Here's a new scope offering for 2023 from Athlon that might appeal to some of you for a MPVO.
Riflescope Second Focal Plane Non-Illuminated Reticle...Read More...
athlonoptics.com
It's almost 2oz lighter than the Helos G2, has 10Y min parallax side focus, a .2 mil reticle in the SFP, locking windage, and has the magnification indicator marked in red on 12x where mil values are correct.
Price is $200 cheaper than the Helos G2 2-12.
I look at it like as if compared to when we old guys used the 2-7's with duplex reticle to hunt with back then but normally didn't shoot farther 300Y, and now this is kinda the modern version for modern medium range hunting rifles with more versatility for using it for long range with the ability for dialing or holding.
Zero interest in their Chinese junk.
You are welcome to your opinion. It is a forum after all.
I've won plenty of matches with their scopes in rimfire and in FT air rifle including state championships. One can't do that with junk, the scope has to be reliable and perform or its not gonna happen. Even Athlon's lowest line are decent and I've had one $160 Talos on a varmint rifle for 5 years now which has done its job flawlessly.
Personally owned many scopes of other brands from - what I consider are actually junk bought at Walmart, etc(broken immediately), Edit - and scopes ranging in price all the way up to my March Genesis 4-40x52 which is a such a fantastic scope.
A S&B went back for repair twice.
A USO.
Two Jap Bushnell's went back for repair.
An IOR was replaced.
I sent back an Athlon 1-10 that didn't work for my eyes but otherwise the scope functioned fine as well as the 20 something other Athlon scopes I've had.
And have had many scopes from other brands including various $1500 + scopes that were disappointing for various reasons as well as some of them flat out not worth the money spent, like Leupold, Bushnell, Burris, NF, others. A fair amount of this stuff most of us have seen in this Optics forum.
That being said one can't expect a less expensive scope that isn't meant to compete with a scope costing many times more to be what it can't be. Athlon makes good moderately inexpensive scopes that perform well but, perfect, no.
I tested that little Heras 2-12 and found it a neat option that had surprisingly good IQ and feature set.
It has a simple .2 mil reticle with .07 mil center dot in the SFP and mils are correct at 12x.
12x on the mag ring is labeled in red.
SFP so the reticle is full sized.
Focuses close for airguns and rimfires.
Windage knob locks.
Zero stop.
Not heavy or long.
Have a nice day.