ATN 4K Pro Day and Night Vision Scope FULL REVIEW
The ATN 4K Pro line of day/night vision optics are a technological wonder of the highest order. Allow me to explain. I have an FX Impact Compact in .25 caliber. It’s my main hunting airgun. I have it tuned to throw a JSB MkII 33.95gr pellet at 910fps (about 62fpe) with the hammer adjuster on MAX. With the hammer adjuster on MIN it will throw a Predator Polymag 26gr at 900fps. (about 46fpe) I want to be able to use the gun on those two settings with those types of ammunition for different purposes. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a scope where you could just click a couple buttons and thus completely and reliably change your zero for different ammunition at different power levels? Oh, and you can also use this scope day or night. Oh, and you can also utilize the entire effective range of your rig with the ABL 1000 (Auxiliary Ballistic Laser) rangefinder so your point of aim and point of impact are one in the same at any distance. Oh, and you can also record what you see through the scope at any time. These are but a few of the things that the ATN 4K Pro can do. Below is the link to the full review video that accompanies this article. I suggest taking them both in for the full story.
The exact rig used for this review is as follows. Like I said above, I have an FX Impact Compact in .25 caliber. I attached the ATN 4K Pro 5-20 using the rings supplied with the scope. Specifically, I used the offset rear and the front with the picatinny rail sections for attaching the included (or an upgraded) illuminator. I did indeed upgrade my illuminator to the ATN IR850 Pro Long Range IR Illuminator. The one that comes with it is perfectly useable, but you get much better battery life and brightness options out of the upgraded one. I attached the ATN ABL1000 Laser Rangefinder to the scope, and also tested the ATN X-Trac Tactical Remote Access Control. Basically, a remote control for the scope. The most important part about this rig is that I paid for every last piece of it. None of this was given to me for review or for any other reason. That should give you a spoiler about my feelings for the rig and it’s components. This is mine, and it’s just the way I want it.
I am forced to write a summation of what this scope is and what this scope does. I would have to call it a “force multiplier.” Sure, this concept is intended for battle more than hunting…but it’s still applicable. I think you’ll see what I mean. I’ll get into the specifics of things later, but I want you to understand what this scope does for me. After getting the scope, one must set it up. The more accurately you perform this process, the better your results will be. This is a high tech, computer controlled machine. I’m not saying that setting it up is hard, but I am saying that if you can’t turn a computer on….this might not be the scope for you. Some basic computer literacy is required. Because I’ll be talking about my experience with the scope for the review more than spewing details at you…here are some of those details for those interested…
- Ultra High Definition 4K Sensor
- Record Video in 1080P 30/60/120 fps
- Wifi / Bluetooth
- Recoil Activated Video
- Up to 18 Hours Battery Life
- Night Vision
- One Shot Zero
- Ultra-Low Power Consumption
- Ballistic Calculator
- Smart Range Finder
- Recoil Resistance
- Stream Line Design
So now the scope is set up and zeroed (at 20 yards) on my gun. This is a very simple process that requires only a few shots, though ATN calls it the “One Shot Zero.” In my experience, a few shots is better. Now with my zeroed and completely set up rig, I take it to the known distance course on the range. I turn everything on and settle in on the 30 yard target. I press a button on the remote and the scope ranges the target with the optional ABL 1000 Laser Rangefinder. It shows “31 yards” on my display, and the reticle has been automatically adjusted to hit at 31 yards while aiming point blank on the crosshairs. I aim, fire, and hit exactly where I was aiming. Not bad, but I’m zeroed at 20 yards. 30 yards should be point blank anyway with this rig. Let’s try 40 yards. I settle in at 40 yards, press the button on the remote to range the target and it says “40 yards” Again, the reticle automatically adjusts to hit at 40 yards while aiming point blank on the crosshairs. I aim, fire, and hit exactly where I aimed. Ok, not bad…but I could still be at a natural point blank distance. So I try at 50 yards. Same result. I hit exatly where I aim. Then I try 100 yards. I range, I aim, I fire, I hit exactly where I’m aiming…repeatedly. The distance doesn’t matter anymore. No more holdovers. I can just range and shoot point blank at anything I want, anywhere I want. This is HUGE for an airgunner.
(ABOVE) Actual footage from ATN 4K Pro
And now for the REALLY impressive part. It can do this day or night. With the upgraded illuminator, you could see a rat’s eye glow at 100 yards plain as day…not to mention the rat itself. You can input environmental data such as wind and temperature that will help to make your laser ranged shots more precise. All of these things make you a more lethal hunter, and that is why it’s a force multiplier. It expands WHEN you can shoot (time of day), and it expands WHERE you can shoot (range). It makes you more precise as every distance you shoot can now be laser ranged and computer calculated (correctly) for trajectory with an error of plus or minus 1 yard. You literally have a ballistic computer that you can carry around. If I might remind you, the first vacuum tube computer was the size of a room and was used primarily to calculate ballistic tables for US artillery guns one at a time. You now carry around a near infinite amount of those tables when you carry an ATN scope. That’s just incredible when you think about it for a minute.
That, in my opinion, is why you by an ATN scope. They are legitimate force multipliers. They give you capabilities that most scopes do not which make you more lethal as a hunter…and that’s where I draw the line. While the ATN 4K Pro is an absolutely incredible hunting scope…a competition scope it is not. The images you get out of the scope are fantastic….for hunting purposes. You can record HD 120fps video through the scope during the day, and HD 60fps video at night of anything you see through the scope. These images will allow you to easily discern your quarry from the background any time day or night…but they’re not going to win any awards for clarity. At low power and close distances, it’s pretty clear. When you crank up the magnification, however, things do get grainy. I do not see this as a fault or flaw in the scope as it’s perfectly acceptable for it’s intended use…which is hunting. When it comes to competition scopes, I’ll still be sticking with a traditional design.
One common complaint about older ATN models was battery life. I have some first hand experience with this, and the battery life on older models really was horrific. Not so with the 4K Pro. It has a built in rechargeable battery that ATN claims will give you 18 hours on a full charge. In my opinion, they might have understated this. The 4K Pro has great battery life and in my testing exceeded the manufacturers claim. The accessories differ in their battery life, and unfortunately…none of them match the 4K Pro itself. Still, buying some batteries now and then is a small price to pay for the capability the scope gives you. A fair trade IMO. Another downside is going to be the computer literacy requirement. Not everyone is going to be able to utilize what this scope has to offer in the same way that not everyone is able to utilize a computer or a smart phone. This scope IS a computer in a manner of speaking, so do be aware of this before buying one.
The ATN 4K Pro series of Day/Night Vision scopes bring a hunter into the 21st century. The same sensors and computers that make tanks and fighter jets more lethal now make your airguns more lethal. They make you more lethal as a hunter. What’s more is that the ATN LTV series of Day/Night Vision scopes gives you most (not all) of the capability of the 4K Pro series at budget prices. A review specifically on that line of scopes will be coming soon. These scopes aren’t the answer to everything, but they are an outstanding hunting scope and I highly recommend them for that purpose. I put one on my own gun, and that’s the most sincere compliment that I can give any product.
Donnie Reed is our Sales Manager and general airgun guru here at Baker Airguns. He was a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, and qualified as both a Rifle Expert and Pistol Expert. Donnie is now a competitive airgun shooter, focusing primarily on field target and benchrest competitions. He has won both PCP and piston class field target matches, as well as local benchrest competitions. Donnie also runs the Youtube channel and Facebook group ALL THINGS AIRGUN. His first college degree is in Mathematics and Sciences, but he is still pursuing another in Physics and Astronomy.
