AGM Rattler TS35-640 Thermal Scope Review

The AGM Rattler TS35-640 2x16X35 Thermal Rifle Scope is here and is the lowest priced 640 resolution thermal scope on the market, coming in under $4000. The AGM Rattler TS35-640 uses a 640x512 12-Micron thermal core with a 50Hz refresh rate. It has an OLED, 1024 × 768 resolution display screen and an adjustable 35mm/F1.0 Germanium front lens. The 2X base magnification is suitable for most types of night hunting, and with a weight of about a pound, it won’t weigh you down on long hunts.

The AGM Rattler TS35-640, with 2X native magnification and 35mm lens is designed for medium-range hunting. It provides clear thermal images in all types of weather conditions like fog or rain. The small compact scope can be used as a riflescope or thermal scanner.

AGM makes two versions of this Rattler 640 riflescope. In addition to this scope with a 35mm objective lens, they also have the Rattler TS50-640 with a 50mm objective. The Rattler TS35-384 is presently the lowest priced 640 thermal riflescope on the market at $3995. The 50mm version is slightly more at $4495.

Thanks to Jason Roberton, owner of Outdoor Legacy, we were able to get our hands on one in late November 2021.

AGM Rattler TS35-640 – Compact & Lightweight

The AGM Rattler TS35-640 is compact and lightweight. There are a couple of other thermal scopes almost as light as the TS35-640 right now, but I think it is the lightest of all. The scope is only 8.9″ long × 2.4″ tall × 3.2″ wide and weighs less than 18 ounces. Pair this scope with some of today's lightweight Sporting rifles or bolt action rifles and you have a package under 8 pounds. In fact, this weapons mountable scope is smaller than many thermal monoculars. It can easily be used as a thermal riflescope or a handheld thermal monocular for scanning.

Another plus for this thermal riflescope is the mount. It comes from the factory with the excellent American Defense Manufacturing single lever quick detachable mount at no extra charge. This single lever configuration is not only secure but makes reattaching the scope to the rifle quick and easy without a need to re-zero.

The ADM quick-release (QR) mount attaches to any firearm or crossbow equipped with a Picatinny rail. A QR mount is essential if you plan to use the scope on multiple firearms or want to use it as a combination scope/scanner. It has only one locking lever but it worked well and kept the scope secured to the rifle in our testing and hunting. It returned to within one MOA during our range test swapping it between rifles.

If you can not afford a separate thermal scanner, you can remove the Rattler from your rifle to scan for hogs or varmints, and quickly pop it back on the rifle when animals are spotted. It may not be ideal, but it works when you are on a budget.

AGM Rattler TS35-640 – What Sets It Apart

At first glance, the AGM Rattler TS35-640 looks just like the Rattler 384. It is the same size and weight with only a couple of changes. The control buttons are in the same layout but are rubber-covered and not marked as they are on the Rattler 384. Another difference is that the colored reticle shows in videos. But the one thing that remains the same is the EASE TO USE!

I like the button layout better than other similar scopes on today's market. A separate power button, and a group of control buttons that are easy to use at night. The buttons are laid out in a common-sense, intuitive pattern to make them easy to find in the darkness and easy to use during zeroing or other menu operations. Just be careful not to hit the power button instead of record when you are excited by a coyote charging the call.

The top-mounted button layout and menu make the zeroing process very easy. When zeroing the scope, the right button moves the reticle right, and the left button moves it left. Up and down buttons correspond to the front and rear buttons. Each click moves the reticle about 1 inch. The rest of the menu is just as easy to use and the top-mounted buttons make it easy to use by right or left-handers.

The battery compartment door has a large thumb screw that holds the door very securely. Not only is it easy to use, but it will not pop open in the middle of the night like some scopes are prone to do because they have a little spring-loaded button closure.

If you use an auxiliary power bank, the power port on the Rattler uses the USB-C connector which is much easier to connect in darkness than a USB micro connector, and also much stronger.

You have five rifle profiles that can be pre-set for different rifles. Each profile has a choice of several reticle patterns and colors.

AGM Rattler TS35-640 Features

In addition to ease of use, you get a great image for the lowest priced 640 scope on the market. It may not be as good as much higher-priced scopes, but it gives you a very good image and wide field of view. AGM has concentrated the 640 power on the target, not so much the background details. The software smoothes the background and focuses the power on the heat source. I think black hot shooters will really like the image.

The Rattler has a fully adjustable objective lens for a sharp image at any distance and an adjustable ocular lens for adjusting the focus to your eye. It works equally well for people who wear glasses.

The Picture-in-Picture function provides you a 2X multiplied window that can be set for the center or either top corner of the screen. It allows you to have most of the fullwidth screen at base power and a 2X magnified image with a reticle in the smaller view at the top. It is much easier and faster to have that small window at the top of the screen for precise aiming without fumbling with buttons to magnify the image right before the shot.

The Rattler has a Stradiametric Rangefinder function to estimate the distance to the targets of known size. Using a series of presses of the control buttons, you can bracket a target to get a rough estimate of the range. It is a pretty slow process and will take some practice if you plan to use this feature in the field. There is no laser range finding option available.

The scope has a power standby setting to save power and turn off the display screen. It takes about 10 seconds to power up the Rattler if it is turned completely off, but when the scope is in standby mode, it powers up instantly with a short push of the power button. This feature will help you get the most from a pair of CR123 batteries that usually have only about 3-4 hours of run time. Turning off the display will keep the bright light of the screen from being seen by game from your rear, or the light reflected off your face or glasses.

You can save five zero profiles in the Rattler. It gives you the capability to set up profiles for different rifles or different loads for the same rifle. I set up two profiles, one for my 223 rifle and one for my 6.5 Grendel. That way we could move the scope between the two rifles without having to re-zero. You may need to set two profiles for the same rifle if use two different loads or different bullets. Regardless of how you use the multiple profiles option, it will come in handy.

The AGM Rattler lets you easily change the brightness and contrast for different weather conditions. It also has 5 different reticle designs and 4 reticle colors (red, green, black, white).

It has onboard Wi-Fi for live video streaming plus video and snapshot capability with 16GB of internal storage. Download videos with the included USB power cable to your PC or Mac. You can use the T-Vision App with the Rattler but you can not use the App to download videos to your mobile device. You can use the App to connect your phone to the scope using WIFI and record with your phone.

Scroll to the bottom for a complete list of AGM Rattler specifications and what comes in the box.

Rattler TS35-640 Power Options

Power is provided to the Rattler TS35 via two CR123 batteries. Batteries are installed by unscrewing the battery compartment lid on the left side of the scope. The battery compartment lid is hinged to the scope body to prevent loss and has an o-ring seal to make it waterproof. It is secured by a thumbscrew and I think it is one of the best-designed battery compartments available.

A pair of quality Lithium batteries will power the scope for about 4 hours. Run time may be shortened if you are capturing a lot of videos or the weather is very cold. You can sometimes stretch the battery life by using the power standby mode. CR123 batteries are expensive and have a relatively short run time. I prefer to run an Anker 10K power bank.

The Rattler TS35 has a special menu setting if you want to use rechargeable 3.7V accumulators (rechargeable batteries). Use a high-quality charger that prevents overcharging.

The Rattler TS35 uses the USB-C power connector. The weakest and most vulnerable part of a thermal scope is the little USB connector used for the charging port, so I am glad to see that AGM uses the best connector available. If you run a power bank most of the time, I would suggest using a 90-degree or magnetic connector to prevent accidental damage to the port.

As with any electronic device, remove the batteries during extended periods of non-operation to prevent damage that could be caused by battery leakage.

Rattler TS35-640 Great For Hog or Coyote Hunting

The Rattler TS35 is a great choice for any type of night hunting. The light weight makes it easy to carry for hunters who cover a lot of ground on a hunt. The 2.0X base magnification is enough for most varmint hunters and not too much for hog hunters where ranges are relatively short. It has a whopping 65 ft field of view at 100 yards, so you can see a lot of territory in front of the scope. My hunting friends and I hunt a variety of species and our hunting areas range from woods to wide-open hayfields. Everywhere I used the Rattler TS35, it did a very good job.

In those situations where you need more magnification to take longer shots, the thermal processor provides adequate resolution to bump the power up to 4 or 8X. But remember, this is a medium-range, entry-level thermal scope, so it is best used at ranges under 200 yards at the base magnification of 2X.

Zeroing The Rattler

Caution: AGM does not have “Rifle Profiles” on the menu. Instead, the menu name is “Reticle”. So when you go into the menu to set up what most people refer to as a rifle profile and set zero coordinates, you start with the menu heading “Reticle”. This is where you will move the coordinates when zeroing your rifle.

When you click to enter the “Reticle”, you will see the first profile and you can set the coordinates and choose a cursor (reticle design). AGM refers to a reticle pattern as a cursor. The profiles have numbers and if you have a different profile for each rifle, you have to remember which profile number goes with which rifle. If you have one rifle, you can copy the coordinates to all reticle profiles so no matter which reticle you choose, you will be zeroed.

Remember, if you set only one profile, you can not go in later and scroll through the other reticles without setting the zero coordinates.

If you have more than one rifle that you use the Rattler on, write down which reticle number is for which rifle. Two rifles can not share the same Reticle Profile.

Hunting With Rattler TS35-640

The Rattler TS35 is great for hunting coyotes and hogs. It is so lightweight and easy to use, all you have to do is concentrate on the hunt. It took only a short time at the range for zeroing and we were successful from the very first hunt. The Rattler TS35 is simple to set up, and deadly in the field. The image may not be quite as good as more expensive scopes, but it is about the best I have seen in a <$4000 scope.

I tried to keep my shots in the 100-yard range, because that was where I felt very confident, and I wanted good videos to show you the image quality. But out to 200 yards, this scope will do the job just fine, especially on larger species like hogs. It is probably better for hog hunters with the 2X base magnification, but coyote hunters won’t be too handicapped either.

Even though I almost always use white hot, It seems to me that the black hot palette shows better heat separation and sharper images than white hot, but all the colors work well. Check the coyote video above and you can see how well it does out to 140 yards. The scope has a very bright image and good heat separation around the target.

Bottom Line

I think the AGM Rattler TS35-640 is a very good thermal riflescope. It has a very good image and heat separation and works well on humid nights. AGM's software smooths the background and places the power on the target, so you may not see as sharp an image as a scope costing a $1000 more, but when Mr. Coyote shows up, he will be clear and sharp.

For the money, you will not find a better 640 thermal riflescope. The 640x480 resolution, ease of use, light weight, quality ADM mount add up to a very good value for the thermal hunter.

It is great for your first thermal scope, a scanner if you already have a thermal scope, or a buddy scope if you already have all your other thermal optics. The price is right and the 3-year transferable warranty makes it easy to trade if you want to upgrade later.

After using it, I am surprised it only costs $3995.

Rattler TS35-640 Specifications

Download Rattler User manual

• 640X512 12-micron thermal detector
• Image processing technology: Adaptive AGC, DDE, 3D DNR
• 1024×768 resolution 0.39-inch OLED display
• 8x digital zoom
• Lightweight and compact design
• Easy to operate control panel
• Automatic or manual (silent) calibration
• Video recording and snapshot
• Built-in EMMC memory (16 GB)
• Supports distance measurement
• Adjustable color palettes
• Wi-Fi data transmission
• Waterproof, shockproof
• Powered by two standard CR123A or RCR123A rechargeable batteries
• Up to 4.5 hours continuous working
• External power supply capability
• Limited 3-year warranty

• AGM Rattler TS35-640×512 12µm Thermal Scope
• Video-out or external power supply Type C USB cable
• QD Weapon Mount
• Two Lithium CR123 batteries
• Front lens protective cap
• Eyepiece rubber eye guard
• Soft Carrying Case
• Instructions manual

Shop Thermal Optics at Outdoor Legacy

I am writing this in August of 2021. Right now, the AGM Rattlers are in stock at Outdoor Legacy Gear. If you want a new AGM Rattler thermal scope, call Jason at  Outdoor Legacy at (877)350-1818. If the AGM Rattler is out of stock you can get on the waiting list or pre-order on the website for $100 deposit. Jason will take the time to help you decide what thermal scope or other night vision optic is best for your hunting needs.

For the latest news about Night Vision Optics, subscribe to the most informative show on Youtube, the Late Night Vision Show. Hosts Jason Roberts and Joel Miller will keep you up to date on Night Vision Optics and entertain you with some great hunting videos.

Also please visit our featured Youtube channels Outdoor Legacy on Youtube, HansETX, and The Old Deer Hunters for great hunting videos and thermal optic reviews.