Having trouble deciding if Athlon chronus 4.5-29x56 for 1000$ is worth the extra 400$ vs the Arken ep5 5-25x56 with the extra package includes (level,throw lever,caps etc...) for 600$. Will be on a 6.5 creedmoor bergara wilderness ridge. Wanting to shoot out to1000 yards but also use for tree stand hunting. If i spend the extra money will it be obsolete in a year or two with how fast optics are getting better so fast? Any help on this would be awesome! Thanks!!
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Rifle Scopes Arken ep5 vs Athlon chronus
- Thread starter known1
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Yes every day of the week. Cronus is worth it better.
Neither are ideal for tree stands being high mag ffp but with illumination it doesn’t matter.
Neither are ideal for tree stands being high mag ffp but with illumination it doesn’t matter.
Athlon is a great optic. You’re talking China vs Japan if that matters as well. The Cronus I had was on par glass wise with my NF atacr.
If you wanted a $500 scope. The Arken is great. I have one on my Bergara B14R .22. But if your able to spend the extra for a Cronus it will be worth it.
Also don’t exclude Burris XTRIII in that range
For a tree stand those scopes will be bulky. The 3.3-18 Burris may be a bit better size wise
If you wanted a $500 scope. The Arken is great. I have one on my Bergara B14R .22. But if your able to spend the extra for a Cronus it will be worth it.
Also don’t exclude Burris XTRIII in that range
For a tree stand those scopes will be bulky. The 3.3-18 Burris may be a bit better size wise
Disclaimer, I don't have a 1,000 yard range to shoot at and I don't own the Arken.
I do own the Cronus BTR Gen 2 along with a 3-18x, specifically a Meopta Optika6.
There are many, many mechanical things I like about the Cronus vs. the Optika6. Optically, the Optika6 holds up extremely well (at half the price) to the Cronus even though it's a 50 vs. a 56. The Cronus physically smaller. The Meopta is brighter when looking through the scope and has better contrast at max magnification. This likely has more to do with the number of elements than anything else, along with comparing 18x vs. 29X. But that's sort of my point. I always find myself backing off max mag on the Cronus but again, I'm not shooting out to 1,000 yards.
There's a lot to like about the Cronus from the feel of its turrets to the size of the turret markings, etc...but reticles are about equal and getting behind the 3-18 Meopta is always a bit surprising in a good way. This may be true for any of the decent 3-18's vs a scope with a higher top end magnification ratio. Just something to think about. In terms of size, the Cronus is smaller. The specs only say .2" between them but I think it's more. Need to put them side by side but just eyeballing it, it's obvious the Cronus is indeed smaller than the Meopta.
I don't think you'd regret purchasing a Cronus if you can swing the additional cost. Far from it. Lately I've been on the less is more bandwagon, having realized I don't need as much scope as I think to make a hit on steel reactive targets at distance. If I'm doing load development and precision punching paper, the high magnifications can certainly help though. But I'm pretty convinced I'd do just as well at 1,000 yards with an 18x vs. a 29x on steel targets.
I'm a relative novice to most on this board so again, just sharing thoughts. Any more these days, I probably wouldn't look twice at a scope under $800 in the mag ranges you're looking at. I've had a few of the less expensive scopes and wouldn't go back. I do recognize there are outliers, the Meoptas being a good example, as is the Cronus punching above it's price range.
I do own the Cronus BTR Gen 2 along with a 3-18x, specifically a Meopta Optika6.
There are many, many mechanical things I like about the Cronus vs. the Optika6. Optically, the Optika6 holds up extremely well (at half the price) to the Cronus even though it's a 50 vs. a 56. The Cronus physically smaller. The Meopta is brighter when looking through the scope and has better contrast at max magnification. This likely has more to do with the number of elements than anything else, along with comparing 18x vs. 29X. But that's sort of my point. I always find myself backing off max mag on the Cronus but again, I'm not shooting out to 1,000 yards.
There's a lot to like about the Cronus from the feel of its turrets to the size of the turret markings, etc...but reticles are about equal and getting behind the 3-18 Meopta is always a bit surprising in a good way. This may be true for any of the decent 3-18's vs a scope with a higher top end magnification ratio. Just something to think about. In terms of size, the Cronus is smaller. The specs only say .2" between them but I think it's more. Need to put them side by side but just eyeballing it, it's obvious the Cronus is indeed smaller than the Meopta.
I don't think you'd regret purchasing a Cronus if you can swing the additional cost. Far from it. Lately I've been on the less is more bandwagon, having realized I don't need as much scope as I think to make a hit on steel reactive targets at distance. If I'm doing load development and precision punching paper, the high magnifications can certainly help though. But I'm pretty convinced I'd do just as well at 1,000 yards with an 18x vs. a 29x on steel targets.
I'm a relative novice to most on this board so again, just sharing thoughts. Any more these days, I probably wouldn't look twice at a scope under $800 in the mag ranges you're looking at. I've had a few of the less expensive scopes and wouldn't go back. I do recognize there are outliers, the Meoptas being a good example, as is the Cronus punching above it's price range.
I’ve looked through the Athlon Cronus BTR and Athlon Ares ETR. The ares is or was the high end China model before you stepped to the Cronus. The Cronus was better especially as you inched toward the higher magnification. Doesn’t necessarily mean the other won’t meet your needs
There’s a lot of threads if you search comparing what scopes you’ve mentioned. You’ll just have to decide what price point your playing in.
You’ll find people who prefer the Athlon or the Arken. But seldom will you find someone who’s going to suggest you buy a Chinese made Arken, Athlon or vortex over a Japan made Cronus, US made XTRIII (or Philippine made XTRIII) if those are your considerations
As someone who’s owned many many optics I’d suggest if you have the $$ and are willing to pay for Cronus or XTRIII quality that’s what you should go with. If you need to put the $$ elsewhere or plan to upgrade down the road to the higher tier then a helos or similar will serve you well. Should it fail the companies take care of you.
You can find good deals in the px here and that allows you to try optics without loosing $$ when you sell. Arken has decent sales and CameralandNY has some good deals on optics off and on
There’s a lot of threads if you search comparing what scopes you’ve mentioned. You’ll just have to decide what price point your playing in.
You’ll find people who prefer the Athlon or the Arken. But seldom will you find someone who’s going to suggest you buy a Chinese made Arken, Athlon or vortex over a Japan made Cronus, US made XTRIII (or Philippine made XTRIII) if those are your considerations
As someone who’s owned many many optics I’d suggest if you have the $$ and are willing to pay for Cronus or XTRIII quality that’s what you should go with. If you need to put the $$ elsewhere or plan to upgrade down the road to the higher tier then a helos or similar will serve you well. Should it fail the companies take care of you.
You can find good deals in the px here and that allows you to try optics without loosing $$ when you sell. Arken has decent sales and CameralandNY has some good deals on optics off and on
The Cronus at $1,000, is a can’t lose decision. That scope retails for $1699 so if you get it, use it and it’s not for you it can be resold for the same $1000
Also, if a scope, any scope, suits your needs and performs well for you today it makes no difference what comes out next year or whenever. It doesn’t make your optic any different than it’s been.
Also, if a scope, any scope, suits your needs and performs well for you today it makes no difference what comes out next year or whenever. It doesn’t make your optic any different than it’s been.
If you're getting a Cronus for $1000 its a damn good price, especially if thats out the door price. Thats typically the street price for the Ares..
Even with the free stuff you get with the Arken, its nowhere near the value of the Cronus BTR.
Arken offerings for $500 price range are decent for budget shooters.
The Cronus sells for $1300 regularly, and performs like a reasonably more expensive scope. Theres multiple people who compare it to nightforce's offerings, and quite a few who say its the better scope. Youll even find discussions here mentioning that regularly: https://www.snipershide.com/shootin...-4-5-29x56-vs-nightforce-nx8-4-32x50.7037155/
Even with the free stuff you get with the Arken, its nowhere near the value of the Cronus BTR.
Arken offerings for $500 price range are decent for budget shooters.
The Cronus sells for $1300 regularly, and performs like a reasonably more expensive scope. Theres multiple people who compare it to nightforce's offerings, and quite a few who say its the better scope. Youll even find discussions here mentioning that regularly: https://www.snipershide.com/shootin...-4-5-29x56-vs-nightforce-nx8-4-32x50.7037155/
Just a heads up, but EuroOptic has the Burris XTR-II 5-25x50 34mm (both MOA & MIL versions) on sale for $649 (MSRP $899). I just ordered 2 to replace some of my cheaper scopes. They said the glass was comparable to a Vortex Razor AMG. So, solid mid-tier Japanese ED glass. Nothing wrong with Arken, but for only $100 more, I’ll get better Japanese glass in Philippines-built scopes. Lifetime warranty. No-brainier.
www.eurooptic.com
Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II 5-25x50 Illum SCR Mil Scope 201051
Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II 5-25x50 SCR Mil Scope 201051 | Only at EuroOptic.com!
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InterestingJust a heads up, but EuroOptic has the Burris XTR-II 5-25x50 34mm (both MOA & MIL versions) on sale for $649 (MSRP $899). I just ordered 2 to replace some of my cheaper scopes. They said the glass was comparable to a Vortex Razor AMG. So, solid mid-tier Japanese ED glass. Nothing wrong with Arken, but for only $100 more, I’ll get better Japanese built scopes with better glass. Lifetime warranty. No-brainier.
Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II 5-25x50 Illum SCR Mil Scope 201051
Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II 5-25x50 SCR Mil Scope 201051 | Only at EuroOptic.com!
I thought the only Japanese built XTR II was the 1-8 which I owned. The others which I also owned have been made in Philippines. The 3-15 is great. 4-20 suffered on the top end a bit. The 5-25 reminds me of the glass on the Arken EP5 honestly. Suffered heavier on the upper end from what I recall
They might be Jap glass, but built in Philippines… I could have been mistaken, but I’m pretty sure he said Japan built. Once again, could have heard him wrong, he could have meant just the glass.
I was told the glass in the newer ones were better then the older ones. And that mechanically they are rock-solid. For $650, I’ll give them a try.
Mechanically speaking they’re absolutely solid optics. I’ve enjoyed the 4-5 I’ve owned. Still have the 3-15 currently. Built like tanksThey might be Jap glass, but built in Philippines… I could have been mistaken, but I’m pretty sure he said Japan built. Once again, could have heard him wrong, he could have meant just the glass.
I was told the glass in the newer ones were better then the older ones. And that mechanically they are rock-solid. For $650, I’ll give them a try.
To me they remind me of a Nightforce NXS. With a touch less glass quality. The NXS glass was more comparable to my Sightron SIII which both are made in Japan if I recall
Yeah, he mentioned that it was similar to NXS glass, and the Razor AMG. So that has me excited. These will be "budget" scope replacements, so hopefully they'll be noticeably better than my Arkens (EP-5 & SH4 Gen2). If they are better, I might even sell a couple of my SH4 Gen2's to replace with these, while they're on sale.
I hope they have less CA than the Arkens. My EP-5 is pretty good, and 1 or 2 of my SH4 Gen2's are ok...1 has some very noticeable CA, and so does my EPL4.
The Cronus BTR Gen2 was on sale on Expert Voice for $999 last month....which is why I bought my 3rd one.
I didn't care for the XTRII I had, tracked well, glass was MEH. I have two Cronus, really like them. Now I'd suggest the XTRIII in that price range. Budget would be the Midas Tac. You don't need a lot of Magnification to shoot 1K. The only time I'd be sure shooting at max power is at 100 yards. 
. Aim small miss small
. Aim small miss small
Having owned all of those the AMG glass is far and away above the nxs which was slightly above the xtr2
That’s just optically
My xtr2 was for sure Philippines
That depends on what generation of Cronus it is. If its a Gen1, he would be lucky to recoup 1k. And could also receive something with a fair amount of tracking error, that wont be fixed or replaced due to it being inherent to the design. Unless they started replacing some of them or even the really bad ones with Gen2s now. Mine was picking up .2 for every 5 mil dialed. It can get kind of weird when your hold overs and what you dial are different.
Cronus gen 1 is a discontinued product.
I doubt that most would assume that a current discussion about the Cronus would be about the discontinued product, as opposed to the one readily available for sale in the market now.
It’s like talking about pmags today, then telling everyone that you were actually voicing complaints about the gen 1 pmag, while everyone else is discussing gen 2/gen 3.
Considering that OP mentioned the $1000 Cronus deal, and others confirmed it was on ExpertVoice voice for that price, one shouldn’t have to assume anything since the necessary details are already here to establish that point.
But yes, what if everyone was just discussing the discontinued model instead.
I love the what if game. It’s about as entertaining as the game where we intentionally ignore details just to inject an opinion entirely irrelevant to the current discussion. I hear you’re pretty good at that game too.
They came in today... Yep, Japanese glass, but it says "Made in Philippines" on the sticker on the bottom. Either way, pretty impressed so far. Everything is nice and tight, the turrets are very precise and solid, and the reticle is pretty nice. Weather was shit, so I wasn't able to go outside and check the glass, but the quick looks I took on the porch are pretty good.
It will suffer on the top end if they haven’t changed anything. People say “unusable” which I wouldn’t say is the case but noticeable. I would like to see a . Vs + reticle in those.
So far, for the $650 sale price, I'm pretty pleased, even if the glass isn't top-tier. It's still better functionality-wise than the $650 scopes they will be replacing....Which are old Vortex Viper HS-T VMR-1's from over a decade ago. LOL The ones that have to use the shitty and mushy and non-repeatable brass shim system for a zero-stop...
There's a reason they were relegated down to rimfire use. But even now, I'll probably be swapping those out on the rimfires for XTR-II's soon, while they're still on sale.I did notice in the quick looks off the porch that from different angles in the eye box, I didn't see any noticeable CA right off the bat, and image quality was organic to the environment...It wasn't darker or brighter, but was the same. So, that's kind of nice quality features, IMO.
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What are you even talking about. You want to go ahead and quote where the OP said that....
he didn't, he said he could get a Cronus for 1k. I could probably find you a gen1 pretty quick for 1k.Someone else mentioned they were on expert voice....... last month. That being February, since you necromanced a dead thread from March to interject your opinion.
What are you even talking about. You want to go ahead and quote where the OP said that....
Someone else mentioned they were on expert voice....... last month. That being February, since you necromanced a dead thread from March to interject your opinion.
Yawn. I cant imagine being such a little attention-hungry manchild, throwing a tantrum over the fact that no one cares about your opinion on a discontinued product. It sounds exhausting.
If you have an issue with your scope, take it up with Athlon. If you have more whining to do beyond that, I've heard chocolate helps. Maybe Midol?
The two Cronus BTR G2 UHD 4.5-29's I have are fantastic scopes. Of all the scopes I've owned, regardless of cost, these have my preferred turret feel.
During a shooting session with a friend that had a NF ATACR 7-35 we compared it to my Cronus G2 back and forth quite a bit. We couldn't see a difference in glass with both scopes at 29X. That really surprised me, well him too.
Though the glass in my Cronus's fall behind my S&B 5-25 and even farther behind my March Genesis 4-40x52. The Cronus glass is slightly above the Midas TAC's and ETR's but not by a whole lot.
I couldn't say one way or another about the newer XTR3 or Arken in comparison to the Cronus G2's.
Old news but the original XTR2's had pretty dismal glass. I'm sure they fixed that particular downside.
I like the APRS6 reticle, the daylight bright illume, and the scope's simplicity.
For $999 that is a ton of scope for the price!
During a shooting session with a friend that had a NF ATACR 7-35 we compared it to my Cronus G2 back and forth quite a bit. We couldn't see a difference in glass with both scopes at 29X. That really surprised me, well him too.
Though the glass in my Cronus's fall behind my S&B 5-25 and even farther behind my March Genesis 4-40x52. The Cronus glass is slightly above the Midas TAC's and ETR's but not by a whole lot.
I couldn't say one way or another about the newer XTR3 or Arken in comparison to the Cronus G2's.
Old news but the original XTR2's had pretty dismal glass. I'm sure they fixed that particular downside.
I like the APRS6 reticle, the daylight bright illume, and the scope's simplicity.
For $999 that is a ton of scope for the price!
I wouldn't trade either of my xtr3 for any generation of cronus. You are getting equal to better glass. Better fov and apparent fov. Weight size about the same. I haven't seen any of the newer Phillipino versions of the burris yet though.
My 3-18 xtr3 glass sucks. I’m trying to like it but I’m just not. I prefer my lrtsi even with its smaller field of view. I wish I had gotten a good one instead of a natchez refurb.
My cronuss rival my g3 razor at half the price. It’s a smaller field of view and bit larger black ring around the image but I can see the paint splotches on targets just the same.
My cronuss rival my g3 razor at half the price. It’s a smaller field of view and bit larger black ring around the image but I can see the paint splotches on targets just the same.
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That's a bummer. My xtr3 3-18 and 5-30 I would say rival the gen 2 Razor as did the Cronus 1 and 2 I had. Some of the lrtsi and lrhs I have seen over the years have exceptionaly good glass for their price point. @Birddog6424 I think mentioned having a 3-18 that sucked and said burris replaced it with one that was much better. I have only seen the two I have but I have heard a few reports of xtr3 3-18 not having very good glass.
I have seen some bad glass in the lrts and ers lines from bushnell. It doesn't surprise me that some bad ones slip through from everybody.
I have seen some bad glass in the lrts and ers lines from bushnell. It doesn't surprise me that some bad ones slip through from everybody.
I have a variety of XTR2's and a pair of NON illuminated xtr3's (3.3-18 and 5.5-30) the 5.5-30 XTR3 is as good as any scope i have seen, the 3.3-18 isn't as good, but still a pretty good notch above my DMR2, and my best XTR2's. My best XTR2's are really, really good (a 3-15 and 4-20). better than my DMR2, better than my Zeiss V4 conquest by a good margin, Better than my Athlon Ares BTR and a little better than my buddy's gen 1 razor... the problem is that the XTR2's are very inconsistent. I have a 5-25 that is just alright and an old 3-15 (8 mil per rev) that is pretty bad... but the G2B reticle can't be had anymore an i like it for hunting. All of my new ones are pretty good, and i love the turrets on my XTR2's more than any other scope i have.
In my part of the world used XTR2's come up for sale fairly regularly. I wonder if this has anything to do with the hit & miss nature of them. My old inexperienced eyes probably wouldn't be able to tell a good one from a bad one anyway.
I see XTR2 models often came in both an illuminated and non-illuminated model. For the people who have had them is there any correlation between glass quality and if the model was illuminated or not?
I see XTR2 models often came in both an illuminated and non-illuminated model. For the people who have had them is there any correlation between glass quality and if the model was illuminated or not?
My XTRIIs are damn good also, 2 4-20 and 2 5-25 with a 1-5 mil for a lightweight AR. I have the G2B for hunting reticles and they are simple and not too fine and they have grown on me the last couple years the more that I use them. Turrets are not mushy and defined. No complaints especially for the $550 each I paid for them.
I haven't had a chance to really evaluate the glass in them, but the ones on sale at EuroOptic that I bought (and linked to, in a previous post) are the illuminated model. I know the short time I looked through them, they seemed pretty nice for the money.
Decided to remove the Arken EPL4 off of my Christensen Arms Ranger 22, and put the first XTR-II 5-25x50 on it... I went off my original sight-in with my boresight tool, so I should be close when I zero it tomorrow.
The weather was shit today, and it was dull and gray, so I sat in the den, and propped up on a chair, and overlooked the lake, and spent some time glassing different things out to around 1000 yards, and reading words at distance, testing the parallax, etc... Not sure about the previous complaints about the glass suffering on the top-end, but the one I just mounted, at 25x the glass is good enough to clearly read words on a dock and on waverunners at 600+ yards on a shitty rainy day. So, I'd say that bodes well... Hopefully the weather will be good tomorrow, and I can get out to the range, and get some good time in behind it. If the glass is as nice as it appears, I will be buying more of these to replace lower-priced optics on several of my rifles. The turrets are nice and solid, the zero-stop is easy to reset once you get the hang of it, and the whole scope is impressive at the sale price, and I think it's a good buy at regular price.
One thing I did notice, was the eye box got REALLY tight at 25x. But it seemed to loosen back up when I bumped it back down between 20-25x. So, that's good to know that around 22-23x it's still very useable with a good FOV and eye box.
The weather was shit today, and it was dull and gray, so I sat in the den, and propped up on a chair, and overlooked the lake, and spent some time glassing different things out to around 1000 yards, and reading words at distance, testing the parallax, etc... Not sure about the previous complaints about the glass suffering on the top-end, but the one I just mounted, at 25x the glass is good enough to clearly read words on a dock and on waverunners at 600+ yards on a shitty rainy day. So, I'd say that bodes well... Hopefully the weather will be good tomorrow, and I can get out to the range, and get some good time in behind it. If the glass is as nice as it appears, I will be buying more of these to replace lower-priced optics on several of my rifles. The turrets are nice and solid, the zero-stop is easy to reset once you get the hang of it, and the whole scope is impressive at the sale price, and I think it's a good buy at regular price.
One thing I did notice, was the eye box got REALLY tight at 25x. But it seemed to loosen back up when I bumped it back down between 20-25x. So, that's good to know that around 22-23x it's still very useable with a good FOV and eye box.
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Hard to go wrong with Athlon even if they're mostly Chinese just buy Midas line and up for the HD glass. I really feel Athlon is way ahead of the game when it comes to Chinese made optics by at least 2 or more levels up. The Athlon Ares and Midas Tac doesn't exhibit the fogginess at long distances that the new Bushnell Match Pro ED (also Chinese) has on high magnification plus the turrets on the Athlons are night and day far superior.
Don't know...Never shopped there. The ones I bought are illuminated reticle models with the SCR MIL reticle.
Model #: 201051
In the DLOO and LL podcast A brand is mentioned. Doesn't seem like the best track record on centerfires. IIRC like a 11-13% failure rate. But they seem popular on airguns.
More appropriate comparison would be against the Helos G2 vs Arken. I'd still pay the extra money for the HG2. My three have been impressive scopes.
No comparison against Cronus G2 at all IMHO.
This thread reminds me of way back yonder of 14 years ago the rumor was that Hawke scopes were as good as NF, but the guy buying this Hawke for long range matches had to send two back because they broke and whatayuhknow he sold the 3rd and bought a NF 5.5-22x56.
I admit the G1 Athlons weren't the best. Though latest G's are darn good! This new ETR 15-60x56 target scope I got last fall, which is basically a G3, is downright amazing.
More appropriate comparison would be against the Helos G2 vs Arken. I'd still pay the extra money for the HG2. My three have been impressive scopes.
No comparison against Cronus G2 at all IMHO.
This thread reminds me of way back yonder of 14 years ago the rumor was that Hawke scopes were as good as NF, but the guy buying this Hawke for long range matches had to send two back because they broke and whatayuhknow he sold the 3rd and bought a NF 5.5-22x56.
I admit the G1 Athlons weren't the best. Though latest G's are darn good! This new ETR 15-60x56 target scope I got last fall, which is basically a G3, is downright amazing.
