Athlon disappointment! Updated

Yea, yea, yea...I'm just not looking forward to realignment and re-zeroing the scope. Plus, I have to borrow an in. lb. torque wrench.

Due to holdups, I've been waiting to shoot this gun for months, and now the scope issue. Well, it is what it is...I'll reluctantly send it back on Monday.

I never use the side wheel for range estimation, but then again I don't compete in FT. So far all the scope I've had are unreliable for that. Like zebra, if I don't know the exact yardage like when target shooting off the bench I use my Nikon RF. Even if the side wheel was semi close, a five or six yard error which I would guess is about as good as your going to get could mean a complete miss at a small target. The Sightron that I just got doesn't have any yardage assigned to the marks, which I haven't looked at yet anyway. As long as it'll focus and remove the parallax I'm good to go.
Jimmy

5 day turnaround? Now that's impressive. Mine should arrive at Athlon tomorrow.

Is the replacement scope working as expected?

Have you done the zero-stop modification? I did, using the washers that Athlon recommends. However, I found that they didn't work worth a darn. It would stop about a half turn past zero. As soon as my scope returns, I will track down some fiber washers.

Please describe the Zero Stop Mod. 

Here you go:
I have found that the washer Athlon acquired from Home Depot allows the turret to turn well past zero. I also have a concern about the metal washer rubbing against the aluminum turret. Therefore, today I sourced some fiber washers that might work better. They are also thinner, which I *believe* might allow me to fine-tune the stopping point.

If you're interested, I'll let you know how they work once I get my scope back.

https://youtu.be/ozpTvoL2JeQ

I think I may try that trick with a nylon washer. 

I would hesitate to use a nylon washer if a fiber washer is available. If you use your turret instead of holdover, the nylon washer will wear down. On the flip-side, I *think* the fiber washer will cause some abrasion, but much less so than a steel washer. So, I see the fiber as being a middle ground option. In a YouTube comment, Athlon stated that they would start including them with their scopes, but that never happened.

Athlon received my scope today, so the stopwatch starts. It will be interesting to see how long it takes, and if they offer any explanation to as what the problem is with the scope. The guy I was emailing at Athlon was a really nice chap.

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME??

I just received an email from UPS indicating that a package from Sportsgear Outdoor Products (Athlon) will be delivered TOMORROW!

In this day and age, customer service like this is virtually unheard of. If this scope comes back in perfect working order, Athlon will be getting my business from now on. I don't care that there are better scopes out there. I care that a company looks after it's customers, and it's clear to me that Athlon goes above and beyond most.

Dude when I had a problem with mine . The VP of the company called me personally and told me to give them a chance to make it right ..It blew me away !!....Normally you get a recording or just simply ignored by other companies. I'm as big a fan of Leupold as there is on this forum ...Give them a call , I PROMISE you gonna be on hold an hour , or leave a call back and when they do call you feel like you are being rushed . Athlon customer service is the kind that only Older folks remember . The kind that will keep you coming back . I would LOVE to see one of their upper end scopes in person !!

"JoeWayneRhea"Dude when I had a problem with mine . The VP of the company called me personally and told me to give them a chance to make it right ..It blew me away !!....Normally you get a recording or just simply ignored by other companies. I'm as big a fan of Leupold as there is on this forum ...Give them a call , I PROMISE you gonna be on hold an hour , or leave a call back and when they do call you feel like you are being rushed . Athlon customer service is the kind that only Older folks remember . The kind that will keep you coming back . I would LOVE to see one of their upper end scopes in person !!

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Me too. I read that that the Cronus FFP models are exquisite.

I am especially looking forward to the release of their new models though. They seem to bridge the gap between the Midas SFP and Athlon FFP. I.e. FFP scope with the Midas HD glass and more precise turrets. I think they could be epic. 

Some of those non-manufacturing scope brands are literally just slapping their name on a bought-in product and adding no value. The Athlon guys are focusing on customer service and market research. It really shows. The specs of their new products marry up to what people of the forums are asking for and existing customers are generally very happy. 

It's a great sign when people who receive a faulty product are converted to loyal customers for life. Sightron seem to do the exact opposite. The experience is so traumatic for people that they never want to see another Sightron. 

It's not rocket science. Just listen to customers and don't screw them over. Eventually, other companies will be forced to do the same if they want to stay in business. 

Just a follow-up here. I did in fact receive the scope from Athlon as scheduled. The scope was a brand-spanking new one and, as promised, is not a refurbished unit.

I took it to the range yesterday and am happy to report that everything works as expected.

Thank you Athlon for the excellent customer service and quick turn-around (not that they would even see this post). I look forward to a long relationship with your company.

On using a side focus wheel for range estimation, a lot of people who use it for FT matches will mark the actual ranges on the wheel. 

Parallax errors, which is what the side focus wheel is there to correct for, get worse as the magnification setting increases. On 4x or even 6x, there may be no visible parallax error (in the form of a blurry image). On 8-10 there will be a slight correction needed for significant changes in the target distance. On 16x or more, you will likely need to adjust the side focus or AO for every distance change, even if it just a few yards difference.

This means that it isn't possible to make it so the premarled numbers on the side focus are correct for every power setting and, given that our eyesight is all different, it's not possible to make it correct for every person. 

To use the side focus to range properly, I would use a range finder to check the real distance for some of the distance markings on the scope using the highest power setting that it is possible to achieve a properly focused image on. As long as you know that, for you, the 50 yard marking is focused at 62 yards (or whatever it is) on 16x, for example, you can use it to range. 

What screws us up most in life

is the picture in our head

of how it's supposed to be...!

"zebra"It's a great sign when people who receive a faulty product are converted to loyal customers for life. Sightron seem to do the exact opposite. The experience is so traumatic for people that they never want to see another Sightron. 

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What?!?!

Zebra, I don't know what you've been reading or who you've been talking to, but your unfounded perception of Sightron couldn't be further off base. Sightron provides a lifetime warranty on all of their scopes, the SIII line is considered by many to be the best in its class and they offer the best military and LEO program in the industry. 

Have you you ever looked through an SIII or compared its turrets to the Athlon Argos? I have, there's no comparison. The Argos turrets are mushy and imprecise , the Sightron's exact and crisp. I returned the Argos. 

Additionally, if it matters, the Argos is a Chinese manufactured scope and the SIII Japanese. 

Many, many people have had nothing but terrific experience with Sightron scopes and customer support. If you've personally experienced something different, would you please share specifics. 

Thanks 

I recently received a Athlon Argos 6-24 and must add to the problems listed. My scope is off by 20 yards on the parallax wheel and on low power the Cross hairs are soo fine I can hardly see them. Also, the lighted reticle is so light it cannot be seen unless it is almost dark. The thin crosshairs are probably just normal for a FFP scope , but this is my first so I don't know. Overall I'm not too thrilled with the scope.

I have to concur jland. it wasn't what it was hyped up to be as far as I'm concerned. It was clear enough but the reticle was too thick once zoomed out. Clarity out on the edges was fairly good/average. I'll also consider that this was my first FFP so that would might factor in as well. It was probably my most short owned scope and I've own quiet a few now. Personally I'll take the Hawke tac over the Athlon and I'm thoroughly pleased with my two Sighron SIII's. Yup, no traumatic experiences there. But what do I know......
Jimmy

"DellaDog"

"zebra"It's a great sign when people who receive a faulty product are converted to loyal customers for life. Sightron seem to do the exact opposite. The experience is so traumatic for people that they never want to see another Sightron. 

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What?!?!

Zebra, I don't know what you've been reading or who you've been talking to, but your unfounded perception of Sightron couldn't be further off base. Sightron provides a lifetime warranty on all of their scopes, the SIII line is considered by many to be the best in its class and they offer the best military and LEO program in the industry. 

Have you you ever looked through an SIII or compared its turrets to the Athlon Argos? I have, there's no comparison. The Argos turrets are mushy and imprecise , the Sightron's exact and crisp. I returned the Argos. 

Additionally, if it matters, the Argos is a Chinese manufactured scope and the SIII Japanese. 

Many, many people have had nothing but terrific experience with Sightron scopes and customer support. If you've personally experienced something different, would you please share specifics. 

Thanks 

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I have looked through a few Sightron scopes. I was close to buying one. I have nothing bad to say about the scope quality. In fact I thought the ones I saw were all good in their respective price ranges. Plus they offered a lot of features I wanted for a good price (hence my interest). I wouldn't hesitate to buy one if one of their models met my needs at the time. I just wouldn't choose one for their customer service specifically.

I tend to (over) research a lot when buying something like a scope and there is forum chatter and user reviews that talked about having a particularly poor experience trying to get issues resolved when they received a faulty product. Sightron are not alone on this. They are just one example. I could have used Weaver as another example and I recently bought one of their products anyway (although I read that they recently switched to more of a "no nonsense approach").

To be fair, their CS feedback is certainly not all bad. It's not that they won't fix a problem, it's the lack of urgency around it compared to brands like Athlon or PA. For example (and this is not the only thing I found when doing my buying research), check out the reviews of the Stac on Midway:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1648188659/sightron-s-tac-tactical-rifle-scope-30mm-tube-4-20x-50mm-target-turrets-side-focus-matte

There is only one (of 4) where the person had to use their CS. The 3 who received a good one were happy campers. The one who got a bad one will probably never buy Sightron again. The Stac is the model closest in price to the Argos. Athlon would have sent the guy a replacement scope and taken care of the issue quickly. It's the wait that makes people angry on a new scope. That or having a company claim damage is the customer's fault when they have hardly used it.

Think about how you feel when you buy a new scope that you are excited about and imagine that sinking feeling when you mount it and find a problem. First reaction is anger. How could they let this out the factory like this etc. Now you've mounted it you can't just return it.

You don't just want it repaired in their sweet time. You want a new and working scope immediately. That is why I find it impressive that brands like Athlon and PA can convert those scenarios into happy customers who see it as a positive. Their experience is so good that they seem to forget that they only experienced the CS in the first place because they were sent a broken scope....