Feb 01, 2025 | 12:55 pm 1646 0

The Ultimate Bolt-Action Night Hunting Build: Thermal Clip-On Build

At AGM Global Vision, we’re always looking for ways to push the limits of night hunting technology. Our latest build combines precision long-range performance with the ability to seamlessly integrate thermal and night vision clip-ons. Built around a light weight bolt-action 6.5 Creedmoor, this rifle is designed for hunters who are looking for inspiration on a solid "do-all" thermal clip-on rifle build.

Breaking Down the Build

The Foundation: Aero Precision Barreled Action

At the heart of this build is an Aero Precision 6.5 Creedmoor barreled action, a proven platform for long-range accuracy and consistency. The 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge is an excellent choice for night hunters looking to stretch their effective range while maintaining manageable recoil. 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 tend to be a pretty popular caliber choice for those just starting out in night hunting, especially if they're hunting both Hogs and Coyotes but stay tuned for a more in depth article going over the most popular caliber options in the Night Hunting community.

Ultradyne Chassis, Buttstock, and Grip

A fully modular chassis system from Ultradyne provides a rock-solid foundation for precision shooting. The adjustable buttstock ensures proper eye relief and cheek weld when running thermal or night vision clip-ons, while the ergonomic grip enhances shooter comfort for extended hunts.

Rifle Basix Trigger: Precision Shot Control

A high-quality trigger can make or break a precision rifle build. We opted for a Rifle Basix trigger, known for its crisp break and adjustable pull weight, helping ensure clean shots in high-stakes hunting situations.

Leupold Mark 4 4.5-18x Scope: Optics Built for Night Hunting

For this setup, we mounted a Leupold Mark 4 4.5-18x52 optic—a rugged and reliable choice for long-range shooting. However, when using thermal clip-ons, lower magnification optics (ideally 1x to 4x) provide the best clarity and image performance. We chose to go with the Leupold Mark 4 4.5-18x for this specific optic because its a pretty solid middle ground for uses with Thermal Clip-ons and also works wonderfully with our analog Night Vision Clip-On units like the Comanche-22 and the Comanche-40.

Ultradyne Carbon Tripod

Staying on theme of a more lightweight build setup, we chose to run this setup with the Ultradyne Carbon Tripod, Although its not as beefy as other tripods like Two Vets, Fatboy, and others, it makes up for it by still be durable and super light weight and compact. Collapsed this tripod can easily fit in a backpack or under the seat of the pickup truck. And the middle height adjustment section makes changing the height for different users super quick and easy.

SilencerCo Sythe-TI

Our friends at SilencerCo absolutely blew it out of the park with Sythe-Ti Suppressor. It's lightweight titanium construction, direct thread, and awesome sound suppression made this the perfect pairing. It just makes sense to pair one of the most popular suppressors for hunting with one of the most popular thermal optics in the industry.

Griffin Armament 1.5-inch Scope Rings: Proper Height for Clip-On Compatibility

Proper scope height is crucial when integrating thermal and night vision clip-ons. We used Griffin Armament 1.5-inch scope rings, ensuring that our clip-on thermal device aligns correctly for a clear, undistorted sight picture. In general, clip-on optics work best with mounts between 1.5 inches and 1.7 inches in height, a critical detail that many hunters overlook. The scope height doesn't need to be exactly the same as your thermal scope, but the closer it is, the better. Once you're scope height and your thermal clip-on height are mounted in-line with each other, you can make more precise alignment adjustments when you collimate your thermal clip-on.

Thermal & Night Vision Clip-On Compatibility

This build is shown with the AGM Rattler-C V2 50-640, a powerful thermal clip-on with 640x512 resolution, 50mm lens, using the included ADM Picatinny rail mount.

However, this setup is also fully compatible with:

AGM Secutor-C LRF – A thermal clip-on featuring an integrated laser rangefinder. These clip-ons were originally designed for military applications, but the hunting community has quickly taken a liking to them.
AGM Comanche-22 & Comanche-40 – Analog night vision clip-ons, While mostly utilized within military organizations, Long Range Precision Shooters and hunters who prefer analog night vision performance over thermal imaging have found some awesome applications for these.

Why This Build? The Use Case for Night Hunters

This build is specifically designed for hunters who need versatility in the field. Whether you’re hunting coyotes, hogs, or predators at extended ranges, this rifle offers:

Long-Range Precision – The 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge, combined with a rigid chassis and high-quality trigger, delivers outstanding accuracy for its applications.
Lightweight Design - Going with a clip-on compared to a dedicated thermal setup, means you'll be adding additional weight to your rifle. Because this rifle will be carried from stand to stand while night hunting, we chose to make up for the added weight from the clip-on/scope setup, by going with the lightweight barrel, chassis, and suppressor.
Thermal & Night Vision Adaptability – The Ultradyne night vision bridge allows for seamless integration of thermal and night vision clip-ons, making this rifle adaptable to a wide range of lighting conditions. Don't need the thermal clip-on? The QD attachment makes it easy to take it off and keep it in your pack until its time to use it again.
Optimized Scope Height – With properly positioned scope rings and magnification, this build ensures your thermal clip-on works properly when collimating it. Some say that the higher scope rings are an added bonus for those who also run helmet mounted night vision. If you've run a night vision monocular, or Night vision goggles before, you'll find that getting a proper cheek weld can be difficult

Final Thoughts

This bolt-action night hunting build brings together some of the best components in the industry while still keeping cost in mind, making it an solid choice for serious nighttime hunters. With the ability to integrate thermal and night vision clip-ons without compromising performance, this setup is built to do it all!

Stay tuned for more builds, reviews, and night hunting insights from AGM Global Vision!

Modified: Feb 20, 2025 | 10:04 pm