Anybody ever deal with Athlon customer service?

[muleman69]

I've been running four of Athlon's top-of-the-line Cronus 4.5-29x56 mil scopes for a couple of years - three on 40X/XB & V-22 22RF repeaters in matches, and the fourth on a Bighorn 6 Dasher, also in competition. Before buying these scopes, I'd been shooting all my LR comps with Kahles K624i AMR scopes, which I still have on three other Bighorns. So, compared to the Kahles (which I consider to be excellent optically & mechanically), the Cronus scopes have softer, less distinct click/detents on the turrets, though I've never had an issue with getting the number of clicks I want/need. Tracking has been excellent with the Cronus scopes - have shot tall target & box tracking tests with the three on the 22s, and all performed perfectly. The zero stop is extremely simple to set, and works well.

Optically - well, I'd like to believe that the Kahles scopes are considerably better, since I paid quite a bit more for them. Don't get me wrong, I'm very pleased with what I see while shooting behind any of the Kahles scopes, and don't believe I'd trade them for any other high-end scope I've used, including S&B, NF Beast, Leupold Mk 8, Premier, etc. They're just that good, although some of the glass snobs over on Snipers Hide carp about the amount of chromatic aberration they see in Kahles' glass. Whatever amount of CA my scopes have, it's so minor that it's never bothered me, and in fact, I had to go looking for it in worst case scenarios - after reading some of the above mentioned opinions - before I was even aware of it. Whatever - the optical quality of the Cronus scopes is also very good - maybe not quite as good as the Kahles, but there again, I'm very proud & pleased with my Kahles, and so am not going to claim I'm completely objective in evaluating the optics of the Austrian scopes against the Cronus. I do believe that once you get into the $1800-$3000+ price range in today's scope market, any improvement in optical quality becomes incremental, with small, almost unnoticeable steps up in quality as price increases. At least, that's the way it appears to my 67yr old eyes - and my vision has certainly slipped quite a bit from when I turned 40 & needed my first pair of reading glasses. In a nutshell - the Cronus is an excellent scope in my experience.

I've also bought several of Athlon's Ares 30mm 6-24x50 BTR & newer 34mm ETR scopes, both ffp mil versions. The early BTRs have somewhat soft click/detents, although again, I've not had any issues getting the number of clicks I need, without having to look at the knobs while I'm adjusting. The optical quality isn't quite up to that of the Cronus, but for less than 1/2 of the price, I didn't expect it would be. It's certainly adequate for the shooting I've done out to 600yds on the custom rifles they're mounted on. The new Ares 4.5-30x56 ETR OTOH, has much more distinct & audible click detents, and optically, is very, very close to the quality of the Cronus.

I've just ordered one of the new Midas TAC 6-24x50 scopes to try out on a new V-22 22RF sporter that I'll be putting together in the next couple of weeks. These are also ffp scopes, in mil or moa versions; I went with mil, as that's practically all I shoot anymore. This line of scopes supposedly has the same HD glass as the Ares BTR, but don't have illumination, nor a tree reticle. Running any scope on a precision 22RF is an excellent way to find out how well they track, as the elevation knobs get a pretty good workout when shooting from 50 out to 300yds.

As far as Athlon's customer service goes, the only scope I've sent back was a Cronus in what they advertise as 'brown' color anodizing. I'd ordered it in for a customer, who didn't much care for the bright bronze-tone color, so we exchanged it for a matte black one, which took about two days, and cost us only the return shipping charge. The new Ares ETR's 'brown' color is a much more subdued tone, reminiscent of the tone Vortex used on their Gen 1 Razors. I have one on a custom M700 in 7-08 Improved 30* that's CeraKoted in McM tan, and I like the color of this scope much more than the brown Cronus.View attachment 1074220

How is your ETR working outwore you still pleased with it? Mine comes Tuesday ,I can't wait to try it out

 

[muleman69]

I received the scopes back on Friday and to my surprise they were both replaced with new ones? I don't mind that they replaced them but I wish I could have got a reason. I would really liked to have know there was an issue and replacement was the best option. I have one new scope mounted and going to the range soon to see how it does, hope they hold up as I really want to like this brand.

Are they the same Argos scopes or do you think they are updated

 

[Lefty Trigger]

Are they the same Argos scopes or do you think they are updated

I have been told that these scopes have been discontinued but I could find them on their web site still? I'm thinking these are an "updated" version, the numbers on the power ring are not the same and the turrets seem to "click" harder.

 

[muleman69]

I have been told that these scopes have been discontinued but I could find them on their web site still? I'm thinking these are an "updated" version, the numbers on the power ring are not the same and the turrets seem to "click" harder.

That's great, sounds like a good outfit to deal with, my ETR comes Tuesday can't wait. It's not a high dollar scope but from the reviews I have read it will hold it's own to my PST

 

[flatlander]

muleman -
I initially mounted the first ETR (brown model) on a 40XB repeater, which gave its elevation turret a good workout, since I shot it out to 300yds after zeroing it at 50yds. After a couple of weeks on the 22RF, I moved it over to a M700 in 7-08 Improved 30*, where it remains. I've had it out to 600yds several times while on the 7-08, and been very satisfied with it in that application. Now that we've finally finished our corn harvest, I'm really hoping for some decent weather so I can get out and do more shooting with a new V-22 & Athlon Cronus BTR, as well as more mid-range shooting at 600 with that 7-08.

 

[dgray]

Excellent had scope 30 minutes dropped on concrete bent elevation turret replaced before I shipped other scope back with nothing other than tracking # so I could make match that weekend

 

[Michaël T]

i bought an Athlon BTR 1-4.5 Helos scope and have been trying to get Kevin on the phone to make some changes to the reticle in order to make it more user friendly for the XTC shooters
so far i have tried three times and there's always an excuse and have left him messages which he has not returned as of today, does anyone know a good contact person that will listen to me or at least take my call?
so far i'm not convinced that they have customer service!

 

[Bamban]

i bought an Athlon BTR 1-4.5 Helos scope and have been trying to get Kevin on the phone to make some changes to the reticle in order to make it more user friendly for the XTC shooters
so far i have tried three times and there's always an excuse and have left him messages which he has not returned as of today, does anyone know a good contact person that will listen to me or at least take my call?
so far i'm not convinced that they have customer service!

Curiosity. What changes are you proposing to make it user friendly for XTC?

Are you part of this thread and another in the NM Forum?

http://www.usrifleteams.com/forums/...thlon-field-test/&tab=comments#comment-440638