Rifle Scopes Athlon Scopes

I am putting this note here as I think it speaks to the Athlon warranty. Bought a Cronus 20-60X spotting scope early last fall for hunting and spotting steel. Initially had some issues with the ocular occasionally coming loose from the scope body. Not a real big deal but over the months become more of an issue. Contacted Athlon and as per their instructions sent the scope in. They determined the locking mechanism was defective and today, in less than a week from when I sent the scope, a brand new Cronus 20-60 arrived via UPS!!! Speaks well for their warranty IMO.
 
Yeah, I have been looking for reviews also . I think I am going to go ahead and order an ARES. I currently have a PST Gen II ordered. Not much out there yet for comparisons to the Gen II. I think I will keep both ordered and wait for the GEN2 and compare them and keep whatever one I like better.
 
Mine is finally shipped. Should be here Aug 8th.

I received my ares 4.5 x 27 today and I have to say I am disappointed. It looks like there is no way to lock the eye reticle focus ring. It is pretty stiff, but I know even my AR can knock the locking ring loose and this is going on my .308 so I am concerned it will drift. Also the clicks on the turrets are not very tight and they don't lock, so would have to always check they have not moved. The focus and zoom are extremely tight to move.

the glass is very bright and clear and I really like that. Wondering if the pst II would have as good glass because I may want to go with that instead or perhaps some other scope. My funds are limited, thus the Ares.

Pondering in PHX.
 
I received my ares 4.5 x 27 today and I have to say I am disappointed. It looks like there is no way to lock the eye reticle focus ring. It is pretty stiff, but I know even my AR can knock the locking ring loose and this is going on my .308 so I am concerned it will drift. Also the clicks on the turrets are not very tight and they don't lock, so would have to always check they have not moved. The focus and zoom are extremely tight to move.

the glass is very bright and clear and I really like that. Wondering if the pst II would have as good glass because I may want to go with that instead or perhaps some other scope. My funds are limited, thus the Ares.

Pondering in PHX.

If I may point out a few things.

You probably should have researched a bit before purchasing. Some scopes have a locking ring on the diopter/reticle focus and the other type is a euro style quick adjust diopter setting which the Ares has and many higher quality scopes do too. If this setting is a bit stiff that's not a bad thing if you are concerned about it moving and if it does move or your vision is different from day to day slightly (like mine is) the adjustment is simple and fast to do. Also nice when letting others shoot your rifle because they can adjust it quickly to their eye and you can adjust it back quickly. This is a constantly occurring event in my shooting among friends and family so a locking diopter can be more of a hassle and the ones I've used have finer threads so movement is slower. Another benefit to the euro style is fine tuning parallax adjustment and the diopter together quickly, meaning that the parallax can be removed but the image is slightly out of focus or the opposite.

Another thing is that going into the purchase the decision to have locking turrets or not should have been made beforehand, right???

As with all things in life one can't seem to have their cake and eat it too - so to speak. Scopes are the same way. There isn't a scope exactly the way I want it regardless of price and this strays away even more in the less expensive category. If Tangent Theta had the APLR3 reticle and 10Y focus I'd sell my S&B's but no I can't have my cake...

The PST2 seems like a fantastic scope but I think it has the euro style adjustment. Maybe someone can answer if it has some type of lock on it or not. It has a higher price tag and is probably the way you should have gone - if you can find one or afford it.

For the money I'm pleased with my Ares but I expected it to be what it is.
 
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If I may point out a few things.

You probably should have researched a bit before purchasing. Some scopes have a locking ring on the diopter/reticle focus and the other type is a euro style quick adjust diopter setting which the Ares has and many higher quality scopes do too. If this setting is a bit stiff that's not a bad thing if you are concerned about it moving and if it does move or your vision is different from day to day slightly (like mine is) the adjustment is simple and fast to do. Also nice when letting others shoot your rifle because they can adjust it quickly to their eye and you can adjust it back quickly. This is a constantly occurring event in my shooting among friends and family so a locking diopter can be more of a hassle and the ones I've used have finer threads so movement is slower. Another benefit to the euro style is fine tuning parallax adjustment and the diopter together quickly, meaning that the parallax can be removed but the image is slightly out of focus or the opposite.

Another thing is that going into the purchase the decision to have locking turrets or not should have been made beforehand, right???

As with all things in life one can't seem to have their cake and eat it too - so to speak. Scopes are the same way. There isn't a scope exactly the way I want it regardless of price and this trays away even more in the less expensive category. If Tangent Theta had the APLR3 reticle and 10Y focus I'd sell my S&B's but no I can't have my cake...

The PST2 seems like a fantastic scope but I think it has the euro style adjustment. Maybe someone can answer if it has some type of lock on it or not. It has a higher price tag and is probably the way you should have gone - if you can find one or afford it.

For the money I'm pleased with my Ares but I expected it to be what it is.

You are correct about one thing, I should have researched better in that I should have purchased where I could return it without a 15% restocking fee. I knew it didn't have locking turrets but all of your pre sales pitch along with other athlon dealer/testers on this forum led me to believe the clicks were improved and thus they would stay in place. This is certainly not the case with my scope. The clicks are weak and wiggle and most certainly will move when nudged. The parallex and focus are so tight they hurt my hands and the same with the illumination knob. I have Never used a euro style diopter but in my experience, when I change my diopter setting it changes my zero setting so this is something I don't want to move around often or have it drift. I will have to set it and then tape it down with black electrical tape or something.

Had I handled this scope in the store I would have definitely passed on it. However, stupidly I bought it sight unseen on January 31st online, waited 7 months for it to show up, and now wish I had not bought it. You are correct in that it is my fault for not doing better research. I fell for the pumped up reviews by you and other sales folks on this forum. I only hope others who are considering purchasing this scope wait until it is in the stores so that they can see it, feel it, and make sure they can live with it.
 
I have received mine and am also happy with it. Sure there are some features that could be improved but lets not start trying to compare it to something that costs 2-4 times more. Since its BNIB, throw it up on the equipment exchange and I'll bet you can get almost what you paid for it.
 
You are correct about one thing, I should have researched better in that I should have purchased where I could return it without a 15% restocking fee. I knew it didn't have locking turrets but all of your pre sales pitch along with other athlon dealer/testers on this forum led me to believe the clicks were improved and thus they would stay in place. This is certainly not the case with my scope. The clicks are weak and wiggle and most certainly will move when nudged. The parallex and focus are so tight they hurt my hands and the same with the illumination knob. I have Never used a euro style diopter but in my experience, when I change my diopter setting it changes my zero setting so this is something I don't want to move around often or have it drift. I will have to set it and then tape it down with black electrical tape or something.

Had I handled this scope in the store I would have definitely passed on it. However, stupidly I bought it sight unseen on January 31st online, waited 7 months for it to show up, and now wish I had not bought it. You are correct in that it is my fault for not doing better research. I fell for the pumped up reviews by you and other sales folks on this forum. I only hope others who are considering purchasing this scope wait until it is in the stores so that they can see it, feel it, and make sure they can live with it.

I didn't pump anything up.... Never have. I'm well aware of what a scope should offer at a price point. People that review products and state the truth about them should not to be blamed if a faulty product gets shipped, right???!!! That being said...

If the diopter and focus are like you describe (hurting fingers???) then plainly you got one that is not right. I'd be complaining myself in that case. Send it back to Athlon then, not the dealer, use the GOLD warranty. A paying customer like yourself, of course, deserves a properly functioning product.

The clicks on my Ares 2.5-15 line up as well as my LRHS and all the controls are normal except the turrets tension are a bit light but they don't wiggle. If I were worried about the turrets turning by accident I'd bought the Helos which has locking turrets. BTW the DT turrets on my S&B 5-25's turn in my drag bag on occasion - so I bought the locking turret version to solve that. I also learned to check the DT windage turret before I shoot but did get bit the first time.

Edit - It seems like from shipment to shipment the turrets get improved on the Athlon scopes I've got in. The Cronus especially which are very good but my latest 4-14's are improved too. Athlon wants people to be happy with their products so I wouldn't be surprised if improvements were implemented on the Ares series.
 
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You are correct about one thing, I should have researched better in that I should have purchased where I could return it without a 15% restocking fee. I knew it didn't have locking turrets but all of your pre sales pitch along with other athlon dealer/testers on this forum led me to believe the clicks were improved and thus they would stay in place. This is certainly not the case with my scope. The clicks are weak and wiggle and most certainly will move when nudged. The parallex and focus are so tight they hurt my hands and the same with the illumination knob. I have Never used a euro style diopter but in my experience, when I change my diopter setting it changes my zero setting so this is something I don't want to move around often or have it drift. I will have to set it and then tape it down with black electrical tape or something.

Had I handled this scope in the store I would have definitely passed on it. However, stupidly I bought it sight unseen on January 31st online, waited 7 months for it to show up, and now wish I had not bought it. You are correct in that it is my fault for not doing better research. I fell for the pumped up reviews by you and other sales folks on this forum. I only hope others who are considering purchasing this scope wait until it is in the stores so that they can see it, feel it, and make sure they can live with it.

Send it to Athlon for a replacement then sell that one when you get it.
 
I didn't pump anything up.... Never have. I'm well aware of what a scope should offer at a price point. People that review products and state the truth about them should not to be blamed if a faulty product gets shipped, right???!!! That being said...

Thats complete bullshit and you know it. You've done nothing but pump and pimp them out. When people tried to give honest feedback, you tried to besmudge them, myself included. You've done it many, many times, often with outlandish and almost laughable comparisons.

Even now, you're acting like a condescending A-hole saying that he should have gotten a scope with locking turrets or did more research. I've had several sub 1000$ scopes that had turrets that didn't need locking turrets for typical use. In a drag bag or case, where it's assumed that there will be friction when removing a rifle is one thing, but the Ares turrets are very easy to move. They could easily move while in the field without applying hardly any pressure. Hell, Earthquake even mentioned that the windage turret in the Cronus BTR was too loose, and that's a 1799$ MAP optic!

 
Thats complete bullshit and you know it. You've done nothing but pump and pimp them out. When people tried to give honest feedback, you tried to besmudge them, myself included. You've done it many, many times, often with outlandish and almost laughable comparisons.

Even now, you're acting like a condescending A-hole saying that he should have gotten a scope with locking turrets or did more research. I've had several sub 1000$ scopes that had turrets that didn't need locking turrets for typical use. In a drag bag or case, where it's assumed that there will be friction when removing a rifle is one thing, but the Ares turrets are very easy to move. They could easily move while in the field without applying hardly any pressure. Hell, Earthquake even mentioned that the windage turret in the Cronus BTR was too loose, and that's a 1799$ MAP optic!

I wasn't thrashing the guy, like you are me. If ones first priority is hoping the turrets won't accidentally move then locking or capped turrets are the logical end. Did I mention the other non Athlon scopes, non S&B scopes I've owned, that the turrets accidentally moved on, rhetorical, That's why I bought the HDMR when they came out, which was years before I bought S&B.

Still offended huh, because I stated exactly what I thought about the glass in the Argos on Scout. Poor guy, want a hanky? Remember glass opinion is subjective, you may not think highly of the glass in the less expensive Athlon scopes but I do and many would agree. As your grudge should bring remembrance too, I also clarified the caveat that the "fit, finish and feel" of the less expensive Athlon scopes were appropriate to the price but the glass went above. Laughable, ha, your little scary attack has got me grinning, lol.

It was late in the evening, had to go, so i didn't finish my first post. I did with the second one so sorry that you got sand in your vagina. Read it.

Nearly every post when there is an Athlon scope mentioned with a problem I encourage people to send them back. I'm also telling the truth that neither myself nor any of my friends, or they're friends, have sent one back for warranty. Some people just can't get it in their head that their precious small amount of money can't buy perfection. ----- But if the scope is truly jacked up then that's what the warranty is for. No one can argue that there isn't one scope Co that doesn't put out a faulty scope here and there.

Here, so you can read it again, that's me being honest. "the turrets tension are a bit light but they don't wiggle" Was I not truthful ???!!! I also mentioned the same in the Ares thread. Lightish turret action doesn't mean unusable or bad. I mean c'mon, the first thing a shooter does is dial elevation, or check that it's on zero if holding over. Not only that but it's got a zero stop. They do click nice and distinct and line up well. There's your pump and pimp. Whatever...

Ha, you thought you caught me. Earthquakes """preproduction Cronus BTR""" Did you get that, I was there at shotshow when he got it??? did exhibit a light action to it - "edit", or maybe it didn't, to be honest I messed with every scope in the booth so I must have been thinking of one of the other preproduction scopes???? My production model Cronus BTR turrets have more tension than any scope I own. There I go bullshitting again??? While we're talking Cronus, if you care to look it up, I mentioned that my illume is not as bright on the lower left part of the reticle when lit all the way up, but is not noticeable when lit appropriate to lighting. There I am shouting the accolades of the perfection of Athlon again, yeah, just pimping away.
 
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It's funny to see you get so worked up. You need to get a grip on the Napolean complex. And while you're well aware of what "you think" a scope should offer at a given price point, you can't speak for the masses, even though you just tried. This is why the Cronus and Cronus BTR's pop up like new or "just mounted" for 12-1300$. That's what the market feels they should be at. I purchased a Midas 1-6 for my daughters AR, and I regret it despite getting a minor discount. Upon receipt, the elevation turret cap was gouged and the windage threads for the cap had some damage. Looks like it was dropped prior to shipping, but was boxed and sent on its merry way. I am hoping for great things from Athlon, which is why I had not posted this publicly. I have messaged you about this, as well as Athlon, and received no response.

I still say you're pumping them up, as you're not being really honest imo. Saying that the turret tension is " a bit light" is an understatement. They are very light. This is the problem with fan boys. They don't come right out and tell it like it is.

And yes, optical clarity is subjective, but your vision must be on par with Ray Charles' to mention S&B and Argos in the same sentence. Caveat or not, that was just setting people up for disappointment. If their HD glass doesn't even touch a gen 1 Razor, then there is no way their lower tiered optic could sniff the S&B, much less be "closer than one might think".

Curious how much longer Athlon keeps you on before cutting ties. You're not exactly the steward that I'd want for my company.
 
Ha, you don't know what worked up is and I'm being much nicer than I could have been. And this isn't the first time nor the last that I've been here.

First off I've answered every message here on the Hide that I received. Good try though.

Secondly, ditto, the "it's funny" statement. Except when you point the finger three others are aimed right back at you.

I owned a Midas 1-6x24, it was nice and worked great, the one I reviewed and wrote honestly about. I still think it's one of the best values out there. Since I have little use for a 1-6 I sold it to friend who asked to buy it. He's thanked me more than once.

I had those mentioned scopes side by side and my friends looked too. No, the Argos isn't that far off and not as much as one would think, "which is exactly what I wrote and meant, remember". I stand by that statement. In fact my friends think it silly I'd spend that much on a S&B considering we could see and hit the same steel. They still tease me about it. I can think of other scopes that would be "far off" and that used to be considered near the top. One cost me $1750 and made the Argos look like a TT in comparison and yes I sent it back with no luck. Basically you made something out of nothing, no doubt to try to give yourself some credence.

Your grudge blinds you. Trying to make me out to be liar only makes you look like the one being dishonest to get revenge. Concerning your false accusations, I won on every account.

So a used scope should go for as much as new scope, yeah, that holds water like a duck's back. Tell me what scope Co doesn't sell used here on the classifieds for less and often.

But I don't tell it like it is.

And yes I like my Ares. In fact I think I'll go use it right now and complain bitterly, lol.
 
Well that escalated quickly!

I don't think I ever said the Cronus windage knob clicks were/are too loose, just that I have managed to inadvertently roll them off zero on a barricade (Cronus) and then after beating a bolt open with my foot and a rubber mallet (Cronus BTR).

I don't get much exposure to other high-end optics for comparative purposes, but I am content with the BTR's turrets for anything I use the scope for, mainly PRS....except for the wind knob.

I mentioned in an early review of the non-BTR that due to it's low profile design, it is hard to see the markings w/o moving your head off the scope a lot (for right handed shooters). Though I don't dial. Hence the more recent request for a capped or lockable wind knob. Cough...cough...hint...hint...wink....wink. @athlonOptics !

For $1,800 it's a dandy scope and has served me quite well. YMMV.
 
It obvious that trying to use facts to discuss anything is pointless when opinions and obscure references to mystery optics is all that you have.

Yes indeed. You have won. Your opinions are absolute fact. That's easy to see. Because you can see a target, they are closer than what one would think. I'd say they are closer to a SuperSniper, but that's just based on reallistic and appropriate expectations.

I did notice how you didn't mention your assessment of the turrets; you know, what we were talking about. That's what I said you weren't being honest about. And, what do you know, you didn't respond to that.

How many other like new scopes sell for 28% off? You don't see like new 4.5-27 Razor Gen 2's flying off of here for 1700$. Same with ATACRS. Yes, a used scope is typically cheaper. Sometimes there are good deals, but I've yet to see that good of a deal on upper tier optics.

Pretty sure you received a message from me. It might take some digging around as I'm missing close to 3 years worth of messages. Not sure if it was due to the scout migration or what, but I'll look into it.
 
I'll meet you halfway showing once again that I am honest but what I'm about to mention is well known anyway. The mushy turret thing with the original Cronus. Yep that could have turned out better. Even though the turrets were plenty serviceable. Then there was a questionable tracking tests on the same generation. I think that was a major reason for people selling. Later it was discovered the grease was too thick and the oring the same. The fix was wiping off the grease, using a thinner type and putting in a thinner oring. That pretty much solved the issue. However as we all know there are a ton of reasons why we sell scopes so it's not worth going into that. Now the Cronus and the Cronus BTR are as they should be.

There's no doubt the R2 is a great scope and usually one can find a great deal on them used or new. We could seriously go to exhaustion arguing over which scopes go for 28% off, used vs new??? Recently I saw a scope that sold normally for $250 new go on sale for $143. On tuesday a guy stopped by my house telling me he got a new G1 PST for $600.

If you messaged me during the Scout to old hide transition then there was a point when I never went back to Scout. Or there was a time when I received too many messages and it's possible I didn't read yours, who knows. All I can say is "I apologise" . I don't work for Athlon so my answer is always the same when it comes to issues...call the Co.

LOL, Okay, to the next guy, he might think the turrets on the Ares move too easily. That's their opinion and they are welcome to it. My take is as I've mentioned. In other words I don't have a problem with them whatsoever for the reasons I put forth already. Am I saying they couldn't use more tension, no? sure they could, but I could criticize every turret on every scope I've come across. Speaking of fingers hurting my wife can hardly turn the turrets on her March FX 5-40, often because of the stiffer tension she'll run over a click or two and then have to try again, that's a $3200 scope. She likes the Ares turrets just as they are! We've talked about replacing the March with a Ares 4.5-27. Those turrets aren't easy for me to turn either, though not painful at all to me, but it doesn't bother me any more than any other turret, on any scope I own, because I accept the fact they are all different.
 
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I mounted the 1st Ares 4.5-27x50 mil scope I received (had 2 more on BO) on my old push feed M70 6x47 Lapua/Manners T4A to get some experience with these scopes. First impression was the glass is good - seems better to me than the glass of the Midas, statements to the contrary seen here notwithstanding. The click detents of both turrets are easily felt, and are audible while not wearing hearing protection. I had no issue getting the scope zeroed while shooting steel from 600yds, and making corrections using the reticle for reference worked well. I have no issue with the quick adjustable ocular moving too easily as was mentioned by another Ares owner. However, if I were carrying this rifle in a drag bag or any other snug fitting rifle case, I'd be paying close attention to the windage knob while pulling the rifle out or putting it back into such a case - certainly less of an issue than I've had with Sightron SIII scopes w/tactical knobs in the past, since the Ares' knobs are smaller in dia than the SIII's, and the knurling doesn't seem as likely to catch on the case as the SIII's knobs do.

I haven't taken the time to do a tall target/box test with this scope & rifle yet, but in several different range sessions at 600, the zero has held perfectly, and the come-ups & windage are very close to what Shooter predicts on my phone. Just need some time & decent conditions to get the tall target/box test done. I'm thinking seriously about putting one of these scopes on a 40XB 22rf repeater I just got back from jelrod - shooting 22rf from 25-200yds requires a lot of clicking on the elevation knob, as well as adjustment of the parallax knob, so employing an Ares on a precision 22rf (I fitted & chambered a Krieger bbl on this 40XB & it's very accurate) would be a good test for it.

I don't have access to a Vortex Gen II PST, so can't comment there, but I do prefer the Ares to the two Gen I PSTs I've owned. I liked the knurling on the PST's knobs better than that of the Ares, and the click detents of the PST were more tactile - but the Ares' zero stop is a far better arrangement than the shims the older Gen I PSTs had. Obviously comparing the Ares' glass to that of the Gen I PST isn't really close to an apples-to-apples comparison, but it's still fair to say the Ares comes off better in both optical quality, and the usability of the reticle (reticle is an opinion, but it's my opinion, and since I'm the one shooting using the reticles, the comparison meaningful to me).

Time will tell when it comes to the durability of the Ares. I had an issue that I couldn't duplicate with the Gen I PST's shims locking-up the elevation knob during a match, and there's some sort of oil or ? inside the remaining PST that's still there on a lens element even after sending that scope in for service. Both companies have excellent customer service/warranties - I'm hoping that it won't need to find out how good Athlon's CS really is. Having three of their early Cronus 4.5-29x56 mil scopes on other rifles for close to a year now, I still haven't needed to send a scope back, so I'm hoping to see the same sort of performance out of the Ares line.
 
I received my ares 4.5-27 last night and haven't had time to really mess with it but it seems nice so far. Turrets turn maybe a bit easy but they click and are not what I'd consider mushy. The power ring moves without terrible effort and the glass looks nice though we have had wildfires so visibility isn't the greatest. I'm happy with my initial impression though I'll have to wait until my mount gets here and I get to put some rounds through it.
 
Brought 2 precision rifles to the range last week. Shot the 556 JP with Cronus BTR first, then switched to the rebarreled Ruger RPR 6.5CM with Vortex AMG. When I first changed over from the Cronus to the AMG......I said "awwwww"....sad face :(.....out loud. Not that the AMG image was bad, it certainly wasn't.....but the Cronus was that good......very bright, clear at max power on a 96 degree Texas afternoon. Maybe that little extra top end magnification in the Cronus spoiled me.

I considered swapping scopes but then would have to buy new mounts all over again.....AR needs cantilever, Ruger straight mount. I'm leaving as is and will enjoy both for what they are :)

If I was in the market for a sub $1k scope, at this point I think I would try the Ares over the PST gen 2. The mil pricing with Athlon compared to Experticity pricing from Vortex would be a significant savings for the Ares and I would expect it to be as good, if not better than the Vortex. If not, both have great warranties
 
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I mounted the 1st Ares 4.5-27x50 mil scope I received (had 2 more on BO) on my old push feed M70 6x47 Lapua/Manners T4A to get some experience with these scopes. First impression was the glass is good - seems better to me than the glass of the Midas, statements to the contrary seen here notwithstanding. The click detents of both turrets are easily felt, and are audible while not wearing hearing protection. I had no issue getting the scope zeroed while shooting steel from 600yds, and making corrections using the reticle for reference worked well. I have no issue with the quick adjustable ocular moving too easily as was mentioned by another Ares owner. However, if I were carrying this rifle in a drag bag or any other snug fitting rifle case, I'd be paying close attention to the windage knob while pulling the rifle out or putting it back into such a case - certainly less of an issue than I've had with Sightron SIII scopes w/tactical knobs in the past, since the Ares' knobs are smaller in dia than the SIII's, and the knurling doesn't seem as likely to catch on the case as the SIII's knobs do.

I haven't taken the time to do a tall target/box test with this scope & rifle yet, but in several different range sessions at 600, the zero has held perfectly, and the come-ups & windage are very close to what Shooter predicts on my phone. Just need some time & decent conditions to get the tall target/box test done. I'm thinking seriously about putting one of these scopes on a 40XB 22rf repeater I just got back from jelrod - shooting 22rf from 25-200yds requires a lot of clicking on the elevation knob, as well as adjustment of the parallax knob, so employing an Ares on a precision 22rf (I fitted & chambered a Krieger bbl on this 40XB & it's very accurate) would be a good test for it.

I don't have access to a Vortex Gen II PST, so can't comment there, but I do prefer the Ares to the two Gen I PSTs I've owned. I liked the knurling on the PST's knobs better than that of the Ares, and the click detents of the PST were more tactile - but the Ares' zero stop is a far better arrangement than the shims the older Gen I PSTs had. Obviously comparing the Ares' glass to that of the Gen I PST isn't really close to an apples-to-apples comparison, but it's still fair to say the Ares comes off better in both optical quality, and the usability of the reticle (reticle is an opinion, but it's my opinion, and since I'm the one shooting using the reticles, the comparison meaningful to me).

Time will tell when it comes to the durability of the Ares. I had an issue that I couldn't duplicate with the Gen I PST's shims locking-up the elevation knob during a match, and there's some sort of oil or ? inside the remaining PST that's still there on a lens element even after sending that scope in for service. Both companies have excellent customer service/warranties - I'm hoping that it won't need to find out how good Athlon's CS really is. Having three of their early Cronus 4.5-29x56 mil scopes on other rifles for close to a year now, I still haven't needed to send a scope back, so I'm hoping to see the same sort of performance out of the Ares line.

Sir, for the sake of clarity, and to avoid confusion, would like to ask...

Do you have any affiliation with Athlon Optics?
 
No sir. Athlon has changed the grease being used on all of their scopes. If you have any specific questions or interested in one shoot me a message.


Hi, I haven't read through this whole thread and I don't know if you're affiliated with Athlon or not. If so, I have a little concern. I just received a new to me Cronus BTR 4.5-29. I've heard about the mushy turret issue with the first gen Cronus scopes and have watched a few videos of what they sound like (old and mushy VS New grease and audible/tactile clicks).... Anyways, my turrets feel and sound very mushy and not at all like they changed the grease in these turrets. It's not a big deal to me as it's a simple enough fix, but I just wanted to see if anyone knows if Athlon is indeed shipping out the new BTR's with the better feeling turrets or not...? On mine, it doesn't seem so, but then again it is just one scope. Just wondering if you or anyone could potentially shed some light on it. More than likely I'll just clean out the turrets and add some different grease. Is there a particular brand I should use? Any brands or kinds of grease I need to avoid specifically? Thanks ahead of time for any help!
 
So I sent my Cronus in to Athlon for service in late June. It shot fine and the glass and reticle are great, but the parallax knob was very stiff. I thought it would take them a few weeks to return it, so I sent it to them just before I went to Europe for a couple of months. To my surprise, they shipped it back almost immediately, in early July. I finally got back and it looks like they just shipped me a brand new Cronus as a replacement. The parallax knobs turn much more easily, although they are still a bit stiffer than I would like. But they are very much in the acceptable range now - the first one I had needed some serious elbow grease to turn. Hats off for some great service and fast turnaround from Athlon. Planning to buy an Ares BTR as well and shoot it in PRS production division later this year.
 
I have an Ares BTR coming soon and already own a gen 2 PST. Hoping I can get some decent weather to do a good comparison. If everything looks good I will probably go with a Cronus on my next build.
 
I took my Cronus BTR out and compared to my Tango 6, the Cronus' glass is slightly better (brighter) but not by much. The eye box on the Cronus is much more finicky than the Sig. But overall I'm pretty happy with it. For the price it's a darn good scope.
 
Big shout out to Athlon and their people in customer service and who handle the warranty work! I sent in my Cronus BTR about a week ago and just got it back today. They definitely fixed the turret issue. Now, they are nice and crisp, sharp clicks that don't have any slop/play in them when adjusting the turret. Very tactile and audible now! The couple of people I was in contact with at Athlon were all very helpful, friendly and professional. They did an outstanding job in my book and I have zero complaints. Cant wait to get back out to the range and put it through its paces. Thanks again Athlon!
 
Looking forward to your thoughts

So just had time to get the Ares BTR 4.5 - 27 out of the box and look it over. Here are my thoughts:

Packaged well and no damage in shipping
The clicks are audible and very distinct. I do have to say not as good at the Gen2 PST, but they are really nice.
It does have the half mil marks raised as I had hoped. When I first saw a video of them this was not the case.
All knobs move smooth and not overly stiff like the Argos BTR. This was a pleasant surprise. Quality looks great, but haven't had decent weather to get out to long distance and compare. (I'll post a video when I do that)
Have not zeroed or messed with the zero stop yet, so this is just look and feel at this point. So far I'm impressed. The only gripe is that all of their lower end scopes come with lens caps on them. For some reason the Ares and the Chronos does not. Although I would probably end up replacing them anyway, it would still be a decent option. The illumination does not have any bleed over and is actually a little better than my G2 PST. I don't use it that often though. I'll post an update when I get it out to the range. In the meantime if anybody has any questions about it that they want to see, let me know. I am in no way affiliated with Athlon and I am not a dealer. Just a hard working average guy looking for good quality at a budget price. :)

 
I have to say they are very close. It's not quite apples to apples since the gen2 is 5-25 and the Ares is 4.5-27 power. At the same power looking through both they are almost exactly the same. I'm just looking at trees and a field right now though. The true test will be on targets with small lettering and I put a picture on the target to test sharpness. Initial impression is it is definitely worth the money, but I can't give a clear winner yet. At 27 power the numbers are pretty large on the Ares. At 25 power they seem the same size.
 
Quick question for anyone that owns an Ares 4.5-27. I finally got time to mount and zero mine on a RPR 6.5cm in a vortex 1pc mount. After 100 yrs zero I'm left with 14.6 mils up elevation. Enough to get 140ELDMs out to around 1400 (per Sterlok & Balistic arc)
Is that what others are seeing for elevation? It's enough to shoot my club matches for sure.

Thanks Bill
 
I have to say they are very close. It's not quite apples to apples since the gen2 is 5-25 and the Ares is 4.5-27 power. At the same power looking through both they are almost exactly the same. I'm just looking at trees and a field right now though. The true test will be on targets with small lettering and I put a picture on the target to test sharpness. Initial impression is it is definitely worth the money, but I can't give a clear winner yet. At 27 power the numbers are pretty large on the Ares. At 25 power they seem the same size.

what differences do you observe between the Ares and Cronus? Is it worth double the price to go Cronus for entry/intermediate PRS shooting?
 
I got my Ares from poke_53. Great price and excellent service/communication/speed. that's who I'd go to if I want another...

Another excellent transaction/price/communication vote for poke_53. I wanted another model, the 1-6x Midas BTR. He gave me an excellent price and had the scope to me in no time. Very pleased with the transaction and the scope!
 
Warranty service report:

I contacted Athlon about a couple issues with my Ares BTR. They stated they have had some instances of my main issue already and would be happy to service it. I boxed it up and shipped it (at my expense) to their service department for repair.

I just got the scope back, and it seems like nothing has changed. The most generous way I could phrase it is that it might be 2% better, but that's not "fixed" in my book, especially with an issue they're already aware of.

I'm really regretting having invested so much hard-earned money into this, but I guess I'm stuck with this thing. I guess I should have waited 10 months for the Vortex after all.

Caveat emptor.
 
Warranty service report:

I contacted Athlon about a couple issues with my Ares BTR. They stated they have had some instances of my main issue already and would be happy to service it. I boxed it up and shipped it (at my expense) to their service department for repair.

I just got the scope back, and it seems like nothing has changed. The most generous way I could phrase it is that it might be 2% better, but that's not "fixed" in my book, especially with an issue they're already aware of.

I'm really regretting having invested so much hard-earned money into this, but I guess I'm stuck with this thing. I guess I should have waited 10 months for the Vortex after all.

Caveat emptor.

What issues did you have? I own a Cronus BTR without any issues and am thinking about a Ares to install on a rifle build I probably won't shoot a whole lot but a few hundred rds a yr. Maybe I will get another Razor.
 
What issues did you have?

My copy had/has a fairly strong fisheye effect, where straight lines curve more and more as you get away from center. Also, my turrets don't feel any better than the Argon, which is pretty bad.

Tube finish is nice, glass is clear and sharp, reticle is very nice, so not a horrible scope, but I do wish my issues would have been fixed. I emailed them as soon as I discovered the problem and never received a response.

 
I seem to have found a small chink in armor of my Cronus, although it's more annoying than a true problem so to speak. All scopes it seems, have a few issues when it gets cold, but I had my Cronus out on an elk hunt this weekend and I noticed the parallax is EXTREMELY stiff when it is 15 or colder and the turrets clicks are pretty much undetectable. I shot it at 600 and it seemed to track just fine, I just noticed it's cold weather performance isn't near what my AMG is, although the AMG is a much more expensive scope. I guess something to keep in mind if you do a lot of shoothing when it's cold.