Training and Tech

2023 Editor’s Choice Award – InfiRay Outdoor RICO HYBRID 640 Thermal Weapon Sight

InfiRay Outdoor RICO HYBRID 640 Thermal Weapon Sight

InfiRay Outdoor is a newcomer to the US commercial thermal market, producing heat-seeking optics in a wide range of price points. Most impressive are its value-priced lines that offer a very high performance for the dollar. What’s also been remarkable is how night observation and targeting devices have merged. This tech is most commonly referred to as fusion, or fused devices — the combination of both night vision and thermal devices into one viewable image. Think of your kid’s video games, where you see a green-screen image with a thermal overlay outlining your target. The future is now.

Raised, tactile, and well-spaced control buttons are top-mounted, making them left and right-hand friendly. Multiple reticle types and colors, multiple zero profiles, an onboard ballistic solver, recoil-activated video, 64GB of built-in image and video storage, built-in Wi-Fi, and laser rangefinder compatibility are a few of this thermal’s LONG list of features.

The big news with the new On Target Editors’ Choice Award-winning InfiRay Outdoor RICO HYBRID 640 thermal weapon sight is that it combines the capabilities of a thermal clip-on and a thermal weapon sight to create a unique classification of thermal device for the commercial consumer. Boasting a 2,400-yard detection range as a dedicated thermal sight or as an inline clip-on sight with day optics up to 10-power, the HYBRID’s sight picture provides comfortable viewing as a dedicated weapon sight while still maintaining the needed pixel density and resolution for use as a clip-on optic. The combination of the HYBRID’s low-distortion orthoscopic eyepiece paired with a 1.03” 2560×1920 UHD display allows for a sizeable sight picture with good edge-to-edge clarity and generous eye relief.

A quick-change lithium-ion battery pack lasts 6-plus hours of field use. The RICO HYBRID’s aluminum housing is IP67 rated (dustproof and waterproof to one meter), and the optic is rated to .300 Win./7mm Mag recoil levels. While its primary function is a dedicated thermal optic, the Rico Hybrid 640 can also be used as a clip-on device mounted in front of a magnified optic of up to 10-power.

The HYBRID also provides other advantages, such as compatibility with a soon-to-be-available 2,000-yard laser rangefinder, a custom reticle generator, recoil-activated video, Bluetooth connectivity, and an onboard ballistic solver, to name a few. A quick-change, tray-mounted lithium-ion rechargeable battery lasts six-plus hours of field use, with extra batteries being available separately if needed. While not inexpensive ($6.999), it’s not exactly expensive either, given the competition and the fact that it comes with a five-year transferrable warranty. For more information contact iRay USA; Tel.: (800)769-7125; Web: www.irayusa.com — Chris Mudgett