Update

I put the Pulsar Core RXQ30V to good use this weekend and I'm not going to lie, I'm in love with this thing. And as I mentioned before, I've been using the Trail XP50 for over 2 months, so I'm really setting the bar high for the RXQ30V.

Saturday night we had a big storm system come through and dump over 2.5" of rain on us in just a few hours. During a break from the storm, before another line of storms rolled in, I scanned my pasture I can see from my house and I saw 15+ hogs at 250 yards. I quickly geared up and grabbed the Core again because I wanted to see it perform again in a fast shooting, multiple hog situation. I stalked to within about 75 yards of the hogs and was sloshing through 2-4" of water the whole time. Thunder was rolling all over and lightning was dancing across the sky in every direction, so my goal was to get this deed done and get back to safety.lol

Again I used the picture in picture function for the first shot. I dropped a 200lb sow dead in her tracks and most everything else in the bunch was 40-75lb shoats. They started running around like chickens with their heads cut off and I started the follow up shots. I dropped at least 2 more in their tracks and I'm pretty confident I winged 1, if not 2 more. I used my Pulsar Quantum Lite monocular to find the downed hogs and the grass was so tall I barely found the 2 smaller hogs; another reason I can't be sure I didn't hit another hog or two. I drug the 2 shoats, about 45-50lbs each over to the sow and snapped some pictures before it started flooding again. By the time I got back up to the barn, I was soaked, as was the Core. I take good care of gear but it's nice to know you've got something that's waterproof and isn't going to get hurt. I dried it all off back at the house and it's 100% good to go.

Once again, I've got to give some props to Hornandy on this ammo. I'm not a sharpshooter by any stretch of the imagination but this ammo seems to be making up for my weaknesses.lol

I've got the Core RXQ30V's on the shelf if anyone is looking for one.

- Jason

Well sure. It is a bare bones, get the job done, nothing fancy, very affordable scope. Everybody would like to get all the good features for the no feature price.

I recieved my Core today and my scale is either off or not calibrated the same as yours

The pulsar website shows 17.6 ounces w/o batteries

I assumed this weight included the factory mount...

My scale shows 17.0 ounces w/o batteries AND w/o mount

The mount alone is 6.5 ounces

So total weight without batteries of my core is 23.5

Our total weights match but not the weight of the scope only and our total weights are above Pulsars spec

Total weight of the rifle without mag or ammo is 7lbs 8oz - 450 Bushmaster

Went to the range today - Core was easy to zero, the PIP feature is a lifesaver (and money saver) for a thermal riflescope that has a lower native magnification.

Target was a modest design, regular size hot hands hand warmer as the aim point



First shots on target after sighting in at the 25 yard bench



After final adjustments to elevation (I wanted 2 inches high at 100 yards) these were the final 3 shots



Notes:

Easy to zero, 13 shots total to lock it in

One dead pixel in lower left area of screen

Mount isn't really designed for easy on/off of rifle for scanning vs shooting

Load is 225 grain FTX bullet (recoil is moderate like a 20 gauge shotgun)

Great review and pics, thanks for sharing, I absolutely agree about the PiP. I think it's a lifesaver on getting the best possible first shot off a hog but still having the full field of view for the follow up running shots. I noticed 2 dead pixels on my Core but I used the pixel repair feature and it worked great.

About the weights. You made me start questioning myself and I figured I'd made a mistake somewhere. We have a brand new digital kitchen scale, so I busted it out and grabbed my Core out of the safe. Here are the weights.

Core RXQ30V: 16.08oz
Pulsar QD Mount: 6.9oz
CR123A Batteries: 1.2oz

So a grand total is 24.18oz or 1.5lbs. It looks like our scales differ by a very slight amount. I obviously just misread my scales when I made that first post. I apologize about the error and I appreicate you correcting me. I'm glad you are enjoying the Core. Now let's see some dead hogs!

Speaking of hogs, right before I posted this, when I grabbed my Core out of the safe, I stepped on the back porch and looked through the scope and watched four small hogs walk into the woods at about 125 yards. I don't have the Core mounted on a rifle right now or I'd have shot them. I've got a Trail mounted up but I knew by the time I grabbed it they'd be in the woods, so I just watched and gritted my teeth. Another night, hopefully they won't be so lucky.


- Jason

I popped a sow on Friday night , here are a couple of screen shots through the Core that represent its detection and ID capabilities :

350 yards - a sounder of hogs - the Core can detect at this range



At 150 yards the Core can ID and detect



I'd have no issues hunting this scope 150 yards and in

Thanks for the update and review. In the right conditions, I've been able to ID hogs at 250 yards. I just need short grass and to be able to watch them move a little. But I agree that safely ID'ing at 150 yards is very reasonable, again in the right conditions.

Thanks for the screenshots too. I can definitely attest that they don't do the image quality and clarity justice. It's just hard to get much better than that without a real video out port.

Hey y'all I finally got my video review of the Core RXQ30V completed and uploaded to Youtube. There are two versions. One is a full version that's long but I explain in depth a little more about the features and specs. The other is a "quick" version, which is more of me hitting the highlights and bullet points. I hope these help for anyone who'd like to see the scope and hear a little more about the features.

- Jason

[video:youtube]wjY9GAusn1w[/video]

[video:youtube]aprix2HXGI4[/video]

I have searched for and not found an answer to my question/problem and you seem to be the most knowledgeable person I have found, so:

I have purchased a Pulsar Core RXQ30Va and have it installed on an AR-10 Creedmoor.

I have shot it quite a few times with widely varying success. A few shots will be dead on at 100 yards and then one will be so wild that it misses the B-27 I use for a backup behind the target to record any wild errors.

I have shot it only, this far, with the calibration feature on automatic and I believe that is the problem.

I have noticed that with the rifle stable on the sandbag and with the cross hairs centered on the target, the crosshairs will move more than 12" when calibrating and do not return to the original point of aim.

So must I set calibration to manual?

If so, how do I know when the scope needs calibration?

How do I know whether the crosshairs have shifted?

One can't make verification shots while hunting.....

As for seeing coyotes and identifying them, I am very satisfied. I can identify a coyote at 140 yards with no problem.

By the way, I am not a Texan nor do we have hogs in this immediate area.

I am located in the South East.

However I found this message board to be very interesting.

Thanks for any info you can share regarding my questions.

By the way, the scope is securely mounted.....Loctight where required and a torque wrench where that is applicable so whatever is happening is happening inside the scope.

If the shot is while the rxq30v is nucing / calibrating, it freezes the screen, so if there is any movement of the rifle, it will not "be on target". Set it to manual to get away from this type of problem when shooting. You will recognize when you need to nuc / calibrate by the quality of your sight picture. In manual all you do is quick press the power button. Doesn't take long, and you will be aware of the calibration and can choose when to do it - not when taking a shot.

I've enjoyed mine since they first came out. On an AR-308. Always on manual calibration, and no problems. Hope this helps.

Jack

Thank you.

Much appreciated.

I was worried that the scope might have sight picture creep and that calibration was meant to bring the aim point back to position but from your reply I see that it has to do only with adjusting the sensitivity to the various temperature areas in the sight picture.

Thanks again.

Actually Jack, "manual" calibration or NUCing is when you have to both close the lens cap (rotation of the diaphragm, in this case) and push the button. That is a specific setting on the Pulsar thermal scopes. What you are talking about is not manual, but "semiautomatic calibration." In semi auto, you do a quick press of the button with no need to close the lens cap. See page 10, here...
https://assets.tequipment.net/assets/1/26/Pulsar_Core_RXQ30V_Thermal_Imaging_Sight_Manual.pdf

DNS you are correct, didn't have the manual with me. Semi auto is my setting and has been easy from the start.....

The manual does not state what a number change equals in MOA.

In other words changing -5 y to -6y will move the point of impact at 100 yards what distance?

I now have mine set dead on at 100 yards and wish to raise the impact point 1.3".

And i wish to avoid the "hunt and peck" method.

Usually 1 value equals .75 MOA in adjustment

It varies by model and depends on pixel size of display and sensor but without getting all technical I find that all pulsar thermals are .75 per click.

Thank you.

I have a couple more questions.

I have hunted a few nights and shot a couple of coyotes. I have watched several more but did not shoot at them as I am still being very careful that I know what I am shooting. There are a lot of coon hunters, rabbit hunters and a fox hunter or two so caution is number one.

On that subject, I have no problem identifying an adult coyote. Nothing moves like an adult coyote but the 6 month old does not have that distinctive gait yet. At least not those in my area.
Unless they are running scared or showing the typical coyote wariness, they could be taken for a short eared dog, a German Shepard puppy for instance.

Question #1. I have fiddled with brightness and contrast but have not decided on what combination works best on coyote. What combination do you suggest?

#2: I note your posted images show the reticle with the large circle rather than the crosshairs and center dot. Is that reticle accurate enough for coyote at 100 yards>? I am well familiar with peep sights but that circle is so large I am wary of trying it on a coyote. However I find that the crosshairs and center dot tend to be hard to see against a bright return from the target.

#3: Which of the three modes do you use for hunting coyote? Why not use the ID mode all the time? If it matters, my farm has very small fields by your Texas standard. I am calling and baiting in 2 acre and 3 acre fields with heavy timber or dense underbrush on the field boundaries. Ranges are from 50 to 140 yards.

I find that the coyotes show up as a very small return at 100 yards with the magnification at 3.2.
That is making me wonder if I am using the proper contrast/brightness settings.

I know I could shoot at several coyote and resolve this for myself, but shooting and missing just educates them and makes them much harder to kill. Besides, it is embarrassing.

Any advice will be appreciated.

Thanks.

Hi old curmudgeon ,

I’ve long since departed from the Pulsar Core, I can’t give you the answers your looking for at this point as it’s been quite awhile since I used a Core.

Hopefully someone who has one and is using it for coyotes will chime in on your request.

I ended up getting an Apex XQ50 which had higher Magnification , sharper image and is all around a better unit.

I’ve seen a few for sale recently (used) for around $ 2500

Might be a good upgrade for you ?

Best of luck !

#1 Weather conditions, location, and personal preference will/should rule your settings. I believe my starting brightness (on the thermal) is usually 10 or so.
#2 I use crosshair ret.
#3 Mine is on ID mode all the time. I don't believe there is anything magical about the modes - IMO they give you a starting point for settings.

White or black hot may make a difference to you also. I vary between them depending on conditions and target. I have the "green" version. Hope something in this helps.
Good hunting,
Jack

Thank you.

It does help.

I have not tried black on white. I will.

Thank you.

Maybe later but not just yet.

Still, good to know as you are obviously knowledgeable.

But also remember that I am shooting at very short distances compared to what I would need to shoot at in Texas. So image quality is much more important to you. It is obviously important to anyone, but it is relative.

I might upgrade and use this one for a scanner. Something to think about.

This is an excellent answer.

1) Having used identical thermal scopes next to each other many times, I've never seen two that produced a 100% identical image quality on the same settings. Every thermal core is different, every display screen is different and I'm sure there are other minor variations within the scope that play a role in this. My point is, we can take 2 identical scopes out of the box and set them both to 5 on the contrast and 5 on the brightness and they may look very different. Also, what I like and think looks good, you might think looks terrible. Some people like a very soft image (low contrast) and some like a very hard sharp image (high contrast), some people's eye are very sensitive to bright screens and they will lower their brightness or again, they might like the opposite. It's really a user choice. As Pootie said, this is also something that changes with the weather conditions. I will adjust the brightness and contrast to what looks good for the night I'm hunting and pay no attention to what the numbers say because it's really doesn't matter because next week it might be cooler with lower humidity and I'll need to adjust again then. Generally speaking this is something I set at the beginning of a hunt and I don't mess with again unless there are weather changes.

2) Again personal preference. I suggest using the crosshairs that you're most comfortable with.

3) This is a very common question and guess what I'm going to say....chose the one you like!haha! But seriously, I have 4 Pulsar thermals sitting out here right now and I can't tell you what ID mode they are on. They could very well all be on the same mode, but I don't know. Every time I pick up a Pulsar thermal optic for the first time, I scroll through the 3 modes, not paying attention to which is which and see which I think looks the best. I set it and forget it and never got back to look again.

I know none of these are the specific answers you're looking for but it's all very subjective for each user and every thermal optic is a little different. I suggest playing with it and finding what YOU like and sticking with that.

Good luck!

Jason

I appreciate the time you took to go through all of that.

And I want to make it clear that it does help and I appreciate it.

Thanks.

Now I am on the way out of town and will disappear for a couple of days.