Trail XQ50 zeroing tips?

J

jk2paintworx

New member
I took my new Pulsar Trail xq50 out today and played with it for the first time today and it's a whole new experience compared to day optics. I was shooting at a 12" AR500 plate and about the time I felt like I was getting the hang of the adjustments I would be off of the steel. I was just manually adjusting the x and y but couldn't quite tell how much adjustment each increment amounted too. Sometimes it seemed like a adjustment made a big difference then sometimes it didn't. I am certain that it is me just trying to get used to it and the unit is fine. Just lookin for some tips on getting it zeroed in. I was shooting from 50-100 and the temp was in the high 20's and clear.
 
If you can't get consistent groups out of an accurate gun, it is most likely the mount. Make sure to secure everything and use blue Loctite. I don't use the factory mount but have heard lots of people say it is a little finicky.

As far as sighting it in, lots of different posts on this. I like to use hvac foil tape personally. I make a cross with it or sometimes make a cross but leave the center open to give a really tight aiming point. Hot hands work OK too, but they glow so much they give off a really big heat signature unless you put it inside your target with a hole to show through.

I believe each full increment is around 1.5 inches. You can move the scope by increments of 1, .5 or .25 by using the Magnification option once in the Zeroing menu. Each time you double the zoom it goes from 1 to .5 and the if you do it again, it is .25 for more fine tune adjustments. I will admit there have been times when I didn't think the scope was moving and then all of a sudden it really moves but I don't have any hard evidence or reasoning for it. Once you get it sighted in, write the X,Y coordinates down for future reference.

Good luck with your XQ50 and let us know how it goes.

 
I like to use toe warmers with adhesive back. They don't give off quite as much heat as the hand warmers and make a nice small target. Just stick them to any target and then cover the entire front with duct tape so it doesn't spill it's contents. For checking zero before I Hunt, I usually use a small water bottle or other small container with warm water in it with a cardboard box behind it to see where I missed if I do. I figure if I can hit an 8 ounce bottle at 100 yards it's a dead coyote. I have learned to not be quite as picky when checking zero on thermal scopes as most people selling them will admit they are only accurate to 1 or maybe only 2 moa. So I would say it's critical to use a day scope on a rifle first to see which ammo it likes better. Get your gun shooting sub moa groups first.
 
At 6.2X my XP50 moved 1" for each WHOLE NUMBER of change.

I've read others post that the change depends on what magnification you're at... I assume that's true.

I took the steel target and laid it on top of the truck engine for about 10 minutes... it stood out like a sore thumb and provided an excellent target.

Double check the mount.
 
Yep.. My XQ50 at 10.8x (max zoom for the XQ50), the crosshairs move by .25 vs a WHOLE NUMBER, which equates to about 1/4" at 100 yds. I assume the XP50 at 12.8x would do the same.
 
I keep hearing about the mount but it seems pretty solid as long as everything is tight, which seems pretty like any mount that. Is loose will cause problems. Do they tend to loosen up? What issues are guys having with the mount? Do I need to get a ZRO delta?
 
Make sure when mounting a scope, no matter what type of mount you have, to push it down and forward (toward the barrel) so it sits against the front of the groove as you tighten it down.. This helps keep it solid under recoil.
 
Last edited:
JC, my older Apex XD50A has the same original mount and it works great and very solid. I have a zero delta that I have never installed. If I ever decide to change rifles, I'll probably go ahead and install it, but there isn't any need to change what is working.
 
Back
Top