Athlon scopes

[bertman77mk2]

Who are the best suppliers for their scopes? Which particular model (s) do you recommend?

Have read good things here about the brand for Airgun use—-have never tried a FFP thus I will probably stick with 2FP. Am still very scope poor, so this will be used on a Daystate Wolverine 22 R HP and same in 30 for longer ranges, hunting and target shooting. 

 

[PerkyVal]

I have both the Ares ETR which is direct competition for any tier one scope at at a lit less money. IMHO. 

I also have the Midas tac with the 34mm tube. Great scope but no illuminated reticle.

Both focus down to 25 yds

 

[Odoyle]

Not allowed to post a link but there's few that sell them for significantly less than others. You have to inquire on your own when searching online. They have MAP pricing guidelines to abide by. Look at first time buyers discount incentive then have it price matched from another dealer that offers a substantial store instant rebate.

 

[bubblerboy64]

Check midway.They have a great deal on the Helios going on now . I think $370? Athlon is a good mid priced scope. For $370 hard to beat 

 

[jking]

I was a little leery about trying another FFP scope due to the reticle thickness increase when zoomed in but after being reassured I proceeded and bought the Midas Tac 6-24X50 APRS2 FFP and I really like it a lot, Even at 24X the reticle is still pretty thin and sharp. There's actually one in the classifieds with a 4" parallax wheel at a very good price. They are also guaranteed for life. 

jking

 

[2L8]

PerkyVal +1

 

[Keyman62421]

Have 3 argos 6x24x50. Love 'em.

However, notice SPAW had element helix marked down. ?? Not selling, problems, or just moving inventory?

If your trying, they seem to have a good reticle.

 

[Frostbite]

I have a Midas-Tac 4-16 X FFP. Optic quality is good but the reticle is useless at less than 8X. Even at 10X it is so fine it is difficult to resolve stadia on a paper target at 50 yds.

Even at 16X it is not easy at 100 yds, Defeats the purpose of having a FFP scope if half your Magnifiction range can.t be used. I do have OLD Eyes so your results might be different.

 

[Odoyle]

Another Athlon Midas TAC 6-24x50 popped up on the classifieds $450. Cheaper than yesterday's but without the big wheel.

I really dont like FFP scopes PERIOD! Can't even see the reticle for the first 1/3 of the entire magnification range when out in the field hunting due to their thin reticle disappearing in the background scenery. OK if only punching stationary white paper targets but you don't use lower 1/3 magnification for paper punching anyway.

You can pay attention and watch the classifieds and notice the items that are very much desired sell really quick even at brand new pricing for used.

 

[steve123]

I have a Midas-Tac 4-16 X FFP. Optic quality is good but the reticle is useless at less than 8X. Even at 10X it is so fine it is difficult to resolve stadia on a paper target at 50 yds.

Even at 16X it is not easy at 100 yds, Defeats the purpose of having a FFP scope if half your Magnifiction range can.t be used. I do have OLD Eyes so your results might be different.

Unfortunate but true, I sold mine. Young and good eyes see this reticle in the TAC 4-16 much better but it's still not easy to see for them on low mag.

Athlon hired a poor reticle designer during that timeframe, I was seriously pissed.....

Though I fixed this problem for 2021, it's going to be one awesome reticle but of course I'm a bit biased, lol! 

FYI to those that don't understand - If hunting on low mag, and you still want FFP to use at whatever higher magnification the scope has, there has to be some type of compromise, in other words you need a thicker reticle, possibly daylight bright illume, and/or a lower powered variable scope like a 1-?x24, etc. Or just get a SFP scope.

Another solution is having an offset red dot sight mounted on the rifle for close shots since it's assumed that'd be the reason you dialed down the mag so low on the FFP scope.

 

[cea1960]

I have a Midas-Tac 4-16 X FFP. Optic quality is good but the reticle is useless at less than 8X. Even at 10X it is so fine it is difficult to resolve stadia on a paper target at 50 yds.

Even at 16X it is not easy at 100 yds, Defeats the purpose of having a FFP scope if half your Magnifiction range can.t be used. I do have OLD Eyes so your results might be different.

Unfortunate but true, I sold mine. Young and good eyes see this reticle in the TAC 4-16 much better but it's still not easy to see for them on low mag.

Athlon hired a poor reticle designer during that timeframe, I was seriously pissed.....

Though I fixed this problem for 2021, it's going to be one awesome reticle but of course I'm a bit biased, lol! 

FYI to those that don't understand - If hunting on low mag, and you still want FFP to use at whatever higher magnification the scope has, there has to be some type of compromise, in other words you need a thicker reticle, possibly daylight bright illume, and/or a lower powered variable scope like a 1-?x24, etc. Or just get a SFP scope.

Another solution is having an offset red dot sight mounted on the rifle for close shots since it's assumed that'd be the reason you dialed down the mag so low on the FFP scope.



I never thought about using my red dot for hunting. Most shots on squirrels in the woods are between 20 -25 yards when he leaves are still hanging on, so it makes sense. Plus the target acquisition has to be faster. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Odoyle]

I actually put a sharpie dot on one of my scopes...

 

[wimpanzee]

I have several of the cheaper athlon scopes:
Argos BTR 6-24 FFP

Talos BTR 6-24 SFP

2x Talos BTR 4-14 FFP

They are all great scopes for the money. I like the FFP a lot for hunting, and the focal depth is pretty decent for ranging.

 

[Dairyboy]

Lol you old guys just can't see well! I LOVE my Athlon Midas Tac 4-16x44. It has become my favorite scope and love the reticle. I also use it on lower powers with no issues. But I pest and hunt, rarely shoot paper so maybe that's the reason? Id recommend the 6-24x50 though if you have trouble seeing the dot.

Also have an Athlon Argos BTR Gen2 6-24x50 which I really really like. 

 

[jps2486]

This may be contrary to the thinking of many here, but I like Hawke Sidewinder and Airmax scopes. They have been popular for many years both here and in Europe. They have all the features I like for airgun shooting. I've tried many of the ones that keep surfacing and claim to be so good, but have never been convinced. My only other scope that I find truly superior for precision target shooting is the Sightron SIII in 10-50X. It's as good as the $2000-3000 dollar scopes IMO.

 

[KatoKevin454]

I got mine from AoA

 

[landshark]

Have 3 argos 6x24x50. Love 'em.

However, notice SPAW had element helix marked down. ?? Not selling, problems, or just moving inventory?

If your trying, they seem to have a good reticle.

That is the same price everywhere they are just making it look like a sale

 

[GeneT]

Another Athlon Midas TAC 6-24x50 popped up on the classifieds $450. Cheaper than yesterday's but without the big wheel.

I really dont like FFP scopes PERIOD! Can't even see the reticle for the first 1/3 of the entire magnification range when out in the field hunting due to their thin reticle disappearing in the background scenery. OK if only punching stationary white paper targets but you don't use lower 1/3 magnification for paper punching anyway.

You can pay attention and watch the classifieds and notice the items that are very much desired sell really quick even at brand new pricing for used.

NightForce has a mostly great reticle that pretty much solves the issue. Very heavy outside bars on the reticle, which are visible at low magnification, along with a ring at the center, which basically becomes an illuminated red-dot at 1x. At higher mag you get the stadia for holdoffs etc. The NX8 has the small defect of having a 1.5MOA dot smack in the middle though, so it's not the best for precision shooting at high mag. Everything else I've tried fits your description exactly.

GsT

 

[JungleShooter]

NightForce has a mostly great reticle that pretty much solves the issue. 

Very heavy outside bars on the reticle, which are visible at low magnification, along with a ring at the center, which basically becomes an illuminated red-dot at 1x. 

At higher mag you get the stadia for holdoffs etc. 



The NX8 has the small defect of having a 1.5MOA dot smack in the middle though, so it's not the best for precision shooting at high mag. Everything else I've tried fits your description exactly.

GsT

So, we're talking NX8 4-32x50 FFP, or the NX8 2.5-20x50 FFP, right?

The MIL-XT and the MIL-C reticle have a 0.05 mil dot in the center, that would be 0.17 moa — not 1.5 moa if I interpret the chart at the Nightforce website correctly.

And 0.17 moa, well, that's about 3/16 of an inch at 100y.... Don't know of a paper target having a bulls that small....



I'm not writing this to get on your case or to be right, Gene....  

I was just startled that Nightforce would put such a huge bullseye-covering center dot on their top long range scopes....





And Gene, I fully agree with what you're saying about the importance of the heavy outside posts of an FFP reticle. I started including that info just recently in my Scope Specs Tables — it has become a dealbreaker for me.





Matthias

 

[steve123]

Mathias, I think he's talking about the NF 1-8 FFP. 

That Burris XTR2 1-8 FFP has a .1 mil centerdot which can be seen well on 8x but disappears on 1x, however the 10 mil wide and 1 mil thick circle ring is perfect for head shots on a IPSC target at 20Y, or chest at CQB distance. It's well executed for a FFP scope. Precision on higher mag and a large circle for close and fast on lower mag, just pick which magnification suits the situation.