Supply and Sports South.  

Record the Night

I took my ThOR unit out on three separate night-time runs to evaluate photo and video quality and capabilities, and to run the rangefinder under dark conditions. All worked very well.

To select either video or photo captures, I long pressed the LEFT button pad. Then, taking a photo or starting/stopping a video simply required a short press of the same button.

The photo and video images were quite clear and were saved on my mini-SD card. I later transferred them to my laptop.  

My last night, I visited our local zoo, which includes a fenced field over 10 acres in size and split into smaller units. Near the field sits an observation platform and I set up there for some scanning.

I surveyed the field through my ThOR, knowing there were bison, deer and elk in the various sections, but couldn’t pick up any heat signatures with a quick scan. I went back over the area slowly, the palette set on Black Hot and eventually spotted a pair of treetops. But the treetops were very close to ground level.

What the heck?

They weren’t trees at all, but the antlers of two bull elk, the pair sitting on the far side of a slight incline. I pressed the button to activate the laser rangefinder: 198 yards. Then, I took photographs.

And I could count the tips of the elk antlers, sending out heat into the 65 degree night.

In a world of $6,000 to $10,000 thermals, the ThOR 5 640 LRF 4-32x does all of the above with an MSRP of just over $4,000. Translation: many features at a (relatively speaking) bargain price.