Schmidt & Bender, lol. Don’t bother looking at them, they are in outer space from the ballpark you asked about.
Upvote 0
Best bang for your buck Optics brand
- Thread starter efem09
- Start date
What’s your thoughts on scope? I had one ordered on OpticsPlanet myself and got tired of shipping date continually pushed back and cancelled. Bought the Sentinel 8-32x50 directly from Vector for $129 and it’s just OK - not great. Wondering if yours is a step up in quality.Got my scope today ..... finally...lol
Upvote 0
i've bought vector optics, westhunter, discovery, hawke (low end), and now i have athlon scopes on all my guns except one that still wears a hawke airmax.
i've never tried an arken, i'd like to check one of those out to compare to athlon some day.
i've never tried an arken, i'd like to check one of those out to compare to athlon some day.
Upvote 0
The glass is very good. Better than my diamondback 6-24....the scope reticle is very fine...but for me I like that... I might "try" post some pictures of different scopes later this week...
Upvote 0
I don't think of manufacturers as being consistently best buys but I do not have enough scopes of enough brands to have a well informed opinion. I agree with a lot of the other comments. I really like my Arken EPL-4 6-24, the glass is good, it tracks excellently and it is a great buy. On the other hand the reticle is so fine I can't hardly see it at 6X and the illumination and power knobs are so stiff I put knobs on them. I also really like my Primary Arms 4-14 with mil dot reticle but it isn't perfect either. It's glass is also very good for the price. But there is no lock on the turrets and they turn fairly easily. I like the reticle because it is thick enough I can see it at low power but that also makes it to thick for good target shooting. I also really like my Athlon Talos 6-24 SFP. Glass is good and because it is SFP I can see the reticle at 6X. At 24X it works well for target shooting. It is a bit big and heavy for my bullpups (as is the Arken) but I still use it on my P35-177 and I like it. I have a Primary Arms classic 4-16 with mil dot reticle sitting without a gun on it. I think it's a great buy for under $200 but I don't find 16X to be enough for my eyes when shooting targets. I have a Vector Continental 8-32 that I paid almost $200 for. It is really big and heavy but it is my go-to target scope. The glass is not really good and the tracking isn't the best but I shot my only 200 on the 30 yard challenge with it. I think a good 6-24 like my Athlon or my Arken is about as good at target shooting and better for plinking or hunting but at under $200 I think it's a good buy for a target scope. I kind of wish I'd purchased the 10-40, however. I think the dot reticle might be a bit better. I also really like the Hawke Vantage on my Prod. For a scope about $100 I think it's a great buy. Much, Much better than a UTG bug buster in my opinion.
If I had to pick a full scope line as having best value I'd pick Athlon. I think Arken is right up there too but they don't really have a full line of scope in my opinion.
If I had to pick a full scope line as having best value I'd pick Athlon. I think Arken is right up there too but they don't really have a full line of scope in my opinion.
Upvote 0
So far for me I'd have to rate the Athlon Helos G2 scopes as best bang for the buck. Special mention to the 6-24x56 for target and 2-12 for hunting or fast shooting on steel.
The 2-12 is the most unique scope I've found.
In both scopes I prefer these mil reticles over many others including in the expensive scopes. Basically I like either all .2 mil hashes or all .5 mil hashes but not mixed together into a reticle. Also a center dot instead of a crosshair.
The 2-12 is the most unique scope I've found.
In both scopes I prefer these mil reticles over many others including in the expensive scopes. Basically I like either all .2 mil hashes or all .5 mil hashes but not mixed together into a reticle. Also a center dot instead of a crosshair.
Upvote 0
Athlon was my fave but here in canada prices have increased a lot on their product. I purchased a few Discovery scopes and have really liked them. Have an ED model range on my hw80 and HD series oh my hw95. They seem very clear with great field of view. I also love the pricing. I’ll be ordering a few more discovery for my weihrauch apring piston rifles
Upvote 0
Second hand Leupold is best bang for the buck. Athlon has much better glass than Arken. Cheaper than these I am always hopeful seldom satisfied.
Upvote 0
If you are into Field Target, you have to be careful on which Arken scope you buy, most of them do not range down to 10 yards. 15 yards is the min focus on most of them.
In our opinion at Air Gun Oregon, the Athlon line beats the Arken line, but mostly due to most of the product line not focusing down to 10 yards, The glass is pretty close, but not as good as the Athlon at the same price point in our opinion.
Athlon also has the Talos line that is really, really good for a low price entry level offering. Also the side focus knob on the Talos is easily fitted with an inexpensive Leapers 80 or 100mm side wheel.
Also, in our opinion, in the higher price point category, for the serious Field Target shooter, the Athlon Heras 15-60x56 at $814 MSRP, on sale for $625 has better glass than Sightron, Falcon, Nikko, and even March and the super high priced scopes. It also snaps better... a lot better! https://airgunoregon.shop/products/heras-spr-15-60-56-blr2-sfp-moa
It does have a fairly thin reticle, that might not work for everyone. But I like it just fine. The Ares 15-60x56 is about the same price as the Sightron, Falcon and Nikkio, but it has a lit reticle, but the glass doesn't seem to be any better than the Heras 15-60x56. Both are SFP. https://airgunoregon.shop/products/ares-etr-uhd-15-60-56-blr1-sfp-ir-moa
Happy Holidays,
Wayne
In our opinion at Air Gun Oregon, the Athlon line beats the Arken line, but mostly due to most of the product line not focusing down to 10 yards, The glass is pretty close, but not as good as the Athlon at the same price point in our opinion.
Athlon also has the Talos line that is really, really good for a low price entry level offering. Also the side focus knob on the Talos is easily fitted with an inexpensive Leapers 80 or 100mm side wheel.
Also, in our opinion, in the higher price point category, for the serious Field Target shooter, the Athlon Heras 15-60x56 at $814 MSRP, on sale for $625 has better glass than Sightron, Falcon, Nikko, and even March and the super high priced scopes. It also snaps better... a lot better! https://airgunoregon.shop/products/heras-spr-15-60-56-blr2-sfp-moa
It does have a fairly thin reticle, that might not work for everyone. But I like it just fine. The Ares 15-60x56 is about the same price as the Sightron, Falcon and Nikkio, but it has a lit reticle, but the glass doesn't seem to be any better than the Heras 15-60x56. Both are SFP. https://airgunoregon.shop/products/ares-etr-uhd-15-60-56-blr1-sfp-ir-moa
Happy Holidays,
Wayne
Upvote 0
I concurr, Arken scopes are very high quality for the money.
To the OP: I own 2x EPL 6-24, 2x EPL 4-16, and a SH 6-24. All of them are great scopes and I wouldn't trade them for any other scope at the same price range. You would understand once you start clicking those exceptional turrets.
Upvote 0
I run the Sentinel X 10 - 40 on my Maverick, its just fine, though when light leveels fall it do get hard, but then again in the summer by then i have been shooting for 8 hours and need something to stop me anyway.
Upvote 0
I’ve picked up several Vector scopes recently and have been very impressed for the $. Just mounted a veyron 4-12x44 on a BSA r10 tonight, have to sight it in tomorrow.
Upvote 0