Introduction
For over a decade, Armasight has been manufacturing cutting edge night vision and thermal optics. With a diverse product line the company prides itself on products that are both designed and manufactured right here in the US. The Illinois based company is no stranger to me, as I’ve had the opportunity to use and test some of their other products. And today I bring you another one, a review of the Armasight Contractor 320 3-12X thermal weapon sight. The Contractor name seems to lean towards a military or private military application, which I am certainly not. However, I do enjoy shooting, and hunting in particular. And that seems to be what thermal sights are best for, so I am always excited to take a look at a new option.
The Armasight Contractor 320
As is typical with thermal weapon sights, there is a lot to take in and learn after you open the box. Technology has been integrated to these products, which makes them more complicated than traditional sights. But that comes with some advantages obviously.
Lets start out simple, the Contractor 320 uses a thermal sensor to pick up heat, and shows the image on its small internal AMOLED display. So you aren’t looking through it like you would a traditional scope, you are basically looking at a tiny TV screen. You can focus the diopter to better see the display, just as you can adjust the objective (front) lens to focus the image.
There are a great deal of internal features that can all be accessed by two turrets on the top of the housing. You can cycle through the various menus to access everything from color palettes to reticle designs and zeroing to your host firearm. The unit is powered by two CR123 3v lithium cells, and the power switch is a push-and-turn knob centered on top.
There are other neat features that can be used and selected from the internal menus. Video and image capture can be both manually activated to triggered by the recoil of a shot. You can also access the image stream using a USB cable or even it’s own Wifi to connect to your phone. The internal display feels like the heads-up display from a fighter jet, giving you an aimpoint, inclination and compass bearings and even rangefinding abilities.
The whole unit mounts to your rifle using a cantilever mount than clamps to the picatinny rail of any firearm. Locking cams and steel wire tethers prevent unwanted movement or loss of caps and covers. There is also a picatinny accessory rail on the right side for attaching things like a laser or flashlight if needed.
Features
- Multiple color palettes
- Intuitive menus with turret controls
- 8+ Reticle Types
- (ESP) Easy Sight in Process
- 4 hours runtime at 20Ā° C
- Image Detail Enhancement
- 1/2MOA Boresight
- Standard Picatinny Mount Included
- Video Recording & Image Capture
- Shot-Activated Video Recording
- USB Video Stream
- Wi-Fi Video Stream
- Bluetooth 5.0 Capabilities
- Application on iOS / Android Devices
- USB-C Interface for External Devices
- Integrated Stadiametric Rangefinder
- Inclinometer
- Levelometer
- Graphic Compass
- Picture in Picture Mode
- Angle Cosine Indicator
- Reticle ON/OFF Selection
- Battery Status Indicator
- Alloy Metal Body and Ergonomic Design
Package Includes
- Contractor 320 3-12x25mm Thermal Weapon Sight
- Quick Detach Mount
- USB-C to USB-A cable
- Thermal Zeroing Target
- 2x CR123A Batteries
- Product Manual
- Lens Cloth
- Soft Case
Specifications
| Optical magnification | 3.2x |
| Dimensions | 7.38 x 3.48 x 3.42 in |
| Weight | 1.65 Pounds |
| Digital Zoom | 1x, 2x, 4x |
| Display | XGA (1024 x 768) AMOLED |
| Field of view | 46.17ft x 34.6ft |
| Thermal Detector | ArmaCOREā¢ 320×240 12um Thermal Core |
| Thermal Sensitivity | NETD < 40mK |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz |
| Eye Relief | 45mm |
| Connectivity | Wifi Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Lens | F1.00; 25mm |
| Diopter adjustment | -5 to 5+ |
| Power Supply | 2 x CR123A (3V) |
| Battery Life | 4 hours at 20Ā° C |
| Waterproof rating | IP67 |
| Rated Operating temp | -40Ā° F to + 122Ā° F |
| Recoil Rating | .50 BMG |
| Manufacturer warranty | 3 Years |
| Finish | Matte grey |
Unboxing and Initial Impressions
Pulling the Contractor 320 from the box, I found the familiar zippered soft case. This is a nice feature that allows you to protect this little investment while in transport. I removed the rubber lens cover, and after adding batteries I powered up the unit. A quick adjustment of the diopter made the display clear, I then dove into some of the sub menu’s picking the reticle I liked best. I tend to be black and white palette kind of guy, maybe because the first thermals I used were that way, and everything else sends me into sensory overload.
I took the unit outside, in the evening cold air to see what the darkness looks like in black and white. Neighbors houses, parked cars and trees all show nicely. It was instantly apparent which cars had been recently parked and which had been there a while. The heat radiating under the cars warmed the asphalt beneath, and warm brake rotors glowed from behind wheels. As I walked the dog around the estate to do his business, I also caught some amazingly sharp images of his face so sharp I could recognize him in a line up. Of course I also caught the bright spots he left on the grass, which was helpful for safe navigation.
Mounting
With its QD clamps on the foot of the scope, it is quick and easy to install or move from one host rifle to another. This is also handy because you can remove the scope to be used as an observation device if needed. The clamps feature the hand adjustable tension, so you can adjust for a tight fit on any rail.
I decided to use the Contractor 320 on a couple different host rifles, first off I would mount it on one of my 22 rifles. This has become a pretty standard practice for me for a couple reasons. Rimfire rifles are much more affordable to shoot, and it usually takes a bit of shooting to figure out thermal sights. I figure shooting cheap ammo like .22lr during the familiarization process keeps it reasonable. Then once I have a good handle on the scopes functions, I can move it to a centerfire rifle for different purposes.
In the Field With the Contractor 320
I quickly found that I liked the controls of the Contractor 320. Zooming is done simply by tapping the left turret down, an the unit cycles through the zoom settings quickly with each tap. Video can be triggered by a shot, or you can just push the record button to start recording. Like most cameras, there is a blinking red dot on screen while you are recording to let you know you are capturing. Downloading the videos after the fact was as easy as plugging in a USB-C cord and connecting to my laptop.
Turning the left turret cycles through the various color palettes. This makes it simple to adjust on the go, particularly if you are having trouble picking out your target. The only thing I had a hard time with, if you can call it that, was focusing on the fly. As animals move and their distance changes, I found it a little more challenging to keep reaching up front and having to sharpen my focus. Obviously this depends on the range to the target, and how it might be moving so take that with a grain of salt.
Usability
Controls on this scope are very handy, its nice to be able to quickly tap the turret to adjust the zoom setting. Or turn the very same turret to change to a different color to better ID a potential target. Using the shot induced recording is nice, but I preferred simply pushing the record button myself. With supposedly 4hrs of video space in its internal storage.
The only thing I found slightly irritating when using the scope was feeling the need to refocus the image more often than I’d like. I think this might be more of a thermal scope thing for me, as I’ve had the same issue with other units. It wasn’t a huge deal, and one I could certainly work with.
I also found it was very easy to get images out of the Contractor. Simply plugging in and moving files. With other units I’ve had, there seems to be file type disparities that make it a bit more challenging.
Optical Quality
Optical quality for thermals is heavily based on the sensor characteristics. I also have had a go on the Contractor 640 model, the big brother to this unit. I found the image quality to be better quality through that model. That is not to say this one is bad, just not as good I suppose. And for almost half the price I suppose that should be expected.
With much of nighttime hunting with thermal scopes taking place at relatively close distances, the image quality is fine. If a target was 300 hundred yards away for example, I might have a tough time telling my dog from a coyote. But at closer distances it wouldn’t be difficult.
Reliability
The only issue I had with reliability was based on battery supply. It seems that different quality batteries did not play well with the Contractor 320. I would experience auto shutdowns at times, which was irritating. I’m not sure if this is an Armasight issue or just thermals in general.
Other than that, this unit seems very robust and well built. I understand that its hard to give more than a 3 year warranty on a piece of equipment like this. Surely, with so many electronics and optics crammed together, there will eventually be an issue. I would hope that even after the warranty period, companies like Armasight would still be reasonable with repairs.
Value
Professional grade thermal optics are not cheap, so if you are looking for the most inexpensive thermal you wont find it here. With a new company popping up every day it seems, selling thermals, there are many options. The presumed safety of buying from a reputable company comes with a price tag. This one sells for around $2000 from places like Optics Planet. A browse through competitive scopes can vary in price from $800 all the way up to $4000. Which makes the Contractor 320 3-12 a pretty reasonable buy.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Great Controls- Easily adjusted on the fly and while in a high pressure hunting situation. Plenty of options for you to chose from. Even when wearing gloves.
- Quality Construction- The well built Contractor 320 is fit for most any purpose. Good materials and tough finish to last.
- Easy to use- Even newcomers to thermals can figure out how to use this scope effectively.
- Connectivity- Controlling and adjusting the optic through the app is very nice, also allowing feature customization and recording. Streaming through the USB-C cable or the units Bluetooth/Wifi is another option.
- Excellent HUD info- The Contractors heads up display gives you all the information you could want, battery level, angles, magnification, ranges and picture in picture.
- Allows saving different host rifles- keeping the settings for each host rifle saved under a profile.
Cons
- The battery issue I mentioned
- The Armasight APP was unavailable for download while testing this unit. (if you are curious how the app works, go read my review of the Contractor 640)
My Results
Using the Armasight Contractor 320 for a short to medium range carbine would be an excellent combination. Whether its for hunting coyotes on your ranch, or exterminating other pest species, this little sight is packed with features. Its friendly design makes it quick to deploy, and easily adjusted. Built tough to last through cold and bad weather, and saving video clips along the way. It’s not the cheapest option, and if you’ve made it this far, you’re probably OK with that.