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Pulsar thermal ( Need help picking which magnification ) #7606100 09/13/19 04:56 PM
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StephensCnty308 Offline OP
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So I’ve never owned a thermal however I have played with one 2 years ago.
I’m looking at purchasing a Pulsar thermion for my AR in 6.8spc. I will hunt pigs and
Other predators on my personal property which has quite a bit of brush.
My blind is 20ft high so I look out over most of the mesquite trees and tall grass.
My feeder is 20/25 yards away and my normal shots are anywhere from 20 to 50 yards on pigs.
I don’t ever see myself shooting something over 200 yards.

In the thermion there is the xm30 which is 3.5-14 and xm38 4.2-16.8

For pigs out to 25-40 yards and maybe the furthest shot on a coyote at 200 ( doubtful ) but I won’t personally shoot past 200 what would you guys recommend the xm30 which is 3.5-14 or the xm38 4.2-16.8


Pigs are my number 1 thing I usually hunt

Thanks

Re: Pulsar thermal ( Need help picking which magnification ) [Re: StephensCnty308] #7606281 09/13/19 09:10 PM
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Outdoor Legacy Offline
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I'll be glad to throw in my 2 cents.

Personally I believe both those scopes are way too much magnification and too narrow of a FOV for mostly 20-50 yard shots. I'm not saying it isn't doable but it's not ideal by any stretch. Generally, I'd suggest something around 1.5x for most shots under 50 and 2x would be acceptable if you planned on taking more shots from 50-150 or even 200 on a long shot.

I'm a big fan of the Thermions and I'm really liking them but I just think both the XM30 and XM38 are going to be too much magnification and too narrow of a FOV. Also, the Thermion XM30 hasn't even been made yet, so we can't do anything wildly speculate on it. Plus now that Pulsar has just recently told us the XM30 will have a fixed focus, I'm really concerned with that the image quality is going to be like. For nearly $3,000, I believe a scope should have a focusable objective. The Pulsar Trail XQ30 was a fixed focus and it never sold well at all and it was discontinued over a year ago for good reason. It too was $2,799. So why they would make the XM30 a fixed focus....I have no idea, other than the need to save money, which I understand.

We still have no good ETA for the XM30 either. I will not be surprised at all if it shows up next week.....and I will not be surprised at all if it doesn't show up until January. I won't be super surprised if they abandon it and never ship it. I know....not much confidence.haha I just say that because so many times with all the companies, we're told something is a few months out and it shows up tomorrow. Or we're told something is coming next week and we don't see it for 6 months. A lot of times what's going on the factory and production doesn't get accurately relayed to the sales team.

Assuming you don't want to move up to something like a Thermion XP38 1.5x, I'd suggest Trail XQ38 2.1x or if you really wanted to save money, even a Pulsar Core RXQ30V 1.6x is a great option for shots in your range.

A good FOV and a lower magnification are going to be of the utmost importance for those very close shots in my opinion. I have a video on Youtube (and I might have posted it here?) shooting a hog at 28 yards with the XM38 and while it was very doable, it's not an ideal condition for that scope.

Hope that helps a little.

Jason


Outdoor Legacy - Owner
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Night Vision, Thermal & Accessories
OutdoorLegacyGear.com
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Re: Pulsar thermal ( Need help picking which magnification ) [Re: StephensCnty308] #7606385 09/13/19 11:19 PM
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I'm suggesting the Core. Pulsar got rid of that horrible green color and they are black and white now in 2019. You will also save a bunch of money.

Re: Pulsar thermal ( Need help picking which magnification ) [Re: Outdoor Legacy] #7606525 09/14/19 02:27 AM
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Originally Posted by Outdoor Legacy
I'll be glad to throw in my 2 cents.

Personally I believe both those scopes are way too much magnification and too narrow of a FOV for mostly 20-50 yard shots. I'm not saying it isn't doable but it's not ideal by any stretch. Generally, I'd suggest something around 1.5x for most shots under 50 and 2x would be acceptable if you planned on taking more shots from 50-150 or even 200 on a long shot.

I'm a big fan of the Thermions and I'm really liking them but I just think both the XM30 and XM38 are going to be too much magnification and too narrow of a FOV. Also, the Thermion XM30 hasn't even been made yet, so we can't do anything wildly speculate on it. Plus now that Pulsar has just recently told us the XM30 will have a fixed focus, I'm really concerned with that the image quality is going to be like. For nearly $3,000, I believe a scope should have a focusable objective. The Pulsar Trail XQ30 was a fixed focus and it never sold well at all and it was discontinued over a year ago for good reason. It too was $2,799. So why they would make the XM30 a fixed focus....I have no idea, other than the need to save money, which I understand.

We still have no good ETA for the XM30 either. I will not be surprised at all if it shows up next week.....and I will not be surprised at all if it doesn't show up until January. I won't be super surprised if they abandon it and never ship it. I know....not much confidence.haha I just say that because so many times with all the companies, we're told something is a few months out and it shows up tomorrow. Or we're told something is coming next week and we don't see it for 6 months. A lot of times what's going on the factory and production doesn't get accurately relayed to the sales team.

Assuming you don't want to move up to something like a Thermion XP38 1.5x, I'd suggest Trail XQ38 2.1x or if you really wanted to save money, even a Pulsar Core RXQ30V 1.6x is a great option for shots in your range.

A good FOV and a lower magnification are going to be of the utmost importance for those very close shots in my opinion. I have a video on Youtube (and I might have posted it here?) shooting a hog at 28 yards with the XM38 and while it was very doable, it's not an ideal condition for that scope.

Hope that helps a little.

Jason



May I ask how far out can I get to with the xp38 thermion 1.5?

Re: Pulsar thermal ( Need help picking which magnification ) [Re: ntxtrapper] #7606612 09/14/19 11:21 AM
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Originally Posted by ntxtrapper
I'm suggesting the Core. Pulsar got rid of that horrible green color and they are black and white now in 2019. You will also save a bunch of money.

Hey, I love my green color. Most of my shots are 60 - 80 yds. Pull the trigger and they drop. Simple


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Re: Pulsar thermal ( Need help picking which magnification ) [Re: StephensCnty308] #7606922 09/14/19 10:21 PM
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Originally Posted by StephensCnty308


May I ask how far out can I get to with the xp38 thermion 1.5?


The 1.5x in the high resolution 640x480 XP38 will do everything you're needing. The sweet spot will be 20-75 yards, with 75-125 being great with picture in picture enabled. 150-200 is definitely do-able with PiP or just zooming the whole screen up to 3x. My main go to scope has been the Trail XP50 1.6x since it was released over 2 years ago and the vast majority of my shots are 30-60 yards with the 75-125 being occasional and the 150+ yard shots are just if a coyote gets hung up coming in or the hogs are running off and I'm still slinging lead. The XP38 is ideal for someone wanting to mostly shoot under 100 yards but still want the capability to shoot 200 if they occasionally need to.

Jason


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Re: Pulsar thermal ( Need help picking which magnification ) [Re: Pootie] #7607078 09/15/19 02:41 AM
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Originally Posted by Pootie
Originally Posted by ntxtrapper
I'm suggesting the Core. Pulsar got rid of that horrible green color and they are black and white now in 2019. You will also save a bunch of money.

Hey, I love my green color. Most of my shots are 60 - 80 yds. Pull the trigger and they drop. Simple


If you like it then be happy. Sales lagged and people's feedback told them to dump the green/white and go with B/W. I didn't buy one because I thought the green/white seemed like less contrast than B/W.

Re: Pulsar thermal ( Need help picking which magnification ) [Re: StephensCnty308] #7607175 09/15/19 12:57 PM
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have a xp38 lrf mine stays on 1.2 most of the time the 9.6 is useless it is too burley for me might want to check out one with range finder

Re: Pulsar thermal ( Need help picking which magnification ) [Re: StephensCnty308] #7607283 09/15/19 04:32 PM
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If the budget allows it, you should look at the xp38 thermion. That'll be the best field of view for that close in hunting but since it's 640, you will still have good usable zoom for further shots.


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Re: Pulsar thermal ( Need help picking which magnification ) [Re: StephensCnty308] #7607517 09/15/19 11:15 PM
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I run a Pulsar xp38 trail as my thermal rig. It’s a great scope. I went with this model for 1 main reason. It offered the largest field of view. I scan a lot with the thermal, so I need the largest FOV possible. I engage targets on 1x or 2x, so a high magnification isn’t a factor for me. Some of the scopes decrease in image quality as you increase magnification.


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Re: Pulsar thermal ( Need help picking which magnification ) [Re: ChadTRG42] #7608681 09/17/19 12:37 PM
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StephensCnty308 Offline OP
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Thank you everyone for giving your two cents I have actually found someone who has both the XP 38 and the XP 50 and he is offering to let me come out this weekend in try both!


Originally Posted by ChadTRG42
I run a Pulsar xp38 trail as my thermal rig. It’s a great scope. I went with this model for 1 main reason. It offered the largest field of view. I scan a lot with the thermal, so I need the largest FOV possible. I engage targets on 1x or 2x, so a high magnification isn’t a factor for me. Some of the scopes decrease in image quality as you increase magnification.


Thanks Chad I will keep that in mind

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