AGM Rattler V2 vs ATN ThOR 6 Mini: two budget 256 thermals

We haven't tested these units; scores come from published specs and the rubric on our How We Choose page. Our scores put the ATN at 7.3 and the AGM at 7.1 out of 10, close enough that the right pick depends on how you hunt.

The matchup: two budget 256 thermals

On the surface these two are twins. Both use a 256x192 sensor with 12 µm pixels, both run at 50 Hz, both list IP67 and a five-year warranty, and both weigh about a pound (1.06 lb for the AGM, 1.10 lb for the ATN). Both sat in the $500 to $1,000 tier by the Amazon prices we recorded. The differences are in the lens, the battery design, the sensitivity figure and what each maker chose to publish.

AGM describes the Rattler V2 19-256 as a compact thermal "designed for close-range hunting, predator control, and hunters looking to enter the world of thermal optics." ATN's ThOR 6 Mini 256 2-16x is the 256 version of ATN's current ThOR 6 Mini, which also comes in 384 and 640 versions. For a landowner, both are feeder and trap-distance tools.

The spec sheets side by side

Detail per hog vs width of view

With the same sensor and pixel size, the lens decides the trade-off. The pixels-on-target math (inches per pixel = yards × 0.036 × pitch ÷ lens) works out like this at 100 yards:

• AGM Rattler V2 19-256: 100 × 0.036 × 12 ÷ 19 = about 2.3 inches per pixel, so about 26 pixels along a 5-foot hog. The view is about 49 feet wide at 100 yards; AGM publishes 49 x 36 ft.
• ATN ThOR 6 Mini 256: 100 × 0.036 × 12 ÷ 15 = about 2.9 inches per pixel, so about 21 pixels along the same hog. The view is about 61 feet wide at 100 yards (ATN publishes 11.7°).

We use 5 feet because Texas A&M AgriLife says the largest adults can be more than 5 feet long (Feral Hogs in Texas); most hogs are smaller and get fewer pixels. On the rough identification yardstick in our 256 vs 384 vs 640 guide (about 13 pixels up a 3-foot hog), the Rattler holds out to roughly 125 yards and the ThOR 6 Mini to roughly 100. That's illustrative geometry, not a field test.

What it means in the field: the Rattler shows each hog a little larger, which helps at the far edge of a food plot. The ThOR 6 Mini shows about a quarter more ground, which helps when a sounder spills around a feeder at 40 yards and you need to keep track of every animal. Neither is a long-range scope. Above their base magnification, both zoom digitally, which enlarges the same sensor pixels without adding any.

Sensitivity and display

ATN lists NETD as ≤20 mK; AGM lists <35 mK. Lower is better: ATN's own ThOR 6 page puts it as "Lower NETD = finer temperature differentiation" ( ATN). It matters most on warm, humid nights, when Pulsar's comparison guide notes that "hot backgrounds can approach target temperature" and "rain, fog and humidity reduce contrast" ( Pulsar). On paper, the ATN separates a hog from warm ground more finely. These are the makers' figures, so treat the gap as meaningful but not decisive.

The display goes the other way. AGM lists a 1024x768 OLED; ATN lists a 0.32-inch 800x600 OLED on the 256 Mini (its 384 and 640 Minis get 1920x1080). Both screens have more pixels than the 256x192 sensor, so neither throws away sensor detail, but the AGM's screen is the finer of the two for the reticle and menus.

Battery and power

This is the biggest practical difference. AGM claims up to 11.5 hours from one replaceable NE-4400 battery and includes two, so on paper one battery covers a full night and the spare is a backup. ATN rates the ThOR 6 Mini at about 4 hours per 18650, with two included for about 8 hours total, and adds USB-C external power, so you can run it from a power bank on a long sit.

If you hunt a couple of hours at dusk, either works. If you sit from dark to midnight, the Rattler's claim means fewer swaps, while the ThOR 6 Mini needs its spare or a power bank. The 18650 cells the ATN uses are a common size, which makes spares easy to find.

Toughness: recoil, water and temperature

Both list IP67. ATN also publishes a 6000 J recoil rating (1000 g over 0.4 ms) and an operating range of -22°F to 131°F. AGM doesn't publish a recoil rating for the Rattler V2 19-256 in the sources we checked, and we didn't find an operating-temperature figure for it on AGM's product page. That doesn't mean the AGM is fragile. It means you can't check it against your rifle on paper, and our rubric scores what's published. AGM does note a raised-button design "for easy operation, even while wearing gloves."

Recording, zeroing and what's in the box

• Recording: ATN lists 64 GB of internal storage and Recoil Activated Video, which ATN says captures up to 10 seconds before and after the recoil. AGM lists 16 GB, Shot Activated Recording and Wi-Fi to its AGM Connect app. Both stream to a phone app.
• Zeroing: ATN's Mini has Zeroing Freeze, which holds the image after the shot while you move the reticle, and its manual lists a heated target for zeroing in the box (ATN manual). AGM lists customizable zeroing profiles and multiple reticles. Our thermal zeroing guide covers the process for both.
• Extras: ATN lists picture-in-picture, adjustable reticle transparency, hot point tracking and six color palettes on the Mini.
• In the box: AGM includes its ADM mount, two NE-4400 batteries, a charger and a carrying case. ATN includes a mount, two 18650 batteries, a charger, the heated zeroing target and a carrying bag.

Warranty

Both list five years. AGM's terms give five years on most products bought in the US on or after January 1, 2023, with some models at three, and the warranty is "extended only to the original purchaser" ( AGM warranty). ATN's limited warranty is also for the original purchaser, and ATN must receive a product registration to validate it (ATN warranty). Keep the receipt and register either scope when it arrives.

What about ATN ThOR 5 vs AGM Rattler V2?

Searches for "ATN ThOR 5 vs AGM Rattler V2" are comparing across generations. The ThOR 5 is ATN's previous line; the only ThOR 5 in our registry is the 640 model, in the $2,000 and up tier, and ATN's ThOR 5 640 page doesn't publish its NETD, battery life, IP or recoil rating. For a budget 256 matchup against the Rattler V2, the current ATN to compare is the ThOR 6 Mini, as we have here. If your budget reaches the next tier, our Pulsar Thermion vs ATN ThOR comparison covers ATN's 384 against Pulsar's.

Where either one fits in a hog plan

A budget thermal is a removal tool, not the whole answer. Texas A&M's Natural Resources Institute says "we'd need to eliminate 66% of our wild pig population annually" to stop it growing (Texas A&M NRI, 2019), and AgriLife calls corral traps very successful because they can catch entire sounders at once. A scope like either of these earns its place taking the hogs that dodge the trap, or thinning a sounder that keeps hitting a feeder. Our whole-sounder plan for getting rid of feral hogs shows how the pieces fit.

One more piece is worth budgeting for. TPWD's hunter education rules tell hunters to identify game with binoculars, not the riflescope, and never to point a firearm at anything they don't intend to shoot (TPWD shooting safety rules). At night, that job belongs to a handheld thermal, and several sit in the under-$500 tier. Our thermal monocular vs thermal scope comparison covers the scan-then-shoot setup.

Which one to buy

• Long sits over one feeder or plot: the AGM Rattler V2 19-256, for runtime per battery.
• Hogs that come in close through brush: the ATN ThOR 6 Mini 256, for the wider view.
• A heavier-recoiling rifle, or you want a published recoil rating: the ATN, which lists 6000 J.
• You'll zero it yourself without buying a target: the ATN, with a heated target in the box.
• Shots past about 150 yards: neither; step up to a 384 behind a 35 mm lens, such as the GOYOJO GRL335 in our under-$1,000 ranking or the scopes in our under-$2,000 picks.

Before your first night out, read our summary of whether you can hunt hogs at night in Texas, and see the thermal and night vision hub for every sensor size and budget.