HUGE PULSAR THERMAL SALE!
- Thread starter NGI_TOM
- Start date
Kirsch
Active member
Detection and ID are very different. I don't own a PTS233. I currently own a PTS536. I can see vehicles at well over 1 mile on the highway going past my property same for the Apex or Trail XQ38. The reason I haven't talked about the Apex or Trail is they are very big for a scanner. If it is usually used as a scanner and only used on a gun on occasion, then I would opt for a smaller sized thermal. This is why I recommended the Pulsar Core or the PTS233. Here is a video of a review and it shows 2 people and a dog at 100, 200, and 300 with a PTS233. Review . Here is a video of what someone claims is around 600 yards on deer. Lots of youtube videos if you search. Deer
So maybe take this a step further. Say a guy can only afford one unit to start with. Wants to shoot out to 200 yards but also needs to scan with said unit and then attach to firearm for the shot. Definitely not ideal but it gets someone started. Sounds like the trail or apex XQ38 could be a very viable option. Any opinions?
Kirsch
Active member
I’ve already stated I believe the Trail and Apex are a bit too large to be used a lot as a scanner. However, if you are set on doing this I would recommend a Dloc QD mount. It is the easiest and quickest mount I have ever used or seen plus has a good reputation for returning to zero. They run $250 but are a really nice system.
Shaun Simma
New member
if you only have access to a single piece of thermal gear my recommendation would be to purchase a good scope and a good firm tripod and then scan with the gun mounted tripod. My son and i hunt together and we hunt with tripods and standing in the shadow of cover or a tree. He scans with an IR Hunter MKii 35mm scope and I scan with a hand held. I can tell you he see's plenty through the scope and the gun does not get too heavy anymore with the tripod.
just my 2 cents
happy hunting
just my 2 cents
happy hunting
My son and I do pretty much what Shaun does. Son scans and shoots off a nightstalker tripod and I scan and shoot sitting on a 5 gallon bucket swivel seat and bipod. If its coyotes they usually come in fast enough that I don't mess with switching from scanner to weapon mounted thermal. With pigs its usually scanning for awhile with xp50 (that never held zero and has been sent in and second unit doesn't hold zero)but makes a more than decent scanner). Son and I both shoot with weapon mounted Trijicons that have never failed us.
NightmareOne
New member
Originally Posted By: 6mm06Originally Posted By: NightmareOneOriginally Posted By: 6mm06
Originally Posted By: NightmareOneIf you don't want on-board recording and/or battery packs, then there's the Apex line.
I have the Apex XQ38 and record just fine with a mini DVR recorder attached. Also have an external battery pack that I place in my pocket. It works fine.
Do you get sound that way too, or do you have to record it separately? I was mostly referring to all-in-one ready to go, right out-of-the-box, package in my post... and like I said, I am new to this; just trying to figure out what we "need" for our night season.
As a side note, I suppose a guy could save some going with the Apex and then adding recording and battery pack as you can...
Best Regards and God Bless, Col
Nightmare, yes, the DVR I have records sound too. The unit cost slightly over $100. I have it mounted to the left side picatinny on the XQ38. Most of my shooting doesn't involve leaving the unit on for extended periods, so lots of times I use the CR123 batteries. I do have a battery pack too that easily attaches to the scope, with a cord long enough that I just place the battery in a coat or pant pocket and don't mount it to the rifle. It would add more weight and I really don't much notice it in my pocket. The Apex models are not as compact or self contained as Trail models are, but for the difference of $1,000, I don't mind the cord or DVR. If I were to go to a Trail model, it would mainly be for resolution, and in my mind the onboard battery and internal recording would be icing on the cake. For $1,000 difference, I could buy a nice suppressor or a new rifle.
6mm06,
That $800 to $1000 savings is pretty tempting... a suppressor would be nice, if it weren't for that darn waiting period, and a guy can always use a new rifle.
Wouldn't the Apex and xq trail 384 units be the same for resolution, or were you talking about going up to the xp trail 640?
Best Regards and God Bless, Col
Originally Posted By: NightmareOneIf you don't want on-board recording and/or battery packs, then there's the Apex line.
I have the Apex XQ38 and record just fine with a mini DVR recorder attached. Also have an external battery pack that I place in my pocket. It works fine.
Do you get sound that way too, or do you have to record it separately? I was mostly referring to all-in-one ready to go, right out-of-the-box, package in my post... and like I said, I am new to this; just trying to figure out what we "need" for our night season.
As a side note, I suppose a guy could save some going with the Apex and then adding recording and battery pack as you can...
Best Regards and God Bless, Col
Nightmare, yes, the DVR I have records sound too. The unit cost slightly over $100. I have it mounted to the left side picatinny on the XQ38. Most of my shooting doesn't involve leaving the unit on for extended periods, so lots of times I use the CR123 batteries. I do have a battery pack too that easily attaches to the scope, with a cord long enough that I just place the battery in a coat or pant pocket and don't mount it to the rifle. It would add more weight and I really don't much notice it in my pocket. The Apex models are not as compact or self contained as Trail models are, but for the difference of $1,000, I don't mind the cord or DVR. If I were to go to a Trail model, it would mainly be for resolution, and in my mind the onboard battery and internal recording would be icing on the cake. For $1,000 difference, I could buy a nice suppressor or a new rifle.
6mm06,
That $800 to $1000 savings is pretty tempting... a suppressor would be nice, if it weren't for that darn waiting period, and a guy can always use a new rifle.
Wouldn't the Apex and xq trail 384 units be the same for resolution, or were you talking about going up to the xp trail 640?
Best Regards and God Bless, Col
NightmareOne
New member
Originally Posted By: NGI_TOMOriginally Posted By: NightmareOneWhat's the chances there's going to be a Second annual NOX MORTIS(Night Death)SALE on PULSAR THERMAL devices?
Best Regards and God Bless, Col
Call my personal extension and I'll give you some great pricing. Thanks!
Tom, I'll try to get ahold of you shortly... work has been crazy hectic with freeze-up here.
Best Regards and God Bless, Col
Best Regards and God Bless, Col
Call my personal extension and I'll give you some great pricing. Thanks!
Tom, I'll try to get ahold of you shortly... work has been crazy hectic with freeze-up here.
Best Regards and God Bless, Col
NightmareOne
New member
Originally Posted By: JerdoggerWith lights I get eye reflection well beyond 300 yards.
My longest kill was 276. But I hunt in Maine mostly from December to may. So there is almost always snow which really helps when shooting.if there is no snow identification drops down alot without the white background.200 yards probably
Jerdogger,
That's pretty awesome! I wish we could use lights here... can't even aide your nv with an ir torch. That's why I'm going thermal; seems to work good in most all conditions.
Best Regards and God Bless, Col
My longest kill was 276. But I hunt in Maine mostly from December to may. So there is almost always snow which really helps when shooting.if there is no snow identification drops down alot without the white background.200 yards probably
Jerdogger,
That's pretty awesome! I wish we could use lights here... can't even aide your nv with an ir torch. That's why I'm going thermal; seems to work good in most all conditions.
Best Regards and God Bless, Col
NightmareOne
New member
Originally Posted By: SlowflyteI have an XQ 50 trail and a apex 38 and can detect coyote at a half mile or better with the 50 and prolly 500 yards or a little more with the apex on a good night. Can’t ID at that distance but pick up heat in some beanstubble fields with known distance last night. Don’t know about the xp yet a buddy of mine just got one gonna hunt with him some later this month will know more then.
Slowflyte,
A quarter to half a mile would be plenty good for detection and the couple hundred I've heard for id'ing is good to... hopefully be killing them at 50 to 75 with the call.
Best Regards and God Bless, Col
Slowflyte,
A quarter to half a mile would be plenty good for detection and the couple hundred I've heard for id'ing is good to... hopefully be killing them at 50 to 75 with the call.
Best Regards and God Bless, Col
Last edited:
6mm06
Well-known member
Originally Posted By: NightmareOne
6mm06,
That $800 to $1000 savings is pretty tempting... a suppressor would be nice, if it weren't for that darn waiting period, and a guy can always use a new rifle.
Wouldn't the Apex and xq trail 384 units be the same for resolution, or were you talking about going up to the xp trail 640?
Best Regards and God Bless, Col
Yes, the XQ Apex and XQ Trail have the same resolution of 384. For me, the difference of upgrading the Apex to a Trail with the only gain being onboard battery and onboard recording isn't worth $800 more. The Apex XQ38 and the Trail XQ38 are essentially the same scope (correct me if I am wrong), but the Trail actually has a shorter eye relief than the Apex, 50mm vs. 67mm.
The cheapest trail model is the XQ30. Price difference is $300 more than the Apex XQ38, resolution is the same at 384, but the magnification is only 1.6x vs. the Apex 2.2x, so $300 would buy me battery and recording, less magnification, "AND" a fixed focus lens. The XQ30 is the only Trail model with a fixed focus lens, so that feature kills the deal for me, plus the lower magnification. "IF" the lens had focus and "IF" magnification were the same, then $300 more might be worth it to acquire onboard battery and recording.
If I were to upgrade to the better 640 resolution Trail, I would have to spend a lot more money, and it's a ton of money difference. If I'm correct, the cheapest 640 resolution scope is the Trail XP38 at $4,500, or put another way, it is $2,000 more than my Apex XQ38. I could almost purchase two XQ38's for the price of one XP38, "AND" the XP38 only has a base 1.25x magnification.
I don't have any problems at all with using my DVR attached to the picatinny of the Apex, and an external battery tucked in my pocket hasn't bothered me at all. I know the cord is there and I use caution as a result but it hasn't been an issue for me at all. The Apex XQ38 is the best bang for your dollar, but even that one does not come cheap.
Those are just my personal thoughts. Everyone has their own preferences and will pay accordingly. There are scopes available to suit everyone's fancy.
6mm06,
That $800 to $1000 savings is pretty tempting... a suppressor would be nice, if it weren't for that darn waiting period, and a guy can always use a new rifle.
Wouldn't the Apex and xq trail 384 units be the same for resolution, or were you talking about going up to the xp trail 640?
Best Regards and God Bless, Col
Yes, the XQ Apex and XQ Trail have the same resolution of 384. For me, the difference of upgrading the Apex to a Trail with the only gain being onboard battery and onboard recording isn't worth $800 more. The Apex XQ38 and the Trail XQ38 are essentially the same scope (correct me if I am wrong), but the Trail actually has a shorter eye relief than the Apex, 50mm vs. 67mm.
The cheapest trail model is the XQ30. Price difference is $300 more than the Apex XQ38, resolution is the same at 384, but the magnification is only 1.6x vs. the Apex 2.2x, so $300 would buy me battery and recording, less magnification, "AND" a fixed focus lens. The XQ30 is the only Trail model with a fixed focus lens, so that feature kills the deal for me, plus the lower magnification. "IF" the lens had focus and "IF" magnification were the same, then $300 more might be worth it to acquire onboard battery and recording.
If I were to upgrade to the better 640 resolution Trail, I would have to spend a lot more money, and it's a ton of money difference. If I'm correct, the cheapest 640 resolution scope is the Trail XP38 at $4,500, or put another way, it is $2,000 more than my Apex XQ38. I could almost purchase two XQ38's for the price of one XP38, "AND" the XP38 only has a base 1.25x magnification.
I don't have any problems at all with using my DVR attached to the picatinny of the Apex, and an external battery tucked in my pocket hasn't bothered me at all. I know the cord is there and I use caution as a result but it hasn't been an issue for me at all. The Apex XQ38 is the best bang for your dollar, but even that one does not come cheap.
Those are just my personal thoughts. Everyone has their own preferences and will pay accordingly. There are scopes available to suit everyone's fancy.
NightmareOne
New member
Originally Posted By: 6mm06Originally Posted By: NightmareOne
6mm06,
That $800 to $1000 savings is pretty tempting... a suppressor would be nice, if it weren't for that darn waiting period, and a guy can always use a new rifle.
Wouldn't the Apex and xq trail 384 units be the same for resolution, or were you talking about going up to the xp trail 640?
Best Regards and God Bless, Col
Yes, the XQ Apex and XQ Trail have the same resolution of 384. For me, the difference of upgrading the Apex to a Trail with the only gain being onboard battery and onboard recording isn't worth $800 more. The Apex XQ38 and the Trail XQ38 are essentially the same scope (correct me if I am wrong), but the Trail actually has a shorter eye relief than the Apex, 50mm vs. 67mm.
The cheapest trail model is the XQ30. Price difference is $300 more than the Apex XQ38, resolution is the same at 384, but the magnification is only 1.6x vs. the Apex 2.2x, so $300 would buy me battery and recording, less magnification, "AND" a fixed focus lens. The XQ30 is the only Trail model with a fixed focus lens, so that feature kills the deal for me, plus the lower magnification. "IF" the lens had focus and "IF" magnification were the same, then $300 more might be worth it to acquire onboard battery and recording.
If I were to upgrade to the better 640 resolution Trail, I would have to spend a lot more money, and it's a ton of money difference. If I'm correct, the cheapest 640 resolution scope is the Trail XP38 at $4,500, or put another way, it is $2,000 more than my Apex XQ38. I could almost purchase two XQ38's for the price of one XP38, "AND" the XP38 only has a base 1.25x magnification.
I don't have any problems at all with using my DVR attached to the picatinny of the Apex, and an external battery tucked in my pocket hasn't bothered me at all. I know the cord is there and I use caution as a result but it hasn't been an issue for me at all. The Apex XQ38 is the best bang for your dollar, but even that one does not come cheap.
Those are just my personal thoughts. Everyone has their own preferences and will pay accordingly. There are scopes available to suit everyone's fancy.
Wow! 6mm06; thank you so much! There is a wealth of info in that reply. I very much appreciate your opinion, and it gives me a bit to think about.
Best Regards and God Bless, Col
6mm06,
That $800 to $1000 savings is pretty tempting... a suppressor would be nice, if it weren't for that darn waiting period, and a guy can always use a new rifle.
Wouldn't the Apex and xq trail 384 units be the same for resolution, or were you talking about going up to the xp trail 640?
Best Regards and God Bless, Col
Yes, the XQ Apex and XQ Trail have the same resolution of 384. For me, the difference of upgrading the Apex to a Trail with the only gain being onboard battery and onboard recording isn't worth $800 more. The Apex XQ38 and the Trail XQ38 are essentially the same scope (correct me if I am wrong), but the Trail actually has a shorter eye relief than the Apex, 50mm vs. 67mm.
The cheapest trail model is the XQ30. Price difference is $300 more than the Apex XQ38, resolution is the same at 384, but the magnification is only 1.6x vs. the Apex 2.2x, so $300 would buy me battery and recording, less magnification, "AND" a fixed focus lens. The XQ30 is the only Trail model with a fixed focus lens, so that feature kills the deal for me, plus the lower magnification. "IF" the lens had focus and "IF" magnification were the same, then $300 more might be worth it to acquire onboard battery and recording.
If I were to upgrade to the better 640 resolution Trail, I would have to spend a lot more money, and it's a ton of money difference. If I'm correct, the cheapest 640 resolution scope is the Trail XP38 at $4,500, or put another way, it is $2,000 more than my Apex XQ38. I could almost purchase two XQ38's for the price of one XP38, "AND" the XP38 only has a base 1.25x magnification.
I don't have any problems at all with using my DVR attached to the picatinny of the Apex, and an external battery tucked in my pocket hasn't bothered me at all. I know the cord is there and I use caution as a result but it hasn't been an issue for me at all. The Apex XQ38 is the best bang for your dollar, but even that one does not come cheap.
Those are just my personal thoughts. Everyone has their own preferences and will pay accordingly. There are scopes available to suit everyone's fancy.
Wow! 6mm06; thank you so much! There is a wealth of info in that reply. I very much appreciate your opinion, and it gives me a bit to think about.
Best Regards and God Bless, Col
iowayotehunter76
New member
I would like to point out that the trail's battery is rechargeable and last a lot longer than standard cr123 in the apex, especially in below freezing temps. So if you are going to buy an external battery and dvr the price gap is closer and it depends on what price you put on convenience. I have an apex and love it, but I didn't care about recording, so mounting the external battery pack to the rail on the scope was no big deal. But for me, I wouldn't want a wire going to a battery or dvr in my pocket on cold nights with gloves on going from stand to stand.
NightmareOne
New member
Thanks for the good discussion guys! I thought on it for a while and decided convenience was worth it to me. Talked to Tom some, and have two Pulsar Trail XQ30's on their way. Now, we just can't wait to try them out in the field!
Best Regards and God Bless, Col
Best Regards and God Bless, Col