Pulsar XP50 Zero Issues and Info

Bowhntr6pt

Bowhntr6pt

Well-known member
About two weeks ago I zeroed my rifle and Trail XP50... below was the end result.



Went to the range today to see if after the couple times I had it out if the zero had changed. I had fired zero rounds since initial zero and had not taken the thermal off the rifle.

I was disappointed to see I was low and right upon check fire... a great 3-shot group none the less but certainly NOT where it should have been... see pic below...



I made this correction left/up...



Then made a final adjustment and final zero check shot...



Bottom line is the rifle shoots great and I can certainly shoot... I'm hoping this is a fluke and the stories I've read about the Pulsar thermals not holding zero don't ring true.

While some my say the approximately 2" off is no big deal but keep in mind... the zero was two weeks old with no significant use since... so a 2" off zero is disappointing. Still a kill shot to the body but not the precision I prefer when hunting.

Thoughts?
 
How much did you move it? 1 up and 1 left? I fight mine between 8 and 4 and 9 and 5 on the coordinates. Kills the heck out of coyotes though. Mine changes an inch or so if I just calibrate the scope but never move more than 1 inchish.
 
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It may not have anything to do with what you're experiencing, but a suggestion is use a smaller target. The old adage from the movie, The Patriot, "Aim small, miss small" might have some credence here. That was a very nice group BTW.
 
Originally Posted By: DoubleUpIt may not have anything to do with what you're experiencing, but a suggestion is use a smaller target. The old adage from the movie, The Patriot, "Aim small, miss small" might have some credence here. That was a very nice group BTW.

On 6X the head portion of the steel is perfect size... so no issues there as far as size.
 
Originally Posted By: varminter .223How much did you move it? 1 up and 1 left? I fight mine between 8 and 4 and 9 and 5 on the coordinates. Kills the heck out of coyotes though. Mine changes an inch or so if I just calibrate the scope but never move more than 1 inchish.

Initial zero was 7/9 and the final adjustment was 9/11.
 
How are you seeing the plate well enough to shoot? Is it that much of a heat difference? We shoot at the little hand warmers and even they glow too big. I shoot on 12.8x in the pip since that is what I use in the field.
 
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Originally Posted By: varminter .223How are you seeing the plate well enough to shoot? Is it that much of a heat difference? We shoot at the little hand warmers and even they glow too big. I shoot on 12.8x in the pip since that is what I use in the field.

I put it on top the truck motor for about 15 minutes... stood out like a sore thumb... seeing the target good enough or having a small enough aiming point is not the issue, see the three rounds almost on top of each other... the thermal simply did not hold the previous zero, but I know what you are trying to suggest.

I have a video from today I think but I forgot my cord at the house... I'll try to post the video and you will see what I'm talking about as far as having an adequate target... adequate enough for precision work.
 
Originally Posted By: Bowhntr6ptOriginally Posted By: varminter .223How are you seeing the plate well enough to shoot? Is it that much of a heat difference? We shoot at the little hand warmers and even they glow too big. I shoot on 12.8x in the pip since that is what I use in the field.

I put it on top the truck motor for about 15 minutes... stood out like a sore thumb... seeing the target good enough or having a small enough aiming point is not the issue, see the three rounds almost on top of each other... the thermal simply did not hold the previous zero, but I know what you are trying to suggest.

I have a video from today I think but I forgot my cord at the house... I'll try to post the video and you will see what I'm talking about as far as having an adequate target... adequate enough for precision work.

Oh I don't doubt that poi shifted I was just curious how you could see the plate well enough to shoot. Guess I never thought about the ol truck motor plate warmer trick
lol.gif
 
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See if it shifts between calibrations. I know when I first pull mine out of the warm truck or house I have to continually calibrate it until it gets to ambient temp then she settles out. I think the pixels shift around as opposed to the zero.....but I gar an tee you, I taint no pixle specialist lol.
 
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Originally Posted By: weekenderShifting zero would BUGG the P out of me.

I'm going to closely watch this issue and keep good detailed notes.

I can live with an inch maybe here and there... if what I saw yesterday is the worst of it I guess I'll be ok with it because the thermal really is something.

Most of my shooting will be out to 200 yards and under so an inch or at worst two won't be as big deal as first thought, not preferred, but not a disaster.
 
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Some posts I've read they attribute the POI shift to temperature differences from the day it was zeroed to some other day/temp. My rig was zeroed pretty well yesterday in 26 degree temps. I left the rifle and ammo out for 3 hours before zeroing. Today I did a limited test, 3 shots each... I took the rifle out of the house (shoot off porch) and shot it immediately with it being 68 degrees. Looks like group was about 2" higher, and 1" right of where it was when 'cold'. That's for a 40ish degree swing. oh, and at 185yds.. that's still minute of coyote for sure.. Temps are rising too much today, but if we get another cold day I want to repeat with 5 shots, and break out the chrony too for some speed differences.
 
out of curiosity, the scopes with POI shift concerns. does the battery seem to fit more tightly when it is cold?

I've noticed that mine fit very tightly when cold and I scraped the excess casting seam off of the battery where it would slide in more easily. further testing is needed to confirm that it solved the issue but I have noticed that it has held zero better from a temperature swing of 35* down to 20*.

if someone else could perform the same tests to see if they get the same conclusion it may be very beneficial to trail owners
 
Originally Posted By: BleedsBlueout of curiosity, the scopes with POI shift concerns. does the battery seem to fit more tightly when it is cold?

I've noticed that mine fit very tightly when cold and I scraped the excess casting seam off of the battery where it would slide in more easily. further testing is needed to confirm that it solved the issue but I have noticed that it has held zero better from a temperature swing of 35* down to 20*.

if someone else could perform the same tests to see if they get the same conclusion it may be very beneficial to trail owners
I don't notice a difference in warm or cold as far as fit of the battery, but I did test a warm battery vs cold battery, and saw no POI shift at all. To me I was thinking maybe it was a voltage issue. Glad yours is holding but I have 4 different batteries between 2 different Pulsars and they all seem to fit a bit different but it doesn't matter what battery I have in the Trail. I have even tried the 20hr battery. 15 degrees may not have been enough to notice the change. It is a pain but what I have resorted to is leaving the gun outside in a case for several hours before hunting (typically the back of my truck). Then sight the gun in before hunting, and leave it outside. Temps may move 5-10 degrees in a typical night and it is just fine. I leave it in the back between sets. What seems to really mess it up is when it is introduced to warm temps like taking it in the truck or the house, etc.
 
I sure hope they figure it out. I want a XP trail bad, but not bad enough to take a $5k chance on getting a lemon. I'll stick with my APEX until someone can convince me they got the problem fixed.
 
I'm going to make a log and monitor this for a while to see what patterns if any I can find. I will include the following data points and if anyone thinks I need to add something else, please chime in.

Date
Time
Temp.
Humidity
Battery Reading
Time/Rounds Since Last Check
X number Before/After
Y number Before/After
X Change
Y Change
 
Someone has probably already said, but are these issues confined to the XP50 only, or all the Trail models? As well has there been any problem with new Apex models? I've never seen any shift with my older Apex XD50A.
 
Bowhntr6pt, I don't have a thermal, it may be in my future and I'm interested in this post and not trying to hijack it. I like all your attention to the variables but one thing is missing, or maybe I'm missing it. Are you basing all your info shooting at a 6 inch or so heated area, if so how can you maintain any consistency?

I have a photon and struggled a little sighting it in cause the reticles offered didn't allow me to be as precise as I liked when sighting it in. To compensate I designed a target that allowed me to use the X and Y axis to line my zero up and hold on target with consistency. The one inch thick lines work perfectly with the reticles in the Photon at 100 yards.




I agree with DU and Varmiter you need a small and consistent aiming point. There were numerous threads discussing the effectiveness of the reticles of Nikon's Coyote Special, many believed the circles while quick to obtain a target in the field did not facilitate well to bench rest accuracy. I would have to think using the reticles on a thermal aiming at a 6 inch target would be even worse.

Looking at your target in the first picture I'd be less than pleased with the results if those are a group of three shots. If those are three groups of three shots you're my hero. I appreciate all your efforts but a small consistent aiming point is the biggest variable IMO, without it all the other variables are just compounded.
 
Originally Posted By: DoubleUpSomeone has probably already said, but are these issues confined to the XP50 only, or all the Trail models? As well has there been any problem with new Apex models? I've never seen any shift with my older Apex XD50A.
Following threads on the Pulsar Night Vision and Thermal group, it seems like the people with the biggest shifting issues are the XP50 and XQ50 series. There are people, including myself, seeing shifting in the 38s as well, but it doesn't seem as common or maybe as severe of shift. I haven't heard much on the 30 series. Is it because they sell more of the 50's than the other models, not sure?
 
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