Thermal optics are no longer just the realm of elite military units and wildlife documentary crews. In 2025, they’ve become rugged, reliable tools for civilian hunters and shooters—and few brands exemplify that leap forward like Armasight. Their rebirth and the introduction of Armasight Contractor line mark a significant turning point for thermal gear. With the Contractor, Armasight has made a thermal optic that doesn’t feel like a computer on your rifle. It feels like an optic. That difference matters.

Armasight Legacy

Founded in 2011 by opto-electronics expert Dmitry Rocklin, Armasight made waves early on by producing some of the first commercially available thermal weapon sights that didn’t compromise on performance. The company gained a strong following among military, law enforcement, and civilian shooters, thanks to its focus on American-built quality and durability. In 2016, Armasight was acquired by FLIR Systems, which briefly supercharged the brand’s reach—until FLIR’s outdoor and tactical division was shut down in 2019.

But in 2020, the story took a new turn. Armasight was revived by Ecentria (the parent company of OpticsPlanet and USIQ), with Dmitry Rocklin returning to lead product development. The brand relaunched at SHOT Show 2022 with a modernized, mission-driven mindset. The Contractor is a product of that resurrection: a U.S.-made thermal optic that blends durability, modern tech, and actual field usability.

Armasight Contractor’s First Impressions

At Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous 2025 in Wyoming, I had the chance to shoot through several Armasight models. Among them, the Contractor stood out immediately. It wasn’t just the image quality or the color palette options—it was the overall feel. This thing didn’t feel fragile or overly electronic. It had tactile knobs with detents. It felt like something that belonged on a hard-use rifle. That detail can’t be overstated.

I originally planned to mount the Contractor on a Wilson Combat NULA rifle, but the proprietary mount demanded more Picatinny rail real estate than the rifle offered (needs 3.25” of continuous rail to mount securely). So, I adapted and dropped it on a new 54’ Smith & Wesson .45-70. Launching 50 rounds of 405-grain slugs at an average of 1658.7 fps (measured on a Garmin Xero Chronograph) the Contractor stayed zeroed, my shoulder not so much. While not my original plan, the pairing ended up being brutally effective and downright enjoyable. The optic itself measures 10.5 inches long, is about 4 inches high, and weighs in at 2 lbs 2.3oz. 

Built Tough

The mount deserves special attention. It’s rock solid, easy on and off, and more importantly—it holds zero. A simple push-button release allows you to tilt and remove the optic with ease, making it ideal for switching rifles or clearing tighter storage cases. The tradeoff is space: this mount eats up a decent stretch of your pic rail. Something to consider if you’re working with limited top-rail space.

The Contractor is housed in a fully waterproof, IPX7-rated aluminum chassis, meaning it’s sealed against dust and can survive submersion in up to 3 feet of water for 30 minutes. The soft rubber optic hood offers generous eye relief—something I appreciated while running hot .45-70 loads from a rifle with serious recoil. Despite the power behind that platform, the Contractor stayed put, held zero, and took the hits like a champ (I did not). 

Optical & Thermal Clarity

The Contractor is built around Armasight’s proprietary ArmaCORE 12-micron thermal core, offering a sharp image with fast refresh rates and solid detection ranges. A digital zoom controlled by a top-mounted knob (right) cycles through different magnification levels. Like all digital zooms, image clarity decreases as magnification increases—the pixels get bigger—but it’s still very workable.

At 300 yards, a deer-sized heat signature is clearly visible, and with the right hold, a clean shot is easy. You’re not going to pick off a mouse in a puffy jacket at 400 yards, but that’s not a reasonable expectation for any thermal in this class. And I would argue – something you wouldn’t have seen without the optic in the first place. What Armasight delivers is exceptional clarity within the realistic envelope of the vast majority of hunting applications.

Modes & Reticles

You also get multiple palette modes—white hot, black hot, and various color options like green, yellow, and red. These modes help tailor the image contrast to your environment and prey, which becomes incredibly useful in brush, snow, or low-light scenarios.

Also, the Contractor offers a wide selection of customizable reticles, including MOA, MIL, and BDC-style options. Users can choose from multiple patterns such as dots, crosshairs, dot-cross, chevrons, and line-dot configurations, all adjustable through the onboard menu. Reticle color can also be customized to match the environment or personal preference. Notably, the reticle scales proportionally with the digital zoom—meaning while the image magnifies digitally, the reticle maintains accurate subtension, ensuring reliable holds at any zoom level.

Intelligent Power & Controls

The Contractor runs on two CR123A batteries and gets about four hours of runtime at 68°F. Colder weather may reduce the total runtime by as much as a third for 0 deg temps. Rechargeable CR123s didn’t work in my unit, but that’s not a dealbreaker. The unit also supports USB-C memory access and firmware updates, keeping it flexible for longer operations or in-the-field tweaks. You can plug an external battery into the USB-C for longer operating time. 

All controls are intuitive and tactile—true knobs with detents, not membrane buttons that vanish under gloves. Focus adjustments are smooth and easy, even with cold or gloved hands, and navigating the internal menu is a simple task once you get familiar. The menu includes a rudimentary rangefinder—it’s based on estimating the target’s size and adjusting an overlay box to match—but it’s accurate enough for most medium-range hunting situations.

Armasight Contractor Recording & App Integration

One of the most user-friendly features of the Contractor is its built-in video recording and internal memory. Hit one button, and you’re rolling. Just be sure to offload and reformat before each trip to avoid storage issues (though it will record about 4 hours of video on its own). The internal memory keeps things streamlined, though it does require regular housekeeping. For example, firmware updates to the optic need to be performed through a wired connection not the app. 

Where the Contractor truly breaks new ground is in its wireless streaming app. Armasight’s app connects via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth (toggled on via the left knob) and streams real-time footage from the optic directly to your phone. This isn’t just a party trick—it opens up new capabilities. You could let a hunting partner monitor your feed from cover, or use it to scan from a tripod and shoot off a separate rifle.

The app also includes a topographical mapping feature with a live muzzle vector. In low-visibility environments—especially at night—this feature reinforces safe directionality. Every round that leaves the bore is our responsibility, and tools like this are game changers for situational awareness and accountability. Check your state laws prior to hunting with a thermal as they do vary state to state. For example hunting or scouting with a thermal is illegal in Alaska. There are other states like Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Rhode Island all have complications or bans on thermal hunting. Be sure of state legislation before taking these into the field. 

The Thermal Refresh

The Contractor has an XGA 1024×768 AMOLED 60Hz display. Every so often, the Contractor will briefly flash a countdown on the screen and recalibrate. This is not a bug—it’s a process called Non-Uniformity Correction (NUC). Thermal sensors drift over time, creating image distortion or “ghosting.” The NUC refresh resets the thermal sensor using a flat baseline, clearing the image and recalibrating sensitivity. It might look odd, but it’s one of the reasons the Contractor delivers such consistently sharp thermal performance. 

A Real Tool, Not a Toy

I’ve used a fair number of thermals that were basically computers with reticles—great for bench use, awkward in the field. The Armasight Contractor isn’t like that. It feels like an optic built for real-world use. The housing, controls, and overall design reflect a philosophy of rugged usability. Nothing feels like a gimmick. Everything—from the mount to the app—is there to make the optic more effective and more resilient.

And it’s worth repeating: this thing is tough. If I dropped the rifle, I’d worry more about the gun than the optic. That’s rare.

Into The Night

The Armasight Contractor is not a budget optic (Street price ~$5,000)—but it’s absolutely a value. Every feature works, and every component feels refined. Whether you’re tracking coyotes at night, scanning fields for hogs, or just want a thermal you can trust when the weather goes sideways, the Contractor belongs in your kit.

In a world of thermals that feel overly delicate or digitally bloated, the Contractor is refreshingly grounded. It’s a working optic for working shooters—and that’s why it’s staying mounted on my big bore rifle.