Pulsar Core Thermal FXD50

Courtesy of Thomas Jacks Ltd, 

The excellent Pulsar Core FXD50,

Price £3,399.95

Product Description  

The Core FXD50 is a thermal front attachment which fits to the objective lens of a dayscope converting it into a highly sensitive thermal imaging device.

Supplied with an Eyepiece the Core FXD50 can also be used as a hand-held spotter offering 2.8x magnification giving a man size detection range of 1200m. Fitting to the front of a day scope (which requires a Cover Ring Adaptor, available in a choice of 42, 50 & 56mm) means that a rifle does not need to be dedicated to night shooting, the zero isn’t affected and neither is the shooting position.

– 384×288 Sensor
– 25µm Pixel Pitch
– 50Hz Refresh Rate
– 640×480 Green Sapphire OLED Display
– 2x Digital Zoom (Hand-held configuration only)
– IPX7 Rated
– 3 Year Warranty
– Three calibration modes; including a manual silent mode
– Large calibre shockproof
– Operating temperature -25°C – +50°C
– Updatable software
– Economic power consumption
– Powered by 2x CR123A batteries

My Thoughts

Thank you again to Thomas Jacks for allowing us to have on loan yet another great thermal product and this was exceptional.

The Pulsar Core is not just a thermal spotter or a thermal rifle scope this is a combination of both worlds and about time too.

The quality of the image in this scope is phenomenal and lots of great features, but the best feature is having the ability to attach this unit to your existing rifle scope. For a long time now I have been waiting for something like this to come along.

My rifles are not just used for night time pest control but also for stalking for daytime use and daytime pest control. So currently I have 2x .243 rifles ( one for day use and one for night use ), 2x .22lr ( one for day rabbit control and one set up for night pest control ) and my .270 that I do deer management with and as it is illegal to use Nightvision rifle scopes for Deer management so it is important to me that my .270’s , especially, set is not changed. Now with the Pulsar Core there is NO NEED to have multiple rifles set up specifically for night and day set ups and having to purchase a range of different night vision set ups that in a whole can be costly.

What I do like about the Core is that it can be used as a spotter day or night time and is very effective.

Over the last 8 weeks since this has been on loan to me I have used the Core in a number of scenarios such as daytime spotting of deer, pheasants and foxes which was brilliant although, like with any Thermal units, you did have to work out the difference between animals in thick undergrowth and warm rocks in the sun but once you got used to it it was fine, I have also used this unit for spotting deer and foxes at night giving me phenomenal range and vision and obviously tried it on the rifles for the rabbits and the foxes.

The range of vision from the Core is very good and the clarity and detail is also very good, I do feel it is very similar technology to the Pulsar Quantum HD38 thermal spotter.

When using the Core as a spotter you can use the internal zoom to  2x magnification, but I do not see a need for this feature as it really is better without using the zoom function as it does effect the clarity and does not enhance the image to any great degree for it to be of any use. I was watching foxes working neighbours fields around half a mile away from where I was sitting to the extent I was able to work out where their den was as well on another night I was able to spot deer in heavy woodland out to past 1000yrds giving me an idea of numbers available.

To use the Core on your rifle you will need to purchase the right mounting adaptor for the size of your scope.

When using it attached to your rifle scope the unit relies on your scopes magnification, there is a little bit of fiddling needed between the focus and the front AO of the Core to get it right but once it is done it is brilliant and perfect if your sitting out at a den or having to sit up and wait for that “Charlie” to pass by or if your using it for rabbits.

The only downside I find to this unit is the price, it really is a lot of money and whether it is worth it is down to the individual. As a spotter there are cheaper options from Pulsar with far better technology and as a rifle scope again Pulsar do a dedicated scope that is very good, BUT the crux of it is that this in effect this is 2 different units in 1 and is very quick to attach to your day scope once adaptors are fitted and when you look at it like that it is cost effective in a sense, as you will not need a dedicated rifle set up for night use and extra equipment such as a spotter.

In conclusion I really enjoyed the use of the Core and to be honest I think Thomas Jacks should donate one to me to keep as I am kind of missing it in my equipment box. I found it very useful and its compact size meant it was very easy to slip into my pocket, unfortunately my personal budget cannot stretch to this purchasing the Core but I so would love to have one in my arsenal.