Athlon Midas Tac HD for 22LR ELR

[Michael W]

Okay fellas. I'm dipping my toes in the big pond of 22LR ELR shooting. My current rig consist of a MasterPiece Arms 22 ba with the 21 inch barrel and a CZ 457 action with a 30 MOA rail. This is a factory built gun. I was looking for a optic that would have a lot of internal adjustment but not break the bank so I went for the Athlon Midas Tac 5 x 25 x-56.
I purchased this optic directly through Athlon they have a great military program.( about 50% off MSRP) . I also bought their 20 MOA mount. Unfortunately it's a cantilever they don't sell a standard mount
This scope has about 31 Mills of internal adjustment. So with my 50 Moa's of mechanical
In about 16 mils what the scope I should be getting about 31 to 32 mils of total elevation (roughly) . I calculated this should get me about 450 yards at Center Crosshair with a 100 yd 0. And that's what I got. Using SK Red Box ammo.
So here's my impression of the Athlon Midas Tac. It appears to be a well-made barebones optic. You don't even get lens covers when you purchase this scope also there's no illumination but that's okay I knew this in advance and I never use illumination while shooting long range as a civilian. The scope is consistent I was shooting in 4 in groups ( on Steel) at 450 yards with no wind.
My only problem with the scope is at its Max magnification 25x the scope seems to grey out considerably. The amount of degradation in image quality really surprised me.
So I guess my question is has anyone else had the same experiences that I had with the Athlon Midas Tac HD 5 x 25 this is a fairly new scope it hasn't been on the market for all that long.

 

[JBattles]

Hey Michael - I have a very similar setup with the CZ457 Pro Varmint, Midas Tac Gen 2 5x25, Seekins Rings on 25 MOA base. An extra 7 or so mil with the mount would be nice like your setup. With a 50 yd zero, I have somewhere between 20 and 21 mils that I can dial which get me out to 400... anything beyond that I have to hold over.

The Midas Tac 5-25 scope has been great for me and is very clear through the entire range. I don't see any distortion and am easily able to run it on max power without it getting dark or blurry.

Scope glass and function seems to be very subjective, but here are a couple other similar scopes I have run in the last year... bottom line, I think the Midas Tax 5-25 is better than each of these.
Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24 that scope was junk compared to this Athlon - it got really dark, no zero stop, and the clicks were very mushy. Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 5-25 on a 6.5CM and I think the Athlon Midas Tac is a nicer scope with better clarity that the Viper PST Gen 2, better Zero stop, better turret feel, and 56mm vs 50mm.
Athlon Ares BTR Gen 2 4.5-27 -I just picked up here for my 10/22 and have only taken it out once, but I think the Midas Tac 5-25 is brighter and seems to be more clear through the full range and I like the reticle with the floating dot on the 5-25 over the cross and the illumination doesn't matter to me.

 

[Michael W]

I agree that most scopes lose a bit on their high-end. But this scope is extremely Gray almost like fogging not so much worry you would say what the hell is that but very very noticeable.

Hey Michael - I have a very similar setup with the CZ457 Pro Varmint, Midas Tac Gen 2 5x25, Seekins Rings on 25 MOA base. An extra 7 or so mil with the mount would be nice like your setup. With a 50 yd zero, I have somewhere between 20 and 21 mils that I can dial which get me out to 400... anything beyond that I have to hold over.

The Midas Tac 5-25 scope has been great for me and is very clear through the entire range. I don't see any distortion and am easily able to run it on max power without it getting dark or blurry.

Scope glass and function seems to be very subjective, but here are a couple other similar scopes I have run in the last year... bottom line, I think the Midas Tax 5-25 is better than each of these.
Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24 that scope was junk compared to this Athlon - it got really dark, no zero stop, and the clicks were very mushy. Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 5-25 on a 6.5CM and I think the Athlon Midas Tac is a nicer scope with better clarity that the Viper PST Gen 2, better Zero stop, better turret feel, and 56mm vs 50mm.
Athlon Ares BTR Gen 2 4.5-27 -I just picked up here for my 10/22 and have only taken it out once, but I think the Midas Tac 5-25 is brighter and seems to be more clear through the full range and I like the reticle with the floating dot on the 5-25 over the cross and the illumination doesn't matter to me.

View attachment 7457377

Quick question what's scope covers did you end up getting? Size for both?

 

[jcmullis2]

Mines good too. A Little degradation after about 22x. They have great customer service and warranty

 

[Michael W]

Don't get me wrong it's a pretty good scope and it is clear at a little bit lower magnification. But if I had to do all over again I probably would go to the vortex gen 1 razor. It has more adjustment and it's a very nice scope

 

[JBattles]

I agree that most scopes lose a bit on their high-end. But this scope is extremely Gray almost like fogging not so much worry you would say what the hell is that but very very noticeable.

Quick question what's scope covers did you end up getting? Size for both?

I like the Vortex Defender flip caps - they are well built and not very expensive... I run the Tenebraex caps on my nicer scopes, but these are a good alternative.

Eyepiece - 1.83 in, 46.48mm - Vortex E10
Objective - 2.5 in, 63.5mm - Vortex O40

Amazon for $38

Amazon.com : Vortex Optics Defender Flip Cap Set - Eyepiece E-10 (41.5-46mm) & Objective Lens Cover O-32 (38-41 mm) : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Vortex Optics Defender Flip Cap Set - Eyepiece E-10 (41.5-46mm) & Objective Lens Cover O-32 (38-41 mm) : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

 

[JBattles]

Okay fellas. I'm dipping my toes in the big pond of 22LR ELR shooting. My current rig consist of a MasterPiece Arms 22 ba with the 21 inch barrel and a CZ 457 action with a 30 MOA rail. This is a factory built gun. I was looking for a optic that would have a lot of internal adjustment but not break the bank so I went for the Athlon Midas Tac 5 x 25 x-56.
I purchased this optic directly through Athlon they have a great military program.( about 50% off MSRP) . I also bought their 20 MOA mount. Unfortunately it's a cantilever they don't sell a standard mount
This scope has about 31 Mills of internal adjustment. So with my 50 Moa's of mechanical
In about 16 mils what the scope I should be getting about 31 to 32 mils of total elevation (roughly) . I calculated this should get me about 450 yards at Center Crosshair with a 100 yd 0. And that's what I got. Using SK Red Box ammo.
So here's my impression of the Athlon Midas Tac. It appears to be a well-made barebones optic. You don't even get lens covers when you purchase this scope also there's no illumination but that's okay I knew this in advance and I never use illumination while shooting long range as a civilian. The scope is consistent I was shooting in 4 in groups ( on Steel) at 450 yards with no wind.
My only problem with the scope is at its Max magnification 25x the scope seems to grey out considerably. The amount of degradation in image quality really surprised me.
So I guess my question is has anyone else had the same experiences that I had with the Athlon Midas Tac HD 5 x 25 this is a fairly new scope it hasn't been on the market for all that long.View attachment 7457406

Nice setup - what bipod is that? Almost looks like a Magpul.

I just checked mine again and it is quite clear at max - if yours is grey our cloudy/foggy, it would send if back for warranty work. It should not be long to get turned back around to you.

 

[MK3XXX]

I had an Athlon Ares ETR that had a similar look at full power, I called Athlon and they had me send it to them and replaced it within a week

 

[jcmullis2]

Don't get me wrong it's a pretty good scope and it is clear at a little bit lower magnification. But if I had to do all over again I probably would go to the vortex gen 1 razor. It has more adjustment and it's a very nice scope

The razor is a good scope. I don’t really think it’s a fair comparison. The Athlon midas is about $600 and the Vortex razor is more than twice that. I’d buy the Leupold Mark 5 7-35x before I bothered with a razor. Just saying

 

[Peahi2]

I have a midas tac 6-24x50 on my 457 pro varmint. I shoot it at max magnification all the time and its bright and clear.

Just to double check, I pulled it out and looked at it side by side just now with a rifle that has a Leupold Mk V 3.6-18x44. The midas tac was good to go at similar magnification, and at full power. In fact, side by side, it made me wish I got the Mk V with more magnification.

Maybe just call up Athlon to let them know what's up, and I'm sure they will take care of you. No harm, no foul.

PS. Sweet set up! I'm sure once Athlon gets you a new scope, you will be fine no doubt.

 

[jcmullis2]

I’m sure they’ll take care of it. I don’t know who deals with warranty stuff but Kevin handles the law enforcement/military discount orders and he’s been awesome. He’s a good guy and I’m sure they’ll get you squared away.

 

[AZ Dan]

I also ditched my Vortex DBack Tactical for the Midas Tac. VERY glad I did. The Athlon makes the Vortex look like dog shit. Granted, it is more expensive, and I am no stranger to scope expectations vs price...but the Vortex was quite dark at max power, almost blurry.

I'll end up buying more Athlon scopes in the future for sure.

 

[Lawnboi]

Send er in. Poor customer service lady must be busy. Took me 3 Midas tacs to get one that worked. Once I got one that worked I was happy.

 

[flatland1]

I've got several 6-24x50 Midas TAC scopes on 22RF & custom Howa Mini rifles, plus one 5-25x56 Midas TAC on a custom M700 in 223AI. I've only shot one tactical match with the 223AI, with targets at 300, 500, & 600yds. The new 34mm Midas TAC performed very well in that one match, although I'm confident that my Athlon Cronus 4.5-29x56s and single Ares ETR are both a bit better than the Midas TAC 5-25x56, but they both cost twice or three times as much. A couple of the stages during that one tactical match required shooting a bunch of targets at 500, them moving on to more at 600 - the tracking was dead-on perfect with the 5-25x56 Midas TAC. No regrets buying it.

 

[Moe Ron]

Not to derail but there’s this.

Athlon Optics Helos BTR Rifle Scope 30mm Tube 8-34x 56mm 1/10 Mil

The Helos BTR Rifle scope features a first focal plane design which allows you to fully utilize the specially designed reticle that shrinks or grows...

www.midwayusa.com

 

[jcmullis2]

Send er in. Poor customer service lady must be busy. Took me 3 Midas tacs to get one that worked. Once I got one that worked I was happy.

Funny you say that. A friend liked mine and went to purchase one from amazon several months ago until he seen it had like 2 stars. He told me about it so I verified mine was the same scope he had looked at on amazon. When I read the reviews one guy mentioned being told by Athlon they had gotten a bad batch. I thought it was bs but maybe they did. I’m sure whatever problem they might have had has been taken care of. The op should give them a chance to make it right because these are damn good scopes.

 

[flatland1]

The last time I checked, the 8-34x56 scopes Athlon was selling had far less internal elevation adjustment than their 6-24x50 scopes had. I'd check specs on their website before buying one of the 8-34x56 models...

 

[Michael W]

The last time I checked, the 8-34x56 scopes Athlon was selling had far less internal elevation adjustment than their 6-24x50 scopes had. I'd check specs on their website before buying one of the 8-34x56 models...

This is the Midas Tac HD in 5x25 x-56 it's a pretty new scope I think it just came out this year it has 32 mils of elevation adjustment

 

[flatland1]

This is the Midas Tac HD in 5x25 x-56 it's a pretty new scope I think it just came out this year it has 32 mils of elevation adjustment

I'm talking about the Helos 8-34x56 that Moe Ron posted as an alternative to the Midas TAC

 

[Michael W]

I'm talking about the Helos 8-34x56 that Moe Ron posted as an alternative to the Midas TAC

10-4 got-you please forgive me I might have been dropped as an infant a few to many times