Originally posted by Jethro
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Range Finder quit working about 3-4 weeks ago. I wanted to finish out our killing season before sending it in, so I’ve held on to it still using it for a site without ranging capabilities since then. -
That is the first time I have heard of a rangefinder going out on one.Comment
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That was my exact same comment! I had honestly never heard of it before.Originally posted by Jethro View PostComment
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It slowly died over the course of the night. At first it started out as having issues ranging at 150-200 in clear wheat fields. By the end of the night I couldn’t hit the truck standing 20 yds in front of it. I figured maybe a battery or dirty lense issue maybe. Swapped batteries and checked the lens at the end of the night. It was spotless. First I’ve heard of it as well.Originally posted by Outdoor Legacy View PostComment
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There is not a single product made anywhere that has a 0% failure rate (though some come close). Sometimes an odd random thing just happens. I bet it gets taken care of pretty quick.Comment
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me waiting on the Wraith 4k...
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LOL! Ya it’s probably still going to be awhile. Fall is all they will say. I’m suspecting early fall but if this virus rears it’s ugly head again and China manufacturing or the US gets shut down again....well I won’t be surprised if it could be delayed again. Let’s hope and pray that doesn’t happen!Originally posted by duckmanep View Postme waiting on the Wraith 4k...Comment
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The XQ50 Thermions have been a little slow coming in but I finally got mine end of last week (Thanks Jason!). So far I really like this scope.
Image quality seems every bit as good if not better than the XQ50 Trail LRF that I had.
The controls are different but to be honest once you start getting used to them they make a lot more sense and are easier to use in the dark than the ones on the Trail. At least for me anyways. On the Trail I was always trying to count buttons by feel and remember which one did what. If you got on the wrong button it would throw you for a loop. On the Thermion you have the power, zoom, and record buttons in the raised circle on the eyepiece. These are the most used features and easy to find and differentiate from each other in the dark. Each has a specific 1/3 of the circle. Once you learn which "quadrant" to go to it is really quick to do by feel. That leaves the main menu controls on the side of the scope where the side focus would be on a precision daylight scope. Press the button for quick menu or main menu, and spin the knob to scroll. It is actually very fast and easy to do. The motion seems natural to me after spending a lot of time behind a precision rifle shooting distance.
I have heard a lot of folks say they are not interested in the color palettes and if that is what you are used to then stick with it. White hot/black hot are the old standby's and they flat out work. I didn't know if I would like the colors or not. Some are kind of crazy. I have found myself really gravitating to the Red Monochrome though. Seems a little strange at first but with the screen being more muted and less bright it does 2 things for me. First it seems to reduce eye strain and I can view easier for longer periods of time. Second if you wear glasses or for some other reason don't like using an eye cup then the glare from the screen that spills back on your face is much less noticeable at night using Red Monochrome. Maybe because when I was in the Navy and on a submarine we would rig for red when we came to the surface at night, IDK, but the red seems natural to me. It also does not destroy your night vision near like the really bright screens do. The red is too muted for daylight use though. During the day a guy will probably still have to run black hot/white hot just because of glare coming in around the eye cup.
The Thermion has a multitude of reticles available. Personally I prefer a scaled MIL style reticle and there are 2 of them available, the M56FI and the M57FI. Those two were my initial choice but then I discovered the X51FI-300 and decided to try it. The X51FI-300 is a reticle scaled for European hunters for judging distance. It gives specs for the graduations in cm and I had to convert those over to inches to see where they played out. Basically the sub tensions are designed to give 200 and 300 yard reads based off the average body size of 3 different sized animals. Those animals are fox, roe deer, and boar. I don't hunt fox but I know a lot of you guys do. Pigs are pigs and can vary a lot in size so take that for what it is worth. The 23 cm spacing they use for roe deer though works out to a 9" sub tension. (9" is just pretty dang close to the belly to back measurement on a mature coyote). I hope this reticle is going to do what I need which is give a quick read on coyote distance. 200 and in, 200 to 300, or over 300. As I get some time on it actually shooting game I will try and update on whether it actually works out OK or not. If not I will swap back to std MIL.
And BTW, I really like the eye cup that comes on and off very quickly. It is held on by magnets in a recess and works very good for me. Will I lose it sometime? Maybe. it is a possibility. But I like it.
My Thermion is mounted in one of the American Defense QD mounts Jason sells. I was glad to see him selling that mount. A friend of mine turned me on to AD a couple years back and they are a real quality mount. You can adjust tension on the QD levers or change the direction they open quickly with no tools. This is a solid mount that returns to zero.
I have tested this Thermion pretty hard the last few days for holding zero. I have shot in temps from 65 to 105 degrees and the adjustments have tracked true, moved how they were supposed to, and stayed where I put them. From 105 degrees in the baking sun yesterday afternoon to 70 degrees at dawn this morning, no POI shift at 200 yards.
The Thermion is "different" than most all the other thermals out there as far as size, shape, and feel. For those of you very comfortable with and used to more typical thermals no doubt it will take some getting used to. But the more I use this unit the more I like it. As primarily a daylight scope kind of guy it just feels right to me, feels natural.
I hope this helps if any of you guys are considering one of the new Thermions. Any questions about them I will attempt to answer. I'm no thermal expert. But I am a very particular rifle shooter that knows what I want and what I like or don't like. Bottom line for me is anything I use has to be dead nuts reliable. If it isn't I will tell you. So far this scope has done everything I have asked of it.Last edited by Jethro; 07-01-2020, 08:18 AM.Comment
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Jethro, thank you SO much for the huge write up review. That's awesome! I'm very glad you're enjoying it and you make some great points about the Thermion.
I'm glad you're enjoying and holler if you need anything but it sounds like you've got it figured out. I really appreciate your continued business and support!
JasonComment
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Are the Thermion XQ38s coming in yet?Comment
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No problem Jason.
I actually ordered another one of those American Defense mounts to use with the Vortex Viper 2-10 Gen II PST that is the daylight scope for that rifle. That way I can swap them back and forth super fast/easy. For the daylight scope I wanted a slightly different model than the one you carry so I had to go direct to the mfg, but it should be here next week.
One other thing I will bring up about the Thermion. On the Trail models you have magnification "steps". As you press the button magnification doubles each time. You still have that same ability with the Thermion, but you have another option as well. A quick press of the zoom button brings up the current magnification on the right side of the screen. A second press will "jump" it, or at that point you can use the scroll knob to adjust magnification in .1x increments to any level above 3.5x. 3.7, 4.5, 5.7, whatever you want.
That same thing applies using PIP. A long press of the zoom button brings up PIP. As long as the magnification is displayed to the right of the screen you can adjust the value of the PIP screen to any value above 7x. When it times out it will stay where you put it. If you need to adjust again a quick press will bring up the adjustment function again.
Pretty cool feature actually. Maybe not too critical for guys shooting hogs up close, but for coyotes at a distance trying to walk that line between clarity and magnification it works good.Comment
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So has anyone heard of Batman, Zorro or possibly the Lone Ranger hunting hogs in East Texas?
I mean technically he is wearing a mask![emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787]
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I can't wait to get my hands on the XP50. Just waiting for the cash to buy one. I'm building a 6.5 Creedmoor 12.5" barrel with a 8" and a pistol brace. We hunt a lot hopping in and out of the ranger. Just trying to build a 200 yard hog gun that's a tack driver.Comment
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Me and a buddy made a quick hit on a field tonight. I’ve been working since 6 am, so I wasn’t willing to hunt hard tonight. Got a nice solo boar we figured in the 220-230 range.
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