I've seen some very nice thermal images on you tube. I would look at some of those and compare from someone who has used multiple brands and price points. A salesman will always try to sell you something but an end user knows what works. I wouldn't want to spend two grand and then have a crappy image that you can't tell what your looking at-no fun in that at all.
Entry level Thermal Scope ?
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backwoodsshooter
Well-Known Member
might be worth looking in to.
www.atncorp.com
Thermal Scope | ATN Corp
Buy Thermal Rifle Scope at 🎯 ATN 🎯 for hunting. Best price and reviews on Thermal Imaging Scope for sale.
www.atncorp.com
Varmint Hunter
Well-Known Member
The ATNs are interesting and a few models have many features for the money but there are too many negative reports on them. Supposedly there customer service is terrible.might be worth looking in to.
Thermal Scope | ATN Corp
Buy Thermal Rifle Scope at 🎯 ATN 🎯 for hunting. Best price and reviews on Thermal Imaging Scope for sale.
This is all based on info I've gleened from the web.
Pulsar has a strong reputation in the thermal world and has my attention at the moment. It's just a matter of getting the features you want for a price that meets your budget. However, I remain open to suggestions and input from hunters who are using any brand thermal.
Don't get the ATN.
Call the salesmen at Outdoor Legacy Gear or Ultimate Night Vision and get their opinions. I promise they're not just going to sell you the most expensive one they can. They understand that these things are a major purchase, they want to get you one that will make you happy and fit your budget. These guys hunt with them all the time and get to try many different brands and models, and I know from experience that they will sell you a good cheaper model before selling you the better expensive model
I have a Pulsar Trail XQ 38 and I absolutely love it
backwoodsshooter
Well-Known Member
that's why i said MIGHT be worth looking in to lol.
cause that's pretty much what i've been seeing as well.
but throwing that kind of money around for the chance of getting a good/bad product, well i might just go play poker instead lol
mongo4567
Well-Known Member
I talked with a local shop, they said to stay away from the atn for return/service issues. Pulsar all the way in the less expensive models.
Varmint Hunter
Well-Known Member
I'm looking at the Pulsar Thermion XM30 with fixed focus. Anyone using one??
Dont know if they actually have it. Some places wait until you place your order to let you know it is out of stock.
https://www.toolshackweb.com/PULSAR-CORE-RXQ30V-1-6-6-4X22-THERMAL-RIFLESCOPE-p/smkpl76483q.htm
Its not really any cheaper than the thermion. It looks like the XM30 may have already been discontinued.
https://www.toolshackweb.com/PULSAR-CORE-RXQ30V-1-6-6-4X22-THERMAL-RIFLESCOPE-p/smkpl76483q.htm
Its not really any cheaper than the thermion. It looks like the XM30 may have already been discontinued.
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The XM30 is a 3.5x, which is a little more than I would like. After using them and hunting with them a good bit, I prefer around 2x base magnification for the field of view
Varmint Hunter
Well-Known Member
I did notice that.
It seems that every unit has a few compromises that you have to deal with. Also, I'm just realizing that the first XM30 may have not been deliver yet which may explain why there doesn't appear to be any reviews on this particular model. Oddly enough, the XM30 doesn't even appear on Pulsar's web site but it's listed at several dealers. Hmmmmm
Thats what had me confused and thought maybe it was an older model that had been discontinued. It was not listed on their website where as other new models were. Some of their models don't last much more than a season before the discontinue them,
Zen Archery
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"Thermion" XM30 is the newest model with projected release date at the end of the first quarter possibly end of March first of April of 2021.
I am obviously not an expert by any stretch of the imagination nor do I claim to be. I have just been researching this allot because I was in the same boat as the OP about last year at this time. I broke down and bought one and a have a few of my own opinions now. My question is, what kind of technical specifications do you look at in a thermal. I am assuming core resolution and refresh rate. Seems like everyone has settled on a 50hz refresh rate with some pushing 60hz. Resolution seems like a major player in the price tag obviously. Your cheapest models will start around 320 and work their way up to the expensive models which are 640. What else? Things like being able to record or sync with your phone just seem like bells and whistles that add to the price when personally I would much rather have that extra money go into quality and better resolution which is why I went with the hogster. I got a slightly higher resolution with no bells and whistles at a lower resolution price tag. I also read that as you increase your zoom, you decrease your resolution which based on my own experiences seem true. Is this less obvious in the more expensive thermals or is it the same? I read where someone said every time you zoom in that you decrease your resolution by half. Is there any truth to that?
The zoom resolution is true to all thermals, because it is digital zoom (like your cell phone), not optical zoom (like your rifle scope) . So all that they do when you zoom in is blow up the original image, which gets grainy.
So resolution and microns are the more important specs of a thermal to look at. Lower microns are better (I think), higher resolution is better. The XP50 has double the resolution of my XQ38, so the XP50 zoomed in to 4x will have the same picture clarity as my XQ38 on 2x base. But with that said, my XQ38 is good enough for me to be able to identify hogs vs deer at 600 yards or so. The XP50 makes it easier, but I dont want to pay that much more for it. I dont know how they compare to something like the XM30, but I would want to talk to someone who has experience with them all before buying one. A friend has the XM50, which is more expensive than my XQ38, but my XQ38 has a better picture. I've seen some thermals that were high end several years ago, and everything just looks like a blob unless you are inside of 100 yards. You'd hate to spend $2200 on a scope and be disappointed with it, when you could have spent $1000 more for something you'd be really happy with.
