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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 13,409
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 13,409 |
Doug, apparently I had replied to a "do not reply" email address. My bad. Thank you for responding on here. No worries,
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 4,638
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 4,638 |
OEM Barrett Fieldcrafts,with LOP reductions from issued 14.25" to 13.5"...ala THE stock Doc(Joe Ducos). Hint.
Subtle,but HUGE Utilitarian increase in ergo's. Radiused toe(s) too. Hint. I can’t believe everyone missed this easy jab.
I probably hit more elk with a pickup than you have with a rifle. I have yet to see anyone claim Leupold has never had to fix an optic. I know I have sent a few back. 2 MK 6s, a VX-6, and 3 VX-111s.
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,799
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,799 |
I remember back when Stick was touting Leupy’s…at least we’re past that BS
100% Public land DIY!
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,980
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,980 |
I remember back when Stick was touting Leupy’s…at least we’re past that BS So what are you touting, in fact what is your point?
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 7,722
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 7,722 |
I have changed my mind on different things over the past 10+ years too. Bust sticks balls all you wish I don’t care but pick something other than the Leupold stuff. 10-15 years ago I didn’t like Brussel sprouts now I love the way my wife fixes them. Some things change. Sometimes we change I guess.
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Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 1,390
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 1,390 |
Update after using both for a few months...the Athlon is a better hunting scope but the Sightron is much easier to use at the range and for busting rocks and for what I use scopes like this for, I'll probably end up putting these STAC FFP/MIL scopes on a bunch of rifles.
The Athlon reticle (as Stick has said many times) is an awesome practical reticle. The heavy part of the crosshair is about like an old Leupy *heavy* duplex...very thick and very visible in low light even without the illumination turned on.
The Sightron FFP MIL reticle is about like a Leupold regular duplex. Pretty solid out to the end of legal shooting light but getting closer to dark you will lose the reticle, basically like most hunting scopes. Note this still a much more visible reticle in low light than say a Bushy DMR 3-21.
In short...if you want a locking windage turret and a heavy duplex reticle with a heavy center dot...basically a big game hunting reticle...the Athlon is the clear winner. I have one living on one of my Whelens and I'm about to move a second one to a 338WM. The Athlon is also just a nice scope to get behind at 2x. Big FOV and not picky on head position. It's almost hilariously better in that regard than my NXS 2.5-10...if I had to take a shot in a hurry I'd pick the Athlon every time over my NXS 2.5-10, not to mention the reticle is much heavier and easier to use in low light.
Where the Athlon was less perfect was at the range. For shooting targets much smaller than 2moa, it sometimes got tough as the reticle feels like it subtends about 1.5 inches at 100 yards (Athlon says it's .3 mils).
Also, the ilium knob on both my Athlons are so stiff it mostly takes two hands to get them turned on without running the parallax to either infinity or to 10 yards. The reticle is heavy enough you don't always need the illumination but worth mentioning.
The Sightron illumination is pretty easy to turn on. You might bump the parallax knob but you won't run it completely out of focus. The Sightron has less erector travel but with 20 moa bases it'll get you past 1200 yards with most cartridges.
Sightron glass may be (to my eyes) marginally brighter at dusk, but that is mostly splitting hairs. At the same power at both dusk and full dark both scopes wer pretty similar to a several different VX-3's.
I'll keep the two Athlons but I will probably end up owning more of the S-TAC FFP/MIL scopes. They're quite a bit easier to use shooting steel and I only need 15 mil of travel for most of the shooting I do. The zero stop works well and if I need to take it hunting I'll pull the windage knob and tape a cap over it.
Regardless it's surreal to use a $500 scope (in either case) that has parallax adjustment, tracks perfectly, and has a very good reticle for its intended purpose.
Last edited by TX35W; 08/25/22.
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15,368 Likes: 13
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15,368 Likes: 13 |
Give the 4-20 Helos a try. I’ve both and prefer the 4-20 for the same reasons you mentioned, it’s reticle is a hair thinner I believe than the 2-12. For hunting, either or will do, but the 4-20 covers both pretty well for me.
Great review though. Thanks TX
Semper Fi
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,980
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,980 |
You are using the dot in the Athlon the wrong way Don’t dab it on the target, rather visualize the bullet hitting at 12 o’clock on the dot and use the top center of the dot as your aiming mark
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Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 1,390
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 1,390 |
Give the 4-20 Helos a try. I’ve both and prefer the 4-20 for the same reasons you mentioned, it’s reticle is a hair thinner I believe than the 2-12. For hunting, either or will do, but the 4-20 covers both pretty well for me.
Great review though. Thanks TX I'll give the 4-20 a shot.
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Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 1,390
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 1,390 |
You are using the dot in the Athlon the wrong way Don’t dab it on the target, rather visualize the bullet hitting at 12 o’clock on the dot and use the top center of the dot as your aiming mark That occurred to me, thanks, the first time I sent a round downrange. It's the only way to shoot for group with this or any other scope with a thick center aiming point or thick reticle (or with irons). But every other scope I own works just fine putting the crosshairs where I expect the bullet to impact. The Athlon is a great scope and I'll keep using them on the two rifles I've got them bolted on. At 2x in low light they are truly awesome which is not the case with any other FFP scope I can think of off the top of my head. But there seemed to be a general consensus that the Athlon was better in all ways for all purposes vs their equivalently priced competition, which was not the conclusion I came to. For dinging steel and busting rocks I prefer the Sightron. If someone needs the extra elevation and doesn't mind the thicker reticle, more power to them.
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 24,415 Likes: 19
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 24,415 Likes: 19 |
You are using the dot in the Athlon the wrong way Don’t dab it on the target, rather visualize the bullet hitting at 12 o’clock on the dot and use the top center of the dot as your aiming mark good advice . I unconsciously starting doing this on shots over 300 yards and dawned on me why my shooting improved with a dot
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 13,409
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 13,409 |
Just a heads up we have launched our Labor Day Sale
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 281
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 281 |
I bought two of the Athlon and one Sightron in question early this summer. I like the Athlon better, although one of mine eats batteries. That aside, I like the reticle and the locking turrets. The Sightron windage knob is way too easy to turn. I took the windage knob off and am grinding down a rubber leg cap to cover the mechanism. Still too much rubber as it interferes with ejection unless I tip the rifle to the right as I run the bolt. I like both reticles. I think the Athlon will be better for hunting in timber and I probably prefer the Sightron for plains hunting. I like the illumination of both. The glass is as good as I need for hunting.
Mike
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