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Pulsar names its riflescopes like an engineer filling in a form. Thermion 2 LRF XQ50 PRO tells you six separate things if you know the system and nothing at all if you don’t, and the company’s own catalog currently runs to more than twenty riflescopes across four families with prices from $1,900 to $7,200.
Here is what the codes mean, which family suits which rifle, and what every current model costs. If you want the buying advice rather than the catalog, that is on best thermal scope for coyote hunting, and Pulsar’s own riflescope range has the full specification sheets.
Reading the model code
Take Thermion 2 LRF XQ50 PRO apart:
- Thermion 2 — the family and the generation
- LRF — has a built-in laser rangefinder. No LRF, no rangefinder
- X — thermal
- Q — the sensor. This is the letter that matters
- 50 — objective lens in millimetres. Bigger gathers more, and costs more
- PRO — the improved-sensitivity version of the same sensor
The second letter is the whole ballgame, and it maps to sensor and pixel pitch:
| Letter | Sensor | Pixel pitch | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| M | 320×240 | 12 µm | The original Thermion. Oldest sensor Pulsar still lists |
| Q | 384×288 | 17 µm | The volume seller. Fine inside normal coyote range |
| P | 640×480 | 17 µm | Twice the picture to zoom into before it turns to mush |
| G | 640×480 | 12 µm | Same pixel count, smaller pixels — more reach from the same lens |
| L | — | 12 µm | Newest and most expensive. Pulsar has not published full specs |
“PRO” is not marketing. On the same sensor it is a real NETD improvement: a Thermion 2 XQ50 is rated <40 mK and the XQ50 PRO is <25 mK. That is the difference between a usable picture and a good one on a humid night, on identical resolution. If you are choosing between two scopes at similar money and one says PRO, that is where the money went.
A trap in the numbers. The XQ50 is 3.5–14× and the XQ38 is 2.5–10×. The bigger range is not better — it is the same sensor cropped harder. Base magnification is what you are buying.
The same letter system runs across Pulsar’s handheld thermal monoculars — Axion, Helion, Telos — so once you can read a riflescope code you can read those too. Most people who hunt thermal seriously carry one to scan with and use the scope only to shoot.
Which line, for which rifle
Pulsar runs two riflescope shapes in parallel and this is the question most people actually have.
- Thermion / Thermion 2 — a 30 mm tube that drops into ordinary scope rings. If your rifle is already set up for a conventional scope, this is the one that fits
- Trail 2 / Trail 3 — a one-piece bridge that clamps straight to a rail. Fewer parts, quick to move between rifles, but it wants a flat-top
- Talion — tube style like the Thermion, at the budget end. The cheapest way into a current Pulsar
- Thermion Duo — thermal and a daylight color channel in one tube. One scope for day and night, at a price
- Core — the old entry model, still listed at $1,900
Every current riflescope
Prices are what Pulsar was asking in August 2026. Model names in bold link straight to the listing.
| Family | Model | Sensor | NETD mK | µm | Magnification | Detection yd | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Talion | Talion XQ35 PRO | 384×288 | <25 | — | 2.5-10x | 1475 | $1,800 |
| Talion | Talion XG35 | 640×480 | — | 12 | 2-16x | 1914 | $2,400 |
| Talion | Talion XQ38 | 384×288 | — | — | — | 1475 | $2,500 |
| Core | Core RXQ30V | 384×288 | — | 17 | 1.6-6.4x | — | $1,900 |
| Thermion 2 | Thermion 2 XQ38 | 384×288 | <40 | 17 | 2.5-10x | — | $2,500 |
| Thermion 2 | Thermion 2 XQ35 PRO | 384×288 | <25 | — | 2.5-10x | 1400 | $2,600 |
| Thermion 2 | Thermion 2 XQ50 PRO | 384×288 | <25 | — | 3-12x | 1900 | $3,200 |
| Thermion 2 | Thermion 2 XQ50 | 384×288 | <40 | 17 | 3.5-14x | — | $3,500 |
| Thermion 2 | Thermion 2 LRF XQ50 PRO | 384×288 | <25 | — | 3-12x | 1900 | $3,700 |
| Thermion 2 | Thermion 2 LRF XP50 PRO | 640×480 | <25 | 17 | 2-16x | 2000 | $4,000 |
| Thermion 2 | Thermion 2 XG50 | 640×480 | <40 | 12 | — | 2500 | $4,200 |
| Thermion 2 | Thermion 2 XP50 PRO | 640×480 | <25 | 17 | 2-16x | 2000 | $4,500 |
| Thermion 2 | Thermion 2 XP50 | 640×480 | <25 | 17 | 2-16x | — | $5,000 |
| Thermion 2 | Thermion 2 LRF XG50 | 640×480 | <40 | 12 | 3-24x | 1900 | $5,500 |
| Thermion 2 | Thermion 2 LRF XL50 | — | — | 12 | — | — | $5,500 |
| Thermion 2 | Thermion 2 LRF XG60 | — | — | — | — | — | $5,600 |
| Thermion 2 | Thermion 2 LRF XP60 | — | — | — | — | — | $5,700 |
| Thermion 2 | Thermion 2 LRF XL60 | — | — | — | — | — | $7,200 |
| Thermion Duo | Thermion Duo DXP50 | 640×480 | <25 | 17 | 2-16x | 1800 | $5,000 |
| Thermion Duo | Thermion Duo DXP55 | 640×480 | <25 | — | — | 1900 | $5,200 |
| Thermion | Thermion XM50 | 320×240 | — | 12 | 5.5-22x | 2500 | $3,500 |
| Thermion | Thermion XM30 | 320×240 | — | 12 | 3.5-14x | — | — |
| Trail 3 | Trail 3 LRF XQ50 | — | — | — | — | — | $3,200 |
| Trail 3 | Trail 3 LRF XR50 | — | — | — | — | — | $4,500 |
| Trail 2 | Trail 2 LRF XQ50 | 384×288 | <40 | 17 | — | 2000 | $4,300 |
| Trail 2 | Trail 2 LRF XP50 | 640×480 | <40 | 17 | — | 2000 | $6,000 |
Three things worth noticing in that table.
The Talion XG35 at $2,400 has a 640×480 12 µm sensor — the same class of sensor as Thermion 2 models at nearly twice the money. You give up the tube form factor and some features, not the picture.
The detection range figures are Pulsar’s own, and they are calculated against a man-sized target. A coyote is a much smaller heat signature, and detection is not identification. The buying guide explains why that number misleads.
Price does not track sensor cleanly. The LRF XG50 at $5,500 is <40 mK; the XP50 PRO at $4,500 is <25 mK. One is reach, the other is sensitivity, and which you want depends on your country more than your budget.
The older generations
Three riflescope generations have come and gone, and they turn up used constantly.
Apex — roughly 2014 to 2018
The line before Trail, and the reason old mounts are still sold as fitting “Apex, Trail, Digisight and Core”. Apex used a different naming system: XD, not the XQ/XP/XG that came later.
| Model | Magnification | Sensor | Refresh | Detection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apex XD38 | 1.5–3× | 384×288 | 50 Hz | 1250 m |
| Apex XD50 | 2–4× | 384×288 | 50 Hz | 1250 m |
Note the magnification. 1.5× base on the XD38 against 2.5× on a modern XQ38 — these were low-magnification scopes by today’s standards, and the detection figures are quoted in meters because this was Pulsar’s European catalog.
Should you buy one? Only very cheap, and only as a way to find out whether you like thermal at all. A ten-year-old 384 sensor at 50 Hz still works, but you are two sensor generations behind.
What you are not doing is buying an orphan. Pulsar repairs out-of-warranty units, and that is worth more on a scope this old than any spec on the table. A repair done by their technicians carries a one-year warranty on the parts they touched, and if they decide it cannot be fixed they will give you 20% off any Pulsar product in exchange for the dead one. I have had an older unit through their service and it cost a good deal less than I expected going in.
Trail and Trail LRF — roughly 2017 to 2021
The first bridge-mount line, and the one people still ask about. Replaced by Trail 2 LRF.
| Model | Magnification | Sensor |
|---|---|---|
| Trail LRF XQ38 | 2.1–8.4× | 384×288 |
| Trail LRF XQ50 | 2.7–10.8× | 384×288 |
| Trail LRF XP50 | 1.6–12.8× | 640×480 |
Should you buy one? The XP50 is the interesting one. A 640×480 sensor with a built-in rangefinder, and used prices well under a new 384 scope. If you want a bridge mount and the most sensor for the money, a clean Trail LRF XP50 is a genuinely sensible buy. Check the battery situation before you commit — the APS packs these use are the wearing part.
Thermion, first generation — roughly 2019 to 2021
The original tube-style line. Superseded by Thermion 2 — but note that Pulsar still lists the XM30 and XM50 today, so those two are not truly discontinued.
| Model | Magnification | Sensor | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thermion XM30 | 3.5–14× | 320×240 | still listed |
| Thermion XM38 | 4.2–16.8× | 320×240 | discontinued |
| Thermion XM50 | 5.5–22× | 320×240 | still listed |
| Thermion XQ38 | 2.5–10× | 384×288 | discontinued |
| Thermion XQ50 | 3.5–14× | 384×288 | discontinued |
| Thermion XP50 | 1.9–15.2× | 640×480 | discontinued |
| Thermion XG50 | 3–24× | 640×480 | discontinued |
The XM models are the trap on this list. A 320×240 sensor is the oldest thing Pulsar sells and it is a long way behind a 384, let alone a 640. If you see an XM at a used price that looks like a bargain, that is why. The XP50 and XG50 are the ones worth hunting for.
If you already own one
The honest upgrade advice is that sensor and NETD are what changed, not the features. Going from a Trail LRF XQ50 to a Trail 2 LRF XQ50 gets you a newer body and the same 384×288 at <40 mK — that is not an upgrade worth $4,000. Going from any 384 scope to a PRO model at <25 mK, or to a 640, is a visible difference on a humid night.
I have hunted behind most of this list. The Trail and the Trail 2, the Apex, the original Thermion and the Thermion 2, and a Helion in my hand for scanning. That is the reason this page exists and it is also the reason I will not tell you a Trijicon is better or worse than any of them.
But upgrading is a budget call and it is yours, not mine. The newer models are nicer. If you are doing well with the setup you have, save the money for now.
The part people miss is who is on the other side of the trade. There are hunters trying to break into thermal who cannot spend what a new scope costs, and your old model may be exactly the entry point they need. Selling it gets somebody started and gives you the means to upgrade at the same time. Have a look at what the older Pulsars are fetching before you write yours off as not worth listing.
Worth knowing: Pulsar sells factory refurbished units directly, including Thermion 2 LRF XP50 PRO and Thermion Duo. For a discontinued or last-generation scope that is usually a better bet than a stranger’s listing — you get some warranty and a known history. Check Pulsar’s refurbished stock before the used market.
Once you have picked one, hunting coyotes at night covers actually using it, and the gear list covers the rest of the kit that has to work in the dark alongside it.