The Perfect SPR Scope?

SPR's seem to be all the rage these days, and for good reason. There's something incredibly satisfying about ringing steel at long range with an AR, especially doing it in rapid succession (which SPRs excel at). Of course, an SPR is only as good as its optic, because you can't hit what you can't see. There's a few considerations most shooters typically want in an SPR scope: reasonable/length weight, good glass, usable magnification range, good reticle, durability, and solid controls. With all those in mind, let's review the Athlon Ares Gen 3 2.5-15 and see how it stacks up.

It should be said that everyone has different ideas of what an SPR is, and how it should perform. For me, it's not a heavy precision rifle that will only be shot from the bench, but a lighter and more mobile "run and gun" type of setup. Whether it's competition, hunting, duty/combat, etc, I don't want an overly hefty rifle if I can help it--I have a bolt gun for that. At the same time, I don't need it to be an ultralight rifle where every ounce is agonized over. I like to keep the optic weight under 30oz if I can for an SPR, which generally limits you to 30mm tubes and 50mm or less objectives.  With a 30mm tube/50mm objective, just under 14" long and just over 27oz, I'd say the Ares is just right in this category. 

Ares BTR Gen. 3 2.5-15x50 specs

The Ares is made in China* with Chinese glass, but I found it to be quite nice. If you haven't been paying attention recently, there's been some really nice glass coming out China--not to the same level as Japanese glass, but not that far behind. There was no significant chromatic aberration to speak of (and I spent some good time shooting this in the snow!), and the image quality was good. The Ares is easy to look through and I really have no complaints about the glass. For a comparison, I would say its probably a little bit above the Vortex Strike Eagle line--and I've shot the Strike Eagle 5-25 out to 1050yds. The 50mm objective lets in plenty of light, perfect for dawn and dusk.

*It appears that Athlon is also making these in Japan now as designated by a "J" at the end of the model number. This adds another $100.

For the magnification range, I'm looking for 1-3x on the low end, and 15-18x on the top end in an SPR scope. 2.5-15 is thus a great range to have in a scope like this, and it makes the Ares extremely effective in the SPR usage window, which is generally out to about 6-700yds in a 5.56 rifle. I got a chance to shoot this out to a little past 400yds, and it definitely excelled there. As for the reticle, I like the APRS13 Mil Reticle quite a bit. This is a first focal plane optic (that's all I shoot, really), and it's got a good "Christmas tree" of wind holds without being excessively busy.  One thing that some people might prefer in an SPR optic would be some kind of a bigger center aiming point, as in their Helos 2-12. The Ares has a very small "floating dot" which is very fine and not for those with aging eyes. Personally, though, I find that I can simply bracket my target inside that open center area, and even if I can't see the floating dot clearly, I know I'm going to get a hit. After all, an SPR generally isn't used for ultra tack-driving precision.

APRS13 FFP Mil Reticle

The only area where I think the Ares falls a little short is in the illumination department. It does have 6 brightness settings with a stop/off in between each, thankfully (a very useful feature for hunting and/or duty use), but even at the brightest setting, it's quite dim. This is clearly only intended for low light scenarios, where it does well. Unfortunately, one of the downsides of an FFP optic is that they can often be difficult to use at low magnification, as the whole reticle obviously shrinks down. One way to combat that is to have a reticle bright enough to be seen in daylight, giving you a way to aim quickly at those close range targets. The Ares does not get bright enough to allow you to do this, so while the field of view at 2.5x is very nice, making a quick snapshot is much more difficult. For this reason, I've been running an offset red dot for short range work.

As for durability, I've got no complaints. I haven't used this thing as a hammer, or anything crazy like that, but it's been in the trunk of my car, banged into other rifles and side door of my safe,  and been slung/carried around without any issue. Of course, an optic is only as good as the mount that its in, and I've been using the extremely nice Audere Levitas from Darn Fine Shot, their exclusive US importer. This is a great SPR combo, as it's got a built-in bubble level in the back of the mount to keep you square for those long range shots. Finally, one of the really nice additions that Athlon includes with these scopes is a pair of threaded scope caps. Made from aluminum, these low profile caps add very little weight and are able to be folded completely back. I really, really like these and I'd love to see more manufacturers take Athlon's lead and include a set of high-quality caps with their high-quality optics.

Control-wise, the Ares is pretty standard. The magnification dial is smooth, and with the included removable stud it's a breeze to rotate. You've got an adjustable eyepiece and elevation, windage, and parallax turrets in the usual places. Turrets are you typical .1 mil per click (10 mils per revolution) and are nice and tactile; it feels good to dial on this thing. You've also got an optional zero stop on the elevation turret, which I consider the bare minimum for a scope that might be getting knocked around, as an SPR scope often is. There's even a revolution counter for those times when you're really dialing the scope for an extreme shot, which is especially handy for rimfire shooters exploring the limits of .22lr.

Unfortunately, the Ares does not have locking turrets, nor a capped windage turret. I know some people might disqualify the Ares completely as an SPR scope for these reasons, and it's too bad that Athlon didn't make that design choice. Myself and most people I know only dial elevation if we're going to dial anything, and hold for wind. This makes a windage turret superfluous other than for zeroing purposes, and a capped windage turret is a great way to gain some zero security. I think Vortex made the right call by capping theirs on the Strike Eagle 3-18, and in the future I'd like to see Athlon either make both turrets lock, or do a locking elevation and capped windage.

Street price on the Ares is in the $6-700 range, and I think you're getting a lot of scope for the money. Athlon is a brand that I know to offer exceptional value for the price, and the Ares is no exception. If they could add locking/capped turrets and bump up the brightness, then I think the Ares 2.5-15 would be the hands-down choice for an SPR scope under $800. As it sits, I think it's still an excellent optic and I don't plan to take it off my SPR any time soon.