I guess the sighting in process on the XQ50 is where a completely hot or reflective target comes in handy. I'm not trying to spend $60 - $100 on a 5 pack of thermal targets. I'm thinking of using a sheet of foil to sight in this scope. I've seen a video where a man shooting an AR build uses the heat from the bullet to pick up his initial POI (on a target with plywood backing) and freeze the frame to them move his reticle. Since airgun projectiles don't get nearly as hot after shooting, I'm thinking that a hole in a sheet of foil (placed in the sun) with something cool behind it like ice or an empty space allowing cooler air to flow behind the foil can provide enough contrast to capture an image to use the initial POI for zeroing the scope using the freeze feature. Any thoughts on this?@Ezana4CE that is exactly what that feature does. You take the shot then freeze the image and make your adjustments. Only tricky thing is, if you are not on a bench rest setup, it can be difficult to press the button at the exact spot you need dead centered on the bullseye. But not to worry, you can freeze the frame as many times as it takes to get right. It's also nice you can store several zero distances per profile if I remember correct(you can at bare minimum save multiple profiles if not multiple zeros within each profile) . So if you are hunting 100 yards just select that zero from the saved profiles.
Also I recommend buying from some place that specializes in thermal and night vision. Normally you won't have to pay sales taxes at these places and you might get even better than advertised pricing with a phone call.
Thermal is awesome. I've been an addict for around 7 years now. I've had the high end stuff, some lower end stuff, and some mid range from (nvision,pulsar, and iray). But now is a great time to get into thermal. The price point you pay for the performance you get is unbelievable compared to 7 years ago when I started. And the warranties have come a long way also. Now some units have 10 year warranties although the normal seems to be 3-5 years in my experience.
Happy shooting and good luck with that rabbit hole! $$$$
Yes. Middle of the day. Works just as well at night. The heat from the bullet doesn't last long. Once you fire a round, get in the scope adjustment mode - increase magnification - freeze frame - make adjustment. Easy peasey.
An old thick phone book or the like soaked in water just warmer than ambient outdoor temperature would probably be ideal. The thickness would retain the target's heat signature longer and not being freezing cold would keep the thermal conductivity from the impact from dissipating too quickly also.
@Airgun-hobbyist Interesting, but where would one find phonebooks nowadays? I may try something similar. A few sheets of frozen paper seems much easier. I'm thinking that I can set everything up then the last thing to do is to staple the paper to some wood or cardboard. Once the projectile punches through, the contrast created by the difference between the temp of the paper and the warmer air flowing through it should be pretty evident.
Anything with enough mass to hold the impact's heat signature while fiddling with the electronics would be the key to success.
