Rifle Scopes Sig vs Vortex vs Athlon

[Jhappe]

Hi folks! New to the forum and new to halfway decent optics. I have hunted with a no name scope for years but with a new rifle and longer shots Id like to get something a bit nicer.I have been shopping for a long range hunting scope for awhile now and have narrowed it down to 3 choices based off of price/performance(from what ive read). I am setting up on a Browning X-Bolt 300 Win Mag for hunting(1k yd shots) in KY. Any feedback would be much appreciated. The scopes Ive narrowed down to are below but still open to other suggestions. Light retention in those last 15 minutes before dark is important. 2k is about my limit though. Thank you!

Sig Saur Tango 6 5-30 X56 - for around $2000
Vortex Razor HD Gen II 4.5-27 X56 - around $2000
Athlon Cronus btr 4.5-29 X 56- around $1500
Athlon Ares ETR 4.5-30 x 56 - around $1100

Also, if someone knows of better prices please point me in the right direction!

 

[M77]

out of those mentioned , the Razor 2 is the best from the bunch .
the only con i can say is its pretty heavy . i have 2 of them

 

[Jhappe]

Really over the Sig? Have you checked them out before?

 

[aard3]

I think the Sig and Razor are roughly equivalent, probably more personal preference than anything. I'm brand loyal to vortex for optics for their great support. Vortex may have better resell value in the future if you decide to sell it.

I haven't personally handled the Athlon, so I can't comment.

 

[Luvman]

I am setting up on a Browning X-Bolt 300 Win Mag for hunting(1k yd shots) in KY

I gotta know where in Ky can you hunt to 1K?

If you’re close I have a 3-18 Razor you can check out.

 

[Long Range 338]

I’ve got a couple of the Sigs and they are great. I like them better than the Vortex but they are practically equal. You can totally justify one over the other for personal preference.

 

[LeftyJason]

You can get a little cheaper here in the optics forum. Razor for $1800 or so.

 

[Jhappe]

I gotta know where in Ky can you hunt to 1K?

If you’re close I have a 3-18 Razor you can check out.

I live in Ga but my buddy moved up to temple hill several years back and we just put a club together. With those corn and soybean fields everywhere you’ll find 1000 yd shot. Am I going to take it? Probably not ? but down the road once I get comfortable/proficient id like to be able to.

Thanks for the feedback thus far, I appreciate it. I am curious to hear from some folks on the Athlons though...

 

[Poorboyr]

All those scopes are pretty much the exact same. All made by low in Japan except for the Ares. Personally, I think they are all too heavy to hunt with. Just my 2 cents.

The glass in all four are pretty equal. Just comes down to what you like.

I know it wasnt one of your choices, but look at the leupold vx5hd.

 

[justme]

I was in the same boat a while back.
after I had a chance to put an eye on them in person I went with the Cronus BTR
No Regrets, Looking at buying another

 

[Jhappe]

All those scopes are pretty much the exact same. All made by low in Japan except for the Ares. Personally, I think they are all too heavy to hunt with. Just my 2 cents.

The glass in all four are pretty equal. Just comes down to what you like.

I know it wasnt one of your choices, but look at the leupold vx5hd.

Is the Leupold FFP?

 

[Poorboyr]

It is a second focal plane scope.

 

[lawofsavage]

I would decide if you are going to ever use this scope for comps or if it will be a hunting use only scope. At least for me, that’s how I would decide what features I wanted in that price range.

I’ve used a G2 Razor on a lighter hunting rifle before and it was annoying to me how top heavy it was. Nothing you can’t easily deal with but still an annoyance to me in that it doesn’t make for a rifle that handles well if I’m not in a situation where I’m having to make a scope designed for comps on a hunting rifle.

 

[Jhappe]

I would decide if you are going to ever use this scope for comps or if it will be a hunting use only scope. At least for me, that’s how I would decide what features I wanted in that price range.

I’ve used a G2 Razor on a lighter hunting rifle before and it was annoying to me how top heavy it was. Nothing you can’t easily deal with but still an annoyance to me in that it doesn’t make for a rifle that handles well if I’m not in a situation where I’m having to make a scope designed for comps on a hunting rifle.

Thanks for the feedback. What scope would you suggest that falls in the same power/clarity but is lighter? It will be mostly for hunting but I’d like to keep my application options open??

 

[LeftyJason]

Thanks for the feedback. What scope would you suggest that falls in the same power/clarity but is lighter? It will be mostly for hunting but I’d like to keep my application options open??

Liberty optics recently had a short sale this week that looked like they had new razor 2's and vortex amg for the same price as used razor 2's. I've heard that the amg is just as good if not better in some ways than the razor 2 and much lighter.

Follow this thread. https://www.snipershide.com/shootin...ys-been-a-great-match-flash-sale-now.6880237/
You can get better pricing from a lot of hide vendors if you call because they have hide pricing. I haven't bought anything from hide vendors (yet) and I'm not connected to them in any way.

 

[BigJohn141]

Thanks for the feedback. What scope would you suggest that falls in the same power/clarity but is lighter? It will be mostly for hunting but I’d like to keep my application options open??

Check out a Vortex Razor HD AMG 6-24x50. Same quality glass as the gen 2 (if not a little better depending on who you ask) but coming in a lot lighter. They can be found all day lightly used for $2000.

 

[lawofsavage]

Thanks for the feedback. What scope would you suggest that falls in the same power/clarity but is lighter? It will be mostly for hunting but I’d like to keep my application options open??

Honestly, I think this category is sort of a hole in the market, for a guy that wants a relatively light weight, ffp, illuminated, locking turrets, mil/mil, reliable, good tracking “long range” hunting optic.

Personally, what I ended up on was a Leupold VX6HD 3-18 with illuminated Impact 29 reticle 171569 at 19 ounces.

Most of my hunting is in the southeast where I live and my land is mostly timber land with some around 1 acre food plots here and there so Most of my shots are pretty close except for narrow lanes I’ve been working on cutting which can get out to be about 400 Yards.

I would prefer something ffp because sometimes the deer just walk across the lanes I’ve cut without stopping like if it’s in the rut and they are chasing. In that type of situation or if they just stop for a few seconds to check out if there’s any doe in the field, you’d need to be pretty fast.
Tbh, I would prefer a FFP scope because the reticle works the same at all magnifications Versus a sfp where the reticle is calibrated for a specific magnification. It really doesn’t slow you down that much though if you work with it a little bit because everything would be doubled at 9x and that’s not a bad power for a shot under 500 yards and still have an okay fov.

It sounds like you are in a situation where you have more time than I do which also means the weight isn’t as big of a deal either because you can take your time to make sure everything is comfortable and the way the rifle handles isn’t as important.

Everybody’s situation is a little different as far as how they are hunting but I do wish there was a solid 3-18 or 4-24 mil, Ffp scope with illumination under 20 ounces.

 

[lawofsavage]

Also, and more on topic?, I have had a Razor 2 4.5-27 and a Tango 6 4-24 and thought they were both great optics. I liked the turrets and “eye box” a little better in the razor but the reticle and leveling feature better in the Sig. Never had any problems with either.

 

[Lionsbreath]

Consider a Vortex AMG, my brother-in-law just set an elk rig up with one, he loves it, plus it’s considerably lighter than a Vortex Razor Gen 2

 

[IanHusaberg]

Vortex AMG.

 

[Raptorman2014]

Vortex AMG

Lighter and vortex warranty