Athlon Optics is a relatively new name in the optics market. Especially when compared with more experienced and renowned players like Vortex, Leupold, and others. Nonetheless, they have built a solid reputation for themselves and offer a great line of scopes for casual and professional users.
Here we’ll be outlining the best scopes from their line and reviewing them to understand their points of excellence and drawback.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks for Athlon Scope
- OUR TOP PICK: Athlon Optics Talos 6-24x50 Side Focus
- BEST BUDGET OPTION: Athlon Optics Midas TAC 6-24x50
- HONORABLE MENTION: Athlon Optics BTR 6-24×50 Direct Dial
Comparison of the Best Athlon Scopes
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Who is Athlon?
Athlon Optics is an American Company that sells sports optics and is mainly targeted towards firearm sports. The company is headquartered in Olathe, Kansas, and has been in operation for several years now. It is owned by Kevin Qu and gets most of its optics made in China to Athlon’s specifications. Except for their top of the line Cronus rifle scopes that are manufactured in Japan.
The company offers a comprehensive warranty on its optics. With its products covered from workmanship and material defects. Along with free repair or replacement for any damage caused by normal use over the life of the product. The warranty is transferable and doesn’t require any proof-of-sale.
Why Are Athlon Scopes So Popular?
The seemingly most convincing reason for the popularity of Athlon scopes is their high quality and optimal performance at a considerably lower price. They offer a mixed line of products ranging from low magnification scopes to high resolution FFP scopes.
Even though their products are made in China, which is often considered a synonym for lagging quality. Their scopes are actually overperforming for their price. Plus, the warranty that covers everything from defects to damage for the scope’s lifetime adds exceptional coverage for your purchase.
Review of the Best Athlon Scopes
To populate this section, we have handpicked the best scopes Athlon Optics has to offer. These are all long range rifle scopes with exceptional clarity and are suited for hunting or tactical performance.
Let’s review them one by one in detail.
Best Overall:
Athlon Optics Talos 6-24x50 Side Focus
Pros
Cons
Talos 6-24x50 Side Focus Specs
Type of Optic: Long Range Riflescope
Reticle Style: Illuminated BDC or Mil
Magnification Level: 6 - 24 x
Weight: 23 oz.
Objective Lens Diameter: 50 mm
Field of View: 16.8 - 4.5 ft at 100 yds
Best Uses For the Talos 6-24x50 Side Focus
The Athlon Talos is a 6-24x magnification scope that suits close and long range. The illuminated reticle offers BDC or mil-dot reticle options, and each of them has their own respective use. This scope is best for hunting deer and varmints. It will work well in low light conditions and offers ample brightness adjustments. It works great up to distances of 850 yards. But anything beyond that is pertinent.
Is the Talos 6-24x50 Side Focus Compatible With Any Rifle?
Users have mounted it on AR-style rifles, deer rifles, .22lr’s, and other medium calibers. The scope works well with calibers presenting a medium recoil. Mounting it on high caliber rifles is more of a gamble. The reticle is etched so it won’t warp. But you may or may not like the turrets and the edge-clarity at high magnifications.
What Do I Need to Know About Mounting the Talos 6-24x50 Side Focus?
The Talos 6-24x has a length of 13.9 inches and weighs only 23 ounces. You can use medium or high scope mounts depending upon the design of your rifle. The mounting procedure is exactly the same as any other riflescope. The eye relief fluctuates between 3 to 3.11 inches. Either of which isn’t enough. So make sure you position the scope properly.
Best for the Money:
Athlon Optics Midas TAC 6-24x50
Pros
Cons
Midas TAC 6-24x50 Specs
Type of Optic: Long Range Riflescope
Reticle Style: MOA or Mil-Rad
Magnification Level: 6-24x
Weight: 26.3 oz.
Objective Lens Diameter: 50 mm
Field of View: 17.8 - 4.6 ft at 100 yds
Best Uses For the Midas TAC 6-24x50
This Midas TAC scope is best suited for target practice and hunting. It also works for more precise applications such as casual competitive shooting and sniping classes. The scope doesn’t have an illuminated reticle which limits the low light usage. However, it is an absolutely terrific scope for daytime use. It has an FFP reticle with fine trajectory estimating dots to help with long range precision, without dialing the turrets.
Is the Midas TAC 6-24x50 Compatible With Any Rifle?
The scope is compatible with all rifles and works best with tactical sporting rifles. The Midas TAC offers high magnification along with a ranging reticle to support a long range and quick trajectory adjustments. The reticle is non-illuminated and will not suit rifles used for night hunting.
What Do I Need to Know About Mounting the Midas TAC 6-24x50?
The Midas TAC has a 50mm objective lens and will need medium or high rise mounts. The scope does not come with any lens covers so you may opt for a pair you like. Butler Creek #40 (objective) and #18 (eyepiece) lens cover work best for this scope. The scope is not night vision compatible and will have to be used alone.
The eye relief is good but not great. Plus, the scope is ipx7 waterproof and can withstand being submerged in shallow water.
3. Athlon Optics BTR 6-24×50 Direct Dial
Pros
Cons
BTR 6-24×50 Direct Dial Specs
Type of Optic: Long Range Riflescope
Reticle Style: Illuminated Mil/MOA reticle
Magnification Level: 6 - 24 x
Weight: 29.6 oz.
Objective Lens Diameter: 50 mm
Field of View: 16.7 - 4.5 ft at 100 yds
Best Uses For the BTR 6-24×50 Direct Dial
The Athlon BTR is also a long range riflescope with an illuminated reticle to support low light shooting. This scope is best suited for low light hunting and varminting. Due to its finely designed and FFP reticle. Which allows quick trajectory estimations at any magnification.
The scope will also work well for target practice, learning, and other basic long range use. However, this is not a scope designed for competitive shooting.
Is the BTR 6-24×50 Direct Dial Compatible With Any Rifle?
The scope will work with all rifles that can accommodate it. Whether semi-auto or bolt action. It will work exclusively well with hunting and varmint rifles. The eye relief is a bit less, so mind its use with heavy caliber rifles.
What Do I Need to Know About Mounting the BTR 6-24×50 Direct Dial?
The BTR weighs close to 30 ounces or 1.9 pounds. That’s quite some weight on your rifle. So make sure your rifle can handle that kind of weight and also has a bipod installed. Sometimes the turrets may have too much grease in them right out of the box. Which may result in inaudible or even mushy settings. Clean the grease with a q-tip or rag and the turrets will sound just fine.
4. Athlon Optics Talos 4-16x40 Side Focus
Pros
Cons
Talos 4-16x40 Side Focus Specs
Type of Optic: Short to Medium Range Riflescope
Reticle Style: BDC / Mil-dot
Magnification Level: 4 - 16 x
Weight: 19.1 oz.
Objective Lens Diameter: 40 mm
Field of View: 24.1 - 6.28 ft at 100 yds
Best Uses For the Talos 4-16x40 Side Focus
Being a 4-16x scope, this optic is suitable for short to medium range use. If you opt for the illuminated reticle, the horizon for use will expand to low light shooting. If not, the scope will work well for the daytime hunting of animals like deer, prairie dogs, elk, hogs, and varmints. This is a scope for the average casual shooter. Other best applications include practice and plinking.
Is the Talos 4-16x40 Side Focus Compatible With Any Rifle?
The scope has a compact and lightweight design. Making it suitable for short as well as big rifles. You can mount it on .22lr’s (if they justify the range) and all the way up to .450. The eye relief is a bit scarce at high magnification, so look out for that.
What Do I Need to Know About Mounting the Talos 4-16x40 Side Focus?
Mounting this scope is simpler and relatively easy than the aforementioned models. The objective bell is not that big and will suffice with medium mounts. However, that also depends upon your rifle. The scope comes with a detailed instruction manual that’ll guide you about the mounting, zeroing, boresighting, and maintenance procedures.
5. Athlon Optics Argos BTR 6-24x50mm
Pros
Cons
Argos BTR 6-24x50mm Specs
Type of Optic: Long Range Riflescope
Reticle Style: FFP APMR Mil
Magnification Level: 6 - 24 x
Weight: 15.87 oz.
Objective Lens Diameter: 50 mm
Field of View: 16.7 - 4.5 feet @ 100 yards
Best Uses For the Argos BTR 6-24x50mm
As is already evident from the specs of this scope. It is best suited for medium to long range hunting and bench rest shooting. The scope has the optical clarity to suit distances appropriate for hunting. Which isn’t much for ethical hunters. So the slight blurriness at high magnifications won’t be a problem.
Additionally, the scope has an illuminated and glass etched reticle with a big objective. Making it suitable for low light shooting.
Is the Argos BTR 6-24x50mm Compatible With Any Rifle?
Yes. The Argos BTR will work with most rifles and calibers including the AR-15. The scope is meant to be used by beginners and casual hunters. You shall not need it on high-end tactical sniper rifles since it has not been designed to match their precision capabilities.
What Do I Need to Know About Mounting the Argos BTR 6-24x50mm?
Mounting the scope is fairly easy. The manual has all the info you’ll need. The scope comes with a power throw lever which can be removed if not required. The reticle lines are too fine and may require some shooters to increase the brightness. The scope doesn’t have an auto-shutoff feature so remember to switch it off. Additionally, the reticle is glass etched so the scope will work without illumination.
Types of Scopes From Athlon
Athlon offers a wide range of optics that cover binoculars, red dots, rifle scopes, and rangefinders. Let’s take a look at these categories one by one:
Riflescopes
Athlon offers 7 major series for riflescopes. These include Cronus, Ares, Midas, Helios, Argos, Talos, and Neos. This order is descending in terms of price and quality. The Cronus is the best Athlon Optics has to offer. In fact, this is the only scope from them that’s manufactured in Japan. The Neos is the lowest priced scope from Athlon and suits beginners.
Red Dot Scopes
Athlon offers red dot sights, prism scopes, and magnifiers. While there aren’t many options to choose from in each subcategory. These are still very affordable and good quality red dot scopes to suit the average civilian market.
Spotting Scopes
Organized similar to their line of riflescopes. Athlon offers five spotting scopes divided into four categories. You’ll find the Cronus Tactical with UHD clarity at about $1200 and the Talos prim based spotting scope for about $300.
Rangefinders
You’ll find two categories of rangefinders from Athlon Optics. Talos and Midas. While the former is a budget option. The latter is more suitable for precision applications.
Athlon vs Vortex- Comparison Overview
Comparing these two presents us with stiff competition on some factors. Whereas on others, the Vortex is a clear winner. Let’s check out those factors one by one.
Manufacturing
Athlon Optics and Vortex as US-based companies. Almost all scopes from Athlon are manufactured in China under strict quality standards. Whereas Vortex scopes are manufactured in China, Japan, and the Philippines.
Affordability
Athlon Optics is a clear winner when it comes to affordability. Even with illuminated FFP reticle scopes. However, that doesn’t mean that Vortex scopes are always expensive. They just have their own class in terms of affordability and applications.
Quality
For the build quality of the exterior tube, Vortex is a notch above Athlon. For the quality of lenses, both these scopes are very closely comparable. However, Athlon offers a better deal due to the price of their scopes. Additionally, Vortex scopes offer a higher W/E travel adjustment range.
Warranty
Vortex and Athlon Optics are exactly the same in terms of the warranty. Both these companies offer a lifetime transferable warranty to repair or replace the product even with normal use. No receipts are required to prove ownership.
Offerings
Vortex is an older and highly renowned player in the optics market. Athlon still has a long way to go when compared with it. Both these companies offer riflescopes, red dots, rangefinders, binoculars, and other optic accessories. It is a difficult comparison to make if we consider the inclusions that come with your scope. Since each model from these companies has its own set of accessories included in the package.
Conclusion
Athlon is a relatively new company selling optics in the US market. It is an American company with almost all of its scopes made in China. However, their scopes are still top-notch in terms of quality. Offering you the best prices for tactically feasible scopes along with a comprehensive lifetime warranty.
Athlon Optics Talos 6-24x50 Side Focus
People Also Ask
Check out our FAQ section for some uncommon questions and their answers about Athlon rifle scopes.
What Does BTR Stand For on Athlon Scopes?
The BTR on Athlon scopes stands for Bright Tactical Reticle. Or in other terms, the term BTR when attached to an Athlon scope model’s name signifies that the reticle has been improved from the previous version.
Does Athlon Argos Have Zero Stop?
The Gen 2 Argos scope has a zero stop whereas the gen 1 Argos scopes lack one.
Are Athlon Scopes Any Good?
Yes. Athlon scopes deliver good quality and are very affordable. You can use some of their long range scopes for precision and tactical applications. Additionally, your purchase is covered by a lifetime warranty that includes damage against normal use.
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