As many of you know, I had the good fortune to get one of the first FLIR T-70s available to civvies when they came out to apply to my land management problems and liked it so much I soon got another, as well as a nice M-18 Recon hand held scanner that uses the same controls as the T-70.

The T-70 is basically a weaponized M-18.

Many hogs and coyotes later I was excited to hear about and see the new T-75s with the 100mm germanium lens at the 2014 Shot Show in Vegas where I got my hands on one at the FLIR Government Services booth and talked to their engineers about them at the beginning of this year.





The T-70's have a 35mm germanium lens and a WFOV 0.5X, 1.0X and 2.0X Stand Alone internal magnification and will work with a day optic up to 4X without pixelation and up to 6X with some pixelation. These are short range thermal weapons scopes good out to 300 yards.

The T-75's have a 100mm germanium lens and a 1.0X, 2.0X, and 4.0X Stand Alone internal magnification and will work with a day optic up to 8X without pixelation and up to 12X with some pixelation. These are long range thermal weapon scopes good out to 800 yards.

Having a couple of 7.62mms and a couple of Elcan 1.5X-6X-42mm day optics, I was itching to get my hands on a T-75 and stretch things out a bit over my previous T-70 experiences.

I talked to Victor at TNVC, where I had purchased my T-70's and M-18, to see if he would let me use one of the FLIR GS T-75s when he got his hands on one and he sent me one to try out last month. It immediately went on one of my SIG 716/Elcan rifles and I proceeded to try it out to compare to my extensive T-70 experiences in the same woods on my properties where I night hunt, unfortunately it was August/September in Northern Florida in the hottest wettest soggiest time of the year with an active El Nino pretty much saturating us day and night for the last couple of months. This is the WORST time of year to be using a thermal weapon scope, however it performed admirably, although I wish I could have targeted the mosquitoes with it.....





SIG 716/Elcan Specter DR 1.5X-6.0X-42mm FLIR T-75:













I will work up more to this review and answer questions as they arise as time permits....

The manual controls and ergonomic operational features of the T-75 are identical to the T-70/M-18.

Front shot of the 100mm lens/lens cap and nice solid LaRue mount on the T-75:





Rear shot showing the ocular glass lens:






Bottom view of T-75:






Right had side showing battery compartment, On/Off switch, Remote Control port for attaching remote:






Top view showing internal battery compartment and black focus adjustment right above ocular lens:






Left side showing Joystick/Menu controls and video out port:





The LaRue Mount puts the T-75 at the proper height to integrate with either a Truijicon ACOG 4X:









Or an Elcan Specter DR:





Both the T-70 and the T-75 were specifically designed for optimal performance with each of these two scopes and I will 100% agree to that, they work perfect.

Using the T-75 at night in the pouring down rain, I could easily ID and Target the head of a bunny at 225 yards without a problem, the video shows what you would be seeing if your were using the T-75 as a Stand Alone thermal scope, but I am seeing the same thing at 6X through the Elcan:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2CjwMP7KkM&feature=youtu.be


This is the kind of incredible resolution I was looking for.

Here are a couple of video out-takes from the T-75 to show it's long range, this is the same view you would have using it as a Stand Alone thermal weapon scope at 1X, 2X, and 4X, I am viewing this same view at 6X, 12X, and 24X through the Elcan in Clip-On mode.


Environmental parameters were: pouring rain with heavy lightning, ambient air temperature 84*F:

Can you get some TTL images of what it looks like at 6x? I know that's a tall order, and they never come out as the eye sees them, but even some remotely representative images would be cool.

You are right, it is very difficult taking any photos through the ocular lens of the day optic though the thermal scope.

If I were using my ACOG 4X it would be allot easier to get some decent photos through the entire setup to see exactly what my eye is seeing at night though the ocular lens since I have a nice I-Phone adapter for the ACOG, but it will not fit the Elcan.

These are my rough attempts at taking a photo through the entire setup from the Elcan Specter DR 1.5-6X-42mm day optic of some buzzards chowing on fresh hog offal in the rain in my back yard at a distance of 250 yards in the rain. I held a digital camera up to the ocular lens of the Elcan on 6X and tried to take a pic of each of the internal digital magnification setttings in the FLIR T-75, ie 1.0X, 2.0X, and 4.0X, which actually through the eyepiece of the Elcan on 6X were photos of 6X, 12X, and 24X total magnification.

This one is 6X total:






This one is 12X total:






This one is 24X total:






Again, this was in the pouring down rain at sweltering 85*F temps, so about the worst possible thermal conditions to operate in, it has been like that here nonstop for six or more weeks now.....like I said earlier, even in the rain, I could (and have) make a head shot on a coon at 250 yards without a problem from a rest.

Yeah, plus I would have liked to take any "demonstration" photos during the fall in a high pressure cool night after the sun had been out all day, not in the worst thermal conditions possible.

We have had no sun all day, high humidity and rain all the time and still the T-75 performed admirably.

I was impressed.

I'll tell you what amazed me was how well the instrument works as a true stand alone thermal weapon scope with no day optic.

The internal 5.66mm NATO 62gr BDC reticule and the 7.62mm NATO 147gr BDC reticule at 4X were simply stunning, not to mention the whole kit extremely short, compact and lightweight.

Actually, those are better than I thought they would be given the conditions.

Okay, not finished with this review yet, but any good review needs a good night hog killing video to get things rolling, so here is one of many I took in the pouring down rain.......

Enjoy!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-Fwk-8ojMw


Believe it or not, that was a two for one shot, I was waiting for the two hogs to line up so I could shoot the first one through the lungs and have the Barnes 130gr pass though and take down the far side hog. You can see he was hit in the video but got away from me alone by myself out in woods in the rain at night. However, one of my friends saw some buzzards and smelled something bad and found my hog not far away from where this all went down...

Very nice review ! I can't afford any of those things but nice review none the less !

Can I post the T-75 instruction graphic here or is that an ITAR no-no?

Since people that are interested in LONG RANGE will be interested in the T-75, here is what I learned using it for long range kills.

First off, when you turn in on in Clip-On mode or Stand Alone mode, it comes on in 1X digital magnification, there is no 0.5 WFOV digital magnification like the T-70 has.

So, your FOV is limited.

My T-70 at 200 yards has an FOV about 150 yards wide, the T-75 at 200 yards has an FOV about 35 yards wide.

The T-75 will put you right on top of your target at 200 yards if you can find it in the FOV, which in the woods can be a difficult feat to accomplish after first spotting a heat signature with a handheld thermal scanner with a much larger FOV.

Your target really needs to be out about 300 yards before you have an adequate FOV at 1X to be able to pick it up first off prior to targeting.

I used one of my Elcan Specter DRs with the T-75 and it REALLY increased my targeting ability since I was able to flip the Elcan to 1.5X or 6X at will.

Rarely, except at long ranges over 250 yards, would I start off with the Elcan on 6X because I could not find the target I had spotted with my LS64 or M-18.

Once I spotted the target in the T-75 FOV, I could then immediately switch the Elcan to 6X for targeting long range.

The T-75 is just too powerful to start off using it at 6X, although turning the digital magnification to 2X and targeting at 12X was a piece of cake, even at digital magnification of 4X and targeting at 24X I still easily made long range shots.

However, these long range shots were sniper shots from a suppressed .308 and once the slug wacked a hog and they scattered, it was next to impossible to retarget the ones on the run at that high magnification as they would run out of the FOV.

Same thing happened to me numerous times with charging coyotes and it was very frustrating to see the coyote out at 350 yards and then have them charge in and loose them, only to see them again in my LS-64 or M-18 50ft in front of me but unable to find them in the T-75.....

So, if you are thinking of investing in a true hardened mil-spec long range thermal instrument like this, only do it if the majority of your shots are over 250 yards or more, it is NOT a short range instrument.









Sow at 300 yards in Stand Alone mode 1X, I am seeing this at 6X:





Sow at 300 yards in Stand Alone mode 2X, I am seeing this at 12X:





Sow at 300 yard in Stand Alone mode 4X, I am seeing this at 24X:





Here is the sow after I pulled the trigger @ 300 yards:












Here is the video of the sow getting shot with the T-75 from the T-75 video output:


http://www.phossil.com/thom/Night%20Vision/FLIR%20T75/T75%20Sow/T75%20Sow.mp4

The above thermal photographs of that sounder and the sow was in teaming down rain at 85*F, and the T-75 still performed extremely well under these conditions.

Pay attention to the FOV in those photos @ 300 yards.

This rural electric powerline is two miles long and one of the few places that I can use the T-75 on the property since the electric company keeps their easement mowed and uncluttered.

Their easement is 80 feet wide, on both side of their easement are planted pines and live oak plantations.

In the first 1X internal digital magnification photo at 300 yards, you can see that the entire FOV of the T-75 is about 120 feet wide or only 40 yards.

In the second 2X internal digital magnification photo at 300 yards, you can see that the entire FOV of the T-75 is about 25 yards if that.

In the third 4X internal digital magnification photo at 300 yards when I pulled the trigger, the entire FOV of the T-75 is about 10 yards.


I was able to ID and specifically target the sow and not the rest of the sounder group, however after I dropped her, even with the suppressor, they scattered and ran out of the FOV so I could ttarget them again and take out more of them.


Like I said, the T-75 is a high power long range hardened mil-spec thermal, not a short range device.....

Thanks for this review skypup, the field of view info was especially helpful and you saved me the $2,100 upgrade cost I was contemplating shelling out to get my T-70 upgraded.  I use mine with a Trijicon TA-02 (chose this optic thanks to your other review and postings) and only at short ranges of 250 meters and in.  I was really only wanted the 100mm germanium upgrade to help with performance at shorter ranges, but the FOV loss is definitely not worth it, and I'm not sure how much of a difference I'd notice at 4X.

LOL, I notice you are in Florida!!!

I bet you love the ACOG TA02/T-70 combo, I sure do!!!

Here in Florida, unless you are hunting some ag crops that have been harvested, it is very difficult to even find an unobstructed 250 meter clear line of sight!

Plus, like I mentioned above about missing and not being able to see charging coyotes up close, that would be a DISASTER with a wounded or angry boar hog coming in on you and not being able to see him to take him out.

I feel much safer with the T-70 in those situations!

The T-75 is for wide open spaces where it simply excels to the max, unfortunately I only have a couple of individual spots like that, but miles and miles of spots where the T-70 works.

When I was at the 2014 Shot Show in Vegas, I specifically went to the FLIR GS booth to check out the first prototype T-75 they had available for the public to see.

I had the good fortune to be able to speak with the Chief Design Engineer of the T-70/T-75 military thermal weapon scopes (and even took him out to dinner so we could talk at length) and since I'd already been using my T-70s for quite some time, I had specific questions to discuss with him about this high power long range instrument.

My main question I was interested in was if the T-75 had the excellent 0.5X mode with super wide FOV for scanning/locating before switching to a higher power for ID/targeting with less FOV, as that is one of my favorite features on my T-70s that I absolutely love and use all the time.

Unfortunately, due to the much larger 100mm lens of the T-75, lens collimation issues prevented the use of a 0.5X WFOV setting, and instead the additional 4X digital magnification was added.

To me, this was dissatisfying to say the least. The FLIR T-70 and the FLIR T-60 are the ONLY thermal scopes I know of anywhere that have 0.5X WFOV settings and it is something I absolutely need and use everytime I night hunt.

I have been offered to sell my well used and abused T-60 and upgrade to an L3 LWTS many times, but the T-60 has a great 0.5X mode and the LWTS does not. That is a deal beaker for me personally....and I am keeping my older well used T-60 and not getting an LWTS.

If the T-75 had a 0.5X WFOV digital magnification, it would be much more advantageous to me, instead it is strictly a long range thermal clip on or standalone scope.

I feel like I would have to see the 0.5x thing in person to know whether or not I would like it.  Does the clip-on boresight remain constant at 0.5x?  I nearly bought a T60 in 2013 but I didn't like the fact that it did not have a stand-alone mode.  My LWTS has a nice wide FOV as it is but I can see wanting a super wide FOV for when the hogs start running.  Clip-ons are too much fun

FordKA - the T-70 boots up in 1X in clip-on mode with no internal digital reticule (you can choose either 5.56mm NATO or 7.62mm NATO BDC digital reticule).

When you change to either 0.5X or 2.0X both of these present with the internal digital BDC reticule vs no digital reticule in the 1X at first boot up.

You first have to align the the digital reticule with your day optic reticule X,Y coordinates and then you are good to go at all magnifications, 0.5X, 1.0X, 2.0X.

Without first aligning the day optic reticule with the digital reticule, you are only GTG at the boot up 1X with your day optic reticule with no alignment necessary on the original boot 1X only.

Normally, I turn my T-70s on momentarily when I leave the house and align the reticules and forget about it for the rest of the night.


The Flir T-60 has no internal reticule and as such will not function as a standalone scope like the T-70/T-75 will. When the T-60 boots up it comes on in 0.5X which is for scanning only, not shooting. To shoot, you first have to select the 1.0X and then you are GTG. However, the WFOV 0.5X mode is excellent for getting on target fast. The T-60 has a 60mm lens, compared to the T-70s 35mm and the T-75s 100mm, so that makes a bit of difference in the FOV presented too.

In particular, when you are hunting in places you are not familiar with, the 0.5X WFOV gives you a much better representation of the targeting environment, as it does when you are in heavy cover and/or brush or very close to your target, ie less than 100 yards.

Also, when you are hunting in the woods, charging coyotes and/or hogs are much more easier to sight, follow, and take out using the 0.5X WFOV magnification mode when things are moving fast and furious.

Due to the increased safety of using 0.5X WFOV in dangerous close-in night hunting scenarios/encounters, I use this quite often as the 0.5X allows you to handle rapidly changing targets that the 1.0X FOV does not.

Both the Flir T-70 and Flir T-60 are the only mil spec thermal weapon scopes that allow the use of 0.5X mode to the best of my knowledge.

ETA didn't mean to keep talking about the T70 and T60 in your T75 thread, so I'll repost this question in your ongoing T50 thread (wow you have a lot of T-XX thermal devices )

Ok so I'm really not trying to ask a million questions but I'd like to get an idea of what sort of FOV this would present to the day optic in 0.5x vs. my LWTS at 1x.  Do you know what the T-70's FOV (degrees) is at 1x and 0.5x?  I use mine w/ a 1-6 and 2.5-10 mostly and at 1.5-2x w/the day optic my FOV is quite huge.

You'd basically have twice the FOV at 0.5X digital as you would at 1.0X digital with all your day optic magnifications.

The other thing I wanted to mention about the T-75 is that it is too much for a 5.56mm rifle, at the extended ranges it is good for you need a rifle/cartridge that will put out over twice the energy of a 5.56mm round for reliable kill shots. A good tripod is required for making those long range shots too.

Here is a couple more examples of the Long Range FLIR T-75 FOV @ 175 measured yards in Stand Alone mode to my game cam tree at night in the rain:

The FLIR T-75 long range military weapon thermal with the 100mm lens does have the latest TAU 2.7 core firmware image upgrade since these instruments were produced after June of 2014!

Sorry to interrupt, but I have to ask, since these clip ons come with nice reticles, what is the advantage of mounting them in front of day optics?
could you not just keep a zero'd day optic in a pack and switch it out with the zero'd thermal for 24 hour operation and lighter weapon weight?

You can certainly use these in either Stand Alone mode or Clip On mode, either way works great and has it benefits.

Stand Alone is great, lightweight and works both day and night, only zeroing is more of a hassle. The microbolometer view is kinda crummy being square and lower power but is certainly useable. I think the T-75, in particular, excels in Stand Alone mode due to the super clear 1.0X, 2.0X, and 4.0X views.

Clip On is great, still lightweight and works day and night and zeroing is simple and everything is magnified considerably.

On my rifles, it is always nice to have a zeroed ACOG or ELCAN so I can align Vis/IR lasers, Thermal Reticules, etc. whenever needed. Once you remove the day optic zeroing becomes much problematic day or night as you lose a reference point.

FYI for owners of FLIR T-70/T-75 Government Systems military thermal weapon clip-on scopes;

I contacted Flir Government Systems in Pittsburgh about having the TAU 2.6 microbolometer firmware upgraded to the latest TAU 2.7 firmware with all the new image enhancements and this is what I found out:

"The T70/75 Military weapon thermal sights uses firmware that is a modified version of the stock FLIR Personal Vision Systems’ firmware."

"FLIR GS does not currently have a released version of the T70/75 firmware or T70/75 software that is compatible with the Tau 2.7, it is probably several months away.

This effort is currently underway.."


Scott Keitzer
Director of Systems Engineering

BTW, the deal with this TAU 2.7 upgrade is that it is NOT a simple software upgrade patch, it requires the complete rewriting the entire firmware and software from A to Z.

Good news is that this may include numerous improved internal digital 5.56mm and 7.62mm BDC reticules as well....

So in several months I may be able to send my T-70 in to FLIR GS for an overhaul?

The BDC reticules are VERY exciting, hope they come to fruition!

10-4, that is what I understand from communicating with them about this, should be worth the wait as the 2.7 upgrade will have numerous image enhancement improvements!

Complete rewriting!  That shows that whom ever wrote the first software has no bussiness writing software.

Shouldn't have to throw out the baby with the bath water.
When you ditch everything that was written it must have been very badly written as to not be able to make a few patches to added better sub routines.

I am glad to see that more effort is being applied to deliver the performance that the hardware could deliver all along,
I have always said better thinking not more money makes a better product. Costs the same to make a bad design as it does a good design.
Difference is down the road the product has no room for improvement because it was done right the first time.

Good thing is that it can be thrown out!

There is allot more to it than that.

These units were designed prior to June 2014 when the upgrade to Tau 2.7 was made at the respective factories for all outgoing microbolometer production units.

FLIR GS production is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, FLIR PS production is in Santa Barbra, California, two completely separate units with two completely separate designs for two specifically different markets, one hardened military spec and one civilian.

Initially, the GS firmware was modified from the PS firmware for production on the Tau 2.6 cores, but a decision has been made to completely re-design the new firmware/software specifically for the military hardened hardware to Tau 2.7 specifications, which did not exit when the original units were built and designed.

So, it is ALL GOOD!

And their dedicated commitment to user feedback and continuing improvement of GS & PS units already in the field is just another reason why I am a buyer and user!

Skypup, any ETA on the RS and LS software updates?

I am not privy to the exact date but I am hoping before the end of this year....they are working on it now I do know.

Jumped a bedded down sounder group this weekend with the T-75 on a 7.62mm.

First only spotted the sow and made Pos ID and shot her.

Suddenly the entire place erupted in a herd of pigs rampaging all over the place, including one that charged right at us that was taken down with a FLIR RS64-35mm 6.8SPC at close range.

It was a bedded down sounder and all we saw at first was the sow!

T-75 works great as a long range sniper rifle thermal scope, it DOES NOT work great trying to take out a busted sounder.....

What is the lowest magnification you can go to (in general) before you quit gaining FOV?

The T-75 was in front of a nice Vortex Razor HD Gen II 1-6X scope with the magnification on 1X when the sow was shot after first being detected with a FLIR M-24 640X512 helmet mounted thermal viewer.

The T-75 itself has 1.0X, 2.0X, and 4.0X internal digital magnifications that you can utilize either in standalone mode or in clip-on mode in front of your day scope up to 8X with no pixelation, 12X with some pixelation, and 24X with good pixelation but still plenty useable for targeting and shooting.

Anytime you raise the magnification either digital or in the day scope you lose precious FOV.

At none of the T-75 settings did it have the WFOV that my T-70s have, especially with the T-70s in my favorite 0.5X mode.

The T-75 did provide an absolute stunning image through the Vortex scope though at longer ranges....

This huge MoFo was shot at 75 yards in the ear with my TA02 ACOG/T-70 on my SIG 556 with a 77 grain SMK.

He was also simultaneously targeted with a FLIR T-50 on a .308, a FLIR T-75 on a .308, and a FLIR RS64-35mm on a 6.8SPC.

Since I had the T-70, I got the drop first on this dude since he was so close in, but he also ended up with a 175 grain SMK in his ear from a .308 with the T-50 on it in front of a Leopold 2-7X too!





Where we hunt, it pays to have a T-70!

BTW, if you are seriously looking at a FLIR T-75 long range thermal scope, I personally would not recommend mounting it on a 5.56mm rifle, it really should go on .308 and up cartridges.


We had it mounted on a Barrett M107A1 .50 cal and a Savage 110 .338 Lapua with serious NightForce optics and it was very wicked at night.


Also had a FLIR S135 MUNS night vision clip-on that you could instantly swap out for the T-75 to really reach out and touch someone in a special way.....

I think I asked the question wrong. I am asking because I also run the Vortex Razor 1-6x almost exclusively, but have not used the 75 in front of the razor. What I meant to ask, was at what point when reducing magnification of the day optic do you see the entire display, thus making it pointless to continue reducing magnification?

Ah Ha, sorry I missed that, at 4X and lower with the Vortex day scope you see the entire view with all the icons, above 4X you lose sight of the icons....

I hate to backtrack, but not long ago I stated the variable 1-6 was a great optic for use with clip-ons but you replied "...none work better than the ACOG and ELCANs with any of them." in a 'matter of fact' skypup way
i'm shocked you, of all people, have changed your tune and realize they do work rather well <~shocked face

I don't think you quite understood what I was saying or implying as you have brought this up numerous times to me?

For me, the best setup is my TA02 4X ACOG/T-70s on my 556s.

However, due to eye relief issues at night with the 7.62mms, I am using 1.5-6X Elcans on both of them to keep my forehead from contacting the scope rim.

The issue I was alluding to is at night in unfamiliar territory using thermals, I like to use the SAME magnification for scanning and targeting all the time, thereby allowing me to use my experience in judging proper distances and range.

Varying the magnification increases the difficulty in determining proper distances for me so I avoid that.

When I lend my equipment to my friends or newbies, I tell them the same thing.

The only time I zoom in at high magnification is for, perhaps, to take the shot after the target has been acquired if zooming presents a better target.

For others in different circumstances they may prefer varying setups differing from me, however for me that is what works the best.

So, yes, my recommendation for the best all around perfect setup for me is either one of the above configurations for 5.56mm or 7.62mm.

At least half a dozen people set theirs up like I mentioned above and have thanked me for helping them out and getting them setup with one of the easiest simplest best thermal weapon kits available, I did not make them do it, they did it on their own.

Also, the FLIR GS scopes were all made to work with current military issue day optics, in particular both the ACOG and ELCAN are both specifically part of that specification.

No worries, thanks for the answer!

Forgot to mention that the T-75 has the remote control pad containing the remote joystick and menu button that comes with it as well.

Those familiar with the use of other FLIR GS products like the M-18 and T-70 thermals know and appreciate how easily the toggle switch and menu button function together.

The T-70/T-75 GS thermal scopes all allow precise target acquisition using the mini-joystick placed at operator’s thumb and/or remotely via a control pad allowing operators to adjust and control the sight while keeping hands on rails, grips, triggers, etc


http://www.trijicon.com/resources/downloads/thermosight_T75.pdf



http://tnvc.com/shop/flir-t75-advanced-combat-thermal-sight-long-range/