Pick my scope for me

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Southpaw409

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Joined
Dec 5, 2024
Messages
18
Location
Winnie, TX
The 2 I'm considering are the Bushnell match pro ed 3-18x50 and the Athlon helos btr gen 2 4-20x50. There's about a $250 difference between these 2 and I'm not sure the bushnell is $250 more scope than the Athlon.

Which would be your pick between these 2? And what others in this low-mid tier would you recommend over these? Im aware of the Arken ep5, but i dont trust all of the youtube reviews from people who have affiliate links. The features I'm hoping for are:

FFP
Exposed (locking preferably) elevation
Zero stop
Capped or locking windage
Mid power range
Mil
Illuminated reticle
50-56mm obj
Sub $900
Best glass possible for this price range

I would love to put "not made in china" but i know I won't get that at this price range. Thank you all for you time and expertise!
 
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Southpaw409 said:
My bad, I forgot to include "illuminated reticle" in the OP. It does seem like the glass would be better according to their marketing.
Click to expand...
I don't think you can go wrong with Athlon. I'm with you on the rather not china but they are good scopes. If you shop around a little like cameraland or eurooptic you may be able to get even an Ares line for the price range.
 
The Bushnell is a good option. The arken is Japanese made I'm pretty sure and works fine. It has 2 mils more of total elevation than the Bushnell.

There's also This. I think the reticles suck compared to the other 2.

The Tract Torics use to be pretty budget as well. I haven't looked at those prices in some years.

You can find a Eotech Vudu on sale or used sometimes for $1500 depending if you can stretch your budget and live with a 50mm objective. Glass comes from the same place as the civilian NF atacr's.
 
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I remember when Japanese made products were much like Chinese today, but the folks in Japan definitely figured some stuff out. I hated Nikon stopping making rifle scopes because you couldn't beat their glass for the money. If I was choosing between China and Japan, I'm going with Japan products every time. I believe China will catch up if they want to, but I'm kind of a conspiracy theorist and I'm not sure they don't want to sell us junk.
 
dfanonymous said:
The Bushnell is a good option. The arken is Japanese made I'm pretty sure and works fine. It has 2 mils more of total elevation than the Bushnell.

There's also This. I think the reticles suck compared to the other 2.

The Tract Torics use to be pretty budget as well. I haven't looked at those prices in some years.

You can find a Eotech Vudu on sale or used sometimes for $1500 depending if you can stretch your budget and live with a 50mm objective. Glass comes from the same place as the civilian NF atacr's.
Click to expand...
Arken is made in China. Some of their glass comes from Japan but that's it.
 
74honker said:
I don't think you can go wrong with Athlon. I'm with you on the rather not china but they are good scopes. If you shop around a little like cameraland or eurooptic you may be able to get even an Ares line for the price range.
Click to expand...
Is the ares a huge upgrade from the helos? If the glass quality is noticeably better consider me very intrigued.
 
JAYgs8163 said:
Athlon Ares ETR 3-18x50 is a fantastic optic for under $600 with UHD glass. I am extremely impressed with mine and at this price it's a no brainer.

www.eurooptic.com

Athlon Ares ETR 3-18x50mm APLR6 FFP IR MOA Riflescope 212105

FREE SHIPPING on Athlon Ares ETR 3-18x50mm APLR6 FFP IR MOA Riflescope 212105
www.eurooptic.com www.eurooptic.com
Click to expand...
Looks like a great deal, I wish it was in mils instead of moa. If you come across one in mils for that price please send me a link. I've found a couple in mils in the $715ish range. Is the ares a huge upgrade from the helos?
 

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