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Rifle Scopes Scope experiences Athlon Cronos BTR & Vortex Gen II HD

bowietx

Private
Minuteman
Jul 9, 2011
11
10
45
Looking at getting a scope for my Tikka T3X Tac A1. Have narrowed it down to the Cronos BTR and Vortex Razor Gen II. Athlon is ~$1100 and Vortex is $1700. Have looked through and handled the Vortex but no experience with Athlon. Is the Vortex demonstrably better for the extra $600? Looking to shoot to 1200 yards. Thank you in advance for your thoughts and experiences.
 
I had(have) the exact dilemma.

From all the reviews I've read, the Razor seems to be not necessarily BETTER, but has more features people want. Nearly everyone says glass quality is equal.

Equal $, I'd go Vortex,, but
I'm going with the Cronus. The $700ish savings it too big of a gap to ignore.
 
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With the 14% off today at europtic I think that puts the Razor under $1500. I think that’s the direction I’d go if it were my money.
 
I'm very happy with the cronus. I shoot it from 100 to 1000yrds. I would recommend it.
 
With the 14% off today at europtic I think that puts the Razor under $1500. I think that’s the direction I’d go if it were my money.
Maybe for the 3-18x.

They're showing the big one @ $1,999.
-14% is about $1,720.
Still a $600ish difference, which is a chunk.
 
The Vortex Razor II is a big, rugged, lump of happy ,happy, joy, joy.
Excellent warranty as well.
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So, please indulge me, its been a while since I've been around, but how does the Brownells MPO 5-25 stack up against the Gen ii viper ebr-7c and ares etr?
 
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So, please indulge me, its been a while since I've been around, but how does the Brownells MPO 5-25 stack up against the Gen ii viper ebr-7c and ares etr?
I have an MPO in 3-18 and it has pretty darn good glass but it's not in the Razor Gen II's league. The reticle is usable but thick in areas and sort of clunky at times. It's worth the 899.99 on sale. I like it better than the GEN 2 PST. On my short barrel 308 zeroed at 100y I have 19 mils left of elevation.
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I have an MPO in 3-18 and it has pretty darn good glass but it's not in the Razor Gen II's league. The reticle is usable but thick in areas and sort of clunky at times. It's worth the 899.99 on sale. I like it better than the GEN 2 PST.
Wow. That says a lot imo.
I reckon being made in Japan 🇯🇵 really makes a difference.
 
A cronus is a better value over the razor when they were the same price IMO. I even just spent a few minutes this afternoon purposefully sitting them down six inches apart from one another on the range to compare. Disclaimer: It wasn’t super intensive and no stress test in the least... but to my eye the resolution was equal between the two but the vortex’s “larger field of view” came at the expense of the sight picture and apparent magnification. If I turned the cronus down to 21x to match the razors max field of view (8 mils on the reticle) everything still seemed larger and more magnified to my eye when looking through the cronus.
Not to mention the annoying locking elevation and clunky clicks (some people love that though)



Now that it’s 1150 vs 1550 that’s even more true.
 
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Have both. Probably prefer them cronus especially if it's cheaper. Used both for local prs matches with no issue. G2 is more hefty for sure so maybe more durable? Can't go wrong either way.
 
The glass on the Razor is nothing special. But those turrets are crazy awesome!
I would probably own a MPO 5-25 if it wasn't for the terrible adjustment range :(
That price on the Chronus is pretty tempting though!
 
Thank you greatly to everyone for your comments, opinions and experiences!! My apologies for missing the fact that there were apparently previous threads written on this subject. That said, after considering all of the points made, I ended up going with the Cronus BTR on sale at Cameraland. The gentleman that I spoke with at Cameraland was very helpful and given the cost savings I couldn't turn it down. With the extra money I am going to invest in some more ammo and a Kestrel. Will post some updates when I start shooting, on the optic and rifle.