Athlon Ares ETR better than NightForce NXS? - ETR Full Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ส.ค. 2024
- Could the Athlon Ares ETR be a better value for the money than the Nightforce NXS or the Vortex Razor HD2? In this video we will review the Ares ETR features and compare those features and cost to the Nightforce NXS and the Vortex RazorHD2 then we will take the scope to the range. Hope you enjoy!
Optic supplied by: thegundock
Featured Products:
Aero Precision M5 6.5 Creedmoor
Terminator T2 muzzle Brake
Athlon Aers 4.5-30x56 FFP MOA Scope model 212101
Seekins 1.45 AR Height Rings
Timney Calvin Elite AR Trigger
Vortex Bubble Level
MK Machining throw lever
Butler Creek scope caps
UTG Recon Bi-pod
Facebook: @TacticalTuner
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Host: Jason Brackney
I like the box test, but I usually will fire a 4-5 round group when I do it. Good review. ETA: Just heard to low ammo comment. Watching the round on the 600 yd shot was pretty cool.
Robert Salmon - I hear ya in the group count, I was just trying to keep then video as short as possible. I’m glad you like the video. I keep trying to get better at showing products but still learning the hole video production thing. I know firearms but it is amazing how hard it is it actually put it into a 5 to 15min video that looks good. Thanks so much for watching bud!
Very nice review. I've been impressed with the Athlon line and how you seem to get more for your money with them. I almost got this scope not too long ago, but I ended up getting a really good deal from a guy who barely shot his Athlon Cronus. Got it for $1,000 basically new and I also picked up a Vortex Razor Gen II for 1,200 new, never been mounted. I've also got 2 Midas Tac 6-24x50's that I just love. Nice quality scopes.
Great review! Subscribed!
I just bought an Athlon Ares ETR 4.5-30×56.
It is as good as I can shoot.
Ole super scope snob TiborasaurasRex turned me on to it.I was going to by Nikon Black FX 1000 6-24×50. However I am a huge Vortex fan.
I'm pitting the Athlon up against my Kahles.And so far Its just as good.
I'm so glad I bought the Athlon Ares ETR.
GREAT VIDEO...Good info too.
Thanks
That’s great man, I’m glad your happy with it! Thanks for watching!
trey orr: If I could ask you a couple of quick questions: I'm putting a gun together to "start" PRS matches and have been talking with one of the Pro shooters in state club here and he's big time trying to steer me away from the Athlon in favor of the Vortex Razor Gen 2. He's sayin the glass will disappoint me. The problem is I'm from Kansas an the shop I work in is giving me a ridiculous price; especially in light of the Razor's price tag even with my discount. I'm retired and doing Okay financially and will probably build a custom gun if I like the match shooting. Am I off? Is this guy got a little bias going on do you think? I mean, I don't know anything about Nikon's stuff, but your other statements are pretty strong. I know Vortex cause we are dealers but that's it, and I know that Kahles are expensive. If I could get your thoughts that would be great. Thanks.
Kansas only matters because their shop is only 2 hours away from my house. And to be clear he's talking like the Athlon glass doesn't compare with the Razors. What bothers me a little is that he said, "It's what we are all shooting here". And being from Kansas and old, I very familiar with a saying we have: "Are you just buyin green paint"? Referring to paying John Deer's higher prices because of the Name "John Deer".
"And"! Both scopes come from Japan? LOL
@@1stmardivgrunt314 my Son has a Vortex Razor HD AMG 6-24x50 and its as good as any I ever looked through. But it was about $2,500. I think. As long as you buy a scope made in Japan you can go..They make the best glass out there.As good as any European Glass in my opinion.You can buy a really great scope fore under $1500. and never be disappointed
I have two SWFA SS scopes.One is 3-15x42 and the other is SWFA 5-25x50..I got them at a pawn shop pretty cheap and they are real good...I had never ever heard of them 2 years ago.Actually I thought they were cheap for some reason until I researched them prior to buying both of them. Ive hunted all my life..Grew up a little poor at 1st.My Dad was a young lawyer starting out.He didnt pinch money on guns.But didnt know much about scoipes.So I didnt either..I use to think Redfield and Weaver were really good scopes growing up...Its all I had and killed many a deer with it.LOL You can get a good Vortex for right at or under a Grands I think..But buy as good as you can afford..Dont pinch pennies on the Optics is my advice..But the best you can afford.You wont be sorry later.I hope I helped you and didnt confused you more..Good Luck..Let me know what you buyt.
How about a ladder test for tracking?
Ya that would have been good to include. A box test should show that for the most part. but we may also include a latter test on our next scope review. Thanks for the suggestion and for watching.
Since when does the ETR have a center crosshair? It is supposed to have a center dot.
There are 2 reticles available. The APRS1 has a floating dot, whereas the APLR2 has a floating center crosshair.
Also the crosshair reticle is moa, floating dot is mil
I
Looking for 1 in moa..want 4 hunting and long range is the crosshairs dark enough for hunting
Love my ares etr
what bag are using in front of your bipod in this video?
Went to Thegundock to purchase the a sunshade for the Ares ETR, all I saw was one for the Cronos, Helos and the Argos.
Ya I am not sure they sell the sun shade. I got the scope from them but I got my sun shade at B&H. Here is a link.
www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1411501-REG/athlon_optics_212100s_sunshade_for_ares_etr.html
I’ll talk with thegundock about selling the sun shades? Did you see the price they got that ETR at?
Blueline optics has the sun shades
There is no parallax setting on the 1x10
Which would you choose of this scope or an Delta Oticals Javelin 4,5-30x56?
They are basically the same scope made in the same Chinese factory. But the Athlom if you live in the USA or Canada you get a lifetime warranty for Athlon scopes vs only 10 years warranty that is non transferable for the Delta Optics scopes. If you live outside the USA or Canada you're probably better off buying the Delta.
Does it blurr at 30x,and is it clearer than the vortex pst gen 2
Starts to blurr at 18/20
The ETR I looked through at maximum 30x magnification sure looked pretty clear to me. Panther Hollow did scope cam video comparisons at maximum magnification among the Ares ETR and several different brands of scopes.
It is also clearer than the Vortex Viper PST gen 2.
Man, I'm torn between the Ares ETR 3-18 and the SHV 4-14. This video was great, didn't help me one bit 😒
The Nightforce is the better scope and it's made in Japan vs China for the Ares ETR.
Tried the link you offer for this scope & got an error = "410 Gone
The tracking link you were trying to follow has gone away...."
Sorry bud, youtube is told me to remove the links. I am working on our website we’re we will be posting all of our video links. For now just go to “thegundock” and search for Athlon ETR. They just created a coupon for us but not sure yet what it will give ya. Use promo code “ tacticaltuner” you should get a discount or free shipping. They did say it was an active code. Hope this helps
ya youtube made us pull out links. if you got to our website "tacticaltuner.com" we have purchase links to all of the products we have reviewed. Thanks for watching.
Does it have better glass than the pst gen 2
Ya I was say it is either as good or better. The 56mm objective definitely allowed more light in and makes it either to see your target.
Athlon Area ETR or Riton RT-S 7 4-32x56 IR? both same prices range.
I have not gotten chance to try the Riton yet. I have heard good things about them. Spec looks equal to the ETR, looks like the have a good Warranty so. You will just have to pic one and give it a shot. Let me know how you like the Riton if you go with it.
arif khan in my opinion. Ares ETR.
I'd stay away from Riton brand including their Japan made 7 series scopes that simply may not be reliable. Riton has also been known to screw over their own customers when it came to warranty time too. Good luck with that.
Inert gas, not inertia gas. As in stable and nonreactive
TacticalTuner what brand of bipod is that? ATLAS???
trey orr UTG Recon
@@domokun6157 Thank you.
Is it a real good one?
trey orr If you’re on a budget and average shooter I guess UTG is fine. But I suggest you don’t waste money and go for BT Atlas or Accu-Tac.
Oh and one more thing. Your vendor for the ETR is not the cheapest spot to get it. I can get it (not even on sale, just normal price) for under 1100.00 from my Athlon dealer.
He was but Athlon come down on him for selling so cheap. They threatened to not sell to him if he continued so he had to raise his prices.
@@tacticaltuner4217 you should review the new Athlon precision rings that just came out. Not sure who makes them for Athlon but are supposedly American made. I just ordered some myself for my new Cronus.
Blue line optics had the best prices. They closed during and after Covid but the ETR 4.5-30x56 could be bought for $850.
Where’s that gun range located?
KerbyFab - Wright city Missouri , 200 yd to 1000yd
TacticalTuner Thank you sir. Looks like a fantastic facility.
How do you shoot that so far to the rear?
My Dad is a smaller guy and the stock is a little long for him. He get the best eye relief with it mounted a little further back.
Cool. Thank you.
sp192x the PRS stock has too long of a LOP for a lot of people but they still use it and have to put the optic back on the rail to get the eye relief needed.
You seem so credible until you ran out of ammo.... I may be a rookie but you???!! LOL. Thank you for the review. Enjoyed your video. Thanks for putting in the time.
Obviously you have never tried to make a TH-cam video as a part time job all by yourself. I had the ammo, however when going to the range to record you have to remember about 100 things between video, sound, lighting equipment plus guns, ammo, Tripods and spotting scopes. If you only have a few hours on the weekend to produce a video on your own to we’re everyone isnt picking it apart it can become very difficult on your own. Everything is out of my pocket in cost and I still have not made any money doing this. So I hope your enjoyed this complete free video. As far as credible! How many time have you shot out past 2,000 yrds on a 22x22 in Target successfully.
TacticalTuner! You are greatly appreciated. Maybe I didn’t find the right way to say it was funny when you ran out of ammo. It was just funny and that’s all. Come one you know it was. Well maybe not at the time. You don’t need to explain everything that you need to carry or try to remember. The fact that you woke up and said.... I’m going to do a video.... is enough for me! So again, thank you!!!!! 👍🏽
To answer your question. I’ve shot thousands upon thousands of rounds and ZERO TIMES have I hit anything at 2000 yards! LOL.
Thirdly, you remembered the most important thing man. Your DAD and SHOOTER. I think that’s beautiful.
Hieu Ha - great response bud! Thanks for being a classy guy and thanks for watching! Ya it sucked forgetting a box of ammo, I could have kick my own ass. But again thanks for being a fellow respectful gun guy!
For an additional $400 the Cronus is Japanese glass compared to Chinese, and for $400 LESS the Midas Tac is the exact same scope without the illuminated reticle.
I LOVE ATHLON (I just upgraded from the Midas to the Cronus) but I think this Eres is one Athlon scope NOT to buy (unless you NEED illuminated reticle) otherwise I'd save a few bucks and go for the Midas or spend more for the Cronus.
**The Eres is the homerun as far as the spotting scope though
I'd LOVE to see Athlon come out with a $2,500-3,000 scope to compete with Nightforce, Valdada, Zeiss, etc. I doubt it could outshine the Zcomp but I'd love to see Athlon go out ALL OUT and drop a HIGH HIGH HIGH end optic!!
Some Athlons are great specifically their Midas line and above. What I really don't like about Athlon is they as a company are so chinsy, they don't even include scope lens caps and sunshades for their higher end scopes that you pay a lot of money for.
@@commonsense5709 I very much agree with that. Every scope company should include a sunshade, a throw lever and some kind of scope caps with any scope above $600-$700. You do not have to include Tenebraex scope covers but something should be thrown in. Especially by Athlon bc they have a lifetime warranty. What is cheaper scope caps or replacing the entire scope?
The midas line has less image quality when compared to the Ares ETR Uhd. Everything else, including the stainless steel turret internals, are the same. 30mm vs 34mm with the ares etr
@@tommcfarland5368 I have since upgraded to the Cronus. MY GOD!! I am likely going to get the Eres 1-10x for my AR
If you put that specific scope on your Ruger 338 Lupua. What’s the lowest size rings you can use without the bell( including the sunshade) touching the Handguard? I just got the Ruger and I want to put this scope on it. Thanks in advance!!
I used 1.4 Seekins rings. It left about a .25 gap between my handguard and scope bell.
Vortex precision matched precision rings, need the high rings
ARC M10 high rings on my RPR 300WIN. With Vortex front scope covers will leave about 1/16 gap left
@wangum did you ever buy this scope? I just got the RPR. Want to know how it did
Quarter mil/moa turrets are much too course for precision work. Other than that the scope looks like a nice bit of kit. I have a Helos (1/10 mil turrets) and use it daily. Much cheaper version of this scope so I'm wondering what the rationale behind using the .25 turrets was. A bit disappointing.
Buddy.... 0.25 MOA is 0.072 Mils. What that means is that each 0.25 MOA adjustment is about 28% smaller (more precise) than 0.1 MIL adjustments. Not sure what you're driving at here. Both adjustment systems are great, but the 0.1 MIL adjustments are actually more coarse than the 0.25 MOA adjustments.
@@Strelnikov10 I could not have explained this better, Bravo!
After reading the title I have c0ome to the conclusion that the answer to the question you are asking is LOL, NO
Try watching the video first.
5 pay a $1000 for scope I want to be able to read the nose hairs on somebody's face at a 1000 yd not a blur
If that's what you're looking for, replace that 1 with a 3.
Its cute that you think a $1000 scope is expensive. $1000 is outright budget in the optics world.
Good scopes aint cheap, cheap scopes aint good. At least buy a vx2 or nikon or something in that price range. I dont mean cheap in price, i mean cheap in price and quality. Ive used VX2 and Leupold 3-9 rifleman scopes on ARs and never had a problem. But the features these scopes like the athlon ares are so bad ass when you pearn to use them even barely learning. I hate that athlons are made in china but damn, for the price and how many good things i hear about them, im getting i e maybe 2
If that's what you want then you don't have a clue...
Better than a NXS?!?!?!?!?!?! Nope, you need to set down the crack pipe.
The reason is it has perfect tracking throughout the entire adjustment range, and very good glass (nearly indistinguishable from higher end products), true zero stop, locking turrets, illuminated reticle, 34mm main tube which let's in more light and also has more elevation adjustment, as well as an extremely affordable price.
feature wise, sure. If I had to pick one durability wise that I would trust my life with? Yeah def not choosing athlon over nightforce, what a joke. Yes I own both nightforce and athlon scopes, love them both but if you beat around the athlon like you could an NXS it would die every single time.
@@SigmaBallistics and what are you basing that durability on, price? Both Nightforce NSX (and components) as well as the Athlon Chronus are made in the same Japanese plant (which is a top manufacturer of optics). There are differences in design, but quality is about equal. Nightforce assembles some of their scopes in the US with Japanese parts.
Chris i am fully aware of where they are made. Have you ever seen some of the tests done on nightforces? Good luck having an athlon scope survive that. Tell me, whens the last time you saw an Athlon on a rifle in the US military?
Like I said, I own both, I like both. You wouldn’t catch me using an athlon scope if my life was depending on it.
@@Chris-ob8ok i dont believe the durability thing and i doubt a nightforce is as rugged as they say. I dont care who you are, nobody wants to test how rugged their 1000-6000 dollar rifle is. If it can handle the recoil of a .50BMG chances are it will never fail. SWFA super snipers are as durable and rugged as night forces. The glass quality may not be there but it gets the job done at less than 400 bucks unless you want the HD ones even then they’re under 1000 dollars and fixed power as well.
Athlon scopes are shit! I ordered one and my buddy ordered two due to reviews and the parallax in my mine went out on the 6 TH shoot, my buddies scopes managed 2 shoots on one and roughly a 100 on the other. I’ve always used either Nightforce or leupold and will never buy this pile of shit again!
What model did you guys have. You are the first person I have heard have any issue with an Athlon scope. Did you have it replaced by Athlon?
TacticalTuner Two of us purchased the following scopes to place on what some would call entry level rifles. The models were: ARES BTR, Argos BTR, and Midas TAC. On one the parallax last 5 shots on a 6.5 Creedmore, one lasted 12 rounds on a 7 mag, and the other one fell apart immediately on a 300 RUM. My previous comment isn’t directed at you but the product. We did not nor will we ask for the scopes to be replaced. What’s the odds of 3 brand new scopes failing in one setting? Sometimes it’s better to save the extra money and invest in quality named optics.
@@leezoe50 They are supposed to have a lifetime warranty, should have them replaced by Athlon..
There is no logic in that.....@@leezoe50
Did you have one of those brain #!%^'s & destroy the scope so that you would be embarrassed to send them back??