Pulsar discontinued the XG, so you would be advised to get a newer model with better features that will be supported by pulsar warranty service.
Just can't help saying it, them dang Armasights just look like a dang thermal oughta look like IMHO.Non-Chinese in the $3500 price range would be used market. Like olde Armasights or FLIR weapon sights. If you watch for them you'll see them going by. I got a new old stock apollo42 640 last Nov for $1800 and a new old stock apollo100 pro for $3500, smokin deals compared to their original prices.
22LR with VO pstg2 1-6x and apollo42 640 in front. My barnyard defense system !
No, Pulsar is not Chinese -- I work at Pulsar USA. As for sensors, the gen 1 Thermion XGs had BAE sensors and proprietary Pulsar cores, and were only available in the US, because of that. The Thermion 2 XGs have Lynred/ULIS sensors. This is why they are now available in the EU, too.Unfortunately, though they try to hide it, Pulsar is Chinese also. A good rule of thumb is "90% of 90% of all commercial thermals are Chinese"
And yes a few of the pulsars do incorporate the BAE sensor (not the core).
Non-Chinese in the $3500 price range would be used market. Like olde Armasights or FLIR weapon sights. If you watch for them you'll see them going by. I got a new old stock apollo42 640 last Nov for $1800 and a new old stock apollo100 pro for $3500, smokin deals compared to their original prices.
22LR with VO pstg2 1-6x and apollo42 640 in front. My barnyard defense system !
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With the final demise of Armasight (sold off by FLIR a couple of years ago) the USA commercial thermal makers are Trijicon and N-Vision ... and all their stuff is out of your $3500 price range ($6k to $9k) There are also a number of military thermals now in the commercial market, but they are even farther outside the $3500 limit ($10k to $25k).
So the two constraints, of "not Chinese" and "not over $3,500" ... leave you with a small playing field of used stuff. Finding a used Trijicon or N-Vision unit for $3500 or less will be tough, so again that leaves you with FLIR or Armasight.
If you get a used unit, I'd call the manufacturer before buying to find out if they will repair the unit if it breaks, so at least you'll know that going in, though repairing a broken front lens, might cost more than the $3,500 to begin with, so don't break your front lens !!!!
But if you want a new unit, you'll have to relax one of your constraints and either go with Chinese or keep saving and go with USA made.
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Just looked on ebay
[URL]https://www.ebay.com/b/Armasight-Hunting-Thermal-Scopes/40970/bn_54323343[/URL]
I'd get the 30hz one if it was me, they have clearer image (the CPUs in the Armasight cores got overworked at 60hz, this is per Armasight CS itself, back in the day), but there you go, USA made for under $3,500 !!
Though I'd rather have a 640, the 336s will work for closer in work, like inside 300yds. If you're hunting hogs, you'll be fine. If yotes, just be real careful with PID yote vs calf or yote vs deer, etc. Watch the critter move for a while to confirm PID. If not sure, don't take the shot.
I feel slighted. No thank you for me for cleaning up internet rumor.
You might consider changing your calibration to semi-auto to have more control over when it NUCs. That said, if and when you are ready and feel it needs it, you can do a RA and send it into our HQ here in Mansfield, TX and we will collimate and calibrate everything.
Social media has a weird way of creating "firestorms" with just a handful of people and of course, competitors like to fan those flames, too -- not mentioning any. That said, we were VERY transparent with our willingness to help, troubleshoot, investigate individual devices if people felt the need to send them in -- we did not turn anybody away. We tested all of them carefully in fixed-mounted scenarios (absent of shooter variables). We put them through extreme temperature changes, recoil tested, track any reticle drifts through warming/cooling temp changes, etc. and while it "appeared" to be a huge issue on social media, it wasn't. I don't know the exact number because I don't work in customer service but it was an incredibly small number -- it might have been a dozen or so -- I mean an infantile number compared to the number of devices out there at the time. Additionally, the housing materials, etc. used in those may see some small amount of shift in extreme temperatures and it was stated in the operator manuals. Even so, Pulsar also updated firmware to further mitigate the potential for any shifting. As far as I know, we were the only company to do so although other producers certainly experience/experienced shifts related to materials/temperatures. Of course, different materials have been in place since the Trail 2s anyway. As far as batteries, some like our extended life batteries, some do not. The biggest argument folks had with first-generation Thermions was battery life; however, the Thermion pro models run much more efficiently. External/internal combo battery life now is on par with Trail batteries... 8+ hours. Talions have rechargeable APS5 external batteries only but also offer roughly 8 hrs, if I recall.
The amount of units with the design defect is exactly 100% for that particular model.
I'm not sure what else you'd like me to add but the issue is miles behind us. Whether people believe my commenting or not, I've shared honestly -- my integrity's not for sale for or to anyone. There is no arguing that issues on social media, just like mainstream media, are often dramatically sensationalized. That issue, as it appeared on social media, was not our experience at all in-house -- we tested a lot, replaced a handful and turned nobody away. And yes, folks smarter than me, perhaps smarter than both of us, developed a program within a firmware update that mitigated shifting (reduced/inhibited -- this is different than precisely solving). We can't even build rifles that don't experience temperature related shifts. If we did, cold-bore wouldn't mean anything. Of course, the only constant is change anyway. The Trails are a memory although I loved my Trail XP38 and Trail 2 LRF XP50 (and if people still have Trails under warranty, we'll still stand behind them). The Thermion 2 Pros are treating pretty much everybody well and battery life is dramatically improved in the Pros, too -- they run more efficiently than the gen 1 Thermions. I'm shooting a Thermion 2 LRF XP50 Pro and hope to add a Talion XG35 as a second scope for a tag-along.
Dude, thanks for the great feedback and for choosing our optics! The Thermion Pros are running more efficiently, resulting in much longer battery life. The combination of internal and external battery runtimes are comparable to Trail battery runtimes now. Of course, the XQs are still running 384/17 and XPs are running 640/17 (both with <25mK NETD), and the XGs are running 640/12 with <40mK NETD. The Talion XG35 also is a 640/12 with a 2x base mag and <40mK NETD.
Thanks! Yeah, I thought the same. When I went from my XP38 to a Trail LRF, and started to actually use it, I liked it. Then when we added color reticles, I had to move again. By then we didn't have any more Trails without LRFs anyway. I was asked what it would take for me to move into a Thermion, I said a LRF... the next SHOT Show we intro'd the LRF. I sold my Trail 2 LRF XP50 and bought the Thermion 2 LRF XP50 Pro. I'd like to get our Duo but I went from not caring about a LRF to using one to not wanting a primary thermal riflescope without LRF. So, a LRF just might grow on you. Haha! Also, don't let the button layout get to you. It's still crazy-easy to operate. It would take you about 2 minutes, tops, to master the LRF model since you already know the non-LRF. Cheers!
While it may be a nice feature to some, I have little use for an LRF in the terrain I hunt.
Thanks for clearing that up. We know your reputation and integrity has never been for sale. Don't let one user here say otherwise about you or the product.
Only the very old Pulsars have internal batteries?
