Athlon Scopes

[rjthehunter]

I have an Athlon Argos BTR gen 2 I received as a gift. It works fine for plinking or using as a 100 yard spotter, but I'd never in a million years contemplate using it on a dedicated hunting rifle. There are plenty of other low end Chinese knock off junk scopes that would be much better than anything Athlon is providing. View attachment 252663

Have you used any of the Ares or Cronus line? That's an entry level prs scope. You got an entry level scope... Athlon certainly isn't cheap Chinese junk.

 

[Speeddmn]

Ive got a couple Argos BTR’s on some budget savage rifles and dollar for dollar those combos shoot great! Also have an Ares BTR gen 2 I think on my newest rifle. Have a pair of their binos, 10x42 and the 10x50 Midas G2. So far I love them over any Vortex item built in the lst 6-7 years. I try to make sure every dollar spent is worth it. I dont have Swaro deep pockets thats for sure.

 

[rjthehunter]

Ive got a couple Argos BTR’s on some budget savage rifles and dollar for dollar those combos shoot great! Also have an Ares BTR gen 2 I think on my newest rifle. Have a pair of their binos, 10x42 and the 10x50 Midas G2. So far I love them over any Vortex item built in the lst 6-7 years. I try to make sure every dollar spent is worth it. I dont have Swaro deep pockets thats for sure.

Just for kicks and giggles, I went and looked at some binos last night. I compared the 10x50 Vortex Razors to the 10x50 Sworos. The Sworos were definitely a little bit clearer. But not $1500 clearer with a limited warranty...

 

[KEW]

I own an Athlon Ares 20-60x85 and am blown away with the performance. Huge bang for the buck. I can put antler points on animals at 3.5miles, low light performance is outstanding, clarity and color renditions are top flight. At hunting camp this year I set it up against a Swaro of the same size, and the guy that owned the Swaro agreed that other than MAYBE so edge clarity softness, the Ares played well on the same field. If you don't have the $$ for the Alpha glass, I don't think you would regret the Ares....

 

[Snailz]

I have an Argos HMR 2-12 on a CVA 35 Whelen and a Midas HMR HD 2.5-15 on my 6.5 Grendel AR-15. I like both of my Athlon scopes but the reason I own them is that I could not afford a higher end scope.
In my opinion they are feature rich for what you pay for them. But you still get what you pay for. From everything I read they have a good reputation for standing behind their product. Have not had to use their warranties myself.

I know this is from forever ago, but could you compare the Midas hmr and the argos. I’m considering both and want to know if you’d consider the Midas worth the extra $120 I’d need to pay for it and if the quality is worth the extra weight for a hunting rifle. Thanks!

 

[bluegrassdan]

Let's hear some opinions on Athlon optics. Specifically the Ares 2.5-15. I found a sporting goods store that should have them in stock. Just have to get down there and check them out. Want to know if anyone has any experience with Athlon scopes in general. Seem to have a warranty similar to vortex which is a huge plus.

Glass is clear, elevation and windage adjustments are pretty solid, repeatable. On mine, the parallax adjustment is total garbage. It won't focus at 100 yards, clears up as long as your target is out past 200 yards. Have to assume its just this scope or more people would be bitching about this issue.

 

[rjthehunter]

Glass is clear, elevation and windage adjustments are pretty solid, repeatable. On mine, the parallax adjustment is total garbage. It won't focus at 100 yards, clears up as long as your target is out past 200 yards. Have to assume its just this scope or more people would be bitching about this issue.

I've used the scope for 2 hunting seasons now and love it. I don't have any parallax issues like you described. I've shot this scope out to 800 w/out issues.

 

[bluegrassdan]

I've used the scope for 2 hunting seasons now and love it. I don't have any parallax issues like you described. I've shot this scope out to 800 w/out issues.

Distance is just fine, its just trying to get it sharp and focused to be able to zero at 100yds is the issue. I thought it was just me, but others have looked through it and said the same thing. Its fine, it sits in the box on the shelf since I have other scopes. I bought it because its a hell of a lot lighter than the Arken boat anchors I have and wanted to put it on my NRL rimfire rifle to replace my Vortex that I needed to put on a hunting rifle.

 

[rjthehunter]

Distance is just fine, its just trying to get it sharp and focused to be able to zero at 100yds is the issue. I thought it was just me, but others have looked through it and said the same thing. Its fine, it sits in the box on the shelf since I have other scopes. I bought it because its a hell of a lot lighter than the Arken boat anchors I have and wanted to put it on my NRL rimfire rifle to replace my Vortex that I needed to put on a hunting rifle.

I should've worded it differently. I've done a lot of shooting at 100 and have stretched it out to 800, but haven't noticed the parallax focus being an issue at any range with mine. Have you been able to look through another one? Do you think it's faulty? I'd definitely reach out to Athlon about it and see what their thoughts are.

 

[bluegrassdan]

I should've worded it differently. I've done a lot of shooting at 100 and have stretched it out to 800, but haven't noticed the parallax focus being an issue at any range with mine. Have you been able to look through another one? Do you think it's faulty? I'd definitely reach out to Athlon about it and see what their thoughts are.

I don't know anyone with another Athlon scope to compare with. Since I try to use a wide range of equipment so I could recommend options to my customers, I have and range of what I consider budget friendly scopes, Arken, Athlon, Nikon, Cabela's, all the way up to the top tier like Nightforce, Vortex RZR, etc. My last big scope was a Burris XTR Pro for PRS shooting. Since I retired from gunsmithing I don't see me buying another scope anytime soon, so I guess I should make sure what I have works like it should.

 

[dstaffk5]

I have an older Helos on my 308. It puts 155 amax's in 1 hole at 100 yards. I have popped PA groundhogs with it and dropped a Mule deer in Washington using the rifle. The glass isn't the best but the scope is fine for the price I paid.