Mine is due tomorrow. I will give it a comparison, but also inviting other experiences. Based upon how I feel the scope performs, I might be swayed to purchase a Steiner or Bushnell in the 14-16x max mag catagory.
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Rifle Scopes any first impressions of the Athlon Ares BTR?
- Thread starter longshot2000
- Start date
I ordered three of the new Ares 4,5-27x50 scopes quite some time ago - got the notification from Athlon that the first shipment of these scopes had arrived, but since I haven't received shipping confirmation, I'm thinking my order didn't make the cut for the first batch of them. That's OK, I guess - they assured me that they'd be receiving more of the mil version scopes on a regular basis, so if not now, it shouldn't be long before mine ship. Really looking forward to getting one - still have a 4.5-27x50 Midas NIB in stock to compare it to, along with several of their Cronus 4.5-29x56 scopes. Will be posting my impressions of the Ares as soon as possible.
I can't comment on the Ares but I just got my Cronus BTR. Seems like a really nice glass and the turrets are better than expected. All was good until I turned on the illumination. It was off-center and the numbers were jacked up. Waiting on an RMA, hopefully second one will be better.
I received my Ares BTR 2.5-15x50 a couple of weeks ago. It has the mil reticle. I currently have it mounted on on a Lithgow LA101 22LR bolt action rifle.
Time behind the glass has been only about an hour and limited to an indoor 100 yard rifle range, so not exactly the environmental conditions that would challenge a scope. Overall though I'm very pleased. I like FFP scopes, particularly when precision is required. I have the 2.5-15x50 Midas BTR on a KIDD 10/22 and have to give the nod to the Ares BTR. Not only because it is FFP but find the optics slightly better. Edge to edge clarity is a step up in the Ares BTR line.
Turrets on the Ares BTR don't have the crisp feel that I have on my T5Xi or Razor Gen 2 and about the same as what I have on the Midas version. I don't dislike them, but definitely need to pay attention when making adjustments. I haven't run the ladder or box test with the scope, but adjustments were as expected when sighting in the rifle.
Time behind the glass has been only about an hour and limited to an indoor 100 yard rifle range, so not exactly the environmental conditions that would challenge a scope. Overall though I'm very pleased. I like FFP scopes, particularly when precision is required. I have the 2.5-15x50 Midas BTR on a KIDD 10/22 and have to give the nod to the Ares BTR. Not only because it is FFP but find the optics slightly better. Edge to edge clarity is a step up in the Ares BTR line.
Turrets on the Ares BTR don't have the crisp feel that I have on my T5Xi or Razor Gen 2 and about the same as what I have on the Midas version. I don't dislike them, but definitely need to pay attention when making adjustments. I haven't run the ladder or box test with the scope, but adjustments were as expected when sighting in the rifle.
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Got mine this week. It is a solid scope. Love the reticle. Seems like high quality, and took it outside, and compared with Burris XRT-2'and NF SHV. At 350 yards, it was very comparable in quality of image. That is where the rubber hits the road. No distortion. Some minor chromatic aberration, but only in the edge, which you can expect. Center was free of distortion and very good. All three performed the same. I find the reticle on the Athlon to be far superior, but I like the Christmas Tree style. On max mag, it is a little thick, but many FFP are. I would suggest a thinner line under 3 mil, but that is a preference. The NF did a slightly easier job of focusing with paralax knob. I had to go back and forth to focus. Atlhlon seems very sensitive. Maybe the FOV is smaller, not sure. The finish is more of hard-coat. It does not appear to be anodized. I am not found of the finish. Very personal thing. The turrets moved nicely with crispness. I was hoping for locking, but at $800, I suppose you have to sacrifice something. Exterior glass is clear, nice looking scope, and the glass did not have a green or orange hue, which I see on some far-east Asian made scopes.
all-in-all, it was like they started with a Chronus, and removed some features to save money, like NF did with NXS and SHV. Glass is probably the same, and saved money on turrets and finish. It did not seem like a build-up from the lesser priced Athlons, but a reduction from the higher-priced. Sounds like a good idea to me.
the big but is, there are certain preferences I have in a scope (locking turrets and anodized finish) that make this one not for me, but still impressed.
all-in-all, it was like they started with a Chronus, and removed some features to save money, like NF did with NXS and SHV. Glass is probably the same, and saved money on turrets and finish. It did not seem like a build-up from the lesser priced Athlons, but a reduction from the higher-priced. Sounds like a good idea to me.
the big but is, there are certain preferences I have in a scope (locking turrets and anodized finish) that make this one not for me, but still impressed.
The turrets are crisp? How tactile are they? Hoping they improved this, as the turrets on the demo could move very easily.
Glass equal to the Cronus, which gets compared to the Razor Gen 2? It's been said that it was the same as the Midas, which I believe.
Demo models were labeled Midas BTR, but with a FFP reticle and 10 mil turret....they built it up from the Midas, not the Cronus.
You could be right... It looked and felt the other way, that is that they build down from the Chronos, and from what I heard, but I might be wrong. I made no reference to the Chronos being like Razor Gen 2. Maybe others said that. What I said was the glass looked as clear as the Chronos.
I have a Talos 4-14 and am pretty happy with it so I'm strongly considering an Ares 4.5-27. As you guys all have them would you mind commenting on what you'd compare the Ares to or what else you'd consider under 2k?
I have the 2.5-15 BTR. For me, I would compare the Ares to the Burris XTRii line. Better than the PST Gen-1, and Bushnell DMR-1, but not as good as the NF SHV and DMR-2 or Steiner T5Xi. That's one guy's opinion.
I am not sure I would go much higher in magnification than 15x with the Ares. I noticed chromatic aberration on the edges of the glass, so the outside, whites had a purple-red line. As you go out to 27x, that could get worse. at 2.5-15x, I think it is pretty solid. I would like to hear from someone who has used the higher magnification scopes.
I got my 4.5-27 in today and I did not notice any issues at max power. In addition I compared it to my 5-25 pst genii and the Ares BTR held its own with glass in my opinion. But that is just my opinion. My turrets are not as "tactile" as the gen II pst but for the money they are good.
I am a dealer for Athlon but my opinions are just opinions. I am happy I sold the pst genii and kept the Ares BTR.
Now its time to put some rounds through it on the range. I'm gonna pull my Midas BTR off and replace it with the Ares BTR
I am a dealer for Athlon but my opinions are just opinions. I am happy I sold the pst genii and kept the Ares BTR.
Now its time to put some rounds through it on the range. I'm gonna pull my Midas BTR off and replace it with the Ares BTR
I put just a few rounds through my old push-feed M70 in a Manners T4A with the 4.5-27x50 Ares mil scope I received this week. Had very little time to experiment with it; all shooting was done at 500yds. I'm pleased with the optical quality - don't think it's quite as good as the glass in the Cronus, but wasn't expecting that anyway. When I get a day with temps below 100*F, I'll try to get down to my range to do some comparisons between this Ares, Cronus, Kahles K624i, and a Bushnell 6-24x50 ERS (ET6245FG). I've still got one of the old Gen I 6-24x50 PST sfp scopes on a 280AI - not a fair comparison, but have no intention of buying a Gen II ffp just to find out how they compare - will have to wait for someone else with one to come along to find out about that.
Noticed enlarged picture on Athlon's website for the Ares BTR 4.5-27x50 MIL scope shows the ocular end labeled as 2.5-15x50. Sure hope they are not all like that! 
Also curious to see pictures of the turret markings on the production models. It would be a missed opportunity if they didn't extend the tic marks at the half MIL markings on the turret.
Also curious to see pictures of the turret markings on the production models. It would be a missed opportunity if they didn't extend the tic marks at the half MIL markings on the turret.
Thanks!
I see 3 of the updates that I requested (I'm sure others did as well), so it's becoming clear that they do listen to their customers. Now I'm really curious to see if they adjusted the tactile feel of the turrets.
I see 3 of the updates that I requested (I'm sure others did as well), so it's becoming clear that they do listen to their customers. Now I'm really curious to see if they adjusted the tactile feel of the turrets.
Thanks poke_53, was just getting out the camera to shoot a couple of pics when I checked the newer replies on the thread. Mine says "Athlon 4.5-27x50" on both sides of the ocular bell, with "ARES BTR" at the 12:00. And, as you can see from poke_53's photos, there is an extended hash mark at the half-mil on the turrets.
Honestly, as far as I can see, there's not much that Athlon didn't do on the Ares line to address the requests that I've seen posted online. The reticle is basically the same as the original mil ret on the Cronus, the zero stop is simple to set, the glass stays bright out to 27x, the click detents on the knobs are distinct enough to count w/o having to look at the knobs....I like this one a lot so far. I showed mine to two shooters at our last PR match last Saturday and sold the two extra Ares scopes I had coming right there. One of these guys has a Kahles K624i AMR, the other a Gen II Razor, and they both liked what they saw. Also, the parallax knob is marked 25yds at the low end, so the scope would be excellent on a 22RF trainer as well. Looks like I need to place an order for at least a couple more Ares scopes with Athlon...
Honestly, as far as I can see, there's not much that Athlon didn't do on the Ares line to address the requests that I've seen posted online. The reticle is basically the same as the original mil ret on the Cronus, the zero stop is simple to set, the glass stays bright out to 27x, the click detents on the knobs are distinct enough to count w/o having to look at the knobs....I like this one a lot so far. I showed mine to two shooters at our last PR match last Saturday and sold the two extra Ares scopes I had coming right there. One of these guys has a Kahles K624i AMR, the other a Gen II Razor, and they both liked what they saw. Also, the parallax knob is marked 25yds at the low end, so the scope would be excellent on a 22RF trainer as well. Looks like I need to place an order for at least a couple more Ares scopes with Athlon...
poke_53, thanks for posting the pictures of the actual production product.
Triple D and flatland, I also found Athlon very receptive to implementing improvements when I talked to them regarding the original Cronus 4.5-27x56 and follow up BTR model. My older eyes particularly enjoyed the larger MIL number markings on the turrets. I've been extremely happy with the performance and quality of the Cronus BTR and these ARES units appear to be highly regarded by those that have received them.
Triple D and flatland, I also found Athlon very receptive to implementing improvements when I talked to them regarding the original Cronus 4.5-27x56 and follow up BTR model. My older eyes particularly enjoyed the larger MIL number markings on the turrets. I've been extremely happy with the performance and quality of the Cronus BTR and these ARES units appear to be highly regarded by those that have received them.
While the reticle illustrated on their website shows no numbers above the horizontal stadia, my scope has the even-numbered mils numbered, up to #8.
Awesome! Night before last, my Ares 2.5-15x50 in mil arrived. Man, how exciting is that! First impressions leave with me a very satisfying feeling! It's just absurd to think that a few years ago I was taking my S&B off the tactical rifles and mounting them on my 22's and PCP air rifles for FT matches and 22 tactical matches. Why, you ask, would I do that??? because I'm a bit picky about certain features a scope offers, features which BTW were not available on lesser scopes at the time. I need/needed - close focus, a tree or horus reticle for holdovers/offs( I do this a lot) and a decent amount of elevation travel. Zero stop and 10 mil or more knobs were a big plus and icing on the cake. Well in my lap right now is "that" scope, finally - sighing in relief!!!!!
I'll do a review when I get some time behind the scope, but real briefly, I'll say - WHAT's NOT TO LIKE ABOUT THIS SCOPE! For $799 MAP it's killer ridiculous, let alone what the street price will be once the buying frenzy ends.
Noteworthy is the new APLR3 reticle, I love how every mil line below center is labeled from 2 to 10 mil! And in typical Athlon fashion there are no offending numbers in the way of a wind holdoff.
Unfortunately I have this horrible problem that has arisen, I have more scopes than rifles now. I'll get over it somehow, LOL.
I'll do a review when I get some time behind the scope, but real briefly, I'll say - WHAT's NOT TO LIKE ABOUT THIS SCOPE! For $799 MAP it's killer ridiculous, let alone what the street price will be once the buying frenzy ends.
Noteworthy is the new APLR3 reticle, I love how every mil line below center is labeled from 2 to 10 mil! And in typical Athlon fashion there are no offending numbers in the way of a wind holdoff.
Unfortunately I have this horrible problem that has arisen, I have more scopes than rifles now. I'll get over it somehow, LOL.
I got the Ares BTR mounted to my AR yesterday. Immediately I began to compare it to the SWFA 3-15 and a Bushnell LRHS, all on 12x. """ To me""" the glass in the SWFA was a hair milky, you know that slight white-ish looking haze, not much but noticeable, a bit dull or muted in color too. As suspected the LRHS 3-12 came out on top, these just have great glass that is pleasing. The Ares pulled off image quality well, kinda right inbetween the others, pretty much what I thought would happen. Surely appropriate for this price point.
I got out the S&B 3-20x50 and put it on 12x. I didn't need to compare once the eye was aligned and focused, instant WOW and simultaneous smile. That's what you pay the big bucks for, right??.
Nothing stood out as annoying or disappointing with the Ares. Still relieved. Tough decision trying to decide whether I want to keep it on my AR or put back on the LRHS, time will tell.
I got out the S&B 3-20x50 and put it on 12x. I didn't need to compare once the eye was aligned and focused, instant WOW and simultaneous smile. That's what you pay the big bucks for, right??.
Nothing stood out as annoying or disappointing with the Ares. Still relieved. Tough decision trying to decide whether I want to keep it on my AR or put back on the LRHS, time will tell.
I've been playing with a bunch of athlon's for quite some time now. Frankly I feel these scopes have been over-hyped. Good cheap scopes no doubt. Possibly the best cheap scopes... but they are still cheap scopes. If you have an appetite for high end scopes, you'll likely find a lot to be disappointed in with these. Though in that instance, cheap scopes are just not for you. They aren't for me. The glass is good per the price point, the reticles are good, and they are certainly the best of the cheap ffp stuff. Yet I sure as heck wouldn't replace a S&B with one of these on a rifle I shot a lot. These scopes are great for kicking around on rimfires I don't shoot much. I think the cheaper scopes in the athlon lineup give the best price to performance ratio. Though they certainly will not be dethroning the entry level to mid-tier scopes from bushnell, burris, or vortex with this year's product offering.
I am selling that 2.5-15 BTR. $650 to your door. 605-554-1911
Not disagreeing at all BTW.
Wouldn't we all want a TT, S&B or the like on every rifle we have!! Or if one could afford it even the $1500 scopes on every rifle, that's the kicker though isn't it, at least for the standard class of worker. Last 1.5 years I've been discovering I can do nearly as well with those little cheap Talos BTR 4-14's as the higher scopes, which then became my default inexpensive scope as confidence was earned over time, with the Argos 6-24 just behind it. Basically it's really neat having those nifty features in cheap scopes that work well which is "the hype", not that they aren't what they are, nor should they be anything else considering their price point.
Man, great price and very cool rifle!!! I had one of the 64MS silhouette rifles back when they first came out. I always regretted selling it when I left the game.
Wouldn't we all want a TT, S&B or the like on every rifle we have!! Or if one could afford it even the $1500 scopes on every rifle, that's the kicker though isn't it, at least for the standard class of worker. Last 1.5 years I've been discovering I can do nearly as well with those little cheap Talos BTR 4-14's as the higher scopes, which then became my default inexpensive scope as confidence was earned over time, with the Argos 6-24 just behind it. Basically it's really neat having those nifty features in cheap scopes that work well which is "the hype", not that they aren't what they are, nor should they be anything else considering their price point.
Man, great price and very cool rifle!!! I had one of the 64MS silhouette rifles back when they first came out. I always regretted selling it when I left the game.
Mine too, I got it as a cheap scope to test lots of 22 ammo with before going to peep sights for comps but I liked it so much I left it on the rifle. Yes, I liked the talos so much I am now shopping for another rifle instead of just taking the scope off.
I know what you mean man!
My 6mmFatRat should by all rights have a appropriately priced scope on it but I've been so happy with the Talos 4-14 I left it on there. That's probably where my Ares will end up. Heck many would gasp in disbelief if they knew how much some of my air rifles cost me and they have both the Talos and Argos on them.
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Today I shot with my AR/ Ares combo. It was a nice bright low wind morning, and by contrast, opposite lighting conditions compared to a few days ago when I compared scopes. The glass was coming on strong, better than I had remembered from before!
Only took a few shots to get a 100Y zero by measuring with the reticle so that's cool. I did shoot four more shots to confirm zero and kept them all in the 1" orange paister. Setting the zero stop was simple and the turret lines line up great when dialing, actually a little better than my LRHS. With 3 mils dialed, I fired 3 shots at 500Y on steel which was one splat well centered but a hair left and 1" high, my friend shot 3 more, one shot went into my group with the other two a few inches right. Tracking is fine to 3 mils so far. My buds V - HST has a vertical shifting problem again so we decided to cut the session short. I only fired like 12 rounds total but considering the group was so small I was satisfied at 500Y.
However not all was perfect. The zero stop, set like normal, which in this case was bottomed out and against the opposing nub, caused the turret when installed to exhibit a little resistance when coming almost back to the zero setting, starting 3 clicks above zero, worsening at .1, and tighter at zero. When I got back home I readjusted the zero stop off bottomed out which got rid of the tightness.
Only took a few shots to get a 100Y zero by measuring with the reticle so that's cool. I did shoot four more shots to confirm zero and kept them all in the 1" orange paister. Setting the zero stop was simple and the turret lines line up great when dialing, actually a little better than my LRHS. With 3 mils dialed, I fired 3 shots at 500Y on steel which was one splat well centered but a hair left and 1" high, my friend shot 3 more, one shot went into my group with the other two a few inches right. Tracking is fine to 3 mils so far. My buds V - HST has a vertical shifting problem again so we decided to cut the session short. I only fired like 12 rounds total but considering the group was so small I was satisfied at 500Y.
However not all was perfect. The zero stop, set like normal, which in this case was bottomed out and against the opposing nub, caused the turret when installed to exhibit a little resistance when coming almost back to the zero setting, starting 3 clicks above zero, worsening at .1, and tighter at zero. When I got back home I readjusted the zero stop off bottomed out which got rid of the tightness.
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For those of you that have one. How easy do the turrets turn? Are they stiff enough that they will not get turned pulling a rifle out of a soft case or while carrying the rifle on a sling? The complaint I have with the Argos scope I have is that the turrets turn to easy.
You are mistaking that MSRP price/$899 for MAP/$799. Go to sportsgearoptics.com to see MAP, better yet, ask around to different dealers to see if you can find one on sale.
Oh and my 2.5-15x50 Ares BTR is doing it's job well!
Had a chance to fondle a mil version Ares 4.5-27 and shoot behind the Ares 4.5-27x50 in moa a short while back. Sure is a great scope, I want one!
Had a chance to fondle a mil version Ares 4.5-27 and shoot behind the Ares 4.5-27x50 in moa a short while back. Sure is a great scope, I want one!
A manufacturer sets the MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price) and then they have a MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) that they dictate to their dealers. When you check out the price of an optic online what you are typically seeing is the MAP pricing. In theory this is the absolute lowest price the scope can be sold for to protect the dealer network so that one dealer can't corner the market and bring the other dealers down. Street price is simply the average price of something online or in a brick and mortar store but it isn't necessarily the MAP or MSRP. Gander Mountain was one of the worst for pricing, sometimes their shit was priced higher than MSRP, which is probably why they went out of business.
I'm not sure, the Ares BTR's just came out recently and I haven't called around. Maybe others would comment.
Good job on explaining the difference there TM.
ok, thanks.
one more question for anyone with a little patience left - has anyone hands-on compared this with the 3-15 PST2?
I held the Ares and the Vortex 3-15 2FP but really couldn't tell much at the time. I was able to step outside the store and look down the street but without them being mounted, it was difficult to say the least. If I had to, I would say the PST2 probably had a better image but I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a better scope overall without some more time with it...
This is the $64 question. I read as much as I could find about comparisons of these two scopes. About $200 separates them. I did put hands on the Vortex but not the Athlon, so ultimately I did not have all the info I needed before choosing one, and very nearly ordered the Athlon.
For me it came down to 4 things. I liked the reticle better in the Vortex, and by most accounts I've read the turrets are better in the Vortex. Re-sell and warranty were the other two and those four were worth the extra $200 to me. In truth it was mostly about the reticle though which is personal preference. The Vortex is heading my way. Unless it tracks like crap(possible) I think I'll be happy with it. I'll update in the Gen 2 thread though.
I got to fiddle with both last week but not side by side. On this particular PST2 the only thing that caught my attention was the windage knob felt awesome but the elevation knob didn't which was a tiny bit spongy on the clicks, more so than the clicks on the 3 Ares I've fiddled with. The rest of the scope seemed fine. I prefer locking turrets if given the choice so that is a nice feature, but to have that feature costs more $.
My friends Ares 4.5-27x50 has exceptional glass for some reason, it pops??? so it wins in that arena IMO. The clicks were very nice too, they line up well, clicks are audible and distinct with adequate tension. Actually the glass in my Ares 2.5-15 is good and better than my SWFA 3-15 but doesn't have the same pop as my friends Ares???
I still like the APLR3 mil reticle the most of any tree reticle! The cool thing is that the staggered lines make the reticle more visible at low magnification and there are no mil numbers next to the vertical crosshair getting in the way of a holdoff and each mil line is numbered with nifty .2 mil hashes round about. At first I didn't think I'd like a + center vs a dot center but I find the + easier to locate and place where I want it.
These two models are very close. For me the choice would come down to which reticle you like best and if you want to pay the extra money for the perfect zero feature and locking turrets of the PST2.
I really like the + in the SCR as well. Looking at some of the lower end stuff from Athlon, really makes me want to look at some of the pricier stuff.
a local dealer has the Ares in MIL and MOA and the 3-15 PST2 but the Vortex is SFP. the Vortex does come with Vortex Defender caps and a 3" sunshade...
ah, ha, see this is where I am having hesitation - I just didn't see a "pop" with either scope. If you put a loaded gun against my head, I guess I'd have to say the Vortex was better. but how much and in what way, I'm not sure I could describe it.
obviously, holding the scope in my hands and trying to look at a building and cell tower somewhere the other side of 500yds is not the best way to evaluate a scope but that's all I had. their out-the-door price was about $50 difference between the SFP Vortex and the FFP Ares but the Vortex comes with caps and sunshade.
at this point, $50 either way is not going to be a consideration if I know there is a measurable and consistent advantage. I just couldn't be sure with the incomplete evaluation I had with both of them. I'd like the chance to compare FFP Vortex with the Ares...
Give Aaron at A&J Sporting goods a try for an Athlon. He offers some freebies like scope caps and sunshades with certain purchases. I've tried a few Athlon scopes and have had to use their warranty service. They were awesome to work with. Super friendly and shipped back to me the same day or next day from when my scope arrived to them. I can't imagine a company with better warranty service. I love the Cronus I have on my 260.
yeah, they're offered in both FFP and SFP.
I'm trying to decide if SFP would not be a good for how I'll use it. this will be for hunting inside 300yards and sometimes further out at paper/steel at known distances. with only 15x on top, if it's far enough away to range or use holdoffs I'll probably be at max anyway. certainly I'll have time to zoom up if I'm not there already.
Appreciate everyone's reviews and comments. I'm gonna order one and give it a whirl and see what my old eyes say....
