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Rifle Scopes Athlon Cronus BTR vs. Ares ETR

matchbook454

Sergeant of the Hide
Full Member
Minuteman
Jan 1, 2019
181
40
N.E. IL
Is the Cronus worth the $600 more? From what I’ve read it has better glass and is smaller but the Ares ETR has better turrets (sharper clicks where as Cronus is “mushy”). I wish I could compare them in person but not really an option for me.
 
I've enjoyed shooting behind my Cronus scopes very much. Have them on a 40XB repeater, and a couple of Vudoo V-22s. I still kind of prefer the pre-BTR's reticle with its heavier reticle. Even when shooting some very small targets in precision 22RF matches, its + aiming doesn't cover anything up. And though we seldom shoot movers in these 22RF matches, the heavier + aiming point stands out better than the thinner + point of the BTR. I've also got an Ares ETR mounted on a 6x47 Lapua custom, and like it, just like the Cronus a little more.
 
I've enjoyed shooting behind my Cronus scopes very much. Have them on a 40XB repeater, and a couple of Vudoo V-22s. I still kind of prefer the pre-BTR's reticle with its heavier reticle. Even when shooting some very small targets in precision 22RF matches, its + aiming doesn't cover anything up. And though we seldom shoot movers in these 22RF matches, the heavier + aiming point stands out better than the thinner + point of the BTR. I've also got an Ares ETR mounted on a 6x47 Lapua custom, and like it, just like the Cronus a little more.
I loved the reticle in my pre-BTR Cronus. Couldn't get past the fast parallax adjustment and crummy turrets, but the glass and reticle were great. I actually think a lot of reticles in the more modern designs have gone too far on the thin side. My Delta Stryker is .04 I think and I definitely wouldn't want anything thinner than that. OTOH, my SWFA HD was .05 and I thought it was just a hair on the thick side, so maybe .04 is just the perfect number in my mind.
 
I still have three Kahles K624i AMR scopes on Bighorn comp rifles, and no, the Cronus clicks/detents don't compare real well with those scopes. But I've never lost track of how many clicks I'm taking while making an adjustment on a 22RF during a match, and we make a lot more elevation adjustments than most CF rifle shooters need to do. I will say that I can get by just fine with my Kahles scopes without making parallax adjustments most of the time, but the Cronus forces you to make those changes. I used to carp about how stiff the parallax knob was to turn, but I think it's better that way since I usually don't need to make big adjustments.