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Rifle Scopes Anyone try the Athlon Midas Tac yet?

EscapeVelocity

EscapeVelocity

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Jan 24, 2010
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I placed an order and should have it in a couple days. The specs looked good to me, especially the weight. I like a less busy reticle, but I'll be doing a tracking test with the target I just got off the hide to see how it tacks. Also hoping the new turret design alleviates the mushy adjustments. It will be an interesting comparison after just running a Cronus BTR. I'll update my experience with it.

Anyone else?
 
Do you have an Ares, or have any experience with one? I'm curious how the Ares BTR and Midas Tac compare since they're close in price and have broadly similar specs.
 
I can tell you that the Midas TAC is probably the best scope you will find anywhere near its price. I have one mounted on a 308 and it has tracked true. I've taken it out to 1000 yards with no issues and I've tried to do a pretty good job testing this optic. Everyone that has looked through cant believe the price tag. I really am surprised with this scope.
 
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Stickshift said:
Do you have an Ares, or have any experience with one? I'm curious how the Ares BTR and Midas Tac compare since they're close in price and have broadly similar specs.
Click to expand...

I'm currently selling an Ares BTR. The Ares is great scope for the money. To me the difference between the two is the Ares has illumination and a better magnification range. The Midas TAC has more defined clicks. The glass seems to be the same.
 
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I was tempted to order one but was turned off by the capped windage turrets. I seldom dial wind but like having the option.
 
I have both versions and am very impressed! Very solid and audible turret clicks, bright glass, ZS, and capped wind for ~$600 is outstanding. Probably the best turrets of any Athlon scope, and I've used them all (except the Area ETR).
 
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Poorboyr said:
I can tell you that the Midas TAC is probably the best scope you will find anywhere near its price. I have one mounted on a 308 and it has tracked true. I've taken it out to 1000 yards with no issues and I've tried to do a pretty good job testing this optic. Everyone that has looked through cant believe the price tag. I really am surprised with this scope.
Click to expand...

That pretty much sums it for me too, a scope way more than it's price, HA, I always say that but Athlon scopes keep improving so what to do??? If anybody doesn't like these turrets then.....???!!!

I shot with it twice but the FS enacted stage 3 fire restrictions which is extremely frustrating to my long range shooting addiction. I was as happy with my Midas TAC 4-16x50 as can be and more so than a list of much more expensive scopes. A friend just ordered a bunch of steel so I'm going through withdrawals, darn it.

The reticle isn't my thing, I prefer tree reticles, but the rest of the scope is incredible, especially the clicks distinct feel and how audible they are. Most of my friends got to play with it too and were equally impressed.

You guys know I'm a Athlon fan boy, but being the honest guy I am, I can say yes, the SWFA SS 3-15 is at a slightly higher quality level than the Argos BTR and the Talos as far as fit and feel, but not this new Midas TAC that has jumped ahead and that doesn't include the consideration of 10 mil knobs, capped windage and a real zero stop.
 
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The scope arrived today. My initial impressions:

- glass is good. It's bright and clear (minus the a tiny spec of debris in the lens, but I'm confident Athlon will take care of it)

-I love the size/ weight of the scope. It's perfect for someone looking for the essentials without illumination.

- the turrets are very nice and audible with a hard zero stop. It's easy to count clicks by feel or sound.

- the eye box is a little finicky, but I don't have it mounted yet which will help.

- I surprisingly like the capped wind adjustment. I'll probably leave the cap on the bench if I find the adjustment getting bumped and moving.

-the resistance on the power ring and parallax are prefect. Not too stiff, not too light.

Ill update after shooting here in a bit.
 
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Can anyone compare it to the gen 1 pst?
 
I mounted the scope on both my cz455 trainer and 6.5 Creed on canted rails with seekins rings this morning, and shot both.

I have a 225 yard range, mostly to zero my centerfires and train with my cz455. With my trainer, I zeroed at 50. Glass and parallax were great. Tracking was spot on with getting it dialed in. Whatever I saw, I corrected no problem and started smacking the tiny 1/2" KYL plate.

I then dialed to 100 yards using my dope and made center hits on steel. Then 7.5 mils to get to 200 yards making good hits. And finally back to my 50 yard zero with zero stop set, and made first round hits on that 1/2" plate.

Not a very technical evaluation, but a practical one. It would be similar with 6mm out to 1000 yards as far as adjustment range (maybe a little less dialing). However it showed me it's tracking like it's suppose to. I'll still perform a more detailed tracking test with my tracking target when I have more time to measure exact distance though.

My initial impression on the eye box is still somewhat upheld. It is slightly more picky than other scopes I've ran, especially at 24x. I still wouldn't say it's not usable at that power tho. Dialing back to 20x and it's alleviated.

Turrets are great. Very audible and line up nicely. Same with using the ZS.

I'm a fan of this reticle. It was so nice looking through a lens without a lot going on, yet having it functional enough to fine tune shots.

Again, glass was great. I know it's highly subjective but I like it. The most recent scopes I've owned to compare to is the Cronus BTR and the PST Gen 2. To me it would be stacked up nicely with the gen 2 in glass (not comparing other features). Of course the Cronus offers more clarity, better eye box, and a shade brighter, however it didn't totally blow it out of the water.

For me this is a great utility scope. It tracks well, so far. Great glass for the price. Simple reticle. Good range of adjustment. It offers a lot for the size and weight which makes it a scope that's versatile. Durability will tell with time. By the end of summer I'll have a few thousand rounds in my trainer going from zero to 7.5-8 mils, so I'll keep updating how it does.

Here is a pic of it looking at a 100 yard pate with the 200 yard in the background.
 

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I took this out to 1k on Monday. No problems with tracking. Returned to zero several times and many in between ranges (235, 400,585, 650,700,900,1000).

I still have to do a more precise tracking test with the tracking target.
 
i finally got mine mounted up as well. REALLY like it. It was easy to set up, love the reticle, the glass is super clear to me (full disclosure, I have NO experience with high end scopes). The zero stop works great. Tracked and held zero during the testing session.

I'm shooting a 22lr PRS match Saturday so I can post more then about how it handles real world conditions.
 
Whats the difference between the TAC and the BTR?
 
mystryak said:
Whats the difference between the TAC and the BTR?
Click to expand...
The BTR is being discontinued and replaced with the Midas TAC and Midas HMR. Midas HMR and BTR are both second focal plane scopes, The Midas TAC is a first focal plane scope. All three will have different turret designs.
 
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Ok kinda what i assumed everything is going FFP. I guess ill go there some day too lol.
 
mystryak said:
Ok kinda what i assumed everything is going FFP. I guess ill go there some day too lol.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't say that, The HMR is the new SFP. With all the benchrest type shooters and precision rimfire shooters out there, the demand for a second focal plane will remain. I would say, the FFP crowd is large and fast growing compared to SFP.
 
I got a rough zero set with my Midas Tac Saturday with my 20" AR-15 SPR. Seems to track fine and I had no issues with glass clarity. But the wind was something else so I'll probably have to fine tune the zero before setting the zero stop. I am very satisfied with my purchase overall.
 
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so i've had mine for a couple of months now. really love the scope and it has been doing well for me in the handful of 22 prs matches i've run it.

had it out on the range today for some practice and the day started off well. i was even seeing bullet trace today which is something i've never seen before. pretty cool.

anyway, ran through some drills at 50yds where it is zeroed. was a couple of tenths low but didn't think anything of it because i'm definitely not the best shooter. unfortunately the range i was at only allows shooting at one distance at a time and you can't move targets until the ceasefire so i was working some drills where i simulated targets at different distances just to practice my mechanics of dialing up from my zero. did this probably 15 or 20 times. every time i came back to the zero stop and was within my acceptable impact zone.

when the next ceasefire hit, i moved the target stand to 100 and right off the bat i was .5 mil low. i know my dope is right because i've confirmed it with this same lot of ammo at this same range prior to today.

i added the .5 to my dope and low and behold, right on target and grouping well. i did the same drills as before including the dialing up but not firing. moved to 150, added .5 mils to my dope and was right on target.

moved back to my 50 yard and used the zero stop. was .5 low. moved it to .5 mils and was centered. tracking and returned to the "new zero" with no problems.

now i'm not the best shooter at all, my fundamentals are average at best. i've been using the same ammo the whole time. all screws are torqued tightly and correctly.

my question is this, did i mess something up with my dialing drills or was my true zero possibly off from the start and i just wasn't noticing it?
 
Just a zero shift, it could be a number of things, might or might not be the scope. Sometimes it can just be the way the rifle is held/torqued.

Looking at my app, there's .2 mils difference alone from a 50Y zero to a 100Y zero. Edit, I had centerfire in my head, thus .2 mil difference, my mistake.

Word of advice, you need to make sure your zero is always within 1 click in any direction.
 
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Since it was correctable to your new zero, it seems doubtful it was a scope malfunction. It seems it would continue to not track predictably.
 
steve123 said:
Just a zero shift, it could be a number of things, might or might not be the scope. Sometimes it can just be the way the rifle is held/torqued.

Looking at my app, there's .2 mils difference alone from a 50Y zero to a 100Y zero.

Word of advice, you need to make sure your zero is always within 1 click in any direction.
Click to expand...

appreciate the feedback. i am going to chalk it up to fundamentals until i can get back out to the range and confirm the zero shift is still at the same place. stupid real life getting in the way of my hobby.

i'm also now wondering how much the weather played in to this since it was a 22lr. It was raining and overcast when i started, then the sun came out and baked while the humidity jumped pretty high.

either way, always learning stuff so thank you
 
MDrimfirerookie said:
appreciate the feedback. i am going to chalk it up to fundamentals until i can get back out to the range and confirm the zero shift is still at the same place. stupid real life getting in the way of my hobby.

i'm also now wondering how much the weather played in to this since it was a 22lr. It was raining and overcast when i started, then the sun came out and baked while the humidity jumped pretty high.

either way, always learning stuff so thank you
Click to expand...

I edited my last post, my mistake, man I goofed that up. I see what you were saying now, a .5 mil shift, but you mentioned it was hitting .2 mil low right before, which I fixated on since I was thinking my centerfire.

My match rimfires shift a little on a regular basis, like .2 mil or so. I haven't nailed down exactly why, I just check zero right before the match and adjust as needed.
 
Anyone put on of these on a heavy recoiling rifle. I currently am running two Weaver 3.5x15 enhanced mildot and was thinking about upgrading to the Burris Xtr2. My problem is recoil. My one rifle has extreme recoil. It’s an encore in 45-70 with 24 inch barrel. Recoil is worse than my 375 HH. I destroyed a pst with it twice. So I know the Burris will hold up. Anyone with real expirence
 
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These work fairly well until low light or a target under a lot of shade. The “get what you pay for” shows up in these situations.

Good for the money, but like everything at that price point, it’s going to fall short in certain situations.
 
My 200 yard range is in the woods, and I have decent time behind it in mid to low light at various target sizes. I haven't noticed anything substantial in terms of poor low light performance. That's next to a Cronus BTR.
 
Prebanpaul said:
Anyone put on of these on a heavy recoiling rifle. I currently am running two Weaver 3.5x15 enhanced mildot and was thinking about upgrading to the Burris Xtr2. My problem is recoil. My one rifle has extreme recoil. It’s an encore in 45-70 with 24 inch barrel. Recoil is worse than my 375 HH. I destroyed a pst with it twice. So I know the Burris will hold up. Anyone with real expirence
Click to expand...

I put my Midas Tac 6-24 on a 6.5 pound 300 RUM. Only 20 rounds fired, but zero issues. We use it as a shop scope and it gets put on lots of rifles. Still going strong.
 
EscapeVelocity said:
My 200 yard range is in the woods, and I have decent time behind it in mid to low light at various target sizes. I haven't noticed anything substantial in terms of poor low light performance. That's next to a Cronus BTR.
Click to expand...

Several of us couldn’t see a circle target in the shadows at 268yds with one in a recent match. Zero issues with any other optics(all 2k+ price range though).

Obviously this is a sample size of one optic, though. Was also very deep in the shadow.
 
Dthomas3523 said:
Several of us couldn’t see a circle target in the shadows at 268yds with one in a recent match. Zero issues with any other optics(all 2k+ price range though).

Obviously this is a sample size of one optic, though. Was also very deep in the shadow.
Click to expand...
I believe you. Of course it's subjective anyway. I'm just saying I haven't experienced poor performance in low light (that's what she said). I'm not disputing that glass quality is different compared to higher end stuff. I've found with the scope, for me, I've reached a point of diminishing returns if I choose to go higher in price. I accomplish what I need to and then some with the TAC, $800-$1500 more money isn't well spent for me. I do wish it had illumination, but again it's not required for my daylight shooting.
 
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MDrimfirerookie said:
appreciate the feedback. i am going to chalk it up to fundamentals until i can get back out to the range and confirm the zero shift is still at the same place. stupid real life getting in the way of my hobby.

i'm also now wondering how much the weather played in to this since it was a 22lr. It was raining and overcast when i started, then the sun came out and baked while the humidity jumped pretty high.

either way, always learning stuff so thank you
Click to expand...

Ok - just wanted to bring this back around and close the loop on my issue. As I thought it was shooter error. My initial zero wasn't an actual zero. Went out today and confirmed it. It turns out that it was initially .4 mils low but i didn't realize it because i'm still pretty green. Had a friend with me today and a much more stable platform to shoot from. low and behold, .4 mils up and center punches, review my dope and it was spot on with center punches.

many thanks to Steve123 for the responses.

i really do like this scope.
 
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Anymore reliability comments? Seems like these are marketed for the 22lr and Airgun ground but performing way above that? Would you trust your next bull elk tag to one?
 
Tyler455 said:
Anymore reliability comments? Seems like these are marketed for the 22lr and Airgun ground but performing way above that? Would you trust your next bull elk tag to one?
Click to expand...

What is marketed for air guns, the Midas TAC? I’ve been using a Midas TAC on my 308 since it came out. I’ve had no tracking or reliability issues at all. It’s probably the best scope by far in its price range.
 
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We have sold dozens and dozens of the Midas TAC's with only great feedback. It's priced below comparable scopes from other mfg's. Athlon did a great job with this scope.
Please give us a call, 516-217-1000, to discuss one for you.
Have a great rest of the weekend
Doug
 
Aren't these Chinese scopes? Just curious as I have never seen so much love shown for Chinese optics. I dealt with Chinese made products for years in a different industry and the defect rate was horrendous. I went cheap on two Chinese optics in the past and learned my lesson. Maybe they have gotten better on qc, but I have no recent experience. Do a quick search on Google and you can find similar optics for dirt cheap, granted that does not include shipping in bulk. Now having said that, I have zero experience with either the optic or the "manufacturer" in question. I'm just trying to figure out if I am missing something. Serious question - what am I missing?

I'm sure some will construe this as me hating on something, which is not my intent. I have no affiliations and no dog in the fight. I'm just a consumer on a somewhat limited budget and I am curious to learn more on the recent obsession with these products.
 
mikethetiger55 said:
Aren't these Chinese scopes? Just curious as I have never seen so much love shown for Chinese optics. I dealt with Chinese made products for years in a different industry and the defect rate was horrendous. I went cheap on two Chinese optics in the past and learned my lesson. Maybe they have gotten better on qc, but I have no recent experience. Do a quick search on Google and you can find similar optics for dirt cheap, granted that does not include shipping in bulk. Now having said that, I have zero experience with either the optic or the "manufacturer" in question. I'm just trying to figure out if I am missing something. Serious question - what am I missing?

I'm sure some will construe this as me hating on something, which is not my intent. I have no affiliations and no dog in the fight. I'm just a consumer on a somewhat limited budget and I am curious to learn more on the recent obsession with these products.
Click to expand...

Yes, they are made in China. Which is my only gripe about Athlon products. Personally, I hate buying them for that reason. However, they are really good scopes for the money. Athlon somehow has done a great job with them.

The problem is there are no other options in this price range made in the USA. Every other scope manufacturers their products in the Philippines or some other country.
 
There's cheap Chinese products and quality Chinese products. it is all a matter of the specs and expectations of the contractor (brand) having the item made and the QC that follows.
Yes, there's cheap scopes coming from China as well as great quality products.
My fathers generation wouldn't buy Made in Japan, now my generation thinks that's one of the only places where quality comes from.

It boils down to the quality the brand is paying for and what the specs of the build are.

Maybe my kids generation will think that quality can only be Made in China and will think the next "wherever" is where cheap product is made.

LOL, ask Apple as most of the iphones out there are Made in China
 
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The quality of the Chinese scopes come in ascending tiers, same as does every scope manufacturer. By the time you've reached the Midas TAC series that quality is getting up there.

When I was at Shot handling a prototype from one of the factories that produce for Athlon, I was astounded at the high quality of this scope that was made on their brand new state of the art six figure CNC machine!!! It was as nice as anything out there. They can make great stuff.

Actually I'm just as surprised that Athlon's cheaper scopes work as good as they do. Once in while you get a dud, so you send it back and get one that isn't.

I watch threads where guys have very expensive scopes on their rifles, then buy a $300-$400 MAP scope to put on their 22 and wonder why the turrets are mushy, etc, it's a head scratching moment for me. Then the other side of the coin is the shooters used to paying the $300-$400 for standard brand scopes with little to no versatility (3-9x32 coin slot adjust. etc), then buy an Athlon and are amazed what can be done with a cheap scope in comparison.
 
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I agree with the last two, it's a different market now with China. They still put out crap, but they turn out very precise equipment too. Just like the USA. If your looking at origin alone with scope purchases, your behind the times my friend.
This site is a decent BS meter with products. Athlon is doing well on here for the most part, so that's worth an investigation for any consumer. I've posted many reviews as well as others, and every so often the "tell me why this Chinese junk is so popular" creeps up. As if there isn't hundreds of threads with a positive consensus. Narrowing your question to a particular model is the best bet, as there are tiers of quality. In this case the Midas Tac is a fine optic in this price range.
 
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