While chatting at their booth at SHOT Show, I asked my buddy Matt at Athlon what his favorite new product was and he surprised me by showing me a Talos 10×42 scope. This fixed power scope is old school without illumination. But has thoroughly modern precision MIL reticle.
The turrets are surprisingly good for an “entry level” scope. Loud clicks and very tactile positive. The elevation has an updated version of Athlon rock solid zero-stop locking ring.
The advantage to a fixed power is that all things being equal has less glass elements and internal gearing than a variable power optic. This translates to less weight and in theory better light transmission, durability, and sharpness. At the range I was able see my targets as clearly as higher power scopes albeit with less detail due to the lower magnification.
For fixed bench competitions at 100yrd, 50yrd rifle or 30yrd air gun having a fixed power scope is not a negative as the target distance doesn’t change. For reliability the adage K.I.S.S. (Keep it Simple Stupid) is an explanation for why having a dependable and capable scope like this Talos has its advantages.
MAGNIFICATION: 10x OBJ. LENS : 42 mm TUBE: 30 mm EYE RELIEF: 3.6″ FOV @ 100 YDS: 11.5 ft PARALLAX: 10 yrds–Infinity CLICK VALUE: 0.1 MIL ADJ PER ROTATION: 6 MIL MAX ELEV ADJ: 35 MIL MAX WIND ADJ: 35 MIIL LENGTH: 13.3″ WEIGHT: 24.6 oz
Win an Athlon Talos 20-60×80 spotting scope with OSS lens cap, provided by OSS. Entries must be received no later than 12pm EST on June 22, 2024. Buy your own OSS lens cap on Etsy.
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Athlon scopes are some of the best values in sporting optics. But they make more than optics. Athlon make some of the most robust carbon fiber shooting tripods. But it wasn’t until this year that they’ve made their first heavy duty shooting saddle mount.
This mount is made of a solid block of aluminum for strength but with numerous lightening cuts to reduce its weight whilst retaining clamping strength. The clamp has a built in ARCA/SWISS compatible base, with both 1/4″ and 3/8″ screw mounts for direct attachments to photo tripods.
The walls of the clamp are slightly canted inwards to better seat traditional hunting rifle handguards. The walls of the clamp are covered in textured rubber padding to provide grip and protect wood from marring even under heavy recoil.
One of the new products that Athlon had at their SHOT Show booth this year was their new generation of Pro UHD binoculars. They had upgraded the body design and features of the 8x, 10x, and 12x hunting binoculars and I was excited when they offered to send me a pair to test out.
I got the 12×50 Midas G2 Pro UHDs with the new TBR reticle. The PRO model has an etched MIL reticle in a rotating bezel in the right tube. It provides a clean and unobtrusive reticle, ideal for long range shooting corrections and ranging. The Gen 2 update features black rubberized armor over a light-weight magnesium body and most importantly, with ED glass.
ED glass reduces chromatic aberration. In field testing, I could not see any purple fringe even when looking at wires or flag poles at the outer edge of the optics field of view. The image overall was bright, balanced, sharp and clear. They produced some of the clearest images I’ve tested from a 12x binocular under $500.
While many optics come to SHOT Show to show off the latest and trendiest, it’s surprising to see a brand bring out a traditional product. Athlon showed me their new fixed power Talos SFP. That’s right, a fixed power scope. This Talos has a fixed 10x magnification.
What is impressive is that this scope has 35mils (120 MOA) of internal adjustment. So this scope is perfect for airgun or competitive bench rest shooters who are shooting at fixed targets at known ranges. Moreover, coming from Athlon’s Talos line, this optic is also one of their most affordable.
Athlon has revamped their Midas binoculars and Cronus spotting scope. These are Athlon Optics top tier field scope models. Their binoculars have been updated with a bevy of ergonomic and usability enhancements including a redesigned diopter for better functionality.
Their flagship optic, the Cronus spotting scope now features a tandem fast and fine focus dials instead of the single barrel focus ring. I tested a Cronus tactical spotting scope earlier this year and it was a super clean and bright. This high magnification model promises to be every bit as sharp.
Midas binoculars are available on Amazon through this affiliate link: https://amzn.to/49zuSyC
Cronus G2 spotter is available on Amazon through this affiliate link: https://amzn.to/48t5mtI
After my review of the Athlon Range Finder Binoculars, Athlon asked me to test out their new Gen 2 Cronus Tactical spotting scope. Its a straight line 7-42x60mm optic. While other traditional spotters offer higher magnification, Athlon engineers chose 7-42x for a wide field of view and not sacrifice sharpness and brightness.
It has a ruggedized and rubberized body to withstand impacts and bumps under combat-like conditions. For additional protection, it comes with a neoprene sleeve for the body and leashed neoprene lens caps. It comes with a set of thin rubber lens caps but these are for tranport and storage, not for field use.
The magnification ring has a rubberized surface for good traction but was a bit stiff to turn; as is the focus ring next to it. A stiffer focus ring is good so as not to lose sharpness once set. But having a stiff to turn magnification ring is a hinderance for a tactical or competition spotter that has to switch between targets at different ranges for a shooter. It would be helpful Athlon designed the magnification ring to accept a throw lever.
One unusual feature found on the bottom of the scope tube, are twin photo screw mounting holes. You can use either screw ports to screw the scope onto a tripod or mounting plate. It comes with a ARCA/Swiss adapter plate with unique twin screws that fit into both holes in tandem. This twin screw design makes it impossible to twist the scope out of of alignment.
What makes this spotter “tactical”? On the scope tube is a Picatinny rail to add a red dot to quickly aim the scope and 2 additional hard points to add additional rails. You may need to add a riser to clear the bell; the include Picatinny rail is a bit thicker/taller than standard for this reason.
The most tactical aspect of this scope is a first focal plane reticle. Its etched MRAD subtensions are designed to help spotters call out distances between objects, reference points, or bullet splashes. The reticle is quite fine and at its low magnification is hardly visible and won’t obscure your view but at 20x and above the reticle grows to provide a T-style cross hairs.
At high magnification a set of 8 numbered vertical lines of various heights are visible below the cross hair reticle. This is the Cronus quick range estimator that is calibrated to a 72″ tall individual. By using the guidelines to measure the distance between the top of the subject’s shoulders and head, you can quickly estimate the targets distance. I was able to confirm its relative accuracy using a hiker on a hillside 1300-1400yrds away.
At +1000yrds the image picture was very sharp for a 42x scope. Glassing reference targets at 100yrds I could clearly see .22cal holes on paper but more importantly I could see the wrinkles on the paper. At 42x I was able to resolve all the way down to Element 1 in Group 1 on the USAF-51 optical resolution chart; the finest detail of any spotting scope I’ve tested.
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Cronus is Arthlon Optics top tier product line and as such, command top-tier pricing. Their new Cronus 10×50 laser range finder binoculars have a street price around $1000. At that price range, I wouldn’t normally have reason to come across one but thankfully Athlon sent me a pair to test and evaluate.
These binoculars feature ED UHD glass which reduce or eliminate chromatic aberration and deliver bright, sharp, detailed images at 10x. I own a 25x Celestron Skymasters which I was thought was a pretty darn good pair of binoculars. But when compared to the image quality to the Cronus…it’s like being impressed with the image of a 720p 50″ flatscreen TV and then seeing a 80″ 4K TV; it will ruin you for anything less.
The image is bright, detailed, and sharp. At 50y I was able to make it resolution lines down to Element 4 in Group -1. on the USAF 1951 optical resolution chart. Its field of view is 338ft @ 1000y, which is average to middling in high end binoculars. For comparison, my Skymaster only has a field of view of 141ft.
The Cronus has a greenish plastic/rubberized, knurled body for added grip in cold or wet conditions. It features retained front lens caps with the Athlon logo and integrated telescoping eye-cups. The buttery smooth, focus knob is oversized to provide finer adjustments.
Its internal laser rang finder is powered by a CR2 battery housed in the pivot point between the scope tubes. Unfortunately the battery cap is located where I would normally expect to find the tripod adapter threads. Alas, if you want to attach this 2.3lb optic to a stable tripod, you’ll have to use a strap or clamp style mount.
The laser range finder is controlled by two buttons molded onto the top of the each half of the binocular. The digital display is visible through the right binocular eyepiece and appears similar to golf range finders with angle detection and even includes a golf flag mode! But both ocular lenses must be uncapped in order for the laser to beam and detect targets.
Athlon states that the Cronus has a maximum detection range of 2000y on a reflective object and 800y on deer. These numbers are under controlled and ideal testing conditions. In my “real world” testing on a city hillside, the maximum distance I was able to bounce off was a window on a house 1414y away. On a non-reflective rock, I was able to range out to 680y. While short of its maximum, these numbers are sill impressive for everyday use.
While the Crono’s performance is impressive, the reality of its price is still daunting. The typical hunter or even long range shooter would be able to get away with a cheap 1000y golf laser range finder and a 60mm spotting scope and be able to accomplish the same goals. But for those the means and budget to purchase a Cronus, the simpler one piece solution is worth the price.
Magnification:10 x Objective Lens: 50 mm Eye Relief: 19.3 mm Field of View: 338 ft @ 1000 y Weight: 38oz Length: 7 in Close Focus: 6.6 ft Exit Pupil: 5 mm Water Proof: IPX-7 Glass: UHD, ED Coating: Fully Multi-Coated Range Finder: Laser Max Range: 2000 y Range Deer: 800 y Warranty: Lifetime
At Shot Show this year, Athlon showed me their new Heras line of “cross-over” scopes. These scopes were designed to appeal to hunters and target shooters. The 10 yrds minimum parallax piqued my interest (for airgun matches and dispatching the occasional field rat in my backyard this distance comes in handy). A few months later, they finally released the Heras and they offered to send me one to test and evaluate. Seeing as they market this scope to hunters, I requested the MOA version but they also make it in MIL.
I didn’t fully appreciate the differences between this and my Midas Tac until I got it in my hands and took it to the range. The glass isn’t as good as the Midas Tac (not surprising given the Hera’s 25% lower price point). I appreciate that Athlon listened to complaints and added illumination that the Midas Tac is missing. But the only thing lit is the center dot, which isn’t daylight bright at max. Moreover the dot is too small to even see at low magnfication, so the the illumination feature is a wasted effort.
The Heras’ turret design differs from Athlon’s other scope line with much more data information, larger footprint, and aggressive knurling. It’s a marked improvement over the Midas and Helos in design and ergonomics. The elevation has a respectable if unremarkable 70 MOA of elevation adjustment.
The windage is lockable (pull up to unlock) which is a nod to hunters who prefer to use subtension for cross-wind compensation. Both turrets are resettable for zero. The elevation turret features Athlon’s easy-to-use and solid zero-stop, for competition shooters.
The illumination dial has an OFF between the 6 levels of brightness. Unfortunately in the MOA SFP version of this scope, only the tiny central dot (0.3 MOA) is illuminated; which is not daylilght bright and too small to use as a target dot at low magnfication. The MIL SFP version of this scope has the APRS8 reticle which illuminates the center cross which offers a more visible illuminated reference. The FFP version of the HERAS has APRS9 reticle which illuminates the entire Christmas tree.
One feature I appreciate in the HERAS is its usability at short range. The paralax focus goes down to 10 yrds., which is a boon for NRL22 and airgun shooters. When doing rodent control on your property, its rare to find varmints beyond 10 yrds.
I found the optics to be on par with Helos, which it likely shares its glass as well as price tier in Athlon’s lineup. The image was sharp with a modest amount of chromatic fringing at maximum magnification which hampers its clarity and detail at higher magnifications. I was still able to make out .22 cal size holes on plain paper at 100 yrds. Overall the scope seems to check all the boxes for both hunters and long range shooters.
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Athlon updated their line of pistol red dots offering a selection of larger diameter reticles for faster aiming. These scopes have RMS compatible mounting bases and come with motion activation, and all with 50,000hrs of runtime with fresh lithium coin batteries.
