Athlon disappointment! Updated

Send the scope back if you feel you need to, but I've heard it's fairly common for the yardage markings to be inaccurate. Did you try shooting groups at 50 yards with the scope in focus?

Topcat

"JohnL57"Send the scope back if you feel you need to, but I've heard it's fairly common for the yardage markings to be inaccurate. Did you try shooting groups at 50 yards with the scope in focus?

Click to expand...

It actually had got to dark to out and I couldn't shoot the 50yd groups. I did shoot a few shots off just to see where the poi was but I could not tell where they landed. "I know it's common for the yardage to be off, but 20yds off is ridiculous!" What if I needed to use the recticle to range my target? I am going back out in the a.m to do some 2nd testing. I guess I'll be doing the turret adjusting because they sure are mushy as well.

Click to expand...

Make your own markings on the parrallax wheel to indicate true yardage. Even the Hawke will not be on the money for the yardage indicators.

If you intend to use the parallax wheel for ranging you will need to make your own label with yardage markers on it. The range is very sensitive to the adjustment of the shortest parallax setting. I have 1 scope that when it is adjusted so the 10 yard setting is good, it will show 100 yards on a 50 yard target by the factory hash marks.

I have heard some very good things about the Athlon scopes ,
I sure hope yours is a hiccup and not the norm,
Please keep us informed how you ate treated by Athlon,
One bad apple does not spoil the whole batch,
If the Mutant 25 ever comes out I was thinking of a Athlon scope,
Mike 

Just a question, if you use a rangefinder, why bother with the parallax markings? Range the target, look through the scope and adjust until you get a clear picture, pull the trigger. I have never used the yardage markings on any scope ever.

(But just to clarify, I agree that this is bad, but not entirely unexpected from chineese optics)

I had a couple of scopes from Athlon and can vouch for their customer service. That being said , I bought two scopes and both had to go back one time each . They made it right both times but I personally am too much like a little kid about these things ...When I get a new toy I wanna play with it , not watch it travel the country. Can happen to any company for sure . But it won't happen to me again if I can help it . But to be fair mine also were not their top line product, mine were both Talos line scopes .

ErikJust a question, if you use a rangefinder, why bother with the parallax markings? Range the target, look through the scope and adjust until you get a clear picture, pull the trigger. I have never used the yardage markings on any scope ever.

(But just to clarify, I agree that this is bad, but not entirely unexpected from chineese optics)

Click to expand...

This is true too. Even the sightrons, and the MTC Viper Pro........if you want true accurate yardage ranging with the parrallax then you measure with a rangefinder, look through scope and focus, and make your own mark on some tape. The only scopes I have ever seen in person that were dead nuts on factory yardage markers were by the makes of march, schmidt and bender, swarovski. I havent handled everything out there either. Unfortunately......Ive come to expect needing to mark my own true yardage markers with any scope I buy. Most of the time, I just use my Nikon Acculon rangefinder and turn the parrallax until the picture is clear. When both the crosshairs and the image are clear....the parrallax is gone anyway.

TopcatToday I went back out just to see if I was tripping, but nope it's definitely off by a mile! When I first started off in the pcp world my scope was a center point which the parallax was on point. I graduated to the Hawke and their parallax was off a tad at 5-10yds which is tolerable. With the Athlon it's so far off that it's ridiculous. At 50 the parallax was on 15-20...REALLY?

Click to expand...

Thats pretty far off

This is where expectations being set too high cause disappointment.

The Athlon Talos and Argos line are great scopes for the money but make no mistake, they are budget scopes and anyone expecting them to be comparable to premium glass will be disappointed. 

Even Athlon doesn't claim that the Argos and Talos line are precision instruments. They only claim to give you a nice feature set and relatively clear glass for the money and I think they deliver on that promise.

I don't thing I have ever been able to accurately range using just the side focus throughout the power range on any scope. I have had some which are close at the highest power setting but you get what you pay for.

If you read enough scope reviews, you'll see that for every half decent cheap scope, there is someone claiming that it's just as good as their friends Nightforce. This has never been true even once. If you want precision dials, triple your budget because these are the first things they cut back on with cheap scopes.

No matter how many times you send back that Mini Cooper, it will never come a formula one car (unless you send it to Mclaren with a huge bag of cash as part ex for the formula one car).

Just to tag onto this post: I have the Argos BTR 6-24x50 Mil scope, and so far am enjoying it. However, the elevation turret markings do not line up with the markings on the scope's body. They are 1/2 click off, which is annoying at best.

I believe they have either incorrectly silk screened the markings on the turret cap or on the body. Hopefully it's the former. I've emailed Athlon to see if I can get a replacement turret cap (if they agree that this might solve the problem). Fingers crossed that I don't need to return the scope.

Athlon has a new line of FFP scopes coming out called Helos which, looking at the specs and sales blurb, seems to be a version of the Argos but with turrets that can be used to dial in corrections instead of just for zeroing it when you first get it.

The point is that it is double the price of the Argos line and is still pitched as a budget scope. They don't even claim to use better glass with it. There is yet another new line (at a higher price) that seems to use the HD glass of the Midas and have an FFP reticle.

The Argos is obviously sold with the intention that people will use the reticle for corrections as nobody should expect real precision from the turrets on a cheap scope.

This is one of the many ways that scope buying is confusing. You can find scopes for a similar price with better turrets but you have to give up features like the FFP, the variable power and maybe some objective lens diameter. 

I've been dragging my feet regarding sending mine back, but after reading your post, I think I should just get it done. They replied to my initial and subsequent emails promptly. I asked the question "If my scope is deemed to be in need of replacement, will I be receiving a refurbished unit?". Athlon's response was a resounding no, it will be a new scope.