Q&A for Athlon Helos BTR Gen 2 2-12x42mm Field Eval

[Formidilosus]

Q&A for

Athlon Helos BTR Gen 2 2-12x42mm Field Eval

 

[Huntr]

Thanks for another great review, Form. What an epic fail! And guys are buying these like crazy.

 

[Formidilosus]

What an epic fail! And guys are buying these like crazy.

Yes. This is the second one that has been evaled the same way or similar, by two different people, with two different rifles, and both failed. @sndmn11 physically broke the one he used.

 

[prm]

Ha ha, I got a laugh out of that one. Thanks.

“It is rezeroed, and will sit in the back seat and checked periodically.” Why? Put ammo to good use on something else. Anything else.

 

[sndmn11]

Yes. This is the second one that has been evaled the same way or similar, by two different people, with two different rifles, and both failed. @sndmn11 physically broke the one he used.

Wasn't yours wonky too, or was that picture from elsewhere @Ryan Avery ?

 

[Formidilosus]

Wasn't yours wonky too, or was that picture from elsewhere @Ryan Avery ?

That’s a different one.

 

[Formidilosus]

Ha ha, I got a laugh out of that one. Thanks.

“It is rezeroed, and will sit in the back seat and checked periodically.” Why? Put ammo to good use on something else. Anything else.

Because people still have this mistaken idea that in normal use they’ll work fine regardless of what happens in the drop eval. I want to show what happens with them when they just ride in a padded seat and get checked.

 

[sndmn11]

That’s a different one.

I'll post the other picture once @JustSomeGuy35 hears back from them regarding warranty. I know they received it within a week of my test.

 

[Dobermann]

You know, we sometimes bitch and moan about how Rokslide costs us money ... I reckon we should acknowledge how much money it saves us by showing what rubbish to not buy ...

Although you already had me at the second 'Made in China' photo.

 

[JustSomeGuy35]

Wow......this sucks. I bought two of these because of reviews on 24hourcampfire and here. I'm glad to know the truth now so I won't find out the hard way on my next out of state hunt.

Thank you for the testing!

 

[OldGrayJB]

I can't say I'm surprised by the results of the drop test, but I didn't expect to see the poor tracking when first zeroing.

Did you test tracking before you started shooting?

 

[sndmn11]

I can't say I'm surprised by the results of the drop test, but I didn't expect to see the poor tracking when first zeroing.

I had (potential) unexpected zeroing adjustments as well, though not to the extreme as Form did. qhttps://rokslide.com/forums/threads/mini-eval-helos-btr-gen22-12x42-ahmr2-ffp-ir-moa.286981/

To sight in, I pulled the bolt and looked through the bore, and adjusted the cross hairs. It probably doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but the Maven RF.1 and Maven CRF.1 both read 103 yards from bench to target.
View attachment 477205

1. Low about 1.5" and left about .5" -->adjust 6 clicks up 2 clicks right
2. .5" and a bullet diameter low, no adjustment
3. 1" low, no adjustment
4. 1" low, no adjustment
5. 1" low, no adjustment
6. 3/4" low 1/4" left, no adjustment
7. 3/4" low 1/8" left, no adjustment

Shots 2-7 are all within the 1" square below the bull. I then made 4 clicks up.

Shots 8-12 were all within the 1" bull and made with no adjustments. The elevation turret was then removed, zero stop set, and turret set to 0. The windage turret was removed and set to 0. I made 10 clicks of vertical adjustment, which should have been 2.5MOA. It is possible that the cold bore (shot #1) was at the upper extreme of the cone of fire.

 

[nobody]

Glad I listened to Form's advice about avoiding the Athlon's, makes me feel better about selling my Ares earlier this year after seeing this.

 

[JustSomeGuy35]

I had (potentia) unexpected zeroing adjustments as well, though not to the extreme as Form did. qhttps://rokslide.com/forums/threads/mini-eval-helos-btr-gen22-12x42-ahmr2-ffp-ir-moa.286981/

The fact that you and Form BOTH had wonky zeroing adjustments is seriously making me question whether I want to even keep one for a light-use rifle. Maybe as a "set and forget" setup but even then...why keep one?

On sale/military discount, they cost about $430 total with shipping. For another $120 or so, I can get a Trijicon with illumination. For $300 or less, I can grab another swfa fixed power. Both scopes will do whatever I need them to do without question.

All I can say is: I hope swfa sends out my back ordered 3-9's soon. I'm tired of trying to find worthy substitutes on my meager budget.

 

[ElPollo]

Because people still have this mistaken idea that in normal use they’ll work fine regardless of what happens in the drop eval. I want to show what happens with them when they just ride in a padded seat and get checked.

This is sort of funny because washboard roads have eaten way more of my scopes than dropping them ever did. I generally have a rifle that lives on the floorboard in front of my backseat through the 4 months of desert quail season, just in the event my bird dogs get into a battle with something that they need help with (badgers, coyotes, raccoons, etc.). Prior to switching to SWFA scopes, it was straight out of Mark Twain’s description of shooting a pepper box pistol in his book Roughing It. Every time you touched one off, you were equally guaranteed to cleanly miss a barn at 12 paces or to accidentally kill the neighbor’s prize mule at 200 yards.

 

[Formidilosus]

The fact that you and Form BOTH had wonky zeroing adjustments is seriously making me question whether I want to even keep one for a light-use rifle. Maybe as a "set and forget" setup but even then...why keep one?

Well, you have them already, why not check them? My guess is that they generally dial acceptably, and probably work as long as no real use is out on them- in other words, they are variable and they erectors binding will cause intermittent issues that pop up randomly and because of that, will be chalked up to “I missed”.

But you have them, do the drop eval on them.

 

[sndmn11]

Well, you have them already, why not check them? My guess is that they generally dial acceptably, and probably work as long as no real use is out on them- in other words, they are variable and they erectors binding will cause intermittent issues that pop up randomly and because of that, will be chalked up to “I missed”.

But you have them, do the drop eval on them.

He sent me the one I tested.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Dropping rifles is real easy. Easier in fact than not dropping them. Everyone needs to drop their own because even if the scope is solid through a drop the mounts or rifle bedding might not be.

 

[Formidilosus]

He sent me the one I tested.

Ah. Haha.

 

[JustSomeGuy35]

I'll post the other picture once @JustSomeGuy35 hears back from them regarding warranty. I know they received it within a week of my test.

Just got the tracking number from Athlon today for my replacement scope. That was a pretty quick turn around. I appreciate the company standing by their warranty but I wish their products were more durable though.