Athlon scopes

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Dr. Kralenstein

Dr. Kralenstein

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Apr 14, 2022
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The Laboratory, United States
Ok, their slogan of "ridiculous good optics" is spot on for their price point.

I grabbed a 6-18x44 neos a couple weeks ago to replace my westhunter 4-16x44 since the fine reticle is getting lost in low light and aging eyes. The glass is CLEAR all the way to 18x zoom, and they scream of quality. So I bought another.

This time, it's a 4-12x40 for my new to me BSA ultra. It's just as good as it's bigger brother. I compared it side by side with my 3-9x32 bugbuster on the notos, and the BB just seems like dated cheap glass. I'm thoroughly impressed to say the least and can only imagine how good their top their stuff is. I simply don't have the funds for that good of an optic for an airgun that won't push past 75 yards, so I went with lighter/no frills. I don't need an illuminated reticle, especially with the center X reticle the neos has.

I plan to move the 4-12 neos to my notos after I drop another $180+/- on a 4-16x40 talos to put on the ultra.

Athlon optics FTW in my book, and you can trust me... im an airgun doctor 😉

Dr. K
 
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And you grabbed a scope way down on their performance scale of models. Just think how the higher models would look. I wish they had more compact models vs 13-14" long upper 20 oz range scopes. They do offer lots of options and varying prices. They have been making a name for themselves.

I have a talos 4-12 and a first gen midas btr and they both are decent daytime scopes but when the sun starts getting low, the light transmission begins to show its lacking. I have old 1" japanese scopes that look like hours before dusk when the sun gets low in the woods, super light weight, and tactile turrets. Wish Weaver still made them.
 
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MartyMcFly said:
I started out experimenting with the Talos, moved onto Argos, then two Helos and now thinking about a Heras or Ares. Very good value for the money, albeit they tend to be on the heavy side. I wish they offered a lighter 4-16x44 with the Xmas tree reticle.

-Marty
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Thats the only thing is heavy. Then what do you expect built like a tank , thin aluminum or cheap plastic? The rest hard to beat . Warranty is also excellent quick and easy
 
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Joedirt199 said:
And you grabbed a scope way down on their performance scale of models. Just think how the higher models would look. I wish they had more compact models vs 13-14" long upper 20 oz range scopes. They do offer lots of options and varying prices. They have been making a name for themselves.

I have a talos 4-12 and a first gen midas btr and they both are decent daytime scopes but when the sun starts getting low, the light transmission begins to show its lacking. I have old 1" japanese scopes that look like hours before dusk when the sun gets low in the woods, super light weight, and tactile turrets. Wish Weaver still made them.
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I had an Ares at one point. It didn't focus down to 10 yds as many of their higher end scopes don't.
 
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Joedirt199 said:
And you grabbed a scope way down on their performance scale of models. Just think how the higher models would look. I wish they had more compact models vs 13-14" long upper 20 oz range scopes. They do offer lots of options and varying prices. They have been making a name for themselves.

I have a talos 4-12 and a first gen midas btr and they both are decent daytime scopes but when the sun starts getting low, the light transmission begins to show its lacking. I have old 1" japanese scopes that look like hours before dusk when the sun gets low in the woods, super light weight, and tactile turrets. Wish Weaver still made them.
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Those old weaver scopes were great. As for the lower end, I wanted to get my feet wet first before diving into something expensive. I did that with an older hawke scope years ago and was sorely disappointed. For my 30-70 yards shooting, these scopes will definitely suffice.
 
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I am very happy with my Talos 6-24. It is a bit heavy but that is pretty normal for a 6-24. There is also a 3-12 Talos that is rated to weigh 16.2 ounces. I've been thinking of one for hunting. I use my 6-24 for target shooting and I also use a Vector Sentinel 8-32x50. I can see the target at least as well with the Athlon despite it's lower magnification. It is also at least as good in low light. The Vector is also much heavier, 1 kilogram. OK for targets and the Vector's glass and other quality aspects are not bad for it's price point but I think the Athlon is a better buy.
 
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I'm satisfied with my Helos BTR Gen 2 purchase. I've got the 6-24x56 version. Features at this price point is what sold me. Very good glass, 34mm tube with 100 moa of elevation adjustment very good, solid clicks with locking turrets and zero stop. Also, this scope has parallax adjustment down to 10 yards, which is fantastic for an airgun hunting rifle. Two minor complaints. Zero stop has 5 set screws which seems overkill for an air rifle. I may remove a couple of them. Also, I wish Athlon would make turret caps that are tooless to remove. I detest those slot/coin screws on turrets.
Other than that optics are clear, love the reticle, which is illuminated if needed. A great scope for the money.
 
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I recently bought the Athlon Argos 10-40x56 (SFP) and am pretty happy with it. Better glass than my Element Helix SFP and more magnification.
I'm not sure how the glass compares vs. the Midas-Tac or Heras, but nice for the bench. The weight isn't an issue for me at all.

Looked through some Range buddy's Nightforce / Primary Arms, those scope are amazingly clear. However, I cant justify the $1.5-$3K price tags.
 
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Between the Miamis said:
I really wish Athlon would make a 3-12x32 scope with AO and ED glass, that is better than the Optisan CP. I do not need monster scopes.
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I'm over all the big bulky scopes, but I also don't bench shoot. I'm keeping it to 50 yards or under lately.

The athlon neos 4-12x40 side focus isn't a very big scope. Thats what I stuck on my BSA ultra.
20230609_211922.jpg
 
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Between the Miamis said:
I really wish Athlon would make a 3-12x32 scope with AO and ED glass, that is better than the Optisan CP. I do not need monster scopes.
Click to expand...

Try to find a Heras 2-12x42 SFP scope on sale for fathers day. It'll be a couple ounces heavier than a more simple scope but its an amazing scope for the money with great glass and feature set at that price point. The quality is there with this scope!

Here's a Nikon 3-9x32 and the aforementioned Heras/with the sunshade installed so you can see this scope is compact enough without being optically compromised like the super compact scopes are.

The versatility of the Heras is the "thing" here vs that old 3-9.
Pretending for a minute - that each scope were mounted on a long range rifle - I could make shots on steel out past 1000Y with the Heras and wouldn't even try the same thing using that Nikon.

The rifle here is a 22 magnum and I was able to hit a 300Y steel the size of a fox repeatedly no problem.

I had a Talos 4-16x40 on my other varmint rifle and have a Heras 4-20x50 on it now - there is a BIG difference in every way and of course favoring the Heras.

I definitely suggest spending a bit more money on scopes to upgrade if at all possible. That's what I've been doing for the last couple years and it's worth it.

20230426_104525.jpg
 
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