Delta Javelin & Stryker v Athlon Ares BTR & ETR v Viper PST Gen 2

[Vicko]

Soooooooo another one of these eh... what scope should I get.. buckle up.

Lets start with how I'll use it and what I want:
- Mainly longer range target, looking to use it for a dabble in PRS and some long range stuff maybe a crack at some f class stuff for 'hunter class' here in Australia.
- Looking for FFP, 25-30x mag, good glass without being 'the best', locking turrets preferred, tracking has to be bullet proof

I'd originally been looking at the Viper PST Gen 2. So thats kinda my price point. 2kish here in Oz. Seems to be a good value mark. Note that I have a Razor HD LHT on another rifle that I like a lot. So I'd like glass on par if possible.


So then I had the Delta Javelin suggested to me, which by all accounts is a better scope than the PST - for slightly cheaper... and locking turrets. Winning. Then further reading suggested that the Javelin might share some components with the Athlon Ares BTR? Not sure if that's true but keen to know if someone can confirm. Athlon seem to do good stuff so that'd be a plus.

Then the Stryker and Ares ETR come into it.. I don't really know what the difference is between them or the BTR and ETR as I hadn't really looked at the ETR much previously, but keen for thoughts and if folks think its worth the jump up in price. Clearly they're going to be better - but are they that much better..?

Or is there another scope in that PST G2 price range I should be looking at?

 

[Iron Worker]

Stryker is made at LOW optics in Japan Athlon Ares is made in Red China I have both the Delta Stryker and Athlon Cronus BTR made at same factory in Japan . Both great scopes with Delta slightly better glass. Might like the reticle in the Cronus 2nd generation better.

 

[MDrimfirerookie]

My .02 which probably isn't even worth that is consider the reticles as well. You are gonna be looking through this alot so the reticle should be something that you are comfortable with considering these are all around the same place price wise.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

The Element Nexus Scopes are also made at LOW

• 30mm Main Body Tube
• Compact, Lightweight design
• Illuminated, First Focal Plane Reticle
• Aircraft Grade Aluminium
• Side Parallax: 10yds-Infinity
• Advanced Fully Multi-Coated Lenses with Anti-Fouling Layer
• Tool-free Resettable Turrets with 10 MRAD / 20 MOA per Revolution
• Hard Mechanical Zero-Stop
• Removable Magnification Throw Lever
• Waterproof, Fogproof, Shockproof & Nitrogen Purged
• Sunshade, Lens Cloth & Neoprene Cover included

 

[Iron Worker]

The Element Nexus Scopes are also made at LOW

• 30mm Main Body Tube
• Compact, Lightweight design
• Illuminated, First Focal Plane Reticle
• Aircraft Grade Aluminium
• Side Parallax: 10yds-Infinity
• Advanced Fully Multi-Coated Lenses with Anti-Fouling Layer
• Tool-free Resettable Turrets with 10 MRAD / 20 MOA per Revolution
• Hard Mechanical Zero-Stop
• Removable Magnification Throw Lever
• Waterproof, Fogproof, Shockproof & Nitrogen Purged
• Sunshade, Lens Cloth & Neoprene Cover included

Those scopes are sweet !

 

[beetroot]

If you assume the Delta Javelin to be the same as the Ares ETR then ranking your options would be.
Stryker>Javelin/ETR>PST G2>BTR.

I've not used the Ares ETR/Javelin but own or have used all the other options.
Basically the more money you spend the better scope you get but the features do differ a fair bit.
If I were trying to choose I'd have my priorities as follows:
Price>FOV>Reticle>locking turrets>other specs/features.

I currently have a Delta Stryker and PST G2, the Stryker is a notably better scope in every way other than FOV and I'm not fussed on the reticle.
Unfortunately for me the reticle not gelling with me and the FOV are two hurdles I'm struggling to overcome but that is personal preference.

Based on the Australian pricing I'd buy either of the Deltas over the PST G2.
If the Stryker is $2450, PST $2000, Javelin $1600 I wouldn't consider the PST as an option.

I really really like the PST G2, I've had very good luck with the ones I've owned and I think it offers good value for money at about $1500 AUD but certainly not at $2000.

 

[Vicko]

Thanks Beetroot.
I have a feeling that the Javelin shares its factory line and glass with the BTR - not the ETR.
Would love to get that confirmed.
What is it that you don’t like about the reticle?

 

[Vicko]

 

[beetroot]

Thanks Beetroot.
I have a feeling that the Javelin shares its factory line and glass with the BTR - not the ETR.
Would love to get that confirmed.
What is it that you don’t like about the reticle?

It's definitely the ETR, the BTR having a 30mm tube.

I don't like the crosses in the first Mil from the center, for example when trying to hold a .2mil hold it's just not intuitive to hold in the middle of that flat bar. The crosses being at .5mil and .8mil add a level of complexity that's totally unnecessary yet adds no value vs standard .2mil hashes, which annoyingly are there from 1 Mil to 3 Mils.

I use the reticle just fine for the most part but it continues to annoy me even though I get more and more practiced with it.

 

[Cotay]

Thanks Beetroot.
I have a feeling that the Javelin shares its factory line and glass with the BTR - not the ETR.
Would love to get that confirmed.
What is it that you don’t like about the reticle?

Just to clarify, the LRD-1T is only in the Stryker. The Javelin has the SMR-1 (tree MRAD) and SMR-2 (non-tree MRAD) reticles.

Personally, if the OP can afford the Stryker, then that's the way to go if you don't mind the 10 year warranty headaches (I don't and that's why I ordered one a few days ago). If the warranty is a concern, then the Gen 2 Cronus is going to be hard to beat. I like my Cronus BTR Gen 1, but I wish Athlon would've included locking turrets on the Gen 2.

Reports are that the Delta Javelin is essentially a badge engineered version of the Athlon Ares ETR, not the BTR. The Javelin and Ares ETR are subject to the same warranty considerations as the Strkyer & Cronus. Pick which reticle you prefer and go from there.

I like the PST Gen 2 5-25x (I own 2) and better than Ares BTR. However, the only reason to go for either (aside from cost considerations) is if you need a 30mm tube and/or the smaller objective for some reason.

 

[Vicko]

Some good info in there thanks lads. I don't think I'm fussed with a 10 year warranty.

Re the reticle - I'm starting fresh on FFP and detailed tree reticles, so I think that should help. I'll just get used to what I get... hopefully. The PST has .5 subtensions I think so I assume the extra detail would be helpful, not a hinderance.
Far out the Javelin sounds like a good buy for an 'entry - mid level' scope if its based on the ETR eh... I know its 'only' HD glass as opposed to ED glass in the Stryker, but its bloody tempting. I'm pretty happy with the HD glass in my Razor HD LHT, but haven't stretched its legs beyond 500m which I'm assuming is where the ED glass comes into its own.

In terms of reticle weight - they do look fairly thin which is good at high mag.. how useful are they at the lower end say 10-15x (am thinking down the track if I would be able to take them hunting...) Not a deal breaker if not, but would be a bonus.

 

[ncr92]

I don't like the crosses in the first Mil from the center, for example when trying to hold a .2mil hold it's just not intuitive to hold in the middle of that flat bar. The crosses being at .5mil and .8mil add a level of complexity that's totally unnecessary yet adds no value vs standard .2mil hashes, which annoyingly are there from 1 Mil to 3 Mils.

I use the reticle just fine for the most part but it continues to annoy me even though I get more and more practiced with it.

It's difficult to understand how anyone designing a reticle could think that was a good idea.

I also have the Stryker. Before I ordered mine, I looked closely at the reticle drawings. I knew those random hash mark increments would drive me nuts so I chose the DLR-1 reticle. It's a heavier reticle but I'm definitely happy with my choice.

 

[beetroot]

Some good info in there thanks lads. I don't think I'm fussed with a 10 year warranty.

Re the reticle - I'm starting fresh on FFP and detailed tree reticles, so I think that should help. I'll just get used to what I get... hopefully. The PST has .5 subtensions I think so I assume the extra detail would be helpful, not a hinderance.
Far out the Javelin sounds like a good buy for an 'entry - mid level' scope if its based on the ETR eh... I know its 'only' HD glass as opposed to ED glass in the Stryker, but its bloody tempting. I'm pretty happy with the HD glass in my Razor HD LHT, but haven't stretched its legs beyond 500m which I'm assuming is where the ED glass comes into its own.

In terms of reticle weight - they do look fairly thin which is good at high mag.. how useful are they at the lower end say 10-15x (am thinking down the track if I would be able to take them hunting...) Not a deal breaker if not, but would be a bonus.

The LRD-1T reticle is sized pretty well.
The reticle tree is fully usable from about 8x, the crosses rather than dots throughout the tree make is more visible than dots (like EBR-7c).
The thick stadia of the reticle make it pretty nicely visible on 4.5x too.

I found the reticle to be better to use in low light and on low magnification than the EBR-7c in my PST.

 

[Jack's Dad]

Athlon has the best reticles. Super not impressed with the Ares btr but very impressed with the etr.

 

[Vicko]

It's difficult to understand how anyone designing a reticle could think that was a good idea.

I also have the Stryker. Before I ordered mine, I looked closely at the reticle drawings. I knew those random hash mark increments would drive me nuts so I chose the DLR-1 reticle. It's a heavier reticle but I'm definitely happy with my choice.
View attachment 7659393

Thanks for that - what type of shooting do you do with it?
Having not done PRS before - aren't there sometimes stages where you can't dial? So any holdovers that also need wind allowance are going to be a bit of an educated guess?

 

[Vicko]

The more I look at it, the more I think I prefer the more intuitive SMR1 reticle in the Javelin...

 

[ncr92]

Thanks for that - what type of shooting do you do with it?
Having not done PRS before - aren't there sometimes stages where you can't dial? So any holdovers that also need wind allowance are going to be a bit of an educated guess?

I shoot PRS type competitions. Whether or not you want a xmas tree is obviously one of the key aspects of reticle choice. I made the choice I did because I wanted the Stryker and I knew I would hate the other two reticles for the reasons discussed above.

Holding over and holding wind is no problem with small wind holds. For larger wind holds you need to dial elevation. This is not an issue I have faced often and it does not bother me.

That SMR-1 reticle doesn't look too bad. If that had been available in the Stryker, I definitely would have considered it.

 

[beetroot]

The more I look at it, the more I think I prefer the more intuitive SMR1 reticle in the Javelin...

I've not used the reticle but can confidently say it'd be an improvement.

I do field shoot/PRS type competitions and have never had a no dial stage but have chosen not to dial due to tight time constraints.
Holding for wind and elevation is not something I do often but only due to lack of training.
You can save a lot of time not dialing and is something that is worth practicing as it can and will come in handy.

 

[Vicko]

Yep - I’m settled. Javelin it is.
I was previously happy paying for the PST. This is cheaper and apparently better glass. The 10 yr warranty is fine by me. And I prefer the reticle over the Stryker anyway.

 

[Vicko]

Thought I best add some thoughts now that I’ve finally had a proper chance to stretch the legs on the Javelin.
Had it out to 900yards the other week while doing some training.
I’m really happy with it. Glass is clear and seems very white to my eye. We had quite a bit of mirage and I found it was still pretty damn good at about 15-18x to be easily picking up 4inch targets. I had a peak through a NF Atakr 7-35 on the day and I’m happy with my purchase. Turrets are excellent, good feel and 100% repeatable/predictable. Came out after lunch on day two, dialled up my elevation and held some wind for a cold bore hit on a 6inch balloon at 900 which I was pretty stoked at.
For you stateside folks, that was with my Lithgow LA102 in 243. Which is really a crossover rifle. Shoots pretty good though - better than me. Very underrated Aussie rifle that doesn’t get much coverage in Stateside media - and that was shooting factory ammo

 

[TreyMeTrey]

Soooooooo another one of these eh... what scope should I get.. buckle up.

Lets start with how I'll use it and what I want:
- Mainly longer range target, looking to use it for a dabble in PRS and some long range stuff maybe a crack at some f class stuff for 'hunter class' here in Australia.
- Looking for FFP, 25-30x mag, good glass without being 'the best', locking turrets preferred, tracking has to be bullet proof

I'd originally been looking at the Viper PST Gen 2. So thats kinda my price point. 2kish here in Oz. Seems to be a good value mark. Note that I have a Razor HD LHT on another rifle that I like a lot. So I'd like glass on par if possible.


So then I had the Delta Javelin suggested to me, which by all accounts is a better scope than the PST - for slightly cheaper... and locking turrets. Winning. Then further reading suggested that the Javelin might share some components with the Athlon Ares BTR? Not sure if that's true but keen to know if someone can confirm. Athlon seem to do good stuff so that'd be a plus.

Then the Stryker and Ares ETR come into it.. I don't really know what the difference is between them or the BTR and ETR as I hadn't really looked at the ETR much previously, but keen for thoughts and if folks think its worth the jump up in price. Clearly they're going to be better - but are they that much better..?

Or is there another scope in that PST G2 price range I should be looking at?

Just wondering what you bought?
I own the Athlon Cronus BTR Gen 1 & Gen 2.. The Delta Stryker HD 4.5-30x56 FFP, the Delta Stryker 5-50x56 SFP, the Tract Toric 4.5-30x56 FFP and the Primary Arms PLX 6-30x56 FFP Apollo 6.5 CM/224 Valkyrie.. If I had to pick one FFP scope it would be a tough choice between the Delta Stryker HD & TRACT Toric FFP..But by a whisker Id go with TRACT TORIC. .. The KAHLES & March And VALDADA are all is a much Higher Price Range so I will omit those of mine

 

[TreyMeTrey]

Just to clarify, the LRD-1T is only in the Stryker. The Javelin has the SMR-1 (tree MRAD) and SMR-2 (non-tree MRAD) reticles.

Personally, if the OP can afford the Stryker, then that's the way to go if you don't mind the 10 year warranty headaches (I don't and that's why I ordered one a few days ago). If the warranty is a concern, then the Gen 2 Cronus is going to be hard to beat. I like my Cronus BTR Gen 1, but I wish Athlon would've included locking turrets on the Gen 2.

Reports are that the Delta Javelin is essentially a badge engineered version of the Athlon Ares ETR, not the BTR. The Javelin and Ares ETR are subject to the same warranty considerations as the Strkyer & Cronus. Pick which reticle you prefer and go from there.

I like the PST Gen 2 5-25x (I own 2) and better than Ares BTR. However, the only reason to go for either (aside from cost considerations) is if you need a 30mm tube and/or the smaller objective for some reason.

The NON Locking Turrets of Athlon are a deal breaker for me in a future purchase. The TRACT TORIC is my pick.