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Question On Thermal Scope Selection #6963920 11/17/17 06:53 PM
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Stripermania Offline OP
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I mostly hunt pig at around 100 yards and I have an Armasight Zeus-pro 336 4-16x50,60 hz and IMO, the resolution isn't all that great so I am thinking about purchasing the Pulsar XP50 for $5k and use the Zeus as a handheld unit. I don't care to record my hunt so My Questions Are:
1. How much better resolution will the XP-50 vs. the Zeus-pro 336?
2. Do you recommend the XP50 at $5k range or do you recommend another unit around $5k ish range
3. How much better is the IR Hunter Mark III compared to the XP-50?
4. Is the IR Hunter Mark III worth the value compared to XP50 at $9k vs. $5k?
5. If one can afford it, would you recommend the IR Hunter Mark III or another unit?

Thanks for you input.

Re: Question On Thermal Scope Selection [Re: Stripermania] #6964336 11/18/17 01:43 AM
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Midwaytmm Offline
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1 . A whole bunch. Very noticeable immediately . Youlll wonder how you ever did without it .....

2. Pulsar probably best bang for the$

3. Ird/trijicon is by far best image that you see. It’s a whole level different

4. Up to you to decide. If I were to start all over, I’d do pulsar 50, and use extra to buy pulsar mono

5. If you can afford it, I’d do IRD across the board.

All of this is my opinion, others may disagree. So you can take it for what it’s worth

Re: Question On Thermal Scope Selection [Re: Stripermania] #6964437 11/18/17 03:17 AM
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fr3db3ar Offline
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If you don't plan to record you may like the apex line just as much and spend the extra on a monocular.

Re: Question On Thermal Scope Selection [Re: Stripermania] #6964803 11/18/17 04:52 PM
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Outdoor Legacy Offline
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This is a lot to get into via typing but I'll give my basic opinions and if you have more questions, I'd be glad to talk on the phone.

First things first....you've got to decide what your budget is and what you really want to spend. $5k to $9k is a huge price difference and you'll have decide if you really need a $9,000 thermal scope. There is no question that the IR Hunters are amazing scopes and all the Trijicons are going to be the VERY best thermals you can buy, but you have decide up front if you want to spend that kind of money. If you do, then I say go for it, you won't be disappointed. However, there is no question that the XP50 for $5k is also an awesome scope and I think it's a bargain for a 640 core, considering the features and quality.

1. How much better resolution will the XP-50 vs. the Zeus-pro 336?

Night and day. The XP50 has a beautiful image quality and the new AMOLED displays look great. I really don't think you can make a comparison between a 336 core and a quality 640 core like the Trail.

2. Do you recommend the XP50 at $5k range or do you recommend another unit around $5k ish range

In that price range, with what's on the market today, I wouldn't consider anything but Pulsar. You won't beat the quality and bang for your buck that Pulsar will deliver. They also have by far the best customer service in the industry for that price range of optics and that's worth a lot.

3. How much better is the IR Hunter Mark III compared to the XP-50?


A lot better. Will you kill more hogs because of the MKIII at 100 yards? No. Will you look cool doing it and be using the best thermal scope on the market? Yep. Again, this really comes down to whether you want a $9,000 thermal scope or not. I compare this to trucks. You can go down to the dealership and buy a brand new truck off the lot and it's NICE! No one in their right mind would ever have anything bad to say about it. Or you can go down there and custom order a truck with every possible feature known to man get something like the Ford Limited Edition package. Does that more expensive truck get you from point A to point B any better? Probably not. But there is no question that is a much nicer truck and it does have some very useful features the other truck doesn't. It's just a question of if those perks and quality are worth the money to you. Usually a guy who buys the top end Limited Edition isn't going to be quite satisfied with the loaded truck that is already sitting on the lot.

4. Is the IR Hunter Mark III worth the value compared to XP50 at $9k vs. $5k?


You have to make this decision because in my opinion, the law of diminishing returns comes into play here. The MKIII has an amazing image quality but for most hunters, even with the money to spend, it's just not a justifiable expense for them. Only you can make that decision.

5. If one can afford it, would you recommend the IR Hunter Mark III or another unit?

For the money, you won't beat that scope. It is THE thermal scope to have, so yes, in that price range, I'd definitely go with the MKIII.

I think someone else mentioned a handheld. If you don't have a good handheld thermal I would say that should be a huge priority and I'd definitely work that into your budget.

Feel free to give me a call if you've got questions or would like talk about this more. It's just so hard to have these discussions via typing.

- Jason


Outdoor Legacy - Owner
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OutdoorLegacyGear.com
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Re: Question On Thermal Scope Selection [Re: Stripermania] #6964888 11/18/17 06:09 PM
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Stripermania Offline OP
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Great responses from OLG and MidWayTMM and really helped me make the decision. Looks like you guys are on the same page. Again, thanks for you insights.

Last edited by Stripermania; 11/18/17 06:09 PM.
Re: Question On Thermal Scope Selection [Re: Stripermania] #6964944 11/18/17 07:36 PM
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I will say this, you can't go wrong with having the best image possible. You can go wrong with not having the best image possible. Once you send a bullet down range, you can't call it back.

A better image coupled with better magnification means better identification, quicker identification, and the ability to target more precisely for better shooting. You may be able to tell the fuzzball is a hog with a low end scope and aim at the general shoulder area or general head area just fine at 100 yards in open ground, but shooting at a clear, well defined image let's you often be able to see if it is a boar or sow more readily and to place the shot at a particular point more readily

"Possible" depends on what you are willing to spend and what is available on the market.


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Re: Question On Thermal Scope Selection [Re: Stripermania] #6965014 11/18/17 09:06 PM
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here are three hunts. each vid is one hunt through the view of 3 hunters/scopes. first view is mk3, second view is mk2, third view is pulsar xp50.



as you probably already know, all are 640. mk3 is 4.5x, mk2 is 2.5x and pulsar is 1.6x. the magnification of the pulsar is shown at the bottom of its screen.


guy with the mk2 didn't vid this hunt. i kept looking at the far right pig (maybe 100+ yards??) while the guy with the pulsar was finishing it, so you can get a good comparison of two scopes looking at the same thing. the pulsar is a good image if you don't mind the 1.6 power. they all degrade when zoomed, but the trijicons don't look as bad as others. i will say that sometimes the 4.5x is too much when i hear hoofs pounding the ground and getting closer!!


the advantage of the 4.5x for me is that i don't have to risk bumping a pig by stalking as close as i would with a lower power. if there is a herd, however, i still try to get close so i can get a lot of shots before they run out of range.

Re: Question On Thermal Scope Selection [Re: Stripermania] #6965019 11/18/17 09:10 PM
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oh yea... almost forgot these grin





Re: Question On Thermal Scope Selection [Re: Stripermania] #6965032 11/18/17 09:26 PM
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der Teufel Online Content
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I hesitate to comment here since I'm no expert, but …

Yeah, that's never stopped me before!

I recently bought a Thermal Weapon Sight. I haven't even mounted it to a rifle yet, so I'm not in a position to make qualitative assessments. But, I decided to go with a used IR Hunter MKII. I got one that seems to work just fine and it's in very good cosmetic condition. It cost just a couple of hundred less than a Pulsar Trail XP50. I got no video recording capability (video out but no recorder), no WiFi (not sure that's a big deal), no Picture-in-Picture (kind of nice, but the greater native magnification and better resolution of the IR Hunter will hopefully make up for that), and no extended battery (that's a nice feature!). Getting video and extended battery capability is going to cost me around $550 extra, I think.

Plus, if I ever want to upgrade to a MKIII I can trade it in for a new unit (plus some cash, of course) and still be ahead of just buying a new MKIII. Any accessories I get for the MKII will work with a MKIII. As an added bonus, since I bought it used I didn't have to pay sales tax! Meanwhile I have what I consider to be a darn good device.

Obviously YMMV.
--

Last edited by der Teufel; 11/18/17 09:26 PM.

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Re: Question On Thermal Scope Selection [Re: Stripermania] #6965190 11/19/17 12:08 AM
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Midwaytmm Offline
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That’s about as good a comparison video as a guy could ask for. Any chance you’ve got one for the reap/mk 3? Only ask because I was told several year ago reap had “special” glass to give enhanced view. I couldn’t tell a difference, and I liked turrets better ...... curious if any video evidence?

Re: Question On Thermal Scope Selection [Re: Stripermania] #6967042 11/20/17 08:57 PM
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i did use the reap as a weapon site when i first got it, and have some vid with it, but no comparisons like the other vid. i heard that about the reap glass too, but never found anything to support it. it is, however, a stunning image and better than the mark 3, in my opinion. not sure but i think it might have an additional setting, like contrast or something like that??

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