Rifle Scopes FYI - Athlon Ares ETR 1-10x28!

[gnochi]

Illuminated circle-of-death plus tree. Looks pretty comparable to the Razor 1-10, probably a slight reduction in glass quality and a slight reduction in durability.

EDIT: also, parallax fixed at 100yd. For a 1-10 I would think 300yd would be a better choice.

Anyone allowed to say whether they’ve played with one?

MRAD: https://athlonoptics.com/product/ares-etr-1-10x28-atmr3-ffp-ir-mil-uhd/

MOA/BDC: https://athlonoptics.com/product/ares-etr-1-10x28-atmr2-ffp-ir-moa-uhd/

 

[Cswedeen]

Very excited to see how this scope does, I have an Ares ETR 4.5-30 and it punches way above its price tag- Will be interesting to see how it stacks up to the Vortex 1-10, as of now there isn't a true competitor to the Razor Gen III.

 

[gnochi]

Very excited to see how this scope does, I have an Ares ETR 4.5-30 and it punches way above its price tag- Will be interesting to see how it stacks up to the Vortex 1-10, as of now there isn't a true competitor to the Razor Gen III.

Yeah I don’t think there’s any doubt in anyone’s mind that the vortex will be better, but this means that there’s a good 1-10 option between the Swampfox SFP and the Vortex FFP, with the upcoming March presumably taking the crown for best and most useful 1-10 you can get.

 

[Twistid]

MSRP $1140 which is a MIL/LE price of $684. Pretty expensive for a Chinese scope. However the Ares ETR is an outstanding scope, if this little 1-10 performs as it's bigger brother Ares it may rival the LOW clones currently being pumped out. Dare say... a budget Razor 1-10?

 

[NHR]

19 oz for a 1-10 34mm tube? That's interesting...

 

[rhsc]

If my experience with the various mid-level Athlon scopes and binoculars that I own is any indication of the performance that can be expected of this new scope, then it should be a very solid optic. Athlon seems to know how to get their OEM manufacturers to provide consistently good quality. Looking forward to seeing how it stacks up against the competition.

 

[nightman89]

Definitely interested in this, especially at the templated MIL/LE pricing.

 

[PBWalsh]

china scope or another country?

 

[Twistid]

Chineseum

 

[PBWalsh]

Dang, it looked quite nice at 19oz. No china scope for me. I’ll avoid that scum nation where I can (yes as I type on an iphone).

 

[Blazin]

I called Athlon today and asked when this scope will be available and they said late Jan/early Feb.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

I called Athlon today and asked when this scope will be available and they said late Jan/early Feb.

We are accepting deposits on pre-orders for those that want to reserve one

 

[Halberdier]

This is just me, but the FFP reticle on LPVOs doesn't work for me at all. I'd rather have a fat, high viability, quick target acquisition reticle at 1x. And I don't so much need one at 10x. 1x is defensive and 10x is offensive. So 1x is far more important to me.

 

[Eric_F]

Looks really interesting. I may upgrade from my PST Gen II 1-6.

It's a 1-10x24, not x28, BTW.

 

[cake5150]

This is just me, but the FFP reticle on LPVOs doesn't work for me at all. I'd rather have a fat, high viability, quick target acquisition reticle at 1x. And I don't so much need one at 10x. 1x is defensive and 10x is offensive. So 1x is far more important to me.

Agreed, wholeheartedly. I want FFP in everything EXCEPT LPVOs. I've tried several LPVOs and honestly prefer the SFP Primary Arms SLX 1-8 gen 3 w/ its SFP reticle that is large and fast at 1x whether there is illumination or not. I also like that only the donut/chevron is illuminated. I'm only going to be using the BDC/ranging features at max magnification anyways, and the chevron is still a usable aiming point for torso-sized targets inside of 300 yards at any magnification. The glass is not awesome but it isn't bad either. I was actually quite surprised at how well it works w/ various night vision clip-ons.

All that being said, it is great to see more options like this hitting the market whether they suit my preferences or not. Hopefully, this turns out to be a good budget Razor gen 3.

 

[gnochi]

Looks really interesting. I may upgrade from my PST Gen II 1-6.

It's a 1-10x24, not x28, BTW.

They’ve changed the image on their Instagram and upgraded their website; it was x28 when I posted a few days ago. My browser history also supports that.

I’m guessing a few people on their end got confused with the new Helos?

 

[Davesnothere]

Dang, it looked quite nice at 19oz. No china scope for me. I’ll avoid that scum nation where I can (yes as I type on an iphone).

That is exactly the rub. You use Chinese all day. Athlon is excellent. I don’t care where it is supposedly made anymore.

 

[jwhjwh54]

this scope looks pretty sweet and I really liked the ETR I had before but I can NEVER type Athlon without typing athlong first. Definitely will be looking at this closely when released

 

[PBWalsh]

That is exactly the rub. You use Chinese all day. Athlon is excellent. I don’t care where it is supposedly made anymore.

Which is why I said I’ll avoid china when I can. In this case, there are other non-chinese options that I could potentially choose from. There is not a US made iphone...

 

[zekers7]

Apparently they are supposed to start shipping within the next few weeks. Have one on pre-order to test out but havent seen anything otherwise

 

[Cswedeen]

Send a review when you can please!

 

[toeheadAR]

This scope looks very promising. FOV is identical to the Vortex and better than the other budget 1-10x scopes from Atibal and GSCR. The Vortex reticle has more wind holds but the Athlon BDC reticle extends 200 yards further. Athlon has less turret adjustment but the whole point of the reticle kind of makes that irrelevant for me. For me, the Razor isn't even an option due to price so I'm glad to see another 1-10x on the market. I like the MOA and MIL reticles better then the Atibal and GSCR.

There are some other 1-10x SFP scopes out there but I hear 8-10x magnification is not great. That makes it very hard to use a SFP if you need to be at 10x. I prescribe to using as little margination as possible so running at 4x,6x, 8x, etc has a lot of benefit.

 

[drewthebrave]

Eagerly awaiting reviews on these. I've been casually researching 1~8x and 2~10x FFP scopes with Mil-based reticles in the <$1k range lately, but this 1-10x ETR is making me reevaluate my search criteria.

 

[toeheadAR]

I just pre-ordered one too from Cameraland and really looking forward to its arrival. Thanks Doug for helping me out.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

I just pre-ordered one too from Cameraland and really looking forward to its arrival. Thanks Doug for helping me out.

My pleasure. Always happy to work with the members here

 

[Burdy]

I dont hate the reticle. 26.9 ounces is too heavy though. Also would heavily prefer 30mm tube. But, seems like a good option for those willing to save some money.

 

[gbaby125]

I believe it weighs 19.2 oz not 26.9?

I have one on order too. I already had a couple gen lll 1-10x's I used to own to compare to.
Also had the budget Swampfox 1-10x24 30mm that I was pretty impressed with for it's price point.

 

[Cswedeen]

When they first released the specs it said 19.2, but now it says 26.9 on Athlon's site. That would be a disappointment for sure if the initial weight was that far off.

 

[drewthebrave]

When they first released the specs it said 19.2, but now it says 26.9 on Athlon's site. That would be a disappointment for sure if the initial weight was that far off.

I've seen a few different listings & articles show this scope with a 24mm objective, while others showed 28mm. I wonder if Athlon tested multiple variations before settling on a final design, and that led to some outlets having different specifications on these. That 26.9oz weight isn't ideal, but considering the 21oz Razor costs twice as much, carrying an extra half pound to save $1,000 doesn't seem terrible...

 

[gbaby125]

When they first released the specs it said 19.2, but now it says 26.9 on Athlon's site. That would be a disappointment for sure if the initial weight was that far off.

That would definitely be a disappointment. I guess I find out soon enough.

 

[toeheadAR]

I noticed that too. I really hope it is a mistake and closer to 20oz. Their catalog says 19.6oz.

 

[zekers7]

My pleasure. Always happy to work with the members here

Can you confirm the weight on these? I was under the impression it was roughly 20oz

 

[toeheadAR]

I contacted Athlon yesterday and they said the correct weight was on the website. There is a small chance she did not not talk to someone that has the actual technical information but it is not looking good.

 

[zekers7]

Knew there had to be a downside to it

 

[jwhjwh54]

how is the glass on the helos line? the 1-10 looks interesting

 

[gnochi]

how is the glass on the helos line? the 1-10 looks interesting

Comparable to everything in that price range, so not great not terrible. This particular scope is probably fine up close with great lighting at low zoom and annoying out far with poor lighting at high zoom.

 

[toeheadAR]

I am really bummed about the weight being changed from 19.6oz to 26.9oz. I actually listed my Leupold VX-6-1x with the CMR2 reticle for sale because I thought I was getting 1-10x scope that has a BDC reticle with wind holds for a 5oz penalty. That would have been a no brainer but now the extra magnification requires me to nearly double the weight from 14oz-27oz (26.9). The 16" rifle only weighs 5-1/2 pounds, not sure I want a 2lb optic up there when I currently am under 18oz with the mount.

Also, looking at the 1-10x FFP competition. They are all very close to 20oz, The Vortex is 21.5oz and the Atibal/GMRC is 21.1oz.

 

[toeheadAR]

Anybody see over the weekend that Primary Arms relased their 1-10x scope? I had a strong feeling they would do this so Ive been following their new product releases waiting. So far the only place I have seen it is in their new 2021 catalog but no pricing yet. It is part of their GLX line so should be under $1,000. Made in Japan, daylight bright, and comes with swappable turrets.

 

[Twistid]

Primary Arms 2021 New Products

Primary Arms Optics newest optics for 2021. Check out the SLx 1x MicroPrism, SLx 3x MicroPrism, GLx 2x Prism scope, SLx 4-16 Rifle Scope & much more.

www.primaryarms.com

Is this the release you're referring to? I don't see any 1-10 unless I'm blind


Edit: I am blind, isee you have to download the catalog

 

[Cotay]

Anybody see over the weekend that Primary Arms relased their 1-10x scope? I had a strong feeling they would do this so Ive been following their new product releases waiting. So far the only place I have seen it is in their new 2021 catalog but no pricing yet. It is part of their GLX line so should be under $1,000. Made in Japan, daylight bright, and comes with swappable turrets.

PA has said pricing will be consistent with current GLx prices. So the $699-$799 range, perhaps slightly more.

 

[Twistid]

Anybody see over the weekend that Primary Arms relased their 1-10x scope? I had a strong feeling they would do this so Ive been following their new product releases waiting. So far the only place I have seen it is in their new 2021 catalog but no pricing yet. It is part of their GLX line so should be under $1,000. Made in Japan, daylight bright, and comes with swappable turrets.

How do you know it's made in Japan? The rest of their GLx lineup is either Phillipino or Chinese.

 

[Cotay]

How do you know it's made in Japan? The rest of their GLx lineup is either Phillipino or Chinese.

PA has said it on Arfcom.

 

[toeheadAR]

Correct, made by JOL in Japan.

 

[Cotay]

Correct, made by JOL in Japan.

I haven't seen JOL confirmed. That's my guess since the turrets look right, but this would be the first recent JOL LPVO I've seen with .1 Mil clicks. Then again, maybe somebody like Tokyo Scope Co pulled it off. Did you see confirmation?

 

[toeheadAR]

Edit: thought it was Per their CEO Marshall who runs their Industry page on ARFCOM but looks like it was second hand.

 

[padom]

I have a new Athlon Ares ETR 1-10 MIL coming next week from Athlon Ill be doing a full review and testing on. Looking forward to testing this scope! I also have one of the new Cronus BTR Gen2's coming this week as well.

 

[toeheadAR]

Please share your results!

 

[earthquake]

I'm about to order a 1-10x Athlon Ares ETR. I'm new to the LVPO world and have a question to the experts if ya don't mind?

For a mid-range (100 - 500 yd) AR DM rifle setup, would you want a 20MOA built-in to your cantilever scope mount? Right now I have a Warne (0-MOA) on my 1-6x which I just started shooting, but am considering Athlon's cantilever mount....just don't know if I should get 0-MOA or 20-MOA.

Thanks!

 

[toeheadAR]

IMO 0 MOA will be more than adequate. The nature of the AR platform is generally limited to 1,000 yards and most BDC or mil/moa reticles have enough built in to use your rifle out to that range.

 

[padom]

I'm going to run 0 MOA on mine