Vector Taurus vs. Athlon Argos vs Bushnell Nitro

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Skeeter41

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Apr 15, 2020
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Pennsylvania, United States
Vector Taurus and Athlon Argos are both 6-24. The Nitro is a 4-16. 90 percent of my shooting will be less than 100 yards.

Currently my gun has a Leupold VX-III 6.5-20 with target dot and target turrets but I feel like I want to move away from that into a FFP with a form of holdover marks. Will any of these scopes compete with the Leupold clarity?

Looking for honest opinions.
 
Skeeter, 😊

which of these scopes to get all depends on your kind of shooting...!



🔶(1) To reach out to 100y and see your hits (not just the bulls') — the 24x will do you much better than the 16x, especially if your eyes have seen much (i.e., aren't the youngest). But high quality glass helps, of course.





🔶(2) FoV: The Vector Taurus is actually 4-24x — not 6-24x — an exceptional large magnification range (6-fold) — great for a large variety of ranges. 

➔ It has the widest FoV (27ft @100y), even wider then the 4-16x Nitro (23ft). The Athlon only has 17ft — for quick close range target acquisition that is not enough for me.

➔ In an FFP scope — the larger the magnification range, the smaller the hash lines will appear when in low magnification — they are hard to see, though most crosshairs are clear enough, and at close ranges precise holdoffs become less critical.



🔶(3) The Athlon Argos BRT and the Nitro have a gridded reticle (holdoff points not just at the crosshairs but all over the lower half).

People usually either hate it, or love it. A deal breaker for many.



🔶(4) The Nitro has no illumination.

And it has capped turrets.

For some either of these features are taken as an advantage. For others and in certain shooting situations either of these are must-have's.



🔶(5) The Nitro and Argos come in MIL and MOA, the Taurus in MIL.



🔶(6) I might be reading the specs at Athlon wrongly, but it seems the MIL reticle is much thinner (.02mil/ .07moa) than the MOA reticle (.04mil/ .14moa). The Taurus is (.04mil/ .14moa). Thinner reticle will tend to disappear quicker on a busy background.





🔴 I'll attach two Scope Specs Tables for both of the magnification ranges you're looking at. You've got options! 😄👍🏼



Matthias



❌ Scope Specs Table 4-16x, 3-18x

download.png
View attachment 1589306547_15496944515ebae4b3acc204.63346314.pdf



❌ Scope Specs Table: 6-20x, 6-24x, 5-20x

download.png
View attachment 1589306620_6216873395ebae4fc90c652.30371572.pdf


 
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Thanks Jungle! Not sure you helped much on my decision. Haha. I like the idea of the Nitro and Argos reticle but I am afraid I will hate the busyness of it. So that led me to the Vector, but then part of me says I will like the exact hold points of those articles. I have never had any scopes with mildot type reticle so each will take time for me to get used to.

I was set on the Argos gen 1 for $250 but then read the turrets can be mushy. Then this morning I found the Vector for $199 and got to looking at that.

One of my main concerns is clarity. I hate looking through a scope and it be blurry. I know I am looking at $250 scopes and cant expect much but I dont want fuzzy at all - I will keep my Leupold and use the aim high and let her fly method.

95 percent of my shooting will be around the barn at pigeons, starlings etc. The only target shooting I do is to sight it in.

Right now I am leaning heavy towards the christmas tree style reticle of the Argos but I am really curious on the clarity difference of the Argos and Vector.
 
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The Vector 4-24x50 is now on sale at DVOR for $199 I would highly recommend it if you want to save half price off the name brand Chinese spinoffs and it's clearer than the Athlon and turret not as mushy. If you need a 2.5-15x50 illuminated SFP Aim Sports Alpha6 $163 at Gander or the 4.5-27x50 at BUDK $228. I would highly recommend giving the Alpha6s both a try. Yo!
 
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I also have to make a noteworthy mention about the Korean Bushnell NITROs. I first started with a couple of SFP Chinese Engages 6-24x50 Deploy MOA they are great Chinese scopes not too blurry at higher mag kinda expensive though. Then got a Korean FFP NITRO 6-24x50 Deploy MOA kinda busy reticle optically maybe a little better than the Engage not a night and day difference. Then bought 5 of the FFP NITRO 5-20x44 Deploy MOA busy reticle and even though they are also made in Korea the 6-24x is the better scope according to MY eyes. I wanted to buy 5 more of the 6-24x FFP NITROS but they were sold out that's why I bought 5 of the 5-20x instead. Yo!
 
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Yo,

I'm glad your scope budget allows you to buy them in 5-packs....! Wow, that must be cool. 😄



Maybe because my budget is different I do obsess over every spec and feature before committing to buy just one scope.

I kind of approach scope buying more like buying a new car than buying a 5-pack of socks. 🤣 

Because this one scope will be doing pesting duty several times a week for 10 or more years to come....! 👍🏼 

Matthias


 
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I've been looking for a good scope for a long time. I'd like it to be 5x30. I've searched almost all the pages and reviewed hundreds of reviews. I don't know what exactly interests you, but I've seen that the Vector Taurus 5x30x56 is the best. cheaper to buy $ 370 to $ 400.
That range gives the absolute most. Shoot glass with German technology is an excellent grid with a lighted floating point at a great price. That's not what I say, but dozens of users I've talked to personally. I hope something helps you.
regards


 
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I bought 2 of the 6-24 Nitro's and have a gen 1 Argos 6-24 as well. The Nitro's are better but my particular Argos was very clear. Something has happened to my Argos, though. Suddenly NOT clear any more. Not sure why yet. I've really had no complaints previous to that except I never felt like it was precise in adjustment. Tested ok but when you're shooting into a single pellet hole at 50 and want to move the zero just a little, it never went where expected. The Nitro's both seem ok in that respect but the oculars are both loose so I put orings on to tighten against and all has been good for now. I've used but never owned the 6.5 - 20 Leup and would not consider either to be as good, though the Nitro is at least very clear. 

As stated in a previous post, several of us compared a few scopes and the 4-14 Primary Arms was a surprise. Very clear and solid feeling scope with somewhat tight adjustments.

I really must have gotten an exceptional Midas Tac 6-24, because in my eyes, it's been as good as anything and significantly better than most... definitely better in every way than my Nitro's. 

Bob


 
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tell you what I for one can not believe when people tell me their scope is as clear as a Leupold ...,for less money...bs.

simple,the more money the nicer the scope...your scope costs a lot...or enough...you can find another scope that May suit your needs better for around the same sort-of-money,,,The higher end Hawke scope are good....

Sorry I just got back from the hospital because of access bs in the air.....you have a scope that seils for over $600 right,and you want something different...why not have leupold put a different reticle on it,,,they do that....stick with well know scopes...forget those Chinese knockoffs,unless you can verify they are just as good as you have now..

When I wanted something a little less than a Leupold I went to Burris...then to the better Bushnells..now I am looking at the better Athlon..and I am happy with my better quality Hawk scope.......sorry I got ruffled....there are soooooooo many choices,not,you have one of the best scopes now....
 
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Yo,

I'm glad your scope budget allows you to buy them in 5-packs....! Wow, that must be cool.
1f604.svg




Maybe because my budget is different I do obsess over every spec and feature before committing to buy just one scope.

I kind of approach scope buying more like buying a new car than buying a 5-pack of socks.
1f923.svg
 

Because this one scope will be doing pesting duty several times a week for 10 or more years to come....!
1f44d-1f3fc.svg
 

Matthias

Click to expand...

Well I based my 5-pack 5-20x44 buy based on its 6-24x50 bigger brother which I thought was fantastic!!! Alas... It's smaller sibling doesn't make my shooting eye as excited and the eyebox seems narrower. Yo!
 
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"Cheap Chinese" is soo 90's. I never buy the newest and greatest scope out there I check the reviews and buy it from a place with a good return policy. Everything these days is made in China many things with far greater precision than what is required to make a scope. If Seagate started making rife scopes id definitively be in the line to try one out. As for on topic, i have never had the pleasure of trying any of those scopes. My experience is with Redfield, bushnell, utg, and Hawke. 
 
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tell you what I for one can not believe when people tell me their scope is as clear as a Leupold ...,for less money...bs.

simple,the more money the nicer the scope...your scope costs a lot...or enough...you can find another scope that May suit your needs better for around the same sort-of-money,,,The higher end Hawke scope are good....

Sorry I just got back from the hospital because of access bs in the air.....you have a scope that seils for over $600 right,and you want something different...why not have leupold put a different reticle on it,,,they do that....stick with well know scopes...forget those Chinese knockoffs,unless you can verify they are just as good as you have now..

When I wanted something a little less than a Leupold I went to Burris...then to the better Bushnells..now I am looking at the better Athlon..and I am happy with my better quality Hawk scope.......sorry I got ruffled....there are soooooooo many choices,not,you have one of the best scopes now....
Click to expand...

Boscoe, if you knew what I know and have read in hundreds of threads about Leupolds - for the last 13 years....

Burris - Blurris... I've had some of them too. Even my XTR 1-8 has iffy glass and I paid $1100 for it. Glass is not it's strong point!

OP is going for FFP so reticle change isn't going to solve it.

OP, I'd personally go for the Argos BTR Gen2 over the Gen1 because of the zero stop and the superior turrets, that is if you choose the Argos BTR at all. Even though my G1's have been nice scopes lacking problems.

I'll keep saying it, save up till you can afford the Midas TAC 6-24, it's such a great scope and competes well with scopes costing 2-3 times more!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


 
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Not usually what is expensive is basically better but it is not always. You have to be careful. My friend bought Athlon Argos and tested it and later bought Helos which is 300 € more expensive and did not find big differences they were only cosmetic so it is back.Here is an example of how expensive is certainly not 100% better.
The Chinese have great ranges for the money you pay. I have evidence because I talked to a lot of users who have or have had other ranges and tested them and sold them and bought them several times high price.Cherefull.
 
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The Helos is basically an Argos BTR but with locking turrets/LT. As much as I prefer LT I never bought the Helos 6-24 because of the price difference but I do understand that others would choose this feature out of preference.

That being said, the Midas TAC series is made by a different factory than the Talos, Argos, and Helos, and this factory makes superior optics. So in this case you do get a better scope. BUT I get it and agree, not always does a guy get a better scope just because he pays more money, though if a guy is enlightened by knowledge he can beat the odds.
 
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