Hi guys. I just picked up a 452 and would like a cheaper scope for bench shooting up to 100 yards. Is the argos a good choice. Also, would the 6x24 be my best option? And would the Mil or Moa crosshairs better for me? Thanks for any info
Athlon Argos recommendations for bench
- Thread starter Bmx123
- Start date
The Argos is a decent entry level scope. Not great, but not meant to be at the price point. MIL or MOA is purely personal preference. Which do you like the looks of more? I personally think the MIL is easier to keep up when clicking due to the increments of 10. That being said, if you are going to use scope stickers and prep your elevation ring, even that doesn’t matter as much. As far as whether it is good enough at 100, that should be plenty, but depends on how small of items you are shooting at 100. If you are shooting at 1/4” targets, maybe not, but should be fine. Many people have them on their 22lr.
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Are you planning to compete? If so, what disciplines? Any possibility of shooting past 100 yards? Do you have a target for weight, or any ideal specifications for an optic?
Magnification range depends quite a bit on the scope of roles the rifle will be asked to fill. It also depends on your shooting setup. If you’re shooting with a bipod and rear bag, an 8-32X optic be really shaky at the top end. If you’re shooting a heavy rifle off of a very nice benchrest sled, a 10-40X may serve you well.
MIL vs. MOA: 0.1 MIL (0.36”/100y) is a good bit coarser than a 1/4 MOA adjustment (0.261”/100y). Whatever you do, get a scope that matches your reticle to the adjustments.
Magnification range depends quite a bit on the scope of roles the rifle will be asked to fill. It also depends on your shooting setup. If you’re shooting with a bipod and rear bag, an 8-32X optic be really shaky at the top end. If you’re shooting a heavy rifle off of a very nice benchrest sled, a 10-40X may serve you well.
MIL vs. MOA: 0.1 MIL (0.36”/100y) is a good bit coarser than a 1/4 MOA adjustment (0.261”/100y). Whatever you do, get a scope that matches your reticle to the adjustments.
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Then my recommendation would be to “future proof” yourself by getting a budget option that fits in the parameters of any local competitions. That way, you can shoot a season or two without needing to buy yet another scope. Also, be mindful of the compromises that go into cheap optics. A 6-24X budget optic is really going to have a useful upper limit of 18X, maybe 20X, with respect to image brightness, image clarity, and eyebox sensitivity.
If there is any chance at all that you might end up shooting NRL22, PRS22, or a similar match, a 6-24X MIL scope with a First Focal Plane reticle (like the Argos BTR) will get you rolling. You’ll have quick, repeatable adjustments; a useful reticle; and a decently bright useful range of magnification (10-18X).
If your local matches are benchrest/paper target-based, you will want finer adjustments and a fine reticle. I’m not familiar with budget options for benchrest, but I believe Mueller makes a 8-32X scope with 1/8 MOA adjustments and a fine target dot reticle.
If your only local rimfire matches are silhouette, I don’t know enough about the gear to state whether an Argos BTR would be apropos or whether MIL/MOA is the favored system.
I have an Athlon Argos on a .357 caliber 145 grain "launching" Air Rifle. It is a generation one, which did not have the scope stop feature. The Generation One scopes used a heavier grease on the turrets too, which made them less "clicky". The Generation two is an improvement, with more clicky turrets and a zero stop for the elevation. The Generation 2 is resting on a Creedmoor 6.5 right now. Both have VERY repeatable turrets, and return to the same zero with great reliability. These scopes are very feature rich (First Focal Plane, side parallax, illuminated reticle, Christmas Tree reticle, etched glass reticle, 30mm tube, argon gas sealed, etc).
Both scopes have the same limitations. At about 15-18 power, the eyebox gets very small. I don't like the darkness beyond 20x. Eye relief is a bit short at 3.3 inches. I normally shoot 100 yards at just 10 power, but could go with more magnification if I wanted it. Always do the "head bob test" when you believe you have the parallax set. Sometimes perfect parallax occurs at a point where perfect focus is not at (usually the fault of having your diopter set wrong on your eyepiece). The glass is good, but not great. The scope tips the scales at about 2 pounds. The scope is built like a tank. I have no problem seeing gongs at 500 yards... I have not tried further.
Both scopes have the same limitations. At about 15-18 power, the eyebox gets very small. I don't like the darkness beyond 20x. Eye relief is a bit short at 3.3 inches. I normally shoot 100 yards at just 10 power, but could go with more magnification if I wanted it. Always do the "head bob test" when you believe you have the parallax set. Sometimes perfect parallax occurs at a point where perfect focus is not at (usually the fault of having your diopter set wrong on your eyepiece). The glass is good, but not great. The scope tips the scales at about 2 pounds. The scope is built like a tank. I have no problem seeing gongs at 500 yards... I have not tried further.
If your just going to do bench rest then I would advise something like the fixed power weaver, sightron or SWFA 20x + . I would also look for a 1/8 moa adjustment if possible. If your also going to try PRS or NRL22 then the above answers will probably cover it with the Athlon 6-24.
I am a beginner and I started shooting NRL22 this season with my Argos BTR 6-24x and it is in no way limiting me.
I mostly stay on 12-14x during stages, but 18-20 when zeroing on paper or shooting the 6x5. Sturdy, clear, and reliable, but the eye box is a bit tight and image quality past 20x suffers from significant chromatic aberrations.
If you are LE, MIL, or vet, call them up and ask about their ambassador program for a discount.
YMMV, happy shooting
I mostly stay on 12-14x during stages, but 18-20 when zeroing on paper or shooting the 6x5. Sturdy, clear, and reliable, but the eye box is a bit tight and image quality past 20x suffers from significant chromatic aberrations.
If you are LE, MIL, or vet, call them up and ask about their ambassador program for a discount.
YMMV, happy shooting
A couple of options that won't break the bank, and will give you some reach at 100 yards. Mueller 8-32, and Athlon Argos BTR Gen 2 10x40. I have had both, sold the Mueller to get the longer reach of a 40X scope. My next jump, will likely be to a Sightron 10x50. The Athlon has a nice reticle to help you with hold off for windage adjustments, rather than spinning the dials on the scope. Check them out on line, and read the reviews. Both should be available via Amazon, so you have an easy-peasy return process if you don't like it.
Good luck!
Good luck!
For what you are going to use it for, any scope with a center dot or fine crosshair center would be a good choice. Mil or MOA crosshars won't matter, what will matter is having MOA adjustments as MIL adjustments are too coarse. Since you are shooting at a known distance you will not be using the crosshairs for for anything but pointing out the center of your target. You would be better served with adjustments going down to 1/8" per click, this is a reason why MOA is better.
Power of scope...higher mag the better. I have found that looking through similar priced scopes that a 6x24 power scope looks better at 18 power than a 3x18 scope does when it's on 18. Logic would have it that a 36 power variable scope will be clearer on 24x than a 24 power scope on 24x. Again, this is comparing similar priced scopes.
There's other things to consider such as target size or size of the bullseye on the target that may play a role in your decision; especially crosshair style. That's why I say a small dot or fine crosshairs will/should be better than thicker hunting type crosshairs.
I forgot to add; buy something made here in the US. Don't buy a damn thing that's made in China no matter who is selling it.
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I was running an Athlon Argos BTR 10-40X56 Gen2 on my 6.5 CM benchrest rifle. Highly recommended and I love the scope. I came into some money and upgraded to a Vortex Golden Eagle but at 3X+ the price the Vortex is not 3X better.....nicer glass but I actually like the turrets and zero stop on the Athlon better.....If you want a drop dead awesome price on an Athlon Argos ping Doug at Camerland NY.
VooDoo
VooDoo
I was thoroughly impressed with the Argos I slapped an 8-34 on my RPR 6.5, boresighted and 5 shots later was dinging the IPSC at 1k. Clearly that was not the intended goal as it was on my CZ457, but decided to let it go with my RPR sale so had to get it zeroed. Only reason it was taken off my CZ was b/c it's so damn accurate I can take it past 300 and was having to dial and hold.....went back to 34mm so no hold overs. I'd not hesitate to own another Argos.
Great entry level FFP scope! No problems with my G1 in 5 years including 5 wins in my division at state.
Milliradian all the way.
Milliradian all the way.
I know its a bit more dough, but the Midas Tac is well regarded by many here. I gladly use it at max power of 24x...actually always run it at max. I'm happy with it. I'm not a pixel peeper lol (see camera world definition). Bench shooting at 100y, no problemo
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