Reviews & Ratings for Pulsar Apex XD38A Thermal Rifle Scope — 8 reviews — Page 1

This is my second thermal purchase and I can't say how pleased I am with this scope. I have a FLIR scout 32 monocular which a was using to scan while shooting with a Gen 2+ and Gen 3 night vision scope of which I was pretty satisfied on my nigh hunts however I was getting tired of lugging very heavy rifles (upwards of 12-14 lbs)that included scope and IR light and which became very difficult to scan with. The Pulsar 38A is very light weight and mounted on a savage A17 rifle total weight comes in around 7.5 lbs.

I was looking at the 50A however here in South East it is heavily wooded and I don’t make many shoots beyond 200yrds especially at night. I believe the 50A gave you an additional 300 yds detetion range and was an additional $600 from the 38A price. I’m glad to say the 38A gives me ample detection range at 0-300 yrds and I’m glad that I didn’t spend the extra money.

Comparing the FLIR 32 monocular for detection purposes only, I will state the 38A has a much better detection range and exceptionally better thermal picture, while noting they are relatively the same price. I love the multiple focus options on the 38A and once you get to know the various menus you can scroll through them with ease. The one shot zero function is awesome and using a hand warmer you can easily sight in this scope in daylight. Another item I noted is this scope works much better during the day than the FlIR. The FLIR will bleach out when elevated above level and is too sensitive illumin...
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Terrific optic and priced competitively. I was able to mount and sight it in no problem. Clear view in the different modes and very customizable. You can get lost in the menu selection but once you've gone though it a while you should have no problem. Little bit of noise comes from the unit when it's refreshing and since I have nothing else to compare it to, I assume all such thermal optics make some noise regarding the refresh rate. Overall happy with it so far.

This unit was purchased to go on a dedicated AR-10 to have some fun with the hog issue we are having on our property. Unit has preformed great so far. Sighted in was a little bit of a chore as you have to have some heat source on your target (Hand Warmers work great). Once it was sighted in it has preformed as advertised. I dont use all the features this thing comes with I am more concerned about it preforming day in and day out to kill hogs at 100-200 yards which it does at a high level. I am sure my son will teach me sometime how to use some of the different color modes, video, and other things but for now it is working perfect for what I am doing.

The Pulsar XD38A is a very high value device. I have owned gen2 Night vision before but this is in an entirely different league. You will be well pleased with your purchase. Here is some info you may not find elsewhere:
1. The current XD38A's come with white hot, black hot AND sepia (my favorite) colors.
2. You can change colors of the reticles (white, black, red & green) and the menu colors (red, green, blue & white).
3. There is an option for MENU brightness also.
3. It DOES have PIP..some places are reporting the "A" versions don't.

Also bought the EPS3 pack. When attached to the pic rail, all s quite compact and light.

This is my first thermal unit to own and so far I am very pleased. Spotting hogs out to 200 yards with ease and could go farther given the opportunity. Very easy to use once you read the manual and learn the menu system. If you do any night hunting / spotting thermal is the way to go. You wont be disappointed with this product.

The Pulsar Apex XD38A Thermal Scope is your basic entry level thermal scope but it has the functionality that serves its purpose at an affordable price. Out of the box, it's important to run the automatic calibration in the environment you plan on using it in. The menu operation is fairly easy to use. The field of view is small, especially for things that are close, but once you get the device configured via the menu, the scope serves its purpose quite well for distances out to 100 yards.

I own a gun store and have several thermal optics. This optic is by far one of the best values for the money. I have compared it to the ATN TICO 336A and the FLIR RS64. The XD38A is very comparable to the RS64A until the zoom is past 2.5X, then resolution starts to fade. I am very impressed with the XD38A and several of my customers in my store have purchased them and have been very satisfied. The XD38A is made in the UK, not China like several competitors. This pulsar is a great product. Don't be afraid of the smaller price.