Ever since we got first wind that Sightmark had a new night vision scope under development, we’ve been keeping an eye out for the release.
The new and improved Wraith 4K Max is one of the newest products to hit their shelves.
With the Wraith, all-nighters will be part of your life again.
Visibility in the dark with an extra-sensitive and high-resolution sensor will be yours for under $1000.
So, let’s explore how Sightmark intends to make the Wraith 4K a productive tool for nighttime hunting and daylight hours too.
Quick Overview...
What We Like: 4K hi-res sensor
What We Don’t Like: Need rear extended mount
Best Uses: Night Shooting, Day Shooting, Tactical Use, Hunting, Scouting, Varmint Control, Digital NV, Close to Mid-Range Detection
- Sensor: CMOS 4000x3000
- Magnification: 3-24x
- FOV: 31.5 ft/100 yds
- Display Resolution: 1280x720
- Eye Relief: 2.7”
- Color Modes: Day & Night
- Battery: 5-8 hours
- Dimensions: 12 x 1.9 x 3”/2.16 lbs
Our Verdict: The Wraith 4K is a solid, high-performing night vision rifle scope. It’s quickly climbing the ranks as one of the best night vision scopes for the money. It’s also preferred for performance over more expensive alternatives. Put the new Wraith through its paces and you’ll be impressed.
Who is the Sightmark Wraith 4K Max 3-24X50 Best Suited to?
If the budget doesn’t stretch past $1000, you must consider the Sightmark Wraith 4K scope. It provides quite the variety of high-tech features without coming across as overkill.
It’s very competitive with the ATN X-Sight LTV and the Yukon Sightline N450S that run around the same price. But the Wraith has a Hi-Res 4K resolution sensor, and it’s been approved by the masses as a high-performing scope.
With a track record already in the books, the Wraith should be a serious consideration as a high-end, cheap night vision scope and extremely effective hunting scope – day or night.
How Does the Sightmark Wraith 4K Max 3-24X50 Perform?
New to the market is the Wraith 4K night vision scope that is digital and every bit competitive with the best digital scopes the market has to offer such as the Pulsar Digisight Ultra N455 and even the Digex N455 model.
It doesn’t go overkill on the features, but it still has the best of what digital can offer such as an adjustable stadiametric rangefinder, video recording with audio, zoom magnification, One Shot Zero, and more.
Its best feature is its imaging quality and that’s all thanks to the high-resolution CMOS sensor and HD display. It provides a decent length of operating time with its 5-8 hours, and it’s actually usable to the detection ranges Sightmark advertises.
It is on the heavy side for what is quickly becoming the standard post 2020 for night vision scopes (under 2 lbs), but the 50 mm lens, dial interface, and high resolution certainly justifies its hefty build.
Features & Benefits
4K Hi-Res Sensor
Talk about high resolution! The Wraith 4K Max has a 4K quality CMOS sensor that provides 4000x3000 resolution. The difference with the hi-res sensor is exceptional color daytime mode and great night vision for night mode.
You can take advantage of the 3-24x magnification to acquire the clarity and close-up views that you need to identify a target.
When you record with the Wraith, yes, you’ll have ultra-high-definition 4K imaging quality at a larger image scale. Record in slow motion, record audio, take photo bursts, or set shutter time, and you’re all set to share something worth sharing with whomever shows interest.
Day & Night Mode
It’s impressive to see that this digital scope has both a Day and Night mode with a color display for day and black and white for night. While there are techy reasons for not providing a color mode related to subpixels and image degradation, Sightmark went ahead and did it anyway, and they nailed it.
The high-resolution sensor and display allow for extremely crisp detail at full magnification well past 200 yards. It can definitely handle clear and well-defined imaging at full zoom for zeroing at 100 yards. When lowlight conditions crawl in, resolution will degrade and then you know it’s time to move into night mode.
As a scope that’s rated for 300m detection, it’s more than fair to say it performs. It does a great job at handling bright daylight, dim light, low light, and remains consistent in performance across the board. Fox, coyote, and hog hunting with night vision is now an affordable reality. Without using the included illuminator, you can see out to 200-yard distances with zero image degradation.
Turn the 850nm IR illuminator on and this thing really shines. You can adjust the intensity and beam of the IR light to suit the scope settings so that you always have the best picture quality possible. If your IR replacement can top Sightmark’s one, feel free to see your night vision explode with incredible visibility that may very well push detection past the 300m range.
Digital Scope Features
The Wraith is completely user adjustable. You can set contrast, brightness, and rangefinder references. It’s not a laser rangefinder but a digitally adjustable stadiametric rangefinder.
You have multiple reticle types and can toggle between different reticle colors. One Shot Zero is straightforward, and as side note, you adjust windage first before elevation. Save the adjustments, and you’re done. Honestly though, most of us at least take a few more shots to confirm we have zero – it’s good practice. You can save a zero for up to four different weapon systems.
User-Friendly
To have a night vision scope that is user-friendly and intuitive to use makes a big difference in the field in the dark. The buttons provide an easy-to-use navigation system which leads you into a 7-setting menu. It’s a mixture of using the rotary dial and buttons to navigate the menu, and we like the incorporation of the dial since, well, you’re likely in the dark most of the time if you have night vision.
It’s made of aluminum and has an IPX5 rating, so it’s splashproof and can handle temperatures from -4 to 140-degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately, it’s not fogproof as the optics have not been nitrogen-purged. Use conservative methods to prevent internal fogging when moving between extreme climates.
Limitations
Need Rear Extended Mount
In all reality, you’ll need the rear extended mount which is the Sightmark Wraith Bolt Action Mount. This extended mount makes using the Wraith a lot more comfortable and easier to achieve eye relief for betting positioning while standing and in prone positions.
The mount provides quite the distance for rear mounting, but the only issue is that the objective lens cap is unable to close entirely since the objective bell sits very close to the mount.
For a part that is considered a necessity for setups, it’s a shame it’s not included with the buy.
Popular Questions
The Sightmark Wraith 4K Max night vision scope is rated to be recoil-proof for calibers up to .308.
The Wraith 4K Max scope has an internal rechargeable battery that charges via the supplied USB cable. Without use of the video recording feature and WiFi, you can obtain approximately 8 hours of operation. With use of these features, you will limit operational time to 4-5 hours.
The IR illuminator requires 2x CR123 batteries and provides up to 90 minutes of operation on max settings.
The Wraith 4K has 10 reticle patterns and 9 color options. The colors are Black, White, Red, Blue, Green, Cyan, Orange, Yellow, and Magenta.
The Wraith 4K comes with an 850 nm IR Flashlight, daytime lens filter, objective lens cover, and fixed Picatinny mount. It also comes with the user manual and the required USB cable needed to charge the Wraith.
The Sightmark Limited Lifetime Warranty is touted, but under closer inspection, the digital imaging sensor is only covered for three years and the battery for one year. The warranty is not owner transferable and the scope is only covered under warranty if it’s registered with the manufacturer within 30 days of purchase with proof of purchase.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to be out all night like the good ol’ days, the Wraith 4K will do just that and more.
Additionally, it’s not just a good tool for nighttime hunting, it’s excellent for daylight hours too. Its color resolution is so good that you won’t need a quick detach mount to remount your daytime scope. It may very well be your dedicated scope for hunting – day and night.
But, if night hunting excites you more, ditch the flannel pajamas and popcorn. This is the type of all-nighter with visibility in the dark, a rifle in hand, and a night vision scope - the stuff of awesome dreams.
Further Reading
Very through review. I'm sold.
Glad you enjoyed it Byron
How accurate is the range finder in this model?