Rifle Scopes Compare Athlon Midas TAC vs. Ares ETR

[darth_ritis]

I'm looking at possibly changing scopes on my NRL22 rifle, currently wearing a PST gen II 3-15. I'd like more magnification and I'm not sure the reticle is best for me.

The Midas would use the same rings, while the Ares would require a new set of rings, and be significantly heavier.

The Ares should be better given the much higher price point, but I don't know if it would be worth it.

How do they compare? Are the Midas turrets good?

 

[earthquake]

I have both. The Midas Tac is a really nice scope for the money! The turret clicks are great, crisp, etc. The Ares I feel is almost too crisp. (Louder, tighter; I've accidentally sounds past the point I was going for because of this)

The wind knob on the Midas is capped. On the Ares it's lockable by pushing it in. The Ares also has an illuminated reticle, while the Midas does not. As you noted 30mm vs. 34mm tubes.

I have the 4-16x, and a friend just bought his second 6-24x. The 4-16x and I believe the 6-24x both focus down to 10-yds.

Midas tac

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[b6graham]

I have both. The Midas Tac is a really nice scope for the money! The turret clicks are great, crisp, etc. The Ares I feel is almost too crisp. (Louder, tighter; I've accidentally sounds past the point I was going for because of this)

The wind knob on the Midas is capped. On the Ares it's lockable by pushing it in. The Ares also has an illuminated reticle, while the Midas does not. As you noted 30mm vs. 34mm tubes.

I have the 4-16x, and a friend just bought his second 6-24x. The 4-16x and I believe the 6-24x both focus down to 10-yds.

Midas tac

Let me know if you have any other questions.

how about zero stop differences between the two?

 

[earthquake]

how about zero stop differences between the two?

Not really any. They are the same. Brass ring below the cap with 2 or 3 small hex retention screws.

I have always liked the Midas line. I have an older Midas BTR 2-10x SFP illuminated reticle I use for hunting. The glass on the Midas line have always been good IMHO.

The Ares will darken some at 30x. I actually sent it back and just got a Cronus BTR. The Midas and Cronus lines are my favorite Athlons.

 

[marks_a18138]

Ok I have both the Ares ETR "mounted on my Vudoo" and the brand new Midas Tac with the APRS3 reticle. Same reticle in the Ares ETR, if I had it to do over again I would have bought the Midas for my Vudoo 22. The Midas has very clear glass!

 

[b6graham]

Ok I have both the Ares ETR "mounted on my Vudoo" and the brand new Midas Tac with the APRS3 reticle. Same reticle in the Ares ETR, if I had it to do over again I would have bought the Midas for my Vudoo 22. The Midas has very clear glass!

ares etr is APRS1. windage is 2mil wide at the top not 1mil, and marked every mil not evens, other than that identical as far as hashes

 

[earthquake]

^ yep.
Midas Tac --> APRS2 or APRS3
Ares ETR --> APRS1

This is for the Mil versions.

 

[palmettoman]

I have both the 24x TAC and the ETR with the TAC staying on my 22. The clarity of it is very close to the ETR. Save the cash.

 

[Banango]

Etr is definitely a considerable upgrade over a tac but I choose to keep my 4-16 tac on the 22 and save my etr for the dasher

 

[Old_Longhair]

Are the Midas turrets good?

The Midas stainless erector mechanism is exactly the same as the Ares.
AFAIK, the biggest visual and functional differences are the HD glass in the Midas as opposed to ED in the Ares, the difference in tube dia., the illumination that the Midas doesn't have, and the capped windage turret on the Midas.

 

[Eoddave27]

I bought a Midas TAC from Doug at cameraland for one of my precision AR’s. I liked it so much I called Doug a few weeks later and got one for my 22 that I use for competition. Absolutely fantastic scopes for the money. They defiantly perform well above their price tag.

 

[MDrimfirerookie]

my cz455 is currently topped with the 6-24 Midas TAC and i will likely get another one when its time for another scope. meets my needs for 22 competition perfectly

not sure what your needs or budget are but the turrets are great, i have no issues with the glass and tracking has been spot on for me

 

[barronian]

@MDrimfirerookie, I'm looking at putting a 6-24 Midas TAC on my cz455 - which mounts did you use ? would you recommend them ?

 

[MDrimfirerookie]

i'm using SWFA medium rings on a DIP 25moa rail. the only change i would make is going with the area 419 or the murphy precision 30moa rail for just a wee bit more elevation.

i feel like those rings are under-rated. i've had no issues with them and they hold up to the mighty recoil of a 22 with no problem

 

[Eoddave27]

Mine isn’t on a CZ455 but I mounted one on one of my rimfire rifles using the Vortex tactical 6 bolt rings and mound another Midas TAC on an AR using ARC rings. The Vortex rings have been a great inexpensive set of rings at $40 for a set. I have had them on several rimfire and centerfire rifles for several years and never had any issues with them.

 

[barronian]

I forgot to mention that mine is a European cz455 with the 11mm dovetail - are the solutions both of you suggested for the 11mm or 3/8" fitting ?

 

[Lawless]

I forgot to mention that mine is a European cz455 with the 11mm dovetail - are the solutions both of you suggested for the 11mm or 3/8" fitting ?

Unless I’m forgetting something, aren’t all CZs 11mm?

 

[barronian]

I don't know, definitely not an expert. I thought the 455 American was so called partially because it had/has 3/8" rail ?

 

[MDrimfirerookie]

the rails i'm talking about slide in over the dovetail and are then screwed into place. if you are looking to attach rings directly to the dovetail, i'd look at the burris signature zee rings

 

[barronian]

@MDrimfirerookie, thanks, ive looked your suggestions up and am learning as much as i can about them The point of the rail is to get a high MOA slope and to be able to use standard dovetail rings - correct ? Anything else ?

 

[MDrimfirerookie]

no the point of the rail is to use standard picatinny based rings to mount your scope. they also provide additional cant when zeroing. that will allow for more travel of the scope to be on target at longer rangers. the 20 and 30 moa bases are there for those people stretching 22lr out to 200, 300 and 400 yards and beyond.

 

[barronian]

@MDrimfirerookie, Thanks for your help. I've ordered the swfa rings and the DIP rail

 

[Rumblingdwarf]

I have an Ares ETR mounted to my Vudoo V22. It replaced a Vortex PSTii 5-25. I believe the Ares ETR is leaps above the Ares BTR in turret feel and reticle choice. Ultimately the reticle, with its .2 wind holds, is what I was most attracted to. I dont have any experience with the Midas TAC.

 

[va_connoisseur]

I have an Ares ETR mounted to my Vudoo V22. It replaced a Vortex PSTii 5-25. I believe the Ares ETR is leaps above the Ares BTR in turret feel and reticle choice. Ultimately the reticle, with its .2 wind holds, is what I was most attracted to. I dont have any experience with the Midas TAC.

It’s interesting that you did not mention clarity. That’s the key for me. Am I going to be able to “see” the price difference between the ETR and BTR? I wish they were sold locally to the DC metro.

 

[Eoddave27]

I haven’t had a chance to look through an Ares ETR but I can’t see any difference between the Midas TAC and the Ares BTR as far as the glass goes. I honestly prefer the TAC myself. I just like the turrets better and don’t need the illumination. Any of the three will be excellent scopes though. Honestly with the ranges you will be shooting in NRL matches even if the glass is a little lesser quality in the Midas TAC it’s probably not going to make a whole lot of difference inside 400 yards. There is also the size and weight to contend with. The Midas TAC is not an overly heavy or bulky optic. That is one of the big reasons I put them on my sons competition rifles. I looked at the Ares ETR but the size and weight kept me from getting it for him. He had an optic that was almost 40oz. With the TAC we shed almost a pound from his rifle. He just turned 10 so that pound was a big difference for him.

 

[b6graham]

HD versus ED glass. there's a difference

 

[va_connoisseur]

HD versus ED glass. there's a difference

Ok. Please explain. I’m planning on pulling the trigger on and ETR or BTR (Ares) this week. I’m looking for opinions

 

[Old_Longhair]

I haven’t had a chance to look through an Ares ETR but I can’t see any difference between the Midas TAC and the Ares BTR as far as the glass goes.

That's because there is none. The Midas TAC and Ares BTR are both HD glass. You have to step up to the Ares ETR to get ED glass.

 

[flatland1]

I'm wondering about Athlon's use of the term "HD" vs "ED" when it comes to advertising the type of glass various scopes have in them. I think we're all used to the notion that ED glass is supposed to reduce chromatic aberration & produce brighter, truer colors. But what's HD glass? I guess HD=high definition? Is HD used in any other brand's advertising? Don't get me wrong - I've got a Midas TAC 6-24x50 on a V-22 Ranch, and it's got very good glass, at least as good as any of the Ares BTRs I have on four CF rifles. What I need to do to get a better feel for any difference between the Ares BTR & Midas TAC is to get rifles with both down to the 600yd range and see if I can detect any noticeable difference between optical quality of each. If the glass is essentially the same in both models (and I think it's very, very close to the same), then it boils down to the better turret clicks of the Midas, and illumination on the Ares. I've not shot the Midas TAC out past 210yds so far, and since it's mounted on a 22LR, it's probably not ever going to be used much past 300yds. The Ares BTRs OTOH, are mounted on CF rifles from 20 Tactical up to 7mm-08 Improved 30*, so it'll see fairly regular use at 600 & beyond. The toughest part of comparing these scopes at longer distances is finding a day w/o a tremendous amount of mirage, so I can at least get a fair idea of resolution/clarity at 600.

ETA - Forgot to mention that I've got several Cronus scopes & an Ares ETR on rifles, and while I believe there's very little difference in optical quality between those two lines, they're both superior to the glass in the Ares BTR & Midas TAC - not that there's a huge difference, I've shot the Ares BTRs at 600yds quite a bit, and it's plenty good enough to get the job done. But I've not spent any serious effort in comparing the Ares BTR to the Midas TAC.

 

[b6graham]

ED is normal term especially in the camera world

HD sounds good but probably just describes normal glass

 

[va_connoisseur]

I'm wondering about Athlon's use of the term "HD" vs "ED" when it comes to advertising the type of glass various scopes have in them. I think we're all used to the notion that ED glass is supposed to reduce chromatic aberration & produce brighter, truer colors. But what's HD glass? I guess HD=high definition? Is HD used in any other brand's advertising? Don't get me wrong - I've got a Midas TAC 6-24x50 on a V-22 Ranch, and it's got very good glass, at least as good as any of the Ares BTRs I have on four CF rifles. What I need to do to get a better feel for any difference between the Ares BTR & Midas TAC is to get rifles with both down to the 600yd range and see if I can detect any noticeable difference between optical quality of each. If the glass is essentially the same in both models (and I think it's very, very close to the same), then it boils down to the better turret clicks of the Midas, and illumination on the Ares. I've not shot the Midas TAC out past 210yds so far, and since it's mounted on a 22LR, it's probably not ever going to be used much past 300yds. The Ares BTRs OTOH, are mounted on CF rifles from 20 Tactical up to 7mm-08 Improved 30*, so it'll see fairly regular use at 600 & beyond. The toughest part of comparing these scopes at longer distances is finding a day w/o a tremendous amount of mirage, so I can at least get a fair idea of resolution/clarity at 600.

ETA - Forgot to mention that I've got several Cronus scopes & an Ares ETR on rifles, and while I believe there's very little difference in optical quality between those two lines, they're both superior to the glass in the Ares BTR & Midas TAC - not that there's a huge difference, I've shot the Ares BTRs at 600yds quite a bit, and it's plenty good enough to get the job done. But I've not spent any serious effort in comparing the Ares BTR to the Midas TAC.

Thanks Flatland. That’s what I was looking for. I did not see the Ares ETR having glass that was ~$400 better than the BTR. Maybe later if I decide I want to shoot out to 1500 yard but for now, the BTR is the one for me.

 

[shooter98]

I’m using my first Athlon, which is the Midas tac and as a former Vortex user I’m very happy No regrets as of yet.

 

[flatland1]

I bought several Kahles K624i scopes with their AMR reticle, and really enjoyed shooting behind these scopes. When they announced the SKMR3, thought I might prefer to have one of those, simply because the center aiming point of the AMR was large enough to cover up really small targets, even at 300yds. Never did pull the trigger on an SKMR 3, but when Athlon brought out their Ares ETR with floating dot reticle, I ordered in a few of them, only to discover that their dot is so small that I can't see it well enough on anything but a white background to be useful at under 16x. I've also got a Midas TAC 6-24x50 with the dot reticle, and it's the same story. I doubt Kahles' SKMR 3 ret has a large enough dot to help much with this issue, though to be honest, I've never seen one in person to compare to the Athlon dot. I've used several of Athlon's Cronus scopes with the pre-BTR + aiming point, and while it might appear to some to be too heavy/thick, it's just about perfect for shooting movers, especially since I like to dial down to 10x-12x for movers. The newer BTR ret's + aiming point is still usable in that mag range, but I actually prefer the old pre-BTR in that respect. The point I'm trying to make is that, while I thought I'd prefer a reticle with a small dot aiming point after the aggravation of having my AMR ret's four-dot aiming point obscure small targets, I've found that any advantage such a fine aiming point has is negated by not being able to see it well enough to be useful while shooting movers or under extreme time limits, depending on the background. Maybe using some illumination would deal with this issue, but at least to my eye, a heavier (within limits) aiming point works better for me, and the pre-BTR's thicker + aiming point does't obscure even small targets. At this point in time, the original Cronus pre-BTR & Ares BTR reticles are my favored ones. Is it because I'm a blind old fart, or are there other shooters who feel the same way?

 

[502Chevelle]

Love the small dot on my ETR. Hasn’t been a problem for me. Yes it’s small, but when you dial it down, it becomes more of a regular crosshair. Have a Helios ordered for my Savage 22. If I’m going to play the NRL22 game, might as well step it up a little. Besides, that’s a whole nother reason to buy a new scope, and then “oh darn, this 22 doesn’t shoot good enough, so I need to buy another one”.

 

[Bluedeacon]

The Midas and Cronus lines are my favorite Athlons.

You're the first person I've heard that from. I appreciate that.