My PERSONAL experience with rxq30v vs PTS233 vs Armasight Nemesis 4x QS

dozer_xj

Member
I know all of these are in the same price range. I have have researched them all and have now hunted with all three of them now so I figured I would share my opinions.

My dad has the Nemesis 4x QS
My friend has the pts233
I have the rxq30v

I have only limited experiences with them because we just hunted with them a few times since we got them.


IN MY OPINION the rxq30 and the PTS233 are so similar in performance that the decision on which to buy could be decided based on features. Pulsar has PIP, Flir can video record, so on and so on. Side note, the rxq30 looks better in real life than in videos. The green tint did not seem to bother me at all. It actually, as designed, helped to keep from losing your night vision when you look away from the scope. My friend with the PTS233 runs his in black hot to cut down on some of the light.

Last nights hunt was around 40 degrees and lightly foggy. We could:

Detect deer at 430 yards (measured using a Silencer Radius) but needed the xp50 Helion to ID.

Called in some dogs to 230 yards. Thought they were coyotes. Once again the XP50 saved the day and we avoided a mistake. We could tell they were k9s in the scope but the xp50 revealed they were domestic dogs instead of coyotes.

Our last set there was a coyote in the field at 300 yards when we got there and could tell it was a K9 in the xq30 when I ranged him with the radius. We confirmed with the xp50 that it was a coyote. We set up and got him into 170 and my friend with the pts233 shot and missed. He has killed one coyote with it at 100 yards. Could shoot a coyote out to 400 I would guess AS LONG AS YOU KNEW WHAT IT WAS. Could not ID that far with the PTS233 or RXQ30V

Them Nemesis is a whole different ball game obviously because it is night vision not thermal. It is a fine piece of equipment as well. On a full moon night no IR illumination is needed. You could use one on a low setting to get eye shine. The cross hairs are fine on it and I feel you can get enough precision out and view out of it to shoot out to 400 yards. Very clear image and easy to use. We have not managed to kill anything with it and only shot at one coyote so far.


After hunting with Gen2 Night vision and low end thermal here are the pros and cons how I see it:

Night Vision Pros
- Easy to ID
- Easy on batteries (40 hours or more on one CR123)
- Easy to use

Night Vision Cons
-Can be damaged with bright light. I am always paranoid about hurting the scope
-Harder to sight in. With the lens cover on it seems too dark during the day. Sighting in in the dark with bright eyes to reflect as an aim point seems better.
-If coyotes are not looking at you there is no eye shine and they can be hard to see. Especially on follow up shots when they are running.

Entry Level Thermal Pros:
-Very easy to pick up on targets
-Easier to pick up on targets for follow up shots
-Easier to sight in with zoom and daytime use without being damaged
-Seem to be much smaller and lighter than night vision

Entry Level Thermal Cons:
- Hard to positively ID targets over 200 yards
- Battery consumtion


Like said before, I have personally used all of the above but with limited time so far. As time goes on we will use them more and more and I will report back.
 
Thanks Dozer. It's always good to hear in-field hunter reviews.

At the Eastern Predator Calling Championship in Bland, VA last Saturday, Tom from Night Goggles allowed me to use the RXQ30V outdoors. I was very impressed in how well I could see. The green tint wasn't a problem at all and even with the 1.6x magnification, I felt comfortable that I could make shots on called coyotes to 100 yards. The downside to it, as you eluded to, is no video capability. The scope has a better view than I had imagined it would.

Question about the RXQ30V. It has PIP, but am I correct that the PIP size is only 4 times the 1.6 or can you set it to say, 3.2x?

Be sure to keep us updated about the three scopes and what you think of them. Also, at this point do you have a preference if you had to choose just one?


 
I thought the pip was 3.2 power. The directions say "twice the base magnification"

If you are using pip, go to the menu and turn it off it switches the screen to 3.2 mag
 

I could be wrong. Somewhere I was reading specs on the scope and saw that it said 4x. I thought that was a bit much and would be pretty pixilated. Is the PIP very usable as far as quality of view is concerned?

What about holding zero? Some of the new Pulsars seem to be having an issue. Any problems with that?
 
I can chime in some on the RXQ30, it is my first thermal. I've used mine in the field for about 3 months now.
The PIP is a little more pixilated but very useable.
This really isn't a pro or con, just something I hadn't thought of and missed some follow up shots. The cross is either black or bright green/white. So I thought I want the cross the opposite color of the target. So the coyote is bright white, the cross is black and shows up very well. The problem is the ground is mainly black also, which makes leading a target very challenging for a follow up shot.
 
Originally Posted By: 6mm06
I could be wrong. Somewhere I was reading specs on the scope and saw that it said 4x. I thought that was a bit much and would be pretty pixilated. Is the PIP very usable as far as quality of view is concerned?

What about holding zero? Some of the new Pulsars seem to be having an issue. Any problems with that?

I haven't used the unit enough to comment on the effectiveness of the pip but IMO in theory it is like having your cake and eating it too.

I haven't check zero since I first zeroed it.
 
Originally Posted By: 6mm06 Also, at this point do you have a preference if you had to choose just one?




I would choose the pulsar. To me the pip is having your cake and eating it too. You get the zoom for precision and the FOV for shooting doubles or follow up shots on misses. Also, you can run the pulsar off a $20 amazon 5v USB power bank instead of needing a $100 battery pack. Video is no concern to me but I know it is to some people.
 
Originally Posted By: IACC43 So I thought I want the cross the opposite color of the target. So the coyote is bright white, the cross is black and shows up very well. The problem is the ground is mainly black also, which makes leading a target very challenging for a follow up shot.

Yep, my thoughts exactly about the color of the crosshair being different than the color of the target. From what I noticed when I looked at the RXQ30V, I can see how a black crosshair could fade out against a black or darker background.
 
I have hunted with the rxq30v a few times now and I can say without a doubt this is a 200 yard and under unit on Coyotes.

Hunted a contest 2 weeks ago and had several coyotes hang up at 300 yards or more. The xp50 reveled their identity but neither the rxq30v or the pts233 had a chance at making a good shot. In my rxq30v they just looked like dots. The humidity was very high that night though.

Last weekend we called one in and it stopped at 230 yards. I had it on black hot with a white reticle and the reticle was too bright in the PIP and it made it hard to make out the coyote and where to shoot. I have since switched to white hot with a black reticle. My friend with my old Vampire 3x made the shot. (Pic bellow) I felt silly my scope, worth $1000 more, got out shot by one I got rid of because it "wasn't good enough"


Last night we went and called in a coyote. It came from the general direction of a house and stood still a bunch. I did not identify it as a K9 until about 175 yards. It was a field with standing corn stalks so the IR on the Nemesis was washing out too bad to ID. It got to about 80 yards before I was confident it was not someones dog. Buy that time we were busted and it rand off. I did have no trouble IDing some deer and another coyote later last night at about 350 yards. The coyote was moving more which made IDing much easier.

Quite a bit of my IDing issues may be inexperience and I feel like I am getting better. If I would have had my friend with the xp50 there last night I believe we would have shot that coyote we thought may have been a dog. I can say as of right now I am going to start working toward getting some 640 thermal in my life. Once my pig saddle comes in from Night Goggles I am going to try out my dad gun with the Nemesis more. I feel like what the Nemesis looses in detection it gains in clarity and precision.

27657138_10156295471391454_5049385662426926686_n.jpg
 
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dozer, thanks for taking the time to write up the comparison. You have give honest usable feedback and it is much appreciated.
 

Dozer, It's always good to hear honest reviews from hunters who have put products to the test in the field where it counts. Calling it like it is with no alligence to any brand or company is the honest way of doing a review.

Please add more comments as time progresses and as you experience them.
 
Update Time!

Decided to start taking my dads Nemesis. I borrowed a Sniper Hog 66LRX from a friend. It makes 300 yard shots seem very possible and 400 yard shots probable. We called in a coyote and I seen it out at 350 yards and followed it in to 250 before it went into the woods. It never stopped moving so we could not get a shot. Very Impressed with the clarity and distance of the Nemesis 4x and the Sniper Hog

Last night it was foggy and misting. I left the Nemesis at home knowing that it would not do well in the fog. We got a coyote at 150 yards and i used the zoom on my RXQ30V instead of the pip and I could see the bushy tail and ID it was a coyote even thought the fog was really messing with the clarity of the thermal. Zoomed into full 6.4 zoom and took the shot. Hit it far back and it started running. I was able to make a follow up shot at full zoom and leveled it on the run.
Using full zoom seems to make shots easier than the PIP. I have been using a $10 6500 mah power bank and it has been working great. hunted a contest a few weeks ago and only used 50% on it. Have not has issues with the external power like some report with the rxq30v.
 

Thanks for the update, Dozer.

Is the view pretty pixilated when zooming? Does the scope zoom in increments?

If you had to choose only one scope, which one would it be?
 
Originally Posted By: 6mm06
Thanks for the update, Dozer.

Is the view pretty pixilated when zooming? Does the scope zoom in increments?

If you had to choose only one scope, which one would it be?



Yes it does get pixilated when zooming to the point I feel like the PIP is useless for precision shots. Zooming in full screen has made it bearable.

The scope zooms in increments. 1.6 base, 3.2 (2xbase) and 6.4 (4xbase)

If I could only choose one scope it would be neither hahaha If I had to pick between these 3 I would say the Nemesis BUT I have an XQ23V that I spot with.

I have not spent much time looking through the pts233 but my friend who has it has been looking through mine a few time and keeps saying its basically the same. There is another local guy having great luck with his pts233 on coyotes but his brother can see much further with his XD50 Apex. My friend did shoot a coyote at 200+ with his scope last week. He does complain about battery usage ans the fact the only way to get the scope on stand by is the remote.
 
I'll lend my experience to this if it helps. I have a Trail XP50, D740, Nemesis Quick Silver 4X gen 2+, and 2 of the HD19A's. Pretty fortunate to be able to have this kind of equipment. Had the 2 NV scopes to start with so I could hunt with my sons or friends. I stated many times here how big a value that Nemesis is. In my opinion it is 70 to 80% of the scope the 740 is depending on conditions for less than half the money. If it's legal in your state to use an IR illuminator than it really shines. If you can afford the best than go with the 740 gen 3. Gives you the edge in darker conditions especially without an illuminator. The big game changer that we all know was the thermal to detect with. This is where the 19a's have been; again in my opinion, hands down the best at detection. Their combination of resolution along with what I think is the most important is FIELD OF VIEW. All you need is to detect movement and most of the time you will know it's a coyote by its mannerisms. They can be so fast or sneaky coming in that picking up that movement is key to being ready or getting on them. The fov of the 19a's are 26.8 x 20.8. The 23V is 16.5 x 12.4. The only thing I'm think I'm thinking of doing is upgrading one of my 19a's for is the Helion XP28. It has the 640 resolution with a 22 x 16.6 field of view. There are places I get into where having better resolution at a distance would help and again, I'm blessed to be able to afford this equipment. Not jumping on the XP28 though as I have compared it to a 19a and am not giving up that much and am passively trying to sell one first. Now, on to comparing the XP50 to the NV scopes. I went with the XP50 to replace the Nemesis so I have the best of both worlds when I hunt as well as 2 scopes to hunt with my sons, wife, friends. Here's my opinion on the 2 and you've probably read quite a bit here already. Thermal is ALWAYS an image. I've had 2 situations where I shot what I thought was a coyote until it started squealing. I was close enough to some farms and coyotes when hit can sound exactly like a dog does when hurt. Quite the sinking feeling when I thought oh crap I just shot the neighbors pet and now I'm going to have to tell them what I did. Never so relieved as when I got to it and found out both were coyotes. I have been at the same place with both scopes when at a distance I know they are coons but a little tougher to ID them through the thermal and I can tell right away what they are with the NV scope. ID with the NV scope is much more positive. Now the thermal has been very advantageous in some situations to use it over NV. Can be quicker to pick them up, and following them or others after the shot can be better also. Some of the bells and whistles are good to. Probably the most functional one it is the PIP although if you are making the shot at whatever magnification you have chosen for the PIP it is still better when you have that full picture to use. With all this being said if I had to choose one over the other I would go with the NV as positive ID on my targets is pretty important. Was glad to see this come up so far as the opinion on the Nemesis. They are a heck of a value if you are getting into this game. I've had enough guys kind of choke when hearing price on these and also finding out that to make all this work they need to spend about that much on a scanner. When you think of the kind of regular glass you can get for 1800 with out having to buy the equivalent of 2 I can totally understand. I have heard good things also about the Vampire being a gen 1+ for around 800 but have no experience here. Kevin at HTRN has good stuff on these on his website also. Hope this helps.
 
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