so I wager that all of my shots at hogs and coyotes on my small <100 acre property will be around 100 yds or <

...do you recommend something cheaper as an entry into this thermal world to start with or just going all in?

...and is it recommended to not change optics for day vs night shooting and just have a dedicated night time hunting platform to avoid having to re-zero every time?

oh no said:

---

so I wager that all of my shots at hogs and coyotes on my small <100 acre property will be around 100 yds or <

...do you recommend something cheaper as an entry into this thermal world to start with or just going all in?

...and is it recommended to not change optics for day vs night shooting and just have a dedicated night time hunting platform to avoid having to re-zero every time?

---

I won't go full OB on you and say you must have a 1024 core or nothing...

I've been hunting with and selling this stuff for close to 10 years. I've never had a customer call me and say they bought too much scope. I have had quite a few call and ask about trade in of a lower grade scope for a better one so I will say buy the best you can afford.

Every time I've bought a 640 core for myself in the past, I quickly end up selling it to someone who had to have it. My 384 core trail has never let me down. That said, the cost of 640s have come down so much, it's hard to not go that direction. I bought a Thermion 2 XP60 LRF for myself at Christmas. I'll be keeping this one around.

Can you accomplish what you want with that scope? yes. But, the XG35 is going to do it much better with less passed opportunities or worse - mistaken target ID.

Yep, 384 is very functional but if you can afford 640 it's a notable upgrade

thank you.

...so even on my small property:

Pulsar Talion XQ35 Pro at $1800 (at basspro) vs
Pulsar Talion XG35 at $2100 (on amazon)

the G is worth the $300 difference to get from 384 to 640?


...also, how are other features like zeroing, video saving and sharing, etc. with Pulsar vs AGM or RIX or other?



...and what are y'alls thoughts on the following?

changing optics for day/night hunting with a dedicated thermal scope for night vs
having a separate night platform with dedicated thermal scope for night vs
a clip on thermal to add onto regular day optic
a hybrid red dot with thermal overlay + magnifier like the Halosun DRS TH I inquired about earlier

anyone have experience with DNT 635R?

the thermal lens has 640x512 resolution. but it's multispectral with NV where you can PIP thermal and NV and vice versa. has a laser range finder, ballistics calcs and marks holdover on the reticle for you.

oh no said:

---

thank you.

...so even on my small property:

Pulsar Talion XQ35 Pro at $1800 (at basspro) vs
Pulsar Talion XG35 at $2100 (on amazon)

the G is worth the $300 difference to get from 384 to 640?


...also, how are other features like zeroing, video saving and sharing, etc. with Pulsar vs AGM or RIX or other?



...and what are y'alls thoughts on the following?

changing optics for day/night hunting with a dedicated thermal scope for night vs
having a separate night platform with dedicated thermal scope for night vs
a clip on thermal to add onto regular day optic
a hybrid red dot with thermal overlay + magnifier like the Halosun DRS TH I inquired about earlier

---

I see the Talion XG35 for $2199 on Amazon. If you have a link for $2100, shoot it to me outdoors@kelsoarms.com and I'll price match it.

I swap between analog optic and thermal all the time. I recommend it. I have both American Defwnse and Larue mounts. Both have repeatable return to zero.

I'm not a fan of clip-on. Too many variables.

oh no said:

---

anyone have experience with DNT 635R?

the thermal lens has 640x512 resolution. but it's multispectral with NV where you can PIP thermal and NV and vice versa. has a laser range finder, ballistics calcs and marks holdover on the reticle for you.

---

No experience with that model but have not been real impressed with multispectral offerings from other in the past. I liken it to 5# of crap in a 3# package.

Pulsar's ballistic calculator works great but you need an LRF model to take advantage.

Maybe it was 2199 that I saw

Does Pulsar LRF also have ballistic calcs and give you holdover dots on the reticle?

skelso said:

---

oh no said:

---

thank you.

...so even on my small property:

Pulsar Talion XQ35 Pro at $1800 (at basspro) vs
Pulsar Talion XG35 at $2100 (on amazon)

the G is worth the $300 difference to get from 384 to 640?


...also, how are other features like zeroing, video saving and sharing, etc. with Pulsar vs AGM or RIX or other?



...and what are y'alls thoughts on the following?

changing optics for day/night hunting with a dedicated thermal scope for night vs
having a separate night platform with dedicated thermal scope for night vs
a clip on thermal to add onto regular day optic
a hybrid red dot with thermal overlay + magnifier like the Halosun DRS TH I inquired about earlier

---

I see the Talion XG35 for $2199 on Amazon. If you have a link for $2100, shoot it to me outdoors@kelsoarms.com and I'll price match it.

I swap between analog optic and thermal all the time. I recommend it. I have both American Defwnse and Larue mounts. Both have repeatable return to zero.

I'm not a fan of clip-on. Too many variables.

---

What is the best mount to buy when swapping scopes with guns snd getting a return to zero confidentiality without having to go to range?

oh no said:

---

Maybe it was 2199 that I saw

Does Pulsar LRF also have ballistic calcs and give you holdover dots on the reticle?

---

You were initially correct. They were $2100 on the company's main website last week but they are not anymore.

montanagriz said:

---

skelso said:

---

oh no said:

---

thank you.

...so even on my small property:

Pulsar Talion XQ35 Pro at $1800 (at basspro) vs
Pulsar Talion XG35 at $2100 (on amazon)

the G is worth the $300 difference to get from 384 to 640?


...also, how are other features like zeroing, video saving and sharing, etc. with Pulsar vs AGM or RIX or other?



...and what are y'alls thoughts on the following?

changing optics for day/night hunting with a dedicated thermal scope for night vs
having a separate night platform with dedicated thermal scope for night vs
a clip on thermal to add onto regular day optic
a hybrid red dot with thermal overlay + magnifier like the Halosun DRS TH I inquired about earlier

---

I see the Talion XG35 for $2199 on Amazon. If you have a link for $2100, shoot it to me outdoors@kelsoarms.com and I'll price match it.

I swap between analog optic and thermal all the time. I recommend it. I have both American Defwnse and Larue mounts. Both have repeatable return to zero.

I'm not a fan of clip-on. Too many variables.

---

What is the best mount to buy when swapping scopes with guns snd getting a return to zero confidentiality without having to go to range?

---

I can only speak for Nocpix Slim H35 and L35s. They make QD mounts you can buy that can be attached to seperate rifles and then the scope slots in and locks down. You can use it as a handheld then throw it on the gun for engagements. If you have different calibers then you can save up to 6 separate rifles I believe.

double post

how to value these trade-offs at similar price points?

640 res with LRF - can get a lesser known brand
640 res without LRF - can get a better known brand
384 res with LRF - can get a better known brand

All the Chinese stuff use the same iray thermal sensors but with different firmware. Get the best warranty you can afford.

I'd go with an iray or Nocpix 640 with LRF. Or pulsar

oh no said:

---

Does Pulsar LRF also have ballistic calcs and give you holdover dots on the reticle?

---

Yes, You range the target and get an X superimposed on the crosshair indicating zero for the ranged distance. I don't have any videos of mine but there are quite abfew on Youtube.

montanagriz said:

---

skelso said:

---

oh no said:

---

thank you.

...so even on my small property:

Pulsar Talion XQ35 Pro at $1800 (at basspro) vs
Pulsar Talion XG35 at $2100 (on amazon)

the G is worth the $300 difference to get from 384 to 640?


...also, how are other features like zeroing, video saving and sharing, etc. with Pulsar vs AGM or RIX or other?



...and what are y'alls thoughts on the following?

changing optics for day/night hunting with a dedicated thermal scope for night vs
having a separate night platform with dedicated thermal scope for night vs
a clip on thermal to add onto regular day optic
a hybrid red dot with thermal overlay + magnifier like the Halosun DRS TH I inquired about earlier

---

I see the Talion XG35 for $2199 on Amazon. If you have a link for $2100, shoot it to me outdoors@kelsoarms.com and I'll price match it.

I swap between analog optic and thermal all the time. I recommend it. I have both American Defwnse and Larue mounts. Both have repeatable return to zero.

I'm not a fan of clip-on. Too many variables.

---

What is the best mount to buy when swapping scopes with guns snd getting a return to zero confidentiality without having to go to range?

---

On analog scopes, I've always likes Larue C.A.N. mounts. They have gone up in price and Pulsar now sells American Defense mounts for less so I bought one to try it. So far it returns to zero with no issue.

For the thermal, it depends on the model of the scope.

oh no said:

---

how to value these trade-offs at similar price points?

640 res with LRF - can get a lesser known brand
640 res without LRF - can get a better known brand
384 res with LRF - can get a better known brand

---

Any chance you are in BCS area or will be anytime soon? If yes, come by and I'll let you shoot a 384 and 640 to see the differences.

Just about every single weekend.

There are a lot of YouTube videos comparing 384 and 640 at different distances as well as 35 vs 50 mm lenses. Is the difference actually a lot more glaringly obvious in real life?

384 vs 640 is like analog vs high def TV in my opinion. If you never experienced high def, analog is fine. Watch your first football game in high def and your ready to throw rocks at analog...

The difference in LRF vs no LRF is more impactful to me.

I'm booked this weekend but feel free to reach out next time you'll be in town.

skelso said:

---

montanagriz said:

---

skelso said:

---

oh no said:

---

thank you.

...so even on my small property:

Pulsar Talion XQ35 Pro at $1800 (at basspro) vs
Pulsar Talion XG35 at $2100 (on amazon)

the G is worth the $300 difference to get from 384 to 640?


...also, how are other features like zeroing, video saving and sharing, etc. with Pulsar vs AGM or RIX or other?



...and what are y'alls thoughts on the following?

changing optics for day/night hunting with a dedicated thermal scope for night vs
having a separate night platform with dedicated thermal scope for night vs
a clip on thermal to add onto regular day optic
a hybrid red dot with thermal overlay + magnifier like the Halosun DRS TH I inquired about earlier

---

I see the Talion XG35 for $2199 on Amazon. If you have a link for $2100, shoot it to me outdoors@kelsoarms.com and I'll price match it.

I swap between analog optic and thermal all the time. I recommend it. I have both American Defwnse and Larue mounts. Both have repeatable return to zero.

I'm not a fan of clip-on. Too many variables.

---

What is the best mount to buy when swapping scopes with guns snd getting a return to zero confidentiality without having to go to range?

---

On analog scopes, I've always likes Larue C.A.N. mounts. They have gone up in price and Pulsar now sells American Defense mounts for less so I bought one to try it. So far it returns to zero with no issue.

For the thermal, it depends on the model of the scope.

---

Thanks for info. I have a pulsar talion xg35 I plan to use on different rifles

The Nocpix mount is very user friendly, for switching from scanning to shooting. Accomplished relatively easy, in the dark, even wearing gloves.
My Nocpix Slim H35 (640x512), purchased early last summer, was impressive...even more so, when finally used in colder, dry air, greater constrast from daytime heating. Outstanding resolution.

GSS said:

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The Nocpix mount is very user friendly, for switching from scanning to shooting. Accomplished relatively easy, in the dark, even wearing gloves.
My Nocpix Slim H35 (640x512), purchased early last summer, was impressive...even more so, when finally used in colder, dry air, greater constrast from daytime heating. Outstanding resolution.

---

Outside of Pulsar, Nocpix is the best value chinese thermal brand out there. Good firmware, stable app, use 18650 batteries, 5 year warranty and good customer support.

Its the reason i've shifted to selling Nocpix only.

the Nocpix slim 35 is around $3,300 and does not have LRF, correct?

oh no said:

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the Nocpix slim 35 is around $3,300 and does not have LRF, correct?

---

H35 --No rangefinder. Paid $3150 for mine.

Slim H35s price has gone down since last year. I've got them listed at $2499 right now.

how much should I care about base magnification and digital zoom range?

For example, looking at ATN models now, they offer a 640 res model with the following zooms:

Thor 5 offers these, both with or without LRF:
2-16x
3-24x
4-32x
5-40x

Thor LTV offers these, all without LRF:
2-6x
3-9x
4-12x

not sure where I can buy Thor 6 or Thor Mini right now.

I'm thinking a lower or mid base mag (and 35mm lens vs 50mm) is better for my purposes- for wider FOV and scanning? long range shots are not my intent- hogs & yotes at night with suppressed heavy subsonic rounds.

oh no said:

---

how much should I care about base magnification and digital zoom range?

For example, looking at ATN models now, they offer a 640 res model with the following zooms:

Thor 5 offers these, both with or without LRF:
2-16x
3-24x
4-32x
5-40x

Thor LTV offers these, all without LRF:
2-6x
3-9x
4-12x

not sure where I can buy Thor 6 or Thor Mini right now.

I'm thinking a lower or mid base mag (and 35mm lens vs 50mm) is better for my purposes- for wider FOV and scanning? long range shots are not my intent- hogs & yotes at night with suppressed heavy subsonic rounds.

---

If you're shooting close to mid range then a lower base mag will be preferable.

So, my family wants to buy me a scope for my birthday next week. Called my LGS- they only sell AGM and they are completely out of stock for all models right now. I don't think I like the in-stock options at the basspro down the road. Will probably just send my family an amazon link.

These are both in the $2,200 range on amazon. Agree with google's AI summary here? Leaning Hydra for the LRF.

Quote:

---

AI Overview

The Pulsar Talion XG35 (640 x 480 sensor) and DNT Hydra 635 LRF (640 x 512 sensor) are both high-performance compact thermal scopes. The Talion XG35 is a dedicated scope known for its rugged, compact design, high-resolution sensor, and 2.5x base magnification. The Hydra 635 LRF offers a 1x base magnification, superior versatility for use as a clip-on or dedicated scope, and a built-in laser rangefinder with a 640x512 sensor.

Key Comparison Areas:

Imaging & Resolution: Both offer excellent 640x resolution, but the Hydra 635 LRF is noted for its high-quality, crisp imaging, sometimes favored for having a slightly better, higher-pixel sensor.

Magnification & FOV: The Talion XG35 has a 2.5x-16x magnification, which is better for identifying targets at longer ranges. The Hydra 635 LRF has a 1x native magnification, which offers a much wider field of view (FOV) and is superior for quick target acquisition and shorter-range, high-action shooting.

LRF & Ballistics: The Hydra 635 LRF (as the name implies) includes a laser rangefinder (LRF) for precise, long-range targeting, which is essential for accurate, varied-distance shooting. The Talion XG35 is a dedicated scope without an integrated rangefinder.

Usage: The Hydra 635 LRF is lauded for being a "do-it-all" thermal, designed to work as a dedicated optic or a front-mounted clip-on. The Talion is best for a dedicated, compact, and robust setup.

Battery & Ergonomics: The Talion uses the quick-swap APS 5T battery and has a distinct, adjustable focus ring.

Which one to choose?

Choose the Pulsar Talion XG35 if: You need a dedicated, rugged, and compact scope for hunting and want a higher base magnification (2.5x) for better identification at distance.

Choose the DNT Hydra 635 LRF if: You want a versatile, "do-it-all" thermal that can function as a scope or clip-on, prefer a 1x base mag, and need an integrated laser rangefinder for accurate shooting.

---

The next-cheapest models that have 640 resolution sensor and LRF are $800 more than the Hydra at around $3,000:

RIX Storm S6R
ATN ThOR 5 (2-16x)
AGM Varmint V2 LRF 35-640


so what do you say? Give the Hydra a try? forget LRF for my purposes and go with the XG35? or spend $800 more for one of those other three? ...looks like the cheapest Pulsar with 640 and LRF is four grand.

Figured I'd jump in here for a recommendation as well. Been thinking about taking the plunge on a thermal.

Background: Brazos & Burleson counties, properties less than 300 Ac in size (that I'm already familiar with), don't anticipate shots over 250 yards/not needing to ID an animal at 750+ or anything.

Wanting to for sure stay under $2500, would like sub $2000 if possible. Was eyeballing the AGM rattler V2 35-384, currently running about $1800 from what I see online. Any reason that shouldn't be the direction I'm looking? Is it really imperative to go up to 640 resolution if I'm not taking shots over 250 yards? Figured a range finder wasn't super necessary since its properties I know well already.

Hunt South Texas, East Texas mostly

Shots in the 50-200 yard range

I'm currently looking at the Athlon Cronus ATS PRO 35P-400 Thermal Scope. I can get it for $1200

Does any one have any experience with this scope?

TXJD2012 said:

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I can get it for $1200

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Looks like it's $2,159.99 on amazon

oh no said:

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TXJD2012 said:

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I can get it for $1200

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Looks like it's $2,159.99 on amazon

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Expertsvoice $1249