Preface
Once upon a time, it was a very common sight to see a fixed power scope on a rifle. Whether it was a 4x Weaver on a hunting rifle, or a 10x scope on a sniper rifle. Variable power scopes are more of a modern development, but has it replaced the need for those old fixed power scopes? I’ve never used a fixed scope much, not since my first air rifle as a child anyways. But today we are going to take a look at one, the Athlon Optics Talos BTR Gen 2 10×42 riflescope.
Fixed power riflescopes have simpler design and construction, and many argue they have superior durability and optical quality due to no moving parts inside. There is no doubt they are simpler, but do the advantages of a fixed power scope make it worth having over a variable?
The Athlon Optics Talos
The Talos line offers a variety of scopes, including a compact 1.5-5 model, several 3-12 scopes, 4-16’s and 6-24 models too. There is a model for most practical uses out there, as well as today’s 10X model.
Specifications
MAGNIFICATION: 10x
OBJ. LENS DIAMETER: 42 mm
TUBE DIAMETER: 30 mm
EYE RELIEF: 3.6″
FOV @ 100 YDS: 11.5 ft
PARALLAX ADJUSTMENT: 10 y
CLICK VALUE: .1 MIL
LENGTH: 13.3″
WEIGHT: 24.6 oz
Simple is one way to describe the Talos 10X, without a magnification ring on the ocular lens the only controls are on the erector housing. You’ve got a tall elevation turret on top, and a slightly smaller windage turret on one side. And of course the parallax/focus on the opposing side.
The whole thing is built on a 30mm tube, which is a great size for a straight ten riflescope. A 30mm tube gives plenty of room for internal mechanical movement, but its also small enough to keep weight down. Up front, the scope has a 42mm objective lens. Which is fairly compact for a tactical style riflescope, which also keeps the weight down as well as keep the scope closer to the rifle’s bore.
The Turrets themselves are 6 MIL turrets, which is not bad but I prefer larger turrets like 10 or 15 MIL. But to be fair to this scope, at this price point 6 MIL turrets are common and perfectly serviceable.
Inside the scope you will find the APRS2A reticle, a pretty simple design compared to many these days. And I am ok with that to be honest, as some of them can get way too busy. The reticle features a mostly open center with a tiny dot at the crosshair intersection. Reticle subtensions show both whole MIL and 2/10’s hash marks, with the even MIL’s being labeled. As I mentioned, its pretty simple, and yet has most everything you’ll need for most shots.
Mounting the Athlon Talos 10×42
I chose to mount the scope to a Bergara HMR carbon chambered in 6.5CM. Not only would it be a good test of the scope, but would also serve as a good hunting rifle this season. I mounted the scope using a pair of Burris rings attached to a Nightforce 20 MOA scope base. Everything lined up great, so I put a bipod on the rifle and boresighted it on my kitchen table. All that was left was to pack up some ammo and range gear so we could go shoot.
Into the Rockies
I really enjoy the outdoors, and there is no better place to put my gear to the test than these beautiful Rocky Mountains that surround me. So I loaded my gear onto the ATV and headed up into the high country.
The first task was getting the Talos zeroed, which was easily done in a few minutes at 100 yads. Generally I use variable power scopes, and when zeroing them I tend to do so at close to max power. I did notice as I zeroed the scope that my eyes kept telling me to zoom it in more, which of course wasn’t possible.
After zeroing the scope, I slipped the turrets back to zero by loosening the Allen screws around the turret knobs. Later I would also set the zero-stop, an internal feature underneath the elevation turret. Zero-stops are a fantastic feature that make the turret stop rotating at a zero that you can adjust to your needs. This prevents you from loosing track of which rotation of the turret you are on. This is also one of the reasons I prefer 10-15 MIL turrets, as they are easier to keep track of.
Field Shooting
With the scope zeroed, it was time to have fun. Shooting a few groups with the rifle I wanted to see how well I could group with the straight 10x scope. While looking at the target I often wanted more power, and yet the edge to edge clarity of the image was immaculate. There is a simplicity to this design that has some allure.
Then I moved to the open country around me, I spent some time doing my typical long-range training routine. you can read more about that here if you’d like to try it yourself. I would pick out various targets across canyons and draws, small stones in open soil areas so I can see impacts. Adjusting the elevation for different distances using the Talos turret, I found the clicks are audible and tactile. Making small adjustments while looking through the scope was easy and accurate.
Since I didn’t have a magnification ring to adjust, I found myself paying a lot more attention to the parallax adjustment. Which kept my target view very clear and defined. I also noticed that the parallax was great for focusing on pretty close targets, making it a good choice for one of my squirrel guns.
Particularly when it came to the further shots, I kept reaching for the magnification ring to zoom in. I hadn’t realized how often I do so until the option wasn’t there. Another peculiar thing I noticed was that I frequently felt better about my shots when they broke, and I think this is the reason; When you zoom a scope in, you get more detail and better view of your target, but zooming in also magnifies your movements. By not having the extra magnification, my own movements and ability to steady the rifle were less obvious to me. I wish I could say that made me shoot better, but I think my overall score would have been about the same.
Pros and Cons
The Athlon Talos 10×42 is honestly the first straight power scope I’ve used in this application, so keep that in mind. But if we could somehow go back in time and offer this scope to the Coldboremiracle from 2002, I would have jumped at the chance. And with street prices well under $400 I would have bought several without even questioning. The turrets and reticle alone would have justified it to me.
This Athlon Talos is very comparable to the other Athlon optics I’ve used as far as quality and clarity, and that is a good thing. It comes with some great features and accessories like a sunshade too. In my experience the reticle and turrets track very well and the focus is great. Because I come from a time where scopes like this one would have cost two or three times more, I am blown away you can get such a scope for such a competitive price. It brings simplicity and quality most shooters could use.
With all that said, I still think I prefer my variables. For example, my Athlon Heras 6-24 does everything this does, and I can adjust the power however I wish. I could probably do most anything with the Talos I needed to do, but I would prefer a variable. While this is my personal experience, you might find the straight 10X to be just right. I know plenty of folks like straight 12X’s or even 16X’s, but for me its a little specialist.
Last Thoughts
You might be from a time before mine, where straight 10’s were all the rage, or you might be more of a variable scope fan. Lucky for both of us, there are plenty of great options these days. Athlon Optics has impressed me with their quality, price and performance.
There is certainly an argument you could make for simple construction and reliability. And I would certainly listen to the argument. But modern manufacturing seems to have closed the gap in such a way as to be of much less importance.
To be perfectly honest I had nearly forgotten straight power scopes existed, but this Talos is a refreshing modernized scope. And if you find yourself looking for a straight-power scope I can strongly recommend this one, especially if you are on a tight budget. This scope in particular is probably going to find its way onto one of my rimfire rifles, where it will do a great job harvesting varmints.