SHOT Data?

[wigwamitus]

Not as many people I know went to SHOT this year ... I got some data from our own ballistics1 ...
And we can scan about on the web pages .. .
From where I sit it looks like Pulsar is sitting pretty to "zoom into the gaps" ...
Trijicon sitting on their high hill ...
FLIR fumbling ...
ATN playing chinese checkers ...
Pulsar grinding hard ...

Pulsar: Products

So what's new at Pulsar?

New LRF versions of the trail models, 50mm 640, 38mm 640, 50mm 384 and 38mm 384 ... now all available with LRF.
New thermal "biocular" (one thermal, 2 rear lenses)

I hope/assume Pulsar are basing their new offering decisions on user input ... if they'd asked me ... I would'v'e voted for at least one 640 model with more magnification ... i.e. a trail 75mm ... but no such luck this year.

If I was to buy a Trail right now, I'd probably get the 50mm 384 version ... with 2.7x optical ... I sort of look at the 1.6x 640 as a 320 with a 0.5x digital (switching into 640 mode) renamed as a 1x ... and I figure I would have the 640 1.6x version on 2x digital most of the time, so I'd just as soon take the cash savings and start with the 384 2.7x ...

Also sounds like Pulsar are closing the gaps on some of the ergonomics like the video, though it sounds like to switch between ranging and inversion required an extra mode change (per ballistics) ...

Any who, GO Pulsar GO !!!!

 

[Terry]

Pulsar is really the only company releasing a lot of new technologies into the market last two years. They have been slow on shipping product ,but in fairness demand has been high. My go to systems right now are the Trijicon Reap-IR,Patrol, Trail’s and Helion all 640 cores. All of these systems impress me in different ways but dollar for dollar I say the pulsars are hard to bet for the money right now.

 

[FrankT]

atn came up big IF it works and they actually deliver not 2 years later like the x-sight

 

[Brian Shaffer]

I hope/assume Pulsar are basing their new offering decisions on user input ... if they'd asked me ... I would'v'e voted for at least one 640 model with more magnification ... i.e. a trail 75mm ... but no such luck this year.

Thanks for the update!

Back when I was prostaff for Pulsar 3 or 4 years ago, dfwroadkill, hunttxhogs, and I all made pitches to James (#2 guy, owner) at Sellmark for thermals with native magnification of at lease 3x.

I think Pulsar basically market tested the 75mm Apex and it was largely a dud. It came late after the Apex line was introduced and was overly expensive, being more in the price range of 640 scopes already on the market. It was a great scope, but had poor market appeal.

Interestingly, much of the European market apparently doesn't have very much desire for a higher magnification scope either, which is a shame because Pulsar is based in the European market.

atn came up big IF it works and they actually deliver not 2 years later like the x-sight

Yeah, the Thor 4 looks really interesting. The only problem is that their webpage for the product shows a lot of neat features that are simulated and do not come from an actual operational Thor 4 platform. They did this with the X-Sight as well to generate interest, but as you noted, getting the advertised features to work took a very long time.

 

[FrankT]

Yep Brian, they took 2 years to get the Xsight right and promised it 6 mos after SHOT for shipping. SAME thing they are doing for the THOR 4 and NO live video, I call that vaporware and wishful thinking, Like FLIR last year

 

[Brian Shaffer]

Yep Brian, they took 2 years to get the Xsight right and promised it 6 mos after SHOT for shipping. SAME thing they are doing for the THOR 4 and NO live video, I call that vaporware and wishful thinking, Like FLIR last year

All the companies do it, or have in the past. It ain't real until it is real.

 

[bar-d]

So, the present line of ATN Thor thermals good, not so good, awful? I have never looked through, let alone hunted with, any thermal scope. I was in on the early X-Sight release and got tired of waiting for answers and bailed out.

 

[FrankT]

yeah DO NOT buy the current ATN THOR

 

[Taco]

I hear Pulsar is running a show special.....buy the first 12 inches of thermal scope and get the next 8 inches free!!!

 

[Randy]

Thank you for the SHOT Show update. Last year there were allot of reports from and about the new products. This year you are the only report I found so thank you for taking the time to report your findings. Best regards, Randy

 

[wigwamitus]

Wait, I wasn't trying to GIVE an update as much as ASK for one !!!

I got a dozen textx from ballistics1, mostly on Pulsar and I went and read the pulsar and ATN and FLIR and Trijicon websites looking for new product announcements.
ATN, Pulsar and FLIR have new product announcements. Trijicon does not.

I sent Ballistics1 to trijicon with a list of questions and they would not confirm any rumor or any new thermal products. Ballistics1 also said they tried to demo the SNIPE "behind" an acog ... he said they did not have any knowledgable people in the booth.

But if anyone has any data from SHOT about new thermals, I am all ears! A person who should know more than I do, told me before SHOT they thought Trijicon was going to have something new. But at this point it seems like not.

==

... I think Pulsar basically market tested the 75mm Apex and it was largely a dud. It came late after the Apex line was introduced and was overly expensive, being more in the price range of 640 scopes already on the market. It was a great scope, but had poor market appeal. ...

story about my Pulsar 75mm ... after I sold my zeus 75mm 640(30) my first attempt to replace it was a pulsar 75mm apex ... I already had a 50mm apex and was amazed at the image for the price. But the 75mm was a disappointment. That display looked like someone had thrown soapy water on it and let the soapy water dry out. And nothing I could do could fix it. Ultimately, I sent it back and got an IRD Mk2 35mm ... and that one did NOT have the soapy water display problem ! I guess my 75mm Apex was a lemon.

 

[Mindreader1]

Trijicon HAS to be cooking something. Anyone know? I assume they don’t want to cannibalize their uber pricy models so maybe offer a 320 version?

 

[wigwamitus]

Yeah maybe a year and a half ago there was a rumor of a 10um "x" model ... but AFAIK it never went beyond the rumor stage ... might depend on whether BAE is doing a new appropriately sized core.