Rifle Scopes Athlon Cronus BTR 4.5-29x56 Review

PDX1760

Private
Minuteman
Aug 23, 2017
10
19
Hello everyone,

I have been reading and reading threads but haven't made any comments or threads of my own until now. I figured I should give back a little since I've learned so much prowling around the hide.

A little about me. I don't have any military service but greatly appreciate those who do. I am in the Pacific Northwest and since it was legal for me to own firearms I have. I am a firearms enthusiast. I don't hunt but if I had to I would. I love target shooting and the personal protection that firearms provide. I compete in club level precision long range matches. This started about a year and a half ago. My cousin kept after me and I finally caved. It's become quite the hobby/addiction. And I have a knack for it. I have tied for 1st overall and won the longer range portion. Hitting the mile target 3 of 3 shots with my 300 win mag and 338 lapua mag both savages one with a Burris XTR2 and the other a primary arms platinum series scope. Kinda rambling here but trying to give a taste of my experience. I geek out on scopes and firearms. Research and research until the cows come home. I am also a bang for the buck kind of guy as I work hard and when I spend money I want the most I can get for it.

I have now or have owned in the past vortex viper pst, burris xtr2, Steiner tx5i, primary arms platinum series and now an Athlon Cronus BTR.

I have played with, fondled, turned, pulled, pushed, twisted and looked through many other scopes numerous times including but not limited to Nightforce, bushnell DMR, leupold mark 5 and 6, vortex razor gen 2, viper pst gen 2, sig tango 6 and some others the name escapes me right now.

The Athlon Cronus BTR, initial feelings, thoughts and observations. The packaging is nice looking and feeling I was impressed. The scope could be held in place better with foam but the cardboard was adequate. It didn't come with a sun shade or caps which was a little disappointing but provides me the opportunity to buy the caps I want. I bought the sun shade separately.

I didn't weigh the scope but it feels about like my Steiner and not as heavy as a razor gen 2. Good heft but not too much. Feels very well made like a razor gen 2 or nightforce. The Cronus is made in Japan like the Razor and ATACR. The size is smaller than a razor gen 2.

The focus and mag adjustments are very smooth and have just the right amount of tension. Reminds me of the Nightforce ATACR. The yardage range listed on the focus is spread over 180 degrees and goes up to 1600 yards.

The illumination is very good and daylight bright if needed. I hardly ever use this feature but it could be useful if you had a dark background.

The fast focus eye piece is fast. I think it could have a little more tension but it's not a dealbreaker by any means.

The reticle is fabulous and will work perfectly for me as I have moved in the direction of holding for wind and some elevation as well. I did by the Mil version.

The glass blew me away. To my eye it is on par with my Steiner maybe even better in the CA department as I can't seem to see any. It does darken up at the higher mag levels but all my scopes do that. I would be hard pressed to tell you if a Razer gen2, Nightforce ATACR or my Cronus BTR had the best glass. We are splitting the hairs of a hair here. It's great glass and doesn't disappoint.

I think some money was saved on the turret design and put into the glass. The turrets remind me of a BMW interior. Not as fancy as other luxury brands but nice, well made and gets the job done. That comment is about the appearance of the turrets and a lack of locking turrets. The numbering could be bigger but I am kinda picky like that. The turret adjustments are audible, tactile and have just about perfect tension in my mind with no mush or squishy movement. I love them. My Steiner turrets are pretty stiff but I love their numbering system. I would say the closest feel on a competing scope to the Cronus would be the ATACR turrets.

I have not had a chance to mount this puppy or tracking test it but this will be coming in the next week or two.

Bottom line for me is this scope seems to be the best bang for my buck I have spent on a scope. I almost bought a used razor gen 2 or a used ATACR. But they were still more money and I just couldn't bring myself to spend more when the Athlon was staring me in the face. And that extra money could go for ammo!

Hope you all find this as helpful as I have found the other write ups on here to be.
 
A couple things I didn't mention regarding the PST and XTR 2 and PST gen 2. They are not in the same league.

My primary arms platinum series is made in Japan and is a very nice scope however it's not as nice as the Razor Gen 2, Athlon Cronus BTR or the Nightforce ATACR. The pa deka reticle works fine but the Christmas trees are better. Also the pa turrets are just a touch mushy but they are not a deal killer either. My Steiner and the Cronus are going to be vying for favorite scope in my stable.
 
Thanks for giving back PDX, always appreciate good feedback, look forward to hearing more once you get more time behind the scope. The Athlon Cronus BTR has intrigued me for a while and you are yet another in a long line of happy Cronus owners. I'm really curious how the Chinese Ares ETR will do upon its release next month, this scope is supposed to represent one of the best that has come from China so far. If I'm not mistaken the Cronus BTR is a LOW design as is the Razor Gen II, new Sig Tango 6 and some others out there, they represent some of the finest out of Japan.
 
I wouldn't mind checking out an Ares ETR. I am curious to see how it will compare to the Vortex Viper PST GEN 2 and the Burris XTR2. Those two seem to be some of the best in that price range.
 
Nice write up and welcome to the Athlon Fan Club. We're an eclectic lot and take a lot of crap from Vortex owners....haha. More arguments and disagreements over scopes than any other piece of gear so stand by for some incoming over those Razor comparisons :)

I dig the Cronus BTR also....have 2. Compared side by side with an AMG and preferred the Athlon.

Here's a Tall Target Test I ran a month or so ago......passed with flying colors.

http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...-test-athlon-cronus-btr.6886836/#post-7051417

I think I'll wait for the floating dot reticle in a Cronus instead of taking a chance on Chinese built. I have faith in the Japan LOW build quality.
 
I own 3 vortex viper pst scopes and they are great. I don't own a razor but have used them on other's rifles. Obviously the razor has better features on the turrets. But the glass and build quality compare well between the razor gen 2 and the Cronus BTR.
 
Nice write up and welcome to the Athlon Fan Club. We're an eclectic lot and take a lot of crap from Vortex owners....haha. More arguments and disagreements over scopes than any other piece of gear so stand by for some incoming over those Razor comparisons :)

I dig the Cronus BTR also....have 2. Compared side by side with an AMG and preferred the Athlon.

Here's a Tall Target Test I ran a month or so ago......passed with flying colors.

http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...-test-athlon-cronus-btr.6886836/#post-7051417

I think I'll wait for the floating dot reticle in a Cronus instead of taking a chance on Chinese built. I have faith in the Japan LOW build quality.

The factory that builds the Midas TAC and the ETR bought a very fancy highend multi axis CNC so the quality is increasing substantially. Did you see how nice the Midas TAC turned out?

That ETR is going to be a killer scope!
 
That's my dilemma right now. I just sold my Ares BTR which I really liked. Now I'm stuck on whether to buy the Cronus which I know is top shelf or roll the dice on the ETR for the locking turrets and floating dot. Probably still the Cronus as I have two other LOW scopes and trust them implicitly.
 
Thanks for giving back PDX, always appreciate good feedback, look forward to hearing more once you get more time behind the scope. The Athlon Cronus BTR has intrigued me for a while and you are yet another in a long line of happy Cronus owners. I'm really curious how the Chinese Ares ETR will do upon its release next month, this scope is supposed to represent one of the best that has come from China so far. If I'm not mistaken the Cronus BTR is a LOW design as is the Razor Gen II, new Sig Tango 6 and some others out there, they represent some of the finest out of Japan.

If you really like the LOW build quality and the Ares ETR price point, a used first gen Cronus is always an option. Of course the major difference is the reticle, which some people reasonably say is a little busy and not well demarcated (no windage numbers til 4 mils). In 7 or so months of owning the first gen Cronus, I have never once gotten lost in the reticle or mis held my wind. No scope can be perfect for 1100 dollars or so, but every time I shoot with my Cronus, it seems like the upgrade to a Kahles I was planning gets pushed further and further into the future.
 
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Just purchased a Midas BTR supposed to get it tomorrow. Cant wait to get it found. Found out their headquarters are only like 50 miles away from me. Might have to go check them out.
 
Thanks for taking the time to post. The Athlon scope offerings show that Athlon listens to what is being said on the forums and doing their best to produce a quality wanted product at a better than the competition price.

As a long standing supporting vendor here it's always our pleasure to work with you on your optic needs. Please feel free to reach out to us to discuss what would be best for you
 
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No scope can be perfect for 1100 dollars or so, but every time I shoot with my Cronus, it seems like the upgrade to a Kahles I was planning gets pushed further and further into the future.
I like what you say here celtics, I think too many of us (myself included) get caught up in the "next best thing" or feel that our equipment is somehow inferior to the alpha class stuff you'll pay 2-3x more for when, in fact, many of the $1000 class optics these days are stellar performers.
 
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I agree with a lot of what has been said here, although I have not yet got a chance to look through a Cronus (which makes me appreciate reviews like this even more). But in general, it does seem like somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500 is where you start having to pay twice as much for a 10% increase in performance. The difference in the $300-$400 scopes and $600-$800 scopes is pretty big. Difference from $600-$800 to $1200-$1600 is not quite as big, but still significant/meaningful. Above that, it seems to me that the law of diminishing returns really kicks in hard and you're starting to pay a bunch more money for small increases.

But don't get me wrong, I still want a Tangent Theta just as much as anyone. As soon as they put an MR4 in there...
 
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I like what you say here celtics, I think too many of us (myself included) get caught up in the "next best thing" or feel that our equipment is somehow inferior to the alpha class stuff you'll pay 2-3x more for when, in fact, many of the $1000 class optics these days are stellar performers.

I was shooting a 4” plate a couple weeks ago at 600 yards with my 6.5 with my Cronus on 14x or so and went 4/6 with slight but variable wind. As much as I like the Kahles with the SKMR (and I’d like S&Bs with the H2CMR if I weren’t a lefty), there’s no way an alpha tier scope would’ve magically made me hit more. Good glass, a quality 0.2 mil reticle, a good mag range, and decent turrets are more than enough to get the job done for me.
 
I would like two cents in. I am your average joe with a family, house, and a job. I love quality equipment. For the last four years I’ve been using a Weaver 4-20x50, which I enjoyed. For the last my boss (wife) lol has been putting aside $ for a optic. I spent countless hours going back and forth on pros and cons from anything from Vortex-Nightforce-SB-Bushnell-Athlon. After weighing cost, reticle options, turrets, zero stop, glass, and overall ruggedness I chose Athlon Cronus Btr in there new brown color. I could not be more happy with my decision. Though I’ve only taken her out for one range day due to work and Texas weather lately. In every category it blows my old optic out of the water and it definitely has a nice aesthetic look to it.
3265D1CB-B74E-4F00-A93E-A0698EA236A8.jpeg
 
Nice write up and welcome to the Athlon Fan Club. We're an eclectic lot and take a lot of crap from Vortex owners....haha. More arguments and disagreements over scopes than any other piece of gear so stand by for some incoming over those Razor comparisons :)

I dig the Cronus BTR also....have 2. Compared side by side with an AMG and preferred the Athlon.

Here's a Tall Target Test I ran a month or so ago......passed with flying colors.

http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...-test-athlon-cronus-btr.6886836/#post-7051417

I think I'll wait for the floating dot reticle in a Cronus instead of taking a chance on Chinese built. I have faith in the Japan LOW build quality.
The Floating Center Dot Version of Cronus BTR ( in MIL ) will be officially launched by next year SHOT SHOW, but we may have small volume becoming available in Q4 this year. Stay tuned!!!
 
I really appreciate all the great comments and feedback. I bought a leupold mark 4 20 moa base to mount it and when I did last night the scope was looking off to the left. I figured out the base has the screw holes drilled in the wrong place. Sending the leupold base back. I ordered a Nightforce base for nearly double the price but I don't want to mess around with a bad base again. The Cronus is going on my Bergara HMR pro in 6mm creedmoor. Handling the scope and looking through it last night while trying to get it mounted up I was impressed with it all over again. I'm such a geek.
 
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I really appreciate all the great comments and feedback. I bought a leupold mark 4 20 moa base to mount it and when I did last night the scope was looking off to the left. I figured out the base has the screw holes drilled in the wrong place. Sending the leupold base back. I ordered a Nightforce base for nearly double the price but I don't want to mess around with a bad base again. The Cronus is going on my Bergara HMR pro in 6mm creedmoor. Handling the scope and looking through it last night while trying to get it mounted up I was impressed with it all over again. I'm such a geek.
Why not a 40 MOA rail?
 
I thought 20 moa would be enough? I almost ordered a 30 moa. I am shooting this rifle at 200-1300 yards so I figured 20 would be perfect. Do you have a recommendation?
 
I dig the Cronus BTR also....have 2. Compared side by side with an AMG and preferred the Athlon.

Disclaimer. I'm not a vortex fan boy. I'm a NF fan boy. I've owned two cronus's and two cronus's BTR's and one AMG. You are so full of shit it's not even funny. The AMG is superior to the Cronus in every single way EXCEPT losing 5x on the top side. Literally everything else about the AMG is better. Eye box. Clarity. Knobs. Illum. Reticle. Weight. Clicks. You name it.

With a 30mm tube. These LOW scopes are not as good as they could be...
 
Disclaimer. I'm not a vortex fan boy. I'm a NF fan boy. I've owned two cronus's and two cronus's BTR's and one AMG. You are so full of shit it's not even funny. The AMG is superior to the Cronus in every single way EXCEPT losing 5x on the top side. Literally everything else about the AMG is better. Eye box. Clarity. Knobs. Illum. Reticle. Weight. Clicks. You name it.

With a 30mm tube. These LOW scopes are not as good as they could be...


No need to get nasty. Everyone has different eyes, preferences and opinions. Respectfully disagreeing works too.
 
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I have two Cronus scopes, one is the BTR in Mil, the other is the original Cronus in MOA. I also have a Vortex AMG in MOA. For me, the only thing I like better on the AMG is the turrets. I think the Cronus scopes hold their own to my eye in optical clarity, and I actually like the reticle on the Cronus a little better. For the money, I was pleasantly surprised with my Cronus scopes, and quite frankly, a little underwhelmed with my AMG. I have also owned a couple Nightforce scopes and I love them. The only thing with the Nightforces is they miss the mark for me on a few items, reticles and mag ranges. I like the 5.5-22 in the NXS, but they aren't FFP and they don't have a tree type reticle. Like the ATACR, but the Horus reticle for me is a little too busy. Would love to see NF come out with a 4-20 FFP with a slightly less busy tree type reticle with a similar footprint to the NXS. I'd sign up for that one.
 
Hello everyone,

I have been reading and reading threads but haven't made any comments or threads of my own until now. I figured I should give back a little since I've learned so much prowling around the hide.

A little about me. I don't have any military service but greatly appreciate those who do. I am in the Pacific Northwest and since it was legal for me to own firearms I have. I am a firearms enthusiast. I don't hunt but if I had to I would. I love target shooting and the personal protection that firearms provide. I compete in club level precision long range matches. This started about a year and a half ago. My cousin kept after me and I finally caved. It's become quite the hobby/addiction. And I have a knack for it. I have tied for 1st overall and won the longer range portion. Hitting the mile target 3 of 3 shots with my 300 win mag and 338 lapua mag both savages one with a Burris XTR2 and the other a primary arms platinum series scope. Kinda rambling here but trying to give a taste of my experience. I geek out on scopes and firearms. Research and research until the cows come home. I am also a bang for the buck kind of guy as I work hard and when I spend money I want the most I can get for it.

I have now or have owned in the past vortex viper pst, burris xtr2, Steiner tx5i, primary arms platinum series and now an Athlon Cronus BTR.

I have played with, fondled, turned, pulled, pushed, twisted and looked through many other scopes numerous times including but not limited to Nightforce, bushnell DMR, leupold mark 5 and 6, vortex razor gen 2, viper pst gen 2, sig tango 6 and some others the name escapes me right now.

The Athlon Cronus BTR, initial feelings, thoughts and observations. The packaging is nice looking and feeling I was impressed. The scope could be held in place better with foam but the cardboard was adequate. It didn't come with a sun shade or caps which was a little disappointing but provides me the opportunity to buy the caps I want. I bought the sun shade separately.

I didn't weigh the scope but it feels about like my Steiner and not as heavy as a razor gen 2. Good heft but not too much. Feels very well made like a razor gen 2 or nightforce. The Cronus is made in Japan like the Razor and ATACR. The size is smaller than a razor gen 2.

The focus and mag adjustments are very smooth and have just the right amount of tension. Reminds me of the Nightforce ATACR. The yardage range listed on the focus is spread over 180 degrees and goes up to 1600 yards.

The illumination is very good and daylight bright if needed. I hardly ever use this feature but it could be useful if you had a dark background.

The fast focus eye piece is fast. I think it could have a little more tension but it's not a dealbreaker by any means.

The reticle is fabulous and will work perfectly for me as I have moved in the direction of holding for wind and some elevation as well. I did by the Mil version.

The glass blew me away. To my eye it is on par with my Steiner maybe even better in the CA department as I can't seem to see any. It does darken up at the higher mag levels but all my scopes do that. I would be hard pressed to tell you if a Razer gen2, Nightforce ATACR or my Cronus BTR had the best glass. We are splitting the hairs of a hair here. It's great glass and doesn't disappoint.

I think some money was saved on the turret design and put into the glass. The turrets remind me of a BMW interior. Not as fancy as other luxury brands but nice, well made and gets the job done. That comment is about the appearance of the turrets and a lack of locking turrets. The numbering could be bigger but I am kinda picky like that. The turret adjustments are audible, tactile and have just about perfect tension in my mind with no mush or squishy movement. I love them. My Steiner turrets are pretty stiff but I love their numbering system. I would say the closest feel on a competing scope to the Cronus would be the ATACR turrets.

I have not had a chance to mount this puppy or tracking test it but this will be coming in the next week or two.

Bottom line for me is this scope seems to be the best bang for my buck I have spent on a scope. I almost bought a used razor gen 2 or a used ATACR. But they were still more money and I just couldn't bring myself to spend more when the Athlon was staring me in the face. And that extra money could go for ammo!

Hope you all find this as helpful as I have found the other write ups on here to be.
 
Thank you for your input. I am a newbie and just starting this journey and bang for $ is important, but so is quality. Comments from actual users matter. Thanks for taking the time to share. It is appreciated.
 
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Im a S&B and NF super fanboy and was blown away by the non-BTR Chronus. I dont see them staying at this price point long. Our community just needs to get past the good ole days where S&B and NF reigned supreme, there are just too many players in the game now and some of these newer mfgs really listening to the guys that use them. Athlons intro scopes have reticles in them we have been begging the high end guys to make for years, they added zero stops even in their low end scopes when we spoke up. All they really need now is some lens covers. Really impressed with Athlon. I took a leap of faith from my stubborn S&B and NF is the only good scope thinking and am glad i did.
 
Im a S&B and NF super fanboy and was blown away by the non-BTR Chronus. I dont see them staying at this price point long. Our community just needs to get past the good ole days where S&B and NF reigned supreme, there are just too many players in the game now and some of these newer mfgs really listening to the guys that use them. Athlons intro scopes have reticles in them we have been begging the high end guys to make for years, they added zero stops even in their low end scopes when we spoke up. All they really need now is some lens covers. Really impressed with Athlon. I took a leap of faith from my stubborn S&B and NF is the only good scope thinking and am glad i did.

I had no choice!

At $3500+ a whack to outfit rifles not necessarily worthy of S&B quality level was far from a consideration for me, as much as I loved the combined features of the H59 and the close focus. LOL, I used to switch my first S$B around to different rifles like a madman, later I reigned myself in at 3 S$B's. Heck I was a bad boy and really shouldn't have spent that much money!

Most of my shooting is just for fun, like with 22's, PCP air rifles, and centerfire varmint rifles, I've found that I can do very well and am plenty satisfied with these full featured inexpensive Athlon scopes. Before Athlon came to be some feature was always sacrificed unless a S&B was mounted up but now I have every rifle appropriately and/or affordably scoped like I want.
 
Can I get a reticle swap in the future if I got a btr now, because I need a scope?
Yes. I'm in the same boat. It seems odd to release the current reticle when the only thing people want is a floating dot. I almost bought an XRS2 for the H59 but went with the BTR because although i dont like the crosshair, i am a believer in the scopes. Please, allow us to exchange the reticle.
 
I pulled the trigger on one of these after reading lots of reviews. Now, I need to get rings on the way. This will go on a Savage SA with a 20MOA Seekins base. I want to use Seekins rings, obviously as low as possible. I've read thread after thread and could not find anyone describing what ring height they used, or more to the point, can I get away with Seekins low (0.92") rings, or will I need medium (1.00")? Any help is appreciated.
 
I pulled the trigger on one of these after reading lots of reviews. Now, I need to get rings on the way. This will go on a Savage SA with a 20MOA Seekins base. I want to use Seekins rings, obviously as low as possible. I've read thread after thread and could not find anyone describing what ring height they used, or more to the point, can I get away with Seekins low (0.92") rings, or will I need medium (1.00")? Any help is appreciated.

I went with mediums and this is how it came out on my Tikka with a Farrell 30 moa base.
20190206_055840.jpg
 
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I went with mediums and this is how it came out on my Tikka with a Farrell 30 moa base.View attachment 7019116
Thanks for posting this pic. If I stick with the Seekins base, I think I will need medium rings as well since the base I have looks thinner up front than yours... it's a close race between Seekins low and medium, they are only 0.080" different.
 
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Thanks for posting this pic. If I stick with the Seekins base, I think I will need medium rings as well since the base I have looks thinner up front than yours... it's a close race between Seekins low and medium, they are only 0.080" different.

The original tikka rail was low, and I had NO room for the caps. I mean it was barely any light close. I'd go medium. Lower isn't always the best. Do you have an adjustable comb?
 
The original tikka rail was low, and I had NO room for the caps. I mean it was barely any light close. I'd go medium. Lower isn't always the best. Do you have an adjustable comb?

I do have an adjustable comb so it really should not make any difference... aaaaaand after more looking around, I'm going to go with medium. Thanks for your help!
 
Yep, that’s it. Master Piece Arms really supports our sport with prize table donations, and matches and stuff. Phil is a good guy, and I’ve seen him help a lot of people that weren’t even using his gear. I run his mount on a Stiller action and it has an Ares ETR sitting in it. Works pretty dang good.