Double Naught Spy
New member
Earlier in the year, I had access to a prototype XD50 which worked pretty darned good. http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=560927&highlight=thermal+armasight This was a much less expensive thermal weapon sight than the current units on the market. Now several months later, there are now the budget thermals available such as the Armasight Predator (http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=566520&highlight=thermal+armasight) and now the Pulsar Apex XD38a.
The Apex XD38a is a 384x288 resolution, 50 hz, 1.5x native magnification thermal scope with a 38mm lens that will digitally zoom to 6x. Like the previous Armasight Predator scope I was using, this is a budget or entry level thermal optic. In fact, this was the model of scope that first broke the sub $3K barrier here in the US. Being inexpensive, however, doesn't mean it is cheap. Just 4 years ago, plenty of folks were hunting with less scope that cost several times as much money.
So this scope has slightly more resolution than the Armasight Predator and runs at more hz, but is also has a larger lens with and objective focus that the Predator did not have. The main downsides by comparison are that this scope is polymer cased and much longer than the aluminum cased Predator.
I have been after some hogs at my place for a while now. Until recently, they were coming once or twice every 3 or 4 weeks. That isn't to say that I had them patterned as I never knew when those one or two days would be, but that was the frequency. Here lately, they have started showing up anew and much more often. There was a lone sow and a sounder that often did not show up together. I had been out 6 of the last 10 nights. Either they didn't show when I was there or came hours after I left. So they have managed to elude me quite effectively, at least until last night for the sow. The sounder still did by not coming until 5:58 this morning. Sheesh.
The sow came out and was quite skittish. She ran off twice, but I was able to pop her when she appeared the third time. Here is the video. Note the unique Picture in Picture feature. I did not use it much this time, but have really liked using it in the past when I got to try out a Pulsar Apex XD50 prototype for Sellmark, the US distributor for Pulsar.
Here is the video... https://youtu.be/Bcxdhd0pn64
Conditions were not ideal as the hog was partially hidden behind high grass that obstructed and degraded the view, but even so, was able to make the shot just fine.
The Apex XD38a is a 384x288 resolution, 50 hz, 1.5x native magnification thermal scope with a 38mm lens that will digitally zoom to 6x. Like the previous Armasight Predator scope I was using, this is a budget or entry level thermal optic. In fact, this was the model of scope that first broke the sub $3K barrier here in the US. Being inexpensive, however, doesn't mean it is cheap. Just 4 years ago, plenty of folks were hunting with less scope that cost several times as much money.
So this scope has slightly more resolution than the Armasight Predator and runs at more hz, but is also has a larger lens with and objective focus that the Predator did not have. The main downsides by comparison are that this scope is polymer cased and much longer than the aluminum cased Predator.
I have been after some hogs at my place for a while now. Until recently, they were coming once or twice every 3 or 4 weeks. That isn't to say that I had them patterned as I never knew when those one or two days would be, but that was the frequency. Here lately, they have started showing up anew and much more often. There was a lone sow and a sounder that often did not show up together. I had been out 6 of the last 10 nights. Either they didn't show when I was there or came hours after I left. So they have managed to elude me quite effectively, at least until last night for the sow. The sounder still did by not coming until 5:58 this morning. Sheesh.
The sow came out and was quite skittish. She ran off twice, but I was able to pop her when she appeared the third time. Here is the video. Note the unique Picture in Picture feature. I did not use it much this time, but have really liked using it in the past when I got to try out a Pulsar Apex XD50 prototype for Sellmark, the US distributor for Pulsar.
Here is the video... https://youtu.be/Bcxdhd0pn64
Conditions were not ideal as the hog was partially hidden behind high grass that obstructed and degraded the view, but even so, was able to make the shot just fine.