Blaserbuds; the worlds superlative information source, for these products

icebug wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2019 1:39 pm

9.3x64 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2019 4:58 am

9.3M03 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2019 4:51 am If your in Melb or Darwin I can give you a look thru a Thermion XP50

Very kind offer, but I rarely get to Melbourne.
Thankyou

And that would make him pay extra $$$ for XP instead of XM

And on that point, why is the XP more expensive and is there any real benefit?

Its only money.

mchughcb wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2019 4:50 pm Its only money.

Ha, yep that’s true.

Does an Pulsar F455 offer an effective and cost efficient alternative solution ie keep your existing optics and use a front of scope mounted NV device?

Ado wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2019 6:25 pm Does an Pulsar F455 offer an effective and cost efficient alternative solution ie keep your existing optics and use a front of scope mounted NV device?

That’s a very good question, it is certainly a lot cheaper.

9.3x64 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2019 3:53 pm

icebug wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2019 1:39 pm

9.3x64 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2019 4:58 am

Very kind offer, but I rarely get to Melbourne.
Thankyou

And that would make him pay extra $$$ for XP instead of XM

And on that point, why is the XP more expensive and is there any real benefit?

XM has a thermal core resolution 320x240, while XP has 640x480.
Also, they say that Germanium is very expensive. Bigger lens + better sensor = more money.

Yes I guess you pay more for the better clarity.

9.3x64 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 12:16 am Yes I guess you pay more for the better clarity.

One thing I've noticed too is that thermal scopes are way behind hand held units as far as efficiency/clarity goes, that's to be expected as they have to make the scopes a certain shape, pack in more features, make it a le to withstand recoil.
Once they start making a reasonable price external scope attachment that doubles as a monocle I will see a bigger value in them.
But I just picked up a 2600 lumin torch that will do as good a job for me as a thermal scope.
That's a personal view, I'm starting to think thermal is more a gimmic then an advantage really.
A thermal spotter has a lot of merit for passive spotting but once the quarry is spotted I reckon a HID light with your daytime scope will have the advantage.
Now thats all in a hunting context, but then whenever I've played with thermal out hunting, that's what it's been, something to play with that was cool.
Mates have hired thermal gear and it's been played with a couple of nights but the lights got run every night, not the thermal.
If your sitting in a deer blind, then that's different too, I can see the advantages of thermal then.

But my golden rule of firearms has always been the same, but whatever you want if it makes you happy then that's all that matters.

9.3x64 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2019 6:38 pm

Ado wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2019 6:25 pm Does an Pulsar F455 offer an effective and cost efficient alternative solution ie keep your existing optics and use a front of scope mounted NV device?

That’s a very good question, it is certainly a lot cheaper.

If you look at the promo shots of the F455 you’ll se that the scope has to be in a high mount so the NV can be attached and clear the barrel. So not only do you have a crap cheek weld with your NV but with the day scope as well
For the same $$ a N450 or N455 and an Innomount Blaser Mount gives you another system and you can leave the day scope in low rings. You will still need an adjustable stock like a GRS to get the optimal cheek weld

Gun Barrel Ecologist wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 3:12 am

9.3x64 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2019 6:38 pm

Ado wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2019 6:25 pm Does an Pulsar F455 offer an effective and cost efficient alternative solution ie keep your existing optics and use a front of scope mounted NV device?

That’s a very good question, it is certainly a lot cheaper.

If you look at the promo shots of the F455 you’ll se that the scope has to be in a high mount so the NV can be attached and clear the barrel. So not only do you have a crap cheek weld with your NV but with the day scope as well
For the same $$ a N450 or N455 and an Innomount Blaser Mount gives you another system and you can leave the day scope in low rings. You will still need an adjustable stock like a GRS to get the optimal cheek weld

Yes spot on. I spoke to the importer today and he told me a similar thing. Thermion is the way to go if you can afford it.

SPEEDY wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 3:07 am

9.3x64 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 12:16 am Yes I guess you pay more for the better clarity.

One thing I've noticed too is that thermal scopes are way behind hand held units as far as efficiency/clarity goes, that's to be expected as they have to make the scopes a certain shape, pack in more features, make it a le to withstand recoil.
Once they start making a reasonable price external scope attachment that doubles as a monocle I will see a bigger value in them.
But I just picked up a 2600 lumin torch that will do as good a job for me as a thermal scope.
That's a personal view, I'm starting to think thermal is more a gimmic then an advantage really.
A thermal spotter has a lot of merit for passive spotting but once the quarry is spotted I reckon a HID light with your daytime scope will have the advantage.
Now thats all in a hunting context, but then whenever I've played with thermal out hunting, that's what it's been, something to play with that was cool.
Mates have hired thermal gear and it's been played with a couple of nights but the lights got run every night, not the thermal.
If your sitting in a deer blind, then that's different too, I can see the advantages of thermal then.

But my golden rule of firearms has always been the same, but whatever you want if it makes you happy then that's all that matters.

Sorry Speedy but I have to call you on that. Thermal is far from a gimmick.

I went from scope mounted spot lights, and high powered torches to a thermal scope.
There is no comparison what so ever, with thermal being miles ahead.

I do a lot of spotlight culling the big hoppers for many farmers and was using a Halogen then HID Powabeam 9 inch spotlight. It was a great setup.
Then I incorporated the thermal scope as a hand held to help out a bit, which was a great inclusion as then I could see where everything is well beyond the spotlight.
Now I run the thermal scope mounted on top of the spotlight which is transferred into a small screen I mount on the dash. GAME CHANGER.

I can pick out the hoppers out well beyond the light so we just drive there then I use the spotlight in a traditional method. Numbers shot have easily doubled.

As far as solo work goes on foot, at night, there is no substitute.

There is no difference between a spotter and scope, it is all dependent on the specs of the unit.
Same brand, same series, same specs, same result.
If I only shot from a vehicle, I would have a handheld, again mounted to the light. But as I do both vehicle, quad hunting and on foot, the scope is the go.

XP or XM?
XP all the way. You want detection range and clarity of image, a wide field of view and low mag (base power of 2x is plenty).
For that you dig deeper in the pocket.
Having a XM would not disappoint, until compared to a XP, then most wish they saved for a bit longer.

Sigsako wrote:
I do a lot of spotlight culling the big hoppers for many farmers and was using a Halogen then HID Powabeam 9 inch spotlight. It was a great setup.
Then I incorporated the thermal scope as a hand held to help out a bit, which was a great inclusion as then I could see where everything is well beyond the spotlight.
Now I run the thermal scope mounted on top of the spotlight which is transferred into a small screen I mount on the dash. GAME CHANGER.

I can pick out the hoppers out well beyond the light so we just drive there then I use the spotlight in a traditional method. Numbers shot have easily doubled.

That sort of goes with what I was trying to say, as a spotter they are very useful but unless you get the real high end rifle mounted scopes then they don't offer that much advantage over a good light and a regular scope.

Spotters like the entry level leupold is a gimmick, the mid range spotter/hand held are quite good now, even at the lower end.
Where they can fall short as I've seen out west is when it's still 30° ambient temperature, the ground is still that similar 30° temperature and pigs, roos ect are 30° + or - 10ish degrees then they can loose a lot of effectiveness, especially in the more affordable units.

It really depends on what kind of country your hunting in, if it's rolling open country especially down south then they can be outstanding, but take the same unit into mulga country in S/W QLD in summer and it's another story altogether.

As long as you understand those advantages and disadvantages then you will do well with one, but as to the more entry level stuff, there's a reason why you are always seeing it for sale practically new with words to the effect "only selling due to upgrade" in the description.

9.3x64 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 3:15 am

Gun Barrel Ecologist wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 3:12 am

9.3x64 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2019 6:38 pm

That’s a very good question, it is certainly a lot cheaper.

If you look at the promo shots of the F455 you’ll se that the scope has to be in a high mount so the NV can be attached and clear the barrel. So not only do you have a crap cheek weld with your NV but with the day scope as well
For the same $$ a N450 or N455 and an Innomount Blaser Mount gives you another system and you can leave the day scope in low rings. You will still need an adjustable stock like a GRS to get the optimal cheek weld

Yes spot on. I spoke to the importer today and he told me a similar thing. Thermion is the way to go if you can afford it.

I have a KKC stock - so adjustment should not be an issue. In any event, in the UK my intended game is deer for which I need visual identification of species and sex to make sure I am shooting within seasonal restrictions. NV does not do that well enough. But having gone out with a friend with an Helion XP50 it makes a massive difference in revealing the presence of deer in a woodland setting or in foggy/misty conditions. Maybe Santa will have a surprise for me.

Greetings from Sweden.

Thought I'd provide some details on the Blaser Saddle Mount and Thermion sights, since I just mounted my new XP50 onto my Blaser R93 Professional.

It's the bulky stuff protruding down underneath the turret house that forces you to use 'higher' rings. Objective alone would have allowed for an even lower mount without this design.

Fortunately I found some 10 mm rings laying around back home and this was a snug fit, not too high.

On the down side the 'ear' on the Saddle quick release will hit the 'controller' wheel on the left side when mounted as far back as I want to have my scope (~50 mm eye relief-ish on the Thermion seems to be a good distance), this can be mitigated by folding the ear halfway through the mount/removal process, so even though is a nuisance I think it will be manageable. Not sure if it would be possible to remove the mount with medium or low rings, so something to consider when planning to mount a Thermion on your Blaser - perhaps MAK/Innomount would have worked better than Blaser original - but I've tried MAK once and I'm not going back there again..

Very snug and low profile mount compared to my previous Trail scopes

Thankyou Cazorp, very much appreciated.
When you say “10mm” rings, do you mean the distance from the flat surface of the base to the bottom of the scope “tube”?