Preface
I’ve been lucky to be able to use quite a few high quality riflescopes in my day. In fact, I remember when the optics market was starved for lower-priced high-quality riflescopes. Today I bring you another product review that has satisfied that market, the Athlon Optics Helos BTR 2-12X42 riflescope.
I have used a few riflescopes from Athlon Optics, and they have all been positive experiences. So I was again optimistic to have a look at this new to me scope.
The Helos BTR 2-12X42
| Athlon Optics Helos BTR Gen2 2-12X42 FFP IR MRAD Features | |
| Power Magnification | 2-12X |
| Objective Lens | 42 MM |
| Tube Size | 30 MM |
| Turrets | Locking MRAD |
| Reticle Focal Plane | First Focal Plane |
| Eye Relief | 3.6 Inches |
| Field of View @ 100Yards | 55.7 to 9.6 Feet |
| Turret Click Value | 0.1 MRAD |
| Turret Adjustment per Turn | 10 MRAD |
| Total Elevation Adjustment | 32 MRAD |
| Total Windage Adjustment | 25 MRAD |
| Parallax Adjustment | Side Focus/ 10 yards to Infinity |
| Weight | 25.4 Ounces |
| Length | 11.8 Inches |
| Reticle | Illuminated AHMR2 MRAD |
Helos BTR Features
The Athlon Optics Helos BTR 2-12X42 riflescope is built on a one-piece 30mm tube with a 42mm objective lens. Like pretty much every scope manufactured in modernity, the Helos features fully coated lenses and is filled with Argon to purge the internals.
In the middle of the scope you will find a robust erector system that incorporates the parallax/focus turret. On the top of the erector assembly you will find a 10 MIL locking turret, it locks using a pretty standard push-pull with a snapping sensation so you can be sure it is locked or not. The windage turret also locks, and shows you 5 MIL left and right on its markings.
The elevation turret includes a zero-stop ring that can be set once your rifle is zeroed. This helps avoid loosing track of what scope revolution your zero in on. It’s a robust zero-stop design too, which is much appreciated.
The Focus knob shows various parallax ranges from 10 yards to infinity, which turned out to be pretty accurate. Stacked on top of the focus turret, there is a secondary rheostat control housing the CE2032 lithium cell for the reticle illumination with various brightness settings.
Unboxing the Helos
When the Helos arrived, I carefully opened the handsome box. I must say that Athlon does a great job at presenting their product. The box has a great many details, and included some great add on accessories. After pulling the scope itself from the foam, I took inventory of the other goods. The typical owners manual, battery, lens cloth, and tools for servicing the scope were there. But there was also a 42MM sunshade which is nice to have, as were the front and rear flip-caps to protect the lenses. Additionally, there was a polymer throw-lever or “cat-tail” as some call it that attaches to the magnification ring to enable faster zooming of the scope. It was time to get this scope mounted and ready for the range.
Mounting Solution
I ended up using the Helos on two different rifles, in order to give it a proper workout. The first rifle was a custom 10/22 I put together, you can read about it HERE. The other rifle was a Franchi Momentum Elite Varmint rifle chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. For mounting on the 10/22, I used a Primary Arms 30mm scope mount, and alternatively when mounted to the Franchi I used a set of Warne 30mm rings. The two different mounting solutions worked well, giving unfettered access to the Helos features.
Shooting with the Helos BTR
My initial excursions with the Helos were using the 10/22. I used the turrets to quickly zero the rifle, followed by slipping the turrets to zero. This is done by removing the screw in the center of the turret, then you can pull it off, and reset the turret on the zero. After reinstalling the screws on both turrets, we were ready to shoot.
I have always been impressed with the optical quality of Athlon Optics, every one of their products that I have tried has been impressively sharp and clear when considering the price. The Helos BTR was no exception, and using the parallax adjustment to focus at targets as close as 10 yards is convenient for a .22lr rifle.
Shooting the rifle out to distances like 150 and 200 yards gave opportunity to do elevation corrections using the turrets. The clicks are crisp and audible, making it easy to make small corrections without even coming off the scope.
The AHMR2 reticle was also convenient for measuring and correcting for drops. I suppose I could have done without the ring in the center, but when you use this scope at 2X you can see why its there. At 2X the reticle is so fine, and the target area so wide, that you really only need to bracket the target inside the ring. You can almost use the Helos like a red dot at that power setting, especially with the illumination powered up. I also really appreciated the illumination settings, with an “off” setting between each power setting.
After a few range trips with the Custom 10/22, I decided to give the Helos BTR another task. I remounted the scope in a set of Warne rings on top of a Franchi Momentum Elite Varmint rifle chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. This rifle was certainly up to longer shooting distances, and would give the scope more of a workout. It would also allow us to evaluate the scopes ability to show detail at further distances.
One again I zeroed first the rifle, then the turrets were set back to zero. I also took the opportunity to set the zero-stop. The zero stop is a brass ring that you can adjust to stop the turret rotation from going any lower. Its easily done by loosening three Allen screws, and turning the ring to the bottom stop, then retightening the screws.
With that process complete, it was time to get shooting. I started by shooting a few groups with the rifle at a hundred yards. I often prefer higher magnification when doing accuracy testing, mainly just to see my aimpoint better. But the 12X of the Athlon Helos did just fine for my purposes.
We then turned our attention downrange, picking out various targets in the hills and ridges beyond. We’d pick out little white rocks surrounded by dirt for easy impact spotting, and shoot until the rock disappeared. Using the Helos to spot misses at distances like seven and eight-hundred yards was certainly doable, and the fine center-dot of the reticle made a good aimpoint even at small targets at those distances.
As we moved from target to target it gave me pause to appreciate the throw lever that Athlon had included with the scope. I frequently run the zoom back on forth while shooting, and having a throw-lever like this was very handy. I also like the 180 degree rotation of the magnification ring, the only downside is when the throw-lever and bolt-handle get too close.
Pros and Cons
My cons for this scope are few and perhaps picky. For example, I really like the throw lever they included, but its also made of pretty soft polymer. This could be to make it less likely to snap off when bumped into something while hiking, which I totally understand. But I also feel like it might still be pretty easily broken or damaged. I also smashed my finger a couple times while running the bolt vigorously by running into the throw-lever.
On the plus side, this scope comes with some great features and accessories. The throw-lever, the sunshade, and even the cheesy flip-caps are nice to have. At least until you buy some better ones.
I absolutely love the 10 MRAD turrets, it used to be that scopes in this price range all had five or six MRAD turrets. But manufacturers have gotten the memo, and making turrets 10 MRAD per turn is much better, and greatly reduces the likelihood of loosing track of your setting. The locking feature of the turrets is also very nice, and well executed.
Another feather in the cap for this scope is the zero-stop, which is not only functional but also robust. I dislike mushy or imprecise zero-stops, and this one is neither. The reticle is great for measuring misses and holding corrections.
The Verdict
I keep on having good experiences with Athlon Optics products, and my complaints are few. The Athlon optics Helos BTR Gen2 2-12X42 would be a great little scope to leave on my 22, or mount to my hunting rifle. It gives clear presentation of the landscape and target, and come with great tools to help you engage with them. All this at a competitive price and with a solid warranty should it go wrong. For most of us, our shooting isn’t life or death, (unless its about dinner) and these scopes are more than adequate for those purposes. Offering a fantastic experience for a good price.