By Terry Houin
It’s a rough life I live sometimes. Here I am standing on a knife ridge in the Chinati Mountains of West Texas and in the eyepiece of the Sig Echo MV50-DV thermal monocular. I can count no less than five different bands of Aoudad sheep within hunting distance of my position. If you think at this point we bailed off and started to make a play, since we are on a sheep hunt, you’d be wrong. Instead, I had to stand still and look pretty while Wiley and Solomon flew drones around me to capture an “epic” shot. So the sheep fed away and I stood still like a good boy while the artists did their job. FYI, the film is gonna be badass.
Along with the sheep hunt, I was tasked with using and learning the thermal optics offerings from SIG Sauer. Yes, the same company that made my trusty P226 that accompanied me on many adventures around the world has expanded into the Electro-Optics realm.
For this trip to the mountains I brought along two different thermal optics to play with: the MV50-DV Dual View Thermal Monocular — think handheld glass a little bigger than a toilet paper tube; and the Echo CV25 Clip-On — it turns your daytime scope into a heat-seeking hammer after dark.
Echo MV50-DV — Dual-View Thermal Monocular
This thing is legit. Built around a 640×512, 12-micron core with a 50mm germanium objective, the Echo MV50 DV pushes a smooth 50 Hz refresh rate, so you’re not watching a slideshow when that coyote breaks cover. Magnification runs from 1.5X up to 24X, and the dual-view setup lets you scan wide then zoom in to pick apart the night without swapping optics.
Battery life is a respectable 10 hours on a charge if you don’t crank brightness like a teenager with his first flat-screen. It records stills and video that can be viewed or shared in real-time via BDX 2.0 — handy for proof-of-life when your buddy at camp doesn’t believe the chupacabra you glassed was legit.
Echo CV25 — Thermal Clip-On
The CV25 packs the same 640×512, 12-micron sensor into a compact 25mm clip-on. Here’s the magic: it’s parallax-free, so you keep your zero and your favorite reticle while just layering in thermal. Slap it in front of your day optic with the QD mount, run your scope at 2–3X, and you’re good to go. Or if you prefer a stand alone thermal gun, switch it to reticle mode and upload your ballistic profile for some distance hammering of the swine.
Specs list NETD ≤20 mK, which is nerd-speak for “it’ll catch a hog’s ear twitching in the mesquite.” Electronic zoom runs out to 8X, though image sharpness lives in the low to mid-range. Power comes from a removable 18650 battery, giving 8–9 hours of runtime per cell. Like the MV-50, it records stills and video, and you can stream to the SIG BDX app if you’re into broadcasting your night games.
Uncle T’s Take
Both units do what they’re supposed to. The MV50 DV is the dedicated scout — perfect for spotting, target ID, and showing your buddies how you rule the night. It’s a hunter’s glass that lives in your hand or on a tripod. The CV25 is the sneaky bastard — clip it on and suddenly your boring day scope is a night killer without changing your shooting process.
If I had to pick one for guiding or teaching, it’d be the MV50. It’s flexible, powerful, and built for scanning herds or corralling rookies into seeing what you see. But if I was going solo on hogs or coyotes, the CV25 wins for its grab-and-go simplicity.
Bottom line? SIG’s thermal game isn’t a gimmick. These aren’t toys. They’re tools — and in the Chinatis, they worked.
Price: The MV50 DV comes in at $3,999.99; the CV25 retails for $4,499.99.
Pros — Thermals are awesome and super handy for all kinds of night ops; record functions are cool for showing friends; and the ballistic reticle is a sweet option for anyone wanting a dedicated thermal gun.
Cons — Not legal for all hunting, so check your regs, and stay classy San Diego.
