Has some shortcomings, but does the job with a little work. - Athlon Optics Talos BTR 1-4 x 24mm Rifle Scopes 30mm Second Focal Plane

I bought this scope for a 16" AR-15 in .223 Wylde. It's mounted in an Aero ultra light mount. I like red dots in certain applications, but with this rifle I wanted the flexibility to engage targets to 500 yards with practical accuracy. I'll start with the problems - the turrets are a little mushy, but functional. I didn't expect super high quality turrets for this price range, so it's expected. The turrets do adjust nicely with a center mounted spline type screw on the top versus the side set screws that tend to strip out. The next problem was that the rings that display the zero point dot on the scope came loose after about 15 rounds. Apparently they are just glued in. Mine didn't stay that way. I was contacted back by Athlon right away and they said they would make it right, but they would just glue them back in. I was looking for a more permanent solution, so I simply staked them to the body of the scope with an automatic center punch. They haven't moved since. Another small gripe - I never have to adjust the ocular on my scopes for my vision. I just turn them all the way in and they're perfect. That wasn't the case with this scope and it kind of annoyed me. Now that's it's adjusted correctly I'm fine with it.

So the pros - the turrets actually seem to be really reliable. I got expected results when dialing while shooting and a backyard tape measure tracking test showed almost perfect tracking. That alone is worth the price of admission. The reticle is very good and SFP is not a hindrance. I simply dial to 4x if I need to use holds. The fact that the reticle and turrets are mil/mil and not some proprietary BDC system is a huge benefit (i.e., make a range card and you are done). The illumination works great for what it is, but honestly I haven't had a need for it. It's not really daylight bright, but I don't think that's the point on this type of scope. The other specs (weight, FOV, eye relief, etc.) are basically competitive for what you are getting. The glass is fine. If you are paying less than $200 for a scope, you probably know what you are getting. Aesthetics are good, 1/2 mil clicks are smart one this scope, and most importantly - 1x is actually super close to red dot quality. There is a little distortion, but you won't struggle to run with both eyes open.

End of the day - be ready for a few quirks, but once they are worked out, this scope is a great companion if you are running exclusively mil based optics on your other gear.