TFB Review: Pulsar Thermion 2 XL50 LRF - HD Thermal Riflescope

Unboxing and First Impressions

Upon unboxing the Pulsar Thermion 2 XL50 LRF, you get a good impression from the packaging. Everything looks exclusive, and the body of the scope has a sleek design and robust construction. You can see that Pulsar chose high-quality materials that inspire confidence. Having owned several of the Thermion models before, I know they’re easy to use and very reliable. 

Below: The American market loves the old Pulsar Trail model, but it’s time for a change to the new. The Bluetooth remote control works great, and I’d rather use that than the controls on the rifle scope itself. The remote control, as well as the LRF, is included, not optional.

XL50 Key Features

Advanced Thermal Imaging: The XL50’s HD thermal imaging sensor offers an exceptional resolution, with a Lynred-made 1024x768 @ 12 µm sensor. The NETD

Field Performance

The Pulsar Thermion 2 XL50 LRF always kept sharp and clear, allowing me to detect game even through dense foliage. The laser rangefinder worked flawlessly unless there was fog or rain in the way. The LRF provides accurate distance readings that significantly will improve your shot accuracy as long as you set it up properly.

Below: Here’s what the roe deer looked like in reality (thermal image taken with the Thermion 2, not the Axion shown).

The scope's battery life is impressive, lasting through most of my hunting sessions without needing a recharge. If that’s not enough, you can buy extra batteries, or use an external USB C power source. The built-in video and photo recording capabilities are also a great addition, allowing me to capture and review my hunts in high-definition thermal imagery and share them here or on YouTube.  

Already on the first night I was quite lucky to capture this magnificent red deer on video. 19 meters. The XL50 wasn't zeroed yet. The performance is pretty nightastic!

Zeroing the Thermion 2 LRF XL50. The rifle is a Blaser in .300 WinMag, a very potent and accurate hunting rifle. We wanted to make sure everything was set up properly, and we got some help from Pulsar’s distributor.

Below is a thermal image of the shooting range.

Here's what the shooting range looked like, except there's an actual target in the iPhone image below.  The range was 99 meters.

Zeroing in a few steps, using the instructions in the software of the rifle scope.

Below: We zeroed two Blaser R8s in 300 WinMag at 100 yards. They were so identical, so that this is the result, cold-barrel, from shooting one shot from each. Pretty crazy accurazy, and all done with the Thermion 2 XL50. Both Blasers could use the same ballistic setup in the software.

Below is an example of how the ballistic software works once it’s been setup. Laser the target, and the red cross gives you the hold-over. You have to hold for wind yourself.

Below: Mouflon sheep at 295 meters, shown with black hot. I would never ever make this shot, too far away and they were moving. But the red cross in the picture-in-picture shows your holdover. Luckily the scope was held in my hands only. Note the moose calf, taking a drink in the lake, to the left. The other black heat source is the moose cow.

It was pretty clear to me which mouflon was the male, but here's an enhancement that should help. This is at 14x maximum magnification at about 300 meters away.

This is what the terrain looked like. It’s pretty impossible to spot the mouflon even with normal binoculars.

Some mouflon at much closer distance.

 Below is another example of thermal image versus iPhone “reality”.

I cut out a piece of the picture I took with the iPhone of the same area, and I have to say the HD Thermal did a better job. You can see the ears of the moose cow inside the forest.

This was filmed by a friend who borrowed the XL50 for a night, so I'm not familiar at all with the animals here but most likely fallow deer there. Note how the ballistics software will give you accurate readings and hold-over.

Visiting a Wildlife Park

To increase my chances of seeing “wild” animals, I visited a wildlife park with mouflon, fallow and red deer as well as moose. You also get a sense of depth from the fences.

iPhone picture, from just a few meters, to take you back to what you're really looking at. Red deer and fallow deer.

This was a loud one.

Meet Ted the moose and his family.

-"Hi there, Ted, we're from The Firearm Blog".

Practical advantage: The thermal imaging sensor detects even the slightest heat signatures, making it easier to spot game in various environments. 

If you haven’t used a laser rangefinder for your thermal, it’s certainly time to begin. Estimating distances is hard enough with normal optics, and in the dark nothing gets easier. These deer were really close to me, but it was so dark that I couldn’t see them and vice versa.

The customizable reticle and color palette options cater to different hunting scenarios, from day to night and across different terrains.

It’s cold and I’m shaking, trying to free-hand the Thermion 2 so there may be some motion in these images.

Below: I know some don’t and argue against it, but I really like the possibility to have the widest field of view available. 1.75x is as low as the T2 XL50 HD goes.

And then you have the possibility to get a Picture in Picture to see the details. You can also zoom in in this box.

As I was filming these fallow deer, there was a bat that flew in front of me. It’s too fast to get a perfect image of it, I guess the video is interlacing. But it gives an idea of how sensitive Lynred’s sensor is.

All Thermion 2 LRF riflescopes have a Show Range function? When turned on, it displays the value of the measured distance in an additional window, located next to the rangefinder reticle. You can of course turn it off if you don’t like it for some reason, but I would recommend keeping it there.

These deer were very curious. I guess the wind and low light helped me out in not getting discovered - or they accepted me at this distance (more likely).

Below: As I approached these deers, a bird of prey left its hide but I managed to catch a glimpse of it.

The laser rangefinder ensures precise distance measurement, leading to better shot placement and higher success rates. Spending time looking for an animal that you hit in a bad place is no fun at all.

Below: The distance here is about 1250 meters.

Here is a video of the performance of the Thermion 2 LRF XL50.

Below: Using the Telos LRF XL50 in conjunction with the Thermion 2 XL50 is a sweet experience. Why settle for one HD thermal when you can have two?

Quality thermals make your wallet thin, but your rifle will get Superpowers. There are similar products on the market, and I have tried and reviewed a few of them. In my opinion, no other thermal rifle scope integrates all of the features so well.

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