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Looking Through The Armasight Contractor 320 3-12 Thermal Weapon Sight

May 1, 2026Optics, Product reviewarmasight, contractor 320, scope, thermal, weapon sightcoldboremiracle

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.

the accessory rail on the side can be used for mounting lights or other accessories

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.

armasight, armasight contractor, contractor 320, thermal, thermal scope, thermal weapon sight, controls, turrets, power switch, record button, — the power switch requires you to push down, then turn

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.

armasight, armasight contractor, contractor 320, thermal, thermal scope, thermal weapon sight, controls, heads up display, menu, — scrolling through some of the menu’s

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.

armasight, armasight contractor, contractor 320, thermal, thermal scope, thermal weapon sight, battery compartment, — the cable tied battery cover holds two CR123 Lithium cells

Features

Multiple color palettes
Intuitive menus with turret controls
8+ Reticle Types
(ESP) Easy Sight in Process
4 hours runtime at 20° 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	ArmaCORE™ 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 20° C
Waterproof rating	IP67
Rated Operating temp	-40° F to + 122° 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.

armasight, armasight contractor, contractor 320, thermal, thermal scope, thermal weapon sight, USB-C jack, connection, — the USB-C jack for connecting the unit

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.

armasight, armasight contractor, contractor 320, thermal, thermal scope, thermal weapon sight, ruger 10/22, custom 10/22, black rain ordnance, KRG Bravo, — note the locking QD clamps to attach the Contractor 320

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.

armasight, thermal, contractor 320, thermal scope, digital, weapon sight, wlvrn, desert tech, silencerco, omega 300, suppressor, — the Contractor 320 made a great companion for my **Desert Tech WLVRN**

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.

armasight, thermal, contractor 320, thermal scope, digital, weapon sight, wlvrn, desert tech,

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.

armasight, thermal, contractor 320, thermal scope, digital, weapon sight, wlvrn, desert tech, silencerco, omega 300, suppressor, shooting bench, — my **20-inch 5.56 WLVRN** with the **SilencerCo Omega 300 suppressor** was a perfect host

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)

cable tethers keep all the important caps in place

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.

-CBM

Armasight Contractor 640 2.3-9.2×35 Thermal Weapon Sight

February 29, 2024Optics, Product reviewarmasight, contractorcoldboremiracle

Introduction

Thermal optics have become one of the latest trends in the shooting industry. In fact both night-vision and thermals have become sort of a new status symbol for gun owners. Mainly because they are not inexpensive, and require significant dedication to obtain. But as with many things in our industry, competition drives innovation. We all have benefitted from this competition, as more products and companies have emerged making it easier to get hands on these products. Today we are looking at one of those products, the Armasight Contractor 640 2.3-9.2×35 Thermal Weapon Sight.

Armasight manufactures a variety of thermal and night-vision devices for both observation and weapon sighting. This is not the first experience I’ve had with the brand, or thermal/night vision for that matter. So I was excited to see how the Contractor 640 stood out against other thermal sights I’ve used.

the Armasight Contractor mounted to the **Desert Tech MDRX**

The Armasight Contractor 640 2.3-9.2×35 Thermal Weapon Sight

With so many features to go over, I ‘ll simply list them all at once, and go over the ones that deserve attention:

Multiple color palettes
Intuitive menus with turret controls
8+ Reticle Types
4 hours runtime at 20° C
Image Detail Enhancement
1/2MOA Boresight
Quick Detach Mount Included
Video Recording & Image Capture
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

Features

With such an impressive suite of features its is challenging to discuss them all. Perhaps the most valuable ones are the practical things you will use on a regular basis. For example, color pallet selection can help define targets and surroundings. Giving you contrast to better see what you’re looking at.

the heads up display of the Contractor 640

The image and video recording capabilities are nice if you like to share your hunting experiences with others. And it’s also valuable for seeing what happened after the shooting is over.

Connectivity is very handy, and with wifi enabled devices like the Contractor 640 you can easily access images and other data from your phone. Armasight has both Android and Apple applications to do this, I downloaded the Apple version to see how it worked

There was a surprising amount of control of the Contractor via the app. You can do almost everything through the phone, change color pallets, reticle style, ballistic solving as well as record video feed. I was quite impressed with how much could be done, the thing only missing was a remote focus adjustment.

Images captured from the Armasight phone app

The different angle finding features of the Contractor 640 can be handy, as is the compass heading. Some of these features aren’t hugely important unless you are shooting beyond regular distances. So they may be overkill for many shooters, but very handy for others.

The dual turrets for bringing up and selecting menus makes changing up some of these features quick to do on the fly.

this short barreled **Desert Tech SRS A2 Covert** was an excellent host

Shooting a Thermal Weapon Sight

One of the first things I find useful with a thermal sight is selecting a color pattern that best fits your eyes. Everybody’s eyes are different, and finding a good contrast setting that fits your eye will help you make sense of the display. I tend to prefer white on black, while you might prefer one of the color pallets.

For those of you who might have seen an ultrasound of a growing baby, it can be similar. You are oftentimes looking at not only what is there, but the negative of what lies around it. Different display settings can enhance your ability to identify your target.

note image focus ring and quick detach mount

In addition to the actual warm and cold image, the Contractor shows additional data in the display. The aiming reticle can be changed, offering you different tools for holdovers. There are also angle and cant indications on the sides of the display. Zeroing the device is easily done following Armasights directions using one of their thermal targets.

Field Use

Before shooting with the Contractor 640, I would need to zero the sight to my rifle. Armasight has incorporated a handy function to zero the sight. After centering the crosshair on your target, and carefully firing a shot, you steady the rifle on the target (using bipod, bags, etc). You can then adjust the point of impact to the bullet hole in the target. It’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

the **Armasight Contractor** Mounted to my **Desert Tech MDRX**

Controls

One of the greatest strengths I believe the Contractor brings is the turret menus. Both turrets have a pop-up menu each that can be easily cycled through to select different features or settings. I found them easy to navigate and go through without taking too much time.

The Power knob is easy and secure, you simply push down and rotate it to on or off. There is no question which of the two settings it is set on, and it is not easy to switch accidentally. This is refreshing when compared to other options that uses push-buttons, that can be accidentally pressed. And when cold weather is encountered, their engagement can be less tactile.

another image from the app, showing different color pallets

Recording video through the sight is easily done by pressing the record button behind the right turret. This initiates recording of the display, and it shows a recording icon in the display so you know it’s recording. Four hours of recording time will fit on the internal memory card, which is easily downloaded via the provided USBC cable. Personally I prefer removable memory cards, that allow you to swap and upload as needed.

Focusing the images seen in the Contractor is done by two rubberized focs rings. The one at the rear of the optic, is to focus the image seen by your eye. At the front of the optic, there is another focus ring that corrects the actual thermal sensor clarity. Both are easily adjusted giving a great image.

Mount

Mounting the Armasight Contractor is quite easy, thanks to the Kinetic Development Group QD mount. The cantilever mount uses spring-tension to snap closed over whatever picatinny sight rail you wish to attach it to. It locks into place, and can be removed by pressing the button at the front to release it. It’s a top quality mounting system.

Shop thermal optics at Euro Optic or Optics Planet

Action

With the optic zeroed, there was little to do other than shoot. Selecting an appropriate reticle for my purposes was easy, making shots at various target types a snap. Shooting with a suppressor was a huge plus, keeping the hot gasses of the report focused tightly to avoid target obstruction. Watching bullets fly through the air was pretty cool, as was seeing their impacts. Sparks and hot bullet fragments could be seen as shots impacted. To keep this article less obscene, I’ll avoid mentioning the imagery of animals being hit through the thermal. I’ll let you find those images on your own.

Shooting through the Armasight Contractor in darkness was very effective. But as the freezing fog of winter came in, the image rapidly deteriorated. This is the case with most thermals I believe. With ice crystals floating in the air, there is no way for the thermal to see through so much.

Another thing that I experienced with this and other thermals is a need to be very attentive to the focus. It’s very easy to move from one target area to another and lose clarity, until you remember to refocus the image.

I fielded the Armasight Contractor on several occasions, aiming to find something warm to shoot at. One of the local swamps promised the opportunity of a raccoon or fox, which would have been just right. Unfortunately I never got onto one of them, but the swamp was certainly full of life, such as rats and waterfowl. It was awesome to be able to pick out the living inhabitants so easily, the warm heads of ducks shown starkly against the cold water around them.