Based in Redwing, Minnesota, X-Vision Optics specializes in night vision and thermal units designed for night-time predator hunters. In 2024, the company debuted its Impact line of thermal riflescopes with the Impact 150, 250 and 350 models.
I had the opportunity to run the mid-level Impact 250. It sported a 384x288 thermal sensor, 50mm objective lens and numerous other features, such as HotSpot Tracking, Picture-in-Picture and 32 gigabytes of memory for photos and video captures.
With the Impact 250, I think it’s time to admit that many units built with 384x288 thermal sensors are not what they were a half-dozen years ago. Then, 384 models were often bargain basement thermals. Oh, they would do the job, especially if the coyotes or hogs were close. Image quality would be sufficient, but not terribly detailed. Photos and videos? Maybe. But both would be grainy, and often you had only the photo option. Battery life? Bring a pocket full!
That’s changed considerably, and the Impact 250 is one of those units proving that a 384 model can actually compete with the higher-end thermals. The Impact 250 will be a top choice for those hunters who want a high-quality unit without paying the $4,000 to $6,000 common with 640 sensor models.
Large Objective Lens
My test unit Impact 250 was very easy to zero, and was equipped with a full set of features and a menu system that provided complete accessibility to those features. The photos and videos I took were clear and nicely detailed, as were the images seen through the 250 in general.
X-Vision rated the Impact 250 thermal sensor as able to detect game animals past 2,200 yards, with a 725-yard recognition range. The 384 sensor is capable of detecting temperature differences as small as 0.05°F. The thermal also features 4.7X to 18.8X zoom magnification and a built-in stadia metric rangefinder.
The detection and recognition ranges of the unit were actually greater in both categories compared to the upper-level Impact 350, even though the 350 features a 640x480 thermal sensor and is more expensive. Credit for the greater ranges, at least in part, can be attributed to that large 50mm objective lens, which allows a manufacturer to place the sensor somewhat farther back from the lens.
With the focal length increased, the unit’s base level magnification is also increased. That’s why the Impact 250 has a magnification level of 4.7X to 18.8X, while the 350 unit, with its 35mm objective, delivers 2X to 16X magnification. A larger objective also translates into more heat energy captured and sent back to the sensor, increasing the detection range.
Other Key Features
Images are displayed on a 1024 x 768 OLED screen. A diopter adjustment surrounds the rear lens/screen. The Menu knob sits atop the chassis. A short press brought up the Quick Start menu, a long press the Full menu. With a menu selected, turning the knob moved the selector along the available options; a press of the knob brought up the specific option.
Just forward of the Menu knob was the Shutter button. A single press took a photo. A long press started a video, another press stopping that recording.
As noted, this thermal features Picture-in-Picture (PIP) and Hotspot Tracking. The latter allows a hunter to lock onto and track heat signatures, ensuring that a moving target remains in sight. The PIP box zooms in on a target without losing sight of the broader picture.
An included single 18650 3.6v Lithium-Ion battery powers the unit. The battery is rechargeable, and a charger is included, too, as part of the 250 accessory package. Battery life is rated at eight hours with a full charge.
This thermal is built with a Picatinny mount already attached, and the 250 mounted to my AR-15 effortlessly. Thanks to its integrated Wi-Fi and photo/video capabilities, a hunter can record and share the hunt, though he or she will first have to download X-Vision’s TargetIR app. The thermal can’t download from unit to computer via a cable, which was a little disappointing.
The Initial Zero
I mounted the 250 onto a Bear Creek Arsenal BC-15 5.56mm NATO right side charging rifle.
Instead of the traditional AR charging handle located near the top of the receiver, the BC-15 features a charging handle protruding from the right side of the billet receiver. Otherwise, the rifle is pretty much a standard AR-15. It is equipped with a 16-inch chrome moly steel barrel with a 1:8 twist rate, a 15-inch M-Lok handguard and a carbine-length gas system. I’d used the BC-15 over the course of the past couple years, and it is accurate and highly functional. Just the kind of rifle I’d take on a night coyote hunt.
The conditions were overcast and 42 degrees at my outdoor range, 10 mph wind in my face.
For my zeroing target, I taped a large HotHands packet onto cardboard and set it up at 50 yards.
I loaded the BC-15 with Federal Premium American Eagle Varmint and Predator rounds in .223 Rem., launching 50-grain jacketed hollowpoints.
My first two shots impacted a full 11 inches to the right of my HotHands. Using the menu, I opened the zeroing application. Like most newer thermals, the Impact 250 features a one-shot zeroing system. Take your first shot or shots and then access the zero function. Keeping the rifle very still with the reticle on the target, you “freeze” the target image and then move the X and Y axis to where the initial shot(s) landed. The original reticle stays centered on the target, while the new X reticle slides over per your X and Y adjustments. Once in place, you save the location of this new X reticle, and the unit recalibrates itself for this new point of impact.
The Impact 250 sports one of the cleanest, most intuitive one-shot systems I’ve ever used. Once I selected the zeroing function, a small box appeared on the lower right, showing my Zoom setting, the Freeze function and X and Y access, with a Cancel or OK tab at the bottom of the box. I simply selected On for the Freeze and then moved to the X and the Y settings, moving each until they overlaid my first shots. Then, I selected OK.
My next three shots hit the blue tape that surrounded the HotHands packet. Close but still a couple inches to the right. I went back into the zeroing function, adjusted X and Y, saved these changes and shot three times. The result was a 1.2-inch group, with two of the shots touching and centered on the HotHands packet. Some impressive zeroing precision.
I then moved to my 100-yard lane. My target here was a life-size coyote target. I taped a large HotHands over the heart-lung area and a small packet over the head.
First, I took some shots at a warmer spot on the coyote cardboard to check zero at this distance. I was a little low and right and I made the needed adjustments. For the larger heat pad, my five shots came in at 1.2 inches. I then shot three times at the smaller heat pack overlaying the predator’s head and all three hit for a 1.0-inch group. A quality thermal and a good AR can make some nights very tough on Mr. Coyote.
Night and Humidity Humidity is not a friend of thermal optics and generally distorts images and reduces detection ranges. As it was a rainy 38 degrees the night I took out the Impact 250 for photo and video work, with gusting winds, I didn’t expect images to be as sharp as they were at my range. This was the case, but not really all that bad.
For example, I spotted a trio of whitetail deer strung out on a cut-over alfalfa field. I knew the area very well, and estimated them to be from 250 to 400 yards out. The nearest deer stood out quite well even with the rain. The farthest away animal was less clear, but the head and neck were still very obvious and ID-ing the heat signature as a deer was easy.
I took some still photos through the unit using my Apple 11 Pro cell phone camera and a very handy Magview S1 Mini spotting scope adapter attached to the rear of the unit. This digiscope product features a stainless-steel plate that folds out from the S1 cap. A stick-on magnet is included, and I attached it to the back of my cell. Then, all I had to do was line up the camera lenses with the center of the thermal’s rear lens and affix the magnetized cell-to-steel plate.
The setup was initially awkward, but I quickly figured out the system and took some solid photos through the 250. The videos I took that night were clear and fairly detailed, even with the humidity degrading things a bit.
Hunt Ready
With a very durable chassis made of molded and machined aluminum and IP67 rating (water resistance at 3 feet for up to 30 minutes), as well as all the above-cited features and capabilities, the Impact 250 will be a top choice for the night hunter. Coyote hunters will especially like the higher zoom level attainable with this thermal. And, of course, as a thermal optic, the Impact 250 is ready to hunt day and night.
