Clip-on
A thermal or night vision unit that attaches in front of your day scope, so you keep your scope and its zero and add night viewing.
What it means
A clip-on sits in front of a regular day scope. It shows its thermal or night vision picture on a screen that the day scope looks at, so you aim with your day scope’s own reticle. Most are designed for 1× base magnification, so they don’t change the image size; the day scope does the magnifying.
They attach with an adapter that fits the outside diameter of the day scope’s front lens housing, or with a separate rail mount in front of the scope.
What it changes in the field
The appeal is keeping one rifle and one zero, day and night. You can take the clip-on off at dawn and hunt on with the same scope.
The trade-offs:
- Cost. Clip-ons often cost more than a dedicated thermal scope with similar specs.
- Weight up front. They add weight to the front of the rifle, changing its balance.
- Day scope power. Running the day scope at high power magnifies the clip-on’s pixels too. Low-end clip-ons are generally used at about 3× to 4× on the day scope.
- Shift. Clip-ons are commonly rated to hold point of impact within about 1 MOA, and moving one between rifles can shift it 1 to 2 MOA. Check your zero.
What to look for
- An adapter sized to your day scope’s objective. Measure it before buying.
- A front lens long enough for the distances you shoot, since the day scope adds no real detail.
- A solid, repeatable attachment.
How we use it on this site
Clip-ons are their own category. Our pixel numbers come from the clip-on’s own sensor and lens: the day scope enlarges the picture but adds no detail.