PULSAR THERMION 2 XG50 THERMAL RIFLE SCOPE - Compute This!

Every so often, Pulsar drops a revolutionary firmware update. The introduction of Image Detail Boost was one such landmark, and their new 3.3 firmware for Thermion 2 riflescopes is another. The former radically improved image quality, while the latter does the same for ballistics.

From app to scope
The key ingredient is Pulsar’s Stream Vision Ballistics app (SVB), originally designed for Thermion rangefinding (LRF) riflescopes. SVB lets you create precise ballistic profiles and upload them to the scope’s onboard memory via Bluetooth. You can use the app to update or replace them whenever you want, but from this point on, the scope is ballistically autonomous, so you can keep your phone in your pocket.
Range the target, and the Thermion’s display will show you the holdover required in a numerical read-out that you can use to adjust your point of aim in the primary reticle, and as a secondary reticle Pulsar call the SPOA (Suggested Point of Aim) that shows you exactly where to shoot. Having your ballistic solutions appear in the scope’s display at the press of a button makes it possible to take hunting opportunities that would otherwise require a good memory, excellent guesswork, or prudent restraint. For example, Pulsar’s built-in ballistic tech has let me take foxes out beyond 300m and has proved indispensable when tackling rabbits at range with the .22LR.

Leave no one behind
Understandably, such advances had owners of non-LRF Thermions feeling somewhat left out, which is where the new firmware comes in. In short, it equips all available Thermion 2 models (XP50 Pro, XQ50 Pro, XQ35 Pro, and the XG50 seen here) with the LRF’s ballistic interface. Equivalent firmware is now also available for the multispectral Thermion Duo DXP50/55 and WiFi-enabled Digex C50 digital day/night scopes. The only difference is that the range has to be obtained by other means and manually dialled into the scope.

Ranging techniques
There are four main approaches to ranging at night. Two of them use elements of the Thermion’s feature set, while the other two require additional equipment. First up, is the Thermion’s own stadiametric rangefinder. With this, you identify the range by using the scroll wheel to bracket your quarry between two horizontal lines (stadia). It’s a little fiddly, but I can generally get within 15% of the true figure.
The second method involves bracketing the target using one of Pulsar’s three “F” type reticles (X51Fi, M56Fi and M57Fi). Like a first-focal-plane reticle in a day scope, these retain their scale at all magnifications. X51Fi is calibrated to fox, roe deer, and wild boar bodies at 200m, whereas M56Fi and M57Fi are Mil-Dot (MRAD) designs. Calculations are simple: divide the size of the target in millimetres by the number of MRADs to get the range. So, if a fox’s chest side-on is about 200mm deep and measures 0.5 MRAD in the reticle, the range is 400m. It’s a method that has been used for decades by military snipers, but it does require practice to ensure humane hits on live quarry.
Methods three and four involve separate laser rangefinders. First, there’s often enough ambient light about when foxing, especially close to urban areas, to let you aim a standard daytime rangefinder accurately. Before you start calling, range key features, memorise a few numbers, and then dial in on the most likely spot. The final method is to use a zeroable scope or rail-mounted laser rangefinder such as the Wulf 1200 or LEO32. These cost around £150 (a lot less than the £960 upgrade to an XG50 LRF), feature a visible laser to aid alignment, and when correctly set up, will instantly deliver the exact range to dial into the Thermion to generate your holdover point.

Suits you
The SPOA is fully configurable, offering a wide range of colour options and three different shapes: “”, “”, and a horizontal MRAD scale. The latter has three mil-dots on either side of a contrasting central point, making it ideal for leading a moving target or compensating for wind. For more deliberate and precise shooting at a static target, you can also update your active profile with the current wind values and see the resulting deflection in the numerical display and via an offset SPOA.
I found the best way to use the SPOA is via the picture-in-picture (PiP) window. I zoom in to 12x or 24x on my point-of-aim, while keeping the main image at the scope’s native 3x magnification for optimal situational awareness. The MRAD scale remains true regardless of zoom, but the “” and “” don’t increase in size, ensuring an uncluttered sight picture. At extreme ranges, where the strike would fall below the frame of the PiP window, this is indicated with a red arrow in the display, prompting you to reduce the magnification in the PiP window to bring the SPOA into the frame or return to the main window to reacquire your sight picture.

Display data
The holdover data in the top right disappears a couple of seconds after you’ve dialled in the range (though I wish it wouldn’t), but the display continues to show the range on a label that can be ‘bound’ to either the primary reticle or the SPOA. Once you are done with a given SPOA setting, you can double-click the power button to cancel the label, or re-dial to enter a new range. Units can be set to MOA as well as to MRADs (though all Pulsar’s reticles are metric).
The figures shown in the top-right corner of the Thermion’s display, when you dial in the range, include the angle-of-sight. This angle affects the point of impact and is factored into the holdover calculation, so it’s important to point the rifle at the target as you dial in the range and to check the angle is correct in the display before shooting.
Other key informational elements are a letter (A-J) displayed alongside the ranging number as you dial in. This indicates the active ballistic profile, 10 of which can be stored on the scope at any time. The name of the profile is always visible in the status bar at the bottom of the display, where for reasons of space it is limited to five characters in the scope (e.g., 22355 for a 55-grain load in a .223). More detailed 15-character names can be set within the app, which will also store additional profiles ready for upload, and these names also appear when selecting a profile from the menu in the scope.

On target
The real-world accuracy of the holdover information depends on the quality of the data used when creating the profile. This means measuring the height-over-bore; obtaining good chronograph readings for your load; using the geo-located environmental readings (temperature, pressure, and humidity) provided in the app; achieving the best zero you can (taking advantage in the XG50’s case of reticle adjustments that are a super-precise 1.86mm per ‘click’ at 24x); and being prepared to confirm and adjust your profile by checking your actual point-of-impact on inanimate targets at a variety of ranges, and tweaking the bullet manufacturer’s BC number as necessary. Work hard at perfecting your profile and you will be amazed how easy it becomes to connect with small targets at previously unconsidered ranges.

Bluetooth benefits
The Bluetooth connectivity that provides the transformative link between the Thermion and the Ballistics app also permits the use of Pulsar’s multi-function remote control. When attached to the side of your rifle via a strip of sturdy 3M Dual Lock hook-and-loop tape (supplied), it lets you maintain full control of your rifle while operating all the functions of the scope, including scrolling the stadiametric rangefinder and dialling in the range, further shortening the interval between acquiring and engaging your target.

Extra benefits
Aside from game-changing ballistics functionality and Bluetooth connectivity, the new firmware delivers an important suite of additional improvements. The one I’ve been asking for the longest is called “display dimming”, which drops all the display icons to minimal brightness, reducing distraction, eye fatigue, and light leakage at the click of a virtual switch. Also nice is being able to blip the zoom button and then scroll smoothly and swiftly to the optimal magnification for the scene. Completing the list is a universal 30-minute auto-shutdown feature that supplements the option to have the scope power off after 1, 3 or 5 minutes if the scope is rested at >70° (Y-axis) or >30° (X-axis). There have also been enhancements to the auto-calibration countdown timer (which is now a more easily noticed red) and to the battery level icons in the status bar (which now show the % remaining). Finally, an interesting reflection of our troubled times is the inclusion of Ukrainian among the language options.

Final thoughts
To close out, I have to say that every time I test a Pulsar, I’m impressed by how accomplished everything is. Attention to quality and to detail is apparent throughout the build and design. You don’t achieve this balance of sophistication and usability by accident. Instead, it’s the product of countless incremental improvements, among which we can now count the firmware milestone that has been the subject of this review.