Night Vision Pulsar Thermion

[DownRangeThermal]

These have made it in and while I was disappointed to see the TRAIL being replaced I must say that I'm really liking the Thermion series so far. The #1 thing that was immediately noticeable was the very forgiving eye-box and impression of a much larger and crisper display compared to the trail. Further, the reticle options include at least 3 different FFP options as well as color options for both the full reticle and center dots. The traditional form factor also lets the optic sit further back towards your natural head position on a bolt gun. Being 12 micron 320 unit, the XM50 as pictured has an Optical mag of 5.5 that can be digitally zoomed to 22x. I had no trouble picking up a guy walking his dog on a hilltop street @ a little over 2200 yards. Let me know if you guys have any specific questions on the optics. This is a really nice addition to the commercial market.

 

[mrBeBot]

@DownRangeThermal

I'm pretty set on getting an XP Thermion for my first dedicated scope. Any insight on 38 vs 50. It seems like the base mag difference (.5) wouldn't be a determining factor.

Or perhaps this warrants a phone conversation

 

[DownRangeThermal]

Happy to discuss over the phone if you'd like....but, really the difference will be in field of view and magnification differences that are most noticeable when you start to zoom/use the PIP. Your typical hunting scenario and where you hunt would allow me to make a solid suggestion on which you'd be suited with. As a general rule, I think the FOV is so close between the XP models that i usually steer people to the 50 because of the advantage it has in ID range.

 

[Aescobar17]

While I don’t have a Thermion I do have an XP38 and XP50LRF. I wouldn’t say either are better, but I’d say each is better suited to different tasks. It would 100% depend on your specific usage which id recommend first.

 

[mrBeBot]

@Aescobar17 I know you have both but are you able to justify having both in your stable based on the respective task they excel at.

 

[Aescobar17]

@Aescobar17 I know you have both but are you able to justify having both in your stable based on the respective task they excel at.

The 50LRF stays mounted on my rifle at all times. The XP38 is used as a handheld scanner, that can be used as a scope when needed. When needed it’s mounted on an 11.5” 556, but may soon be moved to a 12.5-13.5” 6.5 or 6.8. I haven’t decided the exact rifle yet, but it will be a small frame SBR with a bit more ass than my 11.5” 556. I can absolutely justify them both to myself. I’ve ran a single rifle mounted thermal before, and I won’t run without a scanner again. The 38 excelled at close range shooting and scanning for the field of view. The 50 excels at more precise and further shooting. They both get used respectively for those tasks, but the 50 does see quite a bit of up close shooting as well.

 

[Parkre]

How would you compare it to the Trijicon Reap-IR series?