I just went through the big scope search thing. I also try to keep my scopes under $500. I just had an Athlon Argos Gen 2 6-24x50 delivered today. I have not had a chance to mount and shoot it yet but I could not find a bad word about them online. All the videos I watched talked them up pretty hard saying they punch above their weight when it comes to features, clarity and reliability. Plus I think they have a lifetime warranty. It is also first focal plane. I actually found a few places online comparing the Athlon to the same Vortex you bought and IIRC the consensus each time it came up was to get the Athlon over the Vortex.
They are the same price, $399, new. I found one on Amazon that was in "used like new" condition for $335 and bought that one only because it shipped directly from Amazon and they have such an easy return policy if there are any issues with it. So far it looks perfect out of the box.
Athlon still have their Gen 1 model available that you can buy. It is my understanding (someone correct me if I'm wrong) that it is identical to the GEN 2 except that people everywhere online complained that the turrets were "mushy" and did not have distinct, audible clicks. If you don't care about "mushy" turrets, you can get the
same scope for $289, just last years model. Supposedly the GEN 2 is the same scope with upgraded, better turrets.
Best of luck with whatever you choose. I'll try to report back on what I see through the Athlon tomorrow when it's light out again.
Cliff
