Hi gang, I am hearing from many of you how worthwhile it is to buy a really good scope as opposed to several pretty good ones. I will be shooting mostly benchrest at 50 yards but sometimes going out to 100 yards and then coming back down to 25 yards. I would like to find a 24 power (possibly 20x) Leupold but would cost around $800-1000 and I am not thrilled with their choice of reticles. The other is a Sightron 10-50x60 at $1050 but kind of feel like this is overkill. The third option would be a Athlon Midas 4-27x50 ($600). Does anyone have experience with the midas scope compared to the more expensive ones? Is there any other scopes I should consider?
I would like to buy some really nice glass.
- Thread starter DrippinLead
- Start date
I have never owned any of the Midas level Athlon scopes but I have owned the Talos and Argos level in scopes and the Neos ( entry level I believe) in binoculars. I am sold on all the glass I have ordered from Athlon. I purchased one scope used and it had a retical that was not 100 percent in my opinion, they replaced it free of charge. So I would not hesitate to buy any of their products if I was in the market.
Upvote 0
Can't say anything about the Athlon scopes, as they are not available in the EU (afaik)
Here in EU, I find the Delta Optical 3-24x56ED about as good as it gets for around 1000$ in the 25x mag. class. Very fine dotted reticle.
As a bonus, it parallaxes down to 10m, ideal for airguns.
Review :
The SIII 10-50x60 (which I own one) is a well proven scope, and very useful for different airgun disciplines (BR/FT/plinking)
The contrast and lack of chromatic abberation of the Delta is a class above the Sightron if you ask me.
Here in EU, I find the Delta Optical 3-24x56ED about as good as it gets for around 1000$ in the 25x mag. class. Very fine dotted reticle.
As a bonus, it parallaxes down to 10m, ideal for airguns.
Review :
The SIII 10-50x60 (which I own one) is a well proven scope, and very useful for different airgun disciplines (BR/FT/plinking)
The contrast and lack of chromatic abberation of the Delta is a class above the Sightron if you ask me.
Upvote 0
I'd take a look at the SWFA SS 20 or 16 power scope they are really nice and are only 300$....Leupold can set almost any of their scopes up with most all their reticles from their custom shop . I've bought a couple from them and have Never been dissatisfied.. Or if you find a bargain on a used Leupold they can retrofit
Upvote 0
Will second the recommendation on SWFA fixed power scopes. Very robust construction, great reticles available, clear and bright, and the price!
Upvote 0
Athlon Optics are available in Sweden wich is a EU country. But for the money a lot better glass is available IMO. They seem a bit overpriced on this side of the planet.
The Delta 3-24 with LR600 reticle is a great scope indeed, but is is also a brick. It has a 34mm tube and weighs in on around 1000 grams. But if you are seated all the time with a bench that should not be a problem.
I would recommend you take your time on this and do some reaserch. The last thing you want to do is get something you regret that you end up selling for a loss and getting something else. For me personally, I have owned so many scopes now that my next one will be a March. Go big or go home for me this time and no more selling at a loss.
The Delta 3-24 with LR600 reticle is a great scope indeed, but is is also a brick. It has a 34mm tube and weighs in on around 1000 grams. But if you are seated all the time with a bench that should not be a problem.
I would recommend you take your time on this and do some reaserch. The last thing you want to do is get something you regret that you end up selling for a loss and getting something else. For me personally, I have owned so many scopes now that my next one will be a March. Go big or go home for me this time and no more selling at a loss.
Upvote 0
This is sound advice. Take Joe's advice.....the swfa line of scopes are hard as hell to beat at their price point. I bought a burris xtr2 4-20 power scope couple of years back. 1200 bucks. Was never exited about the scope. Springy turrets, very thick reticle at 20X(ffp scope), and heavy. The turrets didnt track true to the reticle either. Sold it for 800 bucks a year later. Lesson.......research heavily. The swfa SS scopes are known to track well.
Upvote 0
Everyone is entitled to their opinion but to me if I am looking in the 1000$ price range the companies that I would buy from list is short .
At that price you are just out of European optics but there are still some nice ones . If there is a BassPro or Cabela's or Gander Mountain shop in driving distance go look at what they have available and you can narrow your list FAST !!! It's not like looking thru a scope outdoors but you can look back to back thru differnt scopes . One thing you might pay attention to while shopping. ... The "Airgun" scope brands that are talked about so often on the forums are not there .
At that price you are just out of European optics but there are still some nice ones . If there is a BassPro or Cabela's or Gander Mountain shop in driving distance go look at what they have available and you can narrow your list FAST !!! It's not like looking thru a scope outdoors but you can look back to back thru differnt scopes . One thing you might pay attention to while shopping. ... The "Airgun" scope brands that are talked about so often on the forums are not there .
Upvote 0
Speaking from person experience the Athlon Midas BTR is an excellent airgun scope. For a scope under $1K, it probably has the best combination of illuminated xmas tree reticle, quality glass in a fairly lightweight and compact package. It's not going to beat out a $1.5K scope but given it's less than half the cost, it in my opinion will hang with them. If you prefer a SFP scope with matching reticle/turrets and willing to spend $600, the Midas BTR would be my top pick. If I didn't already have a collection of FFP scope, I'd hang onto mine rather than selling it.
Upvote 0
Totally agree elmerfudd. Midas with the BRT reticle is very nice, and I have very good experience with it.
If it came in a ffp-version it would be a 100% score.
If it came in a ffp-version it would be a 100% score.
Upvote 0
I just bought a Hawke Vantage, 6-24x scope and absolutely love it. For the price I paid, it is wonderful. Crystal clear and the adjustments are precise. I plan to buy a second one.
Upvote 0
Check out the SnipersHide forum, they (over) analyzed the higher end Athlons over there....with good cause.
Upvote 0