1st Hog Kill - Pulsar Apex XD38A Thermal Scope

Actually, this is the first kill for me using this scope and this lightweight Grendel I have put together for my daughter. As I get to test scopes, she will get to test them as well on her rifle, LOL.

I have been after this hog for a while. I had been out 6 of the last 10 nights and either the hogs didn't show up or showed up long after I went home. I didn't know if I would see this loner sow or a whole sounder that had been visiting, and it turned out to be this sow.

The Pulsar Apex XD38A is a nifty scope. It is another budget thermal scope, 1.5x (native) - 6x (digital) scope with some neat features. I liked being able to toggle between the PiP mode and the full screen mode that was zoomed to a different level. This was the first sub $3000 thermal rifle scope here in the US.

I had the scope zeroed at 100 yards and the shot hit exactly where it should have, which was a tad too low, but that is where I was aiming. The shot entered behind the jaw and exited more than 18" back on the other side by the lower ribs.

Sellmark's support for the products they offer is excellent. Nice review of the scope. I like the PIP feature and the price gets a lot of folks in the thermal game that wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity. I'm still not sold on 1X (or 1.5X) thermal scopes however.

what's wrong with 1.5x ?

I hunt at 150 yds - 180yds,,,, zoomed in much further and I lose
ability to take shots on the running pack

most I go to is 2x

We all have different likes, wants, or needs. This Pulsar Apex is certainly a capable scope and as noted with the similarly magnified Armasight Predator, I don't think hogs out to 250 should be a problem and coyotes out to 150, and maybe a bit further with the larger lens and the slightly higher resolution of the Apex. I will need to see how it does under more conditions to ascertain this better, but it looks very promising.

I find 3x native magnification to be fairly ideal for general purpose night hunting, but unlike some of my counterparts, I don't get too many opportunities to creep up within 30 or 40 yards of hogs. Especially when I am on the ground, I like to stand off a good bit further.

With that said, you can still do some fairly precise shooting well beyond 100 yards with just 1.5x, no doubt about it.

I really like these little budget thermal scopes. They are functional and meet the #1 criteria for most night hunting needs - ability to get the kill.

I've got to get me a thermal. Seems like I would like start around 3x-4x and then have zoom, but I don't know anything about thermal, yet.

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DNS is right. We all have different likes, wants or needs. His every day scope is a native 3X. My current scope is a native 2.5X, though I also have a 5X. The problem for ME is that with any distance, 1.5X and under makes ID more difficult and accurate shot placement a lot harder...particularly if they are running. You guys have younger eyes and are probably much better shots than me.

Maybe this will illustrate it somewhat. Here is a still of the hog in the video at the feeder at 100 yards. Standing still, it is fairly easy to recognize it as a hog, but accurate shot placement is not fully assured. The center dot covers what, 2" - 4" of his head? I see this as acceptable, but not optimal and this is why I am not sold on it. Give me a little more native mag so I don't have to use digital mag and lose resolution.




Now take this image and think of what the sight picture looks like at 1.5 times that distance (150 yards) and further....particularly if they are moving....or running. No way you can know where you are hitting on a running hog in 1.5X at 150 yards or greater. You are just shooting and hoping to hit it somewhere. Scattershooting...

Remember, the picture you see on this page is much larger than what your eye observes in the sight picture. The hog appears very small when you are in the scope.

The saving grace on this scope is having the PIP. I think it makes all the difference in the world to keep your FOV and have the magged up image in the PIP.

I accept your assessment DNS, just putting the voice out there for some of us with a little different desire and need...

Obviously for those folks with more desire, need, AND $$$$, this scope isn't for you. However, there is still a huge market for those who need or want a thermal because they need to get rid of pests and scopes like these will get the job done. I have gotten some good feedback from folks on the Armasight Predator who didn't realize there was decent thermal available to them at a price they could afford. Much more so than the high end buyers, these folks have needed options and now have them.

Agreed...

But folks should do all they can to look through a scope before they buy so they know what to expect when they lay their hard earned cash down. Renting before purchase makes a lot of sense....and the rental can often be applied to purchase.

I have an XD38A Thermal ,but no PIP. I thought the PIP was only on the XD50. Hmmmmm, Guess I need to read the book.

In the menu setting, look for PiP at the bottom of Menu 1. Click on that to then get the selection to turn on PiP.

It would be nice if they added that to the HD38 software...

Nice video DNS! I like the reticle look and the single centered dot as the aim point. Nice and small that allows you to pinpoint the target area.

There are actually 9 reticles, of which I like 3 quite a bit, a couple more are functional, and the rest are a little too busy for my likes, but might be good for some folks. The point is, you have options.

You also have 4 reticle colors, black, white, red, and green. The brightness can be altered on the reticle as well. Green and Red will work on black hot or white hot without having to change to suit the background, which is nice.

I will see if I can get a good demo of the reticles for the next video.

Thanks for the additional information DNS. Now I just a few thousand $'s to get in the game.

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