Pulsar’s Thermion XM50 is a thermal scope that looks like it belongs on a hunting rifle.
Pulsar’s Thermion XM50 thermal imaging riflescope is an evolution of their previous designs which makes it more intuitive to use. Instead of looking like a gun sight from star wars, it now looks like a traditional riflescope.
The zoom, record and power buttons are in easy reach atop the eyepiece.
One of the new changes is that the on/off switch, magnification button, and record button are all located on the eyepiece so they are easy to reach. The focus is on the objective, much like a traditional rifle scope.
It’s capable of picking up targets 2,300 yards away, and the detachable eyecup helps you see the display better in bright conditions.
Another noteworthy change is that it sees targets as far as 2,300 yards, which is more than a mile. That means it sees the heat signature of targets that far off. At this price point, that’s pretty amazing.
The encoder button lets you choose from 8 different display types.
Color Palettes are also new. Using the encoder button on the left side you can cycle between the color used in the display. There are eight different options so you can customize it for your own eyes.
Since everything you see is a digital display, you can save zeros for different distances and different bullets. You can save five profiles with up to ten distances in each profile. We’ll let you know how this goes when we do a hands-on review.
The scope allows you to see a wide view and a tight view at once wherever the reticle is positioned.
Another interesting thing about the digital display is that there is a picture-in-picture display showing a zoomed-in view of your target. We’ve used this in their other models and it’s pretty cool.
It starts much more quickly now, with no more long waits to boot. The older model took at least 4 seconds, but this one was ready by the time I got it to my eye.
The XM50 mounts using standard 30mm rings, and it’s recoil rated for .375 H&H, 12 ga. and 9.3×64.
It looks like a traditional riflescope and is a much better fit on your bolt gun. This thermal can be mounted using standard 30mm scope rings making it easy to get proper cheek weld and eye relief for optimal accuracy in the field.
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- The top turret is actually a battery housing.
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- The top battery can be removed and there’s still another battery on the inside.
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- The batteries are charged and the firmware updated using a USB cord.
It’s now got a dual battery system. The external battery can be changed in a matter of seconds ensuring additional operation time in the field, and it’s hot swappable so there is no downtime. Both batteries charge with a USB cord. The Thermion can also be upgraded with the USB cord when new software is released to improve overall performance.
The XM50 is IPX7 rated–yeah, you can drop it in a creek and it’ll keep working.
It has an all-metal housing and is waterproof for heavy rain and snow, and it can even be submerged in three feet of water for 30 minutes (IPX-7 rating). This will ensure reliable performance in the field.
The Thermion XM50 will be available this Spring with an MSRP of $4,179.
Thanks for the report. There is also a new yootube video, very short but somewhat informative. I CAN fford one of these, and with a revolution right around the corner, complaining about the price seems goofy. What is your Republic and freedom worth?
If I save for 15 years I could afford one. By then so.ething better will be around and nothing like this will be available any more.
Oh they will come down in price eventually and be even better-hopefully before I die
Why taunt us poor shooters with such a high end product?
The most expensive scope I have thus far is a high powered Leupold for a
6.5 Creedmoor AR308 Rifle. I would love to have this scope atop it but I
would have to save for about 10 years to get it. Maybe thermal prices will
come down to my level by then. Geez, this thing sounds awesome!