Temp gun showing different results then probe?

[TwoSixSided]

Hey guys, I have both a temp gun and a acurite thermometer with a probe. The probe says that the temp is a perfect 108, but when I hit the surface with my temp gun from 2" away it only reads 100-102. Which one is accurate and why? I am using a repti basking 100W bulb in my 40 gallon breeder with a brick from Lowes as a basking spot.

 

[Taterbug]

What color is your probe? A darker probe may read warmer because it is warmer. They both also have some margin of error (it may be on the packaging or mfg website). Accurite looks to have a range of 4 degrees up or down, and cheaper temp guns are about 2 deg up or down.

 

[TwoSixSided]

What color is your probe? A darker probe may read warmer because it is warmer. They both also have some margin of error (it may be on the packaging or mfg website). Accurite looks to have a range of 4 degrees up or down, and cheaper temp guns are about 2 deg up or down.

It is a black probe. And I got the temp gun from Lowes for about $45, it's supposed to be accurate up to 1500F I don't know what to do now! My juvie is coming in a couple days and now I don't know if my temps are high enough.

I'm also confused about the logic behind the temp gun in the first place. If it only measures the surface temperature, and different material has different heating properties, then it wouldn't even be relevant to what the dragon would be feeling.. I assume it would take quite a while for my brick to heat up, whereas the probe being in direct contact with sunlight sounds more accurate, but yeah the black plastic probably does increase it a few degrees too.. Ugh everything is so confusing with these little guys.

 

[Taterbug]

I wouldn't worry too much. You could set your brick so that the top is hotter and the bottom (or a step or something) is slightly cooler, then the dragon can pick.

I like the IR gun because it directly measures the surfaces the dragon will be touching - that way I can see if there are any hot spots and how big the warm spot is. I set my lights based on the gun and if I see my guy basking at the edge of the warm area I know he'd rather it cooler. As for the rock...It can be good to have radiant and conductive heat - so the rock, while slow to warm can also give the dragon gentle heat up from below when it lays on it.