Tag Archives: HMR

Compact Precision From the Athlon Midas HMR Gen2 2-12×42

September 9, 2026Optics2-12x42, athlon, athlon optics, gen2, HMR, midas, riflescopecoldboremiracle

Preface

One of the companies that is flooding the optics market with dozens of different great optic products is Athlon Optics. I have been fortunate to use several different products from the company, and I must say I haven’t been let down. So it is my pleasure to bring you another riflescope review from Athlon; this time it’s the Athlon Midas HMR Gen2 2-12×42.

fresh out of the box with all its factory accessories

The Athlon Midas HMR Gen2 2-12×42

The Midas HMR 2-12 is a compact rifles scope optimized for precise shooting, and lending itself heavily to hunters. The Midas is built on a 30mm tube, which offers a larger range of internal travel. Up front you will find a 42mm objective lens that captures your image without being oversized and heavy.

In the middle of the scope is the erector housing that features an exposed elevation turret, a capped windage turret, as well as a parallax adjustment and illumination control. Pretty standard setup for todays market. The elevation turret has 10 MRAD per rotation with a total of 29 MRAD of turret travel.

Athlon makes several first focal plane (FFP) 2-12 scopes, but the Midas HMR Gen 2 is not one of them. Second focal plane (SFP) scopes are usually more affordable, I expect they are simpler to make as well. As such, the Midas’s APRS-H2 reticle stays the same regardless of magnification, which some folks prefer.

The occular housing of the Midas has a ring to adjust the magnification range of the scope, with the number 12 highlighted in red. This indicates where the reticle values are accurate for measuring use. Also on the magnification ring there is a removable throw lever that threads into the ring. This gives better purchase when cranking quickly on the magnification adjustment.

the APRS-H2 SFP IR MIL reticle of the Midas, note illuminated center dot (inset)

Inside, the reticle itself also offers some great features. With MRAD subtensions marked in whole and half MIL’s out to 4, and .2 and whole MIL’s out to 10. Windage is similar but ending at 6 MIL instead of 10. This gives you the shooter some dexterity in your aiming and correction plans. The center dot illuminates when powered up, giving an almost red dot feel to the scope.

Specifications


Manufacturer	Athlon Optics
Model	Midas HMR Gen2
SKU	213057
Magnification	2-12×
Objective Lens	42 mm
Tube Diameter	30 mm
Reticle	APRS-H2 SFP IR MIL
Focal Plane	Second Focal Plane (SFP)
Illumination	Illuminated
Adjustment Type	MIL / MRAD
Click Value	0.1 MIL
Parallax	Side focus, 10 yards–∞
Field of View @ 100 yd	55.7–9.6 ft
Eye Relief	3.62 in
Length	12 in
Weight	19 oz
Tube Construction	One-piece aircraft-grade aluminum
Lens Coating	Fully multi-coated
Purging	Argon
Waterproof	Yes
Fogproof	Yes
Shockproof	Yes
Turret Style	Exposed
Precision Zero Stop	Yes
Battery	CR2032
Finish	Black / hard-anodized
Ideal Application	Hunting / long-range shooting

Mounting the Midas 2-12

I would end up using the Midas on a couple different host rifles, but first up I would put it on my CVA Cascade SB. This is a short barreled 18-inch 6.5 Creedmoor, which is real handy for hunting. And with the Midas on top, it would be a perfect little combination.

I settled the Midas into a set of Wheeler 30mm rings and torqued everything down evenly. I adjusted the diopter at the rear of the ocular housing for the best image of the reticle, before bore-sighting the scope and heading to the range.

the CVA Cascade SB was an excellent compact rifle host for the Midas, you can read my review of the rifle here

First Shots on the Range

I must start by saying; I am huge fan of rifle scopes. And some people might think that high power rifle scopes are the bee’s knees. I myself quite enjoy lower power scopes like this 2-12. One advantage to lower power scopes is their simplicity, they may not make your target look as big, but they also don’t magnify flaws. Your flaws or the flaws of the scope itself.

At 2X the Midas is wide-open, meaning you can see everything including the muzzle of your rifle. This might be very handy for a close range rifle where things could be close, like something you might shoot at a charging animal. And at 12X you have enough power to make shots that are out there a lil’ bit. My son for example took his first Mule Deer at 480 yards last year using 12X.

Zero

I boresighted the scope to the host rifle, using my tool-less technique. After which I sat down behind the rifle to shoot a few shots on paper. After a couple shots and adjustments, I was hitting where I wanted it to. It was then time to zero the turret. I was a little irritated because it seemed the Allen wrench included was not the right size for the tiny set screws. But once I’d found the right one it was pretty straightforward.

With the turret unlocked (lifted) I unscrewed the single screw in the top of the turret so the turret itself could be lifted off. Underneath there is an interesting little star piece that looks similar to a WWI iron cross. Its four corners are cut to interface with a tooth on the ring of the elevation turret. One of its corners is cut to prevent turning past it, so when you set that corner against the tooth at zero, you cannot dial below that point. When dialing up, the tooth hits the iron cross, and rotates it allowing you to continue dialing upwards.

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From there it was pretty easy, once reassembled. The turret would not rotate below the 100-yard zero of the rifle, but would go up to the mechanical maximum of the scopes erector. Which depending on the scope setup could vary greatly. Adding a 20 or 30 MOA canted based would give additional room more mechanical movement.

Adjustments

Adjusting the turrets to their high and low extremes with the rifle clamped in a vise allowed me to see how consistently the reticle moved. Dialing up, right, down and back to the left seeing how it returns to its zero location is a good way to evaluate a scopes reliability.

In the Field

Optical Clarity

At only 12X, the Athlon Midas HMR isn’t a particularly high power scope. But it does very well at clearly magnifying the image from downrange. I enjoyed the sharp contrast of the reticle against the clearly focused target area. This is easier to do I suppose with a second focal plane scope with relatively low magnification, but it is great to have none the less.

Athlon optics, athlon, midas, HMR, gen 2, 2-12x42, 2-12, sfp, second focal plane, rifle scope, scope, — this setup has a date with a mule deer next month, the **Anechoic Suppressor** keeps things polite

Early mornings and right before sunset are always the challenge for best performance, and the image of Midas HMR was surprisingly good. Comparable to scopes that cost significantly more.

Reliability

During our testing, the Athlon Optics Midas HMR functioned perfectly. Never noticed any skips or hangups in reticle or turret movement. All the controls worked as expected, and the only unpredictable issue was the reticle illumination coming on during transport.

that is the **Grayboe UMC chassis**, all together a nice setup with the CVA and Athlon

Controls

The turrets of the Midas HMR are just right; perfect resistance, clean crisp clicks. Conversely, the parallax adjustment is a bit stiffer than I would like but still quite serviceable. With parallax adjustable down to 10 yards there is some great dexterity in use as well.

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I was unsure if I’d like the push-button reticle illumination or not. Changing the brightness settings and on/off feature of the reticle are all done by pushing the button on the center of the parallax turret. On at least one occasion I did find the reticle was on without my doing, I can only assume that it got pressed somehow in the rifle case while maneuvering. In the end I think I’m ok with the push button, its simple and I don’t need it often.

I like the addition of the throw lever on the magnification ring, it makes it quick to adjust. And if you don’t need it, it can be threaded out.

Value

I have always found Athlon Optics to be a good value. Their quality and features are often above average when compared to similarly priced scope from other manufacturers. They have a great warranty also should you ever need to use it.

Pros and Cons

Great Lens Quality	Inadvertent Illumination issue I mentioned
Simple Second Focal Plane Design	Zero-Stop could be easier
Great Turret Quality
Reliable, Repeatable Turret Operation
Great Reticle for Corrections
Compact and Lightweight
Removable Throw-lever
Available in both MRAD and MOA

Why Should you Pick The Midas 2-12

If you are looking for a low power variable scope for a rifle that you anticipate shooting some distance, this scope would be a good option. I imagine myself hunting bears where shots might be up close and personal or perhaps five-hundred yards away. This scope would do well in that scenario. It has a relatively small footprint for a hunting rifle, and its 42mm objective allows mounting it low to the barrel. And its 10 MRAD turrets give plenty of room for corrective long-range shooting. All this with good quality lenses and a crisp, clear sight picture. In a field of scopes that vary greatly in price, the Athlon Midas HMR Gen II is worth taking a look at.

-CBM

Check out other Athlon Scopes here

Bergara B-14 HMR 6.5CM

July 15, 2022Product review, Shooting hardware6.5creedmor, b-14, Bergara, HMRcoldboremiracle

Introduction to the Bergara HMR 6.5CM

If you missed my last article on the Bergara BMP, do yourself a favor and go check it out after this one. I was pleasingly surprised by that rifle, the very first Bergara I’ve had the pleasure to shoot. So it should come as no surprise that when this HMR showed up, I was quite excited to see if it too would exceed my expectations. What I couldn’t have anticipated was how deep down the Bergara hole I would fall.

The HMR

The Bergara B-14 action is the heart of many of their centerfire rifles, the HMR model is one of those. Bergara’s B-14 action shares some the best features with the Remington 700 action, which allows it to utilize the large aftermarket support that it inherited from Big Green. A two lug ninety-degree bolt throw locks up the one piece bolt into the action. It is retained by a left-hand side bolt stop machined into the back of the action.

The B-14 uses a trigger of Bergara’s making, but can be easily replaced by one of the many suitable aftermarket options. I found it to be completely unnecessary as the factory trigger feels fantastic. The safety is located just right of the bolt shroud, in a standard pull for safe, push for fire configuration. Underneath the action is the detachable box magazine, a standard AICS pattern. The rifle came with a five round, but I also ran some of my ten-round Magpul units as well.

Buy Bergara rifles here

More Features

The mags are released in typical fashion by pushing forward a catch at the front of the trigger guard. Bergara’s famous match grade barrel is of a heavy contour, and threaded 5/8-24 at the end. It came with a nice radially ported muzzle brake, or it can be removed to install a suppressor which is a better idea. I tested the 6.5 Creedmoor model which featured a twenty-four inch barrel with a 1-8 twist, which is ideal for stabilizing most factory loads. The B-14 is perfectly rounded out with a quality twenty moa scope base, and a handsome sniper grey Cerakote finish.

A fiberglass molded stock is built around Bergara’s mini-chassis, and hosts a few of its own features. It has a fully adjustable length of pull and adjustable comb, the former is adjusted by removing or adding spacers. The comb is adjusted with a wing-nut on one side of the buttstock. Both are easy enough to adjust and I believe that Bergara got it right by making the comb adjustable while taking the simple spacer path for the LOP adjustment. There are sling attachment cups at both the front and rear of the stock. As well as double front sling studs if you choose to go that way. The whole thing is finished with a cunning paint scheme that is only flashy to the human eye.

Bergara B-14 HMR Rifle — The Bergara bolt ran smooth, neatly piling brass beside me, and I had ample accuracy with my U.S. Optics scope.

A good rifle needs a good scope

I was very excited to get this rifle warmed up, but first I needed a good little scope to mount on it, I chose the US Optics TS25X.
The TS series of US Optics scopes are lightweight and have all the features a rifleman needs. I mounted the scope in a pair of Warne rings, and bore-sighted the rifle before heading out to shoot it. I picture this rifle as a perfect companion for a hunter who means real business, someone who aims to get what they’re after. The five to twenty-five power range of the TS25X gives serious marksmen all the power they need. And the JVCR reticle is handy for measuring corrections at whatever range a hunter may need them. The hunter I have in mind must be a serious one, because at just under twelve-pounds he is going to need to be serious to pack this around.
Once the scope was mounted and leveled, I threw on one of my Harris bipods and stuffed the rifle in a case.

Going Hot

The sun had been shining all morning long, and the wavy rays of mirage were quite visible on the flat desert plain where I lay. My shooting mat was already warm to the touch as I prepared to fire my first shots. I lay there stuffing a few cartridges into the magazines for the HMR. The cartridges were Winchester Deer Season Copper Impact, quite a mouthful if you have to repeat it more than once so remember that. This ammunition featured a one-hundred twenty-five grain Copper Extreme Point bullet. A lead free projectile that utilizes a red polymer tip but is NOT made by Hornady.

After loading my magazines, I laid behind the rifle and peered through the scope at my distant target. Moisture began to accumulate on my cheek as I rested on the stock of the HMR, slowly adjusting my hold to get the very best and solid position. The curved shoe of the trigger felt perfectly mated to my finger as I pressed, and I watched the impact of my very first shot impact through the target. My bore-sight job had been on-point, as almost no adjustments were needed.

I sent a couple magazines of ammunition through the rifle, quite pleased with the results. Running the bolt on the rifle was smooth and easy, extracting spent cases with ease. The brass piled up so neatly next to me as to think someone had placed them there with care. I pushed the rifle out another couple hundred yards, with hits coming easily as I went. The feeding and ejection of this rifle are very reliable, as is the clean break of the trigger. After a couple boxes of ammo spent, I was very happy with the HMR.

Let’s Hunt

A few days later I took the rifle to another one of my spacious hides, the high alpine forests of the rocky Mountains. There I wanted to see how the HMR would fair as a rugged mountain rifle. As I knew that walking back and forth from a truck to a blind wasn’t much of a challenge. The thin air at nine-thousand feet taxes your lungs and circulatory system for sure, but it also helps bullets fly better and farther. So I figured this was a place the HMR would shine, perhaps reducing my effort by exchanging the distance of walking for distance covered by bullets.

I hiked into a large bowl carved from rock and filled with both snow and pine trees. It may have felt like summer was almost here, but it snowed more than half a foot just a few days prior. I found a comfortable spot to set up my gear and began searching for prospective targets, preferably hares, marmots, and squirrels.

In the meantime, I figured I would test my aim on the other opportunities before me. I picked a distant slope that had exposed soil and found one of many small patches of snow that was quickly melting under the morning sun. The snow was perhaps the size of a clay pigeon, and I decided to play a little game with myself.

Changing it Up

Each of the snow patches I found represented the kill zone on a potential monster buck. I wanted to see how I would do engaging random “bucks” at varying distances and angles while fighting the switching wind. The first one was at 375 yards, a very likely distance to find a deer in these mountains. I had changed up the rifle just a bit since my last trip out, and it now featured a Yankee Hill Machine R9 suppressor on its muzzle.

I had since run out of the Winchester ammo and was now shooting some Desert Tech Munitions 140-grain Match ammunition. Resting the rifle on the bipod legs I settled in on my first snow patch. I had adjusted the TS-25X scope for the anticipated drop over the distance. All that was left to do was estimate a few other corrections if needed. There was a stiff breeze blowing from right to left, but my shot would take the bullet under the wind and parallel to a rock rim, so I gave just a slight favor to the right.

I also knew that my drop chart was for a lower elevation, so I chose to favor low expecting the shot to hit a little high. With everything in place, I began my trigger press. Leaning into the bipod, I anticipated the gentle recoil, hoping to see everything. The trigger broke clean, and I focused on steadying my view to see the impact. To my great pleasure, I watched the small pile of snow explode and scatter in the dry dirt around it. I ran the bolt on the HMR and smiled.

I repeated this process over and over as the day went on, picking out new targets and testing my ability to make first-round hits.

CONCLUSION

I’ll not bore you with the rest of my day in the mountains. I missed a few for sure. But the evidence in favor of the HMR was overwhelmingly positive. This rifle and scope combination just shoot. The only things I could find to complain about were very small. There was the slightest gritty feeling when closing the last few degrees of the bolt throw. It’s certainly possible I got some dirt in there somehow, or maybe it just needs to be greased. Either way, it wasn’t a big deal. Twelve pounds is also not most people’s ideal weight for a hunting rifle, but it would make an excellent weight for a match gun.

If anything, it’s a bit light for such a chore, but that’s it. I just plain like this rifle and most things about it. I would feel extremely confident taking this rifle hunting or to a match knowing that any failures would be my own. If you haven’t yet, get on the Bergara train. The price is very affordable, and the results are worth every penny.

-CBM

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