My final update after returning my first scope that was defective.. - Athlon Optics Talos 6-24x50mm 1in Tube Rifle Scope, Second Focal Plane

So, I went forward with returning my scope after finding that it came out of the box with dirt inside it. I'm still a bit salty to have to pay to ship a scope back to the manufacturer when it shouldn't have made it through QC in the first place. HOWEVER, the replacement scope is nothing short of astounding. All my complaints with the initial scope have been addressed. The glass is very crisp and bright all the way up to 24x. It controls flare better than even my much more expensive scopes. The illuminated reticle is brighter than the first scope. The parallax and illumination dials on the first scope were so stiff you almost needed pliers to turn them, but the new scope's controls turn so smooth it feels like they are on ball bearings. My elevation turret cap does not make contact and ruin my zero with this scope when I put the cap back on. The first scope's cap would contact the turret and dial down the elevation when trying to tighten the cap. It seems they added a rubber gasket to make this happen, which should also mean that when the caps are in place, the turrets should be fully waterproof. The scope also tracks absolutely flawlessly so far when doing a box test with my most accurate pcp rifle.

The gist of this is that I was completely disappointed in my first scope from Athlon. I bought a Bushnell Nitro 6-24x50 and it blew that first scope out of the water in every way. I didn't expect the replacement scope to even come close to the Bushnell, but I ran both scopes side by side on identical rifles in identical conditions, and the new Athlon leaves the Bushnell Nitro in the dust. The only area the Bushnell wins in is the turret feel. Not that the Athlon turrets feel bad, but the Bushnell's are better than my Sightron SII's and S-Tac's.

If you get a properly QC'd scope from Athlon I have no doubt it will be a winner. Let's hope this new scope is what most users can expect to receive when they buy one new, and my initial experience was a rare fluke.