I’ve shot quite a few CQB style rifle scopes, but I’ve settled on the Cronus 1-6x for several reasons. First, rapid engagement on these style scopes is very important to me. I look for a very forgiving eye-relief and wide field of view, and the Cronus delivers! Whether I am in an odd position shooting off-hand in a 3-gun match and my cheek weld isn’t the greatest, or I’m laying prone at the rifle range, I have no trouble getting on target quickly on any magnification. There is no struggling to find the eyebox. A day-light bright illuminated floating dot in the reticle draws your eye in without being busy or distracting.
Outside of close quarters shooting, the ATSR2 Reticle really starts to shine. Bracketing your target in the subtension breaks means there is no reticle obstruction on targets at distance. The reticle even gives me quick holds for windage. At a recent 3 gun match I went 1 for 1 on the long-range portion of the stage. Rapid engagements, quick transitions and a great holdover reticle have been a huge time saver!
Rated 5 out of 5
Dan Reardon –
Gun shop owner I do business with talked me into purchasing this scope and I’m glad he did. Excellent quality with crystal clear optics and backed with a no nonsense guarantee!
Rated 5 out of 5
Matt –
I thought that switching from a Trijicon Accupower 1-8 to the Athlon Cronus BTR 1-6 was going to be a more challenging transition then what it actually was. I will admit I still miss having the extra 2x on an optic, but with long-range engagements, it has been a pretty seamless transition. I still am not right where I left off, but a little more training, and I’ll be right where I left off. I utilize 77gr Black Hills when I train and compete. My rifle has a 16” Criterion barrel with a rifle-length gas system; I’m used to using holdovers, so Strelok and the BDC line up reasonably well.
Where I have seen the most improvement has been when shooting targets 70 yards and in, my splits and transitions have gone up, I don’t worry about engaging no-shoot targets, and the best part is I can comfortably and confidently leave the scope at 1x and know that I am going hit the target where I need to hit it. The Illuminated reticle is visible during the brightest of days. Everyone I have shown the scope to has complimented the clarity of the glass as well as the smoothness of the magnification adjustment knob. Dialing in for zero was easy with the turrets, they’re noticeable and defined clicks, and I don’t have to worry about adjusting too much or too little. All in all, I’m pleased with the scope, some more training on more challenging targets and not getting sucked into the office, as I have been will ensure better results, but I have been very happy with the scope.
Pairing the scope with the Cronus UHD rangefinding binocular is even better. The Cronus UHD Rangefinder is a legitimate tool that accomplishes several jobs at once. A couple of weeks ago, at a match, my squad and I were on a stage that had some legitimate mid-distance targets that should have warranted a spotting scope. The match director didn’t have one set up out there, so I set the rangefinders down for everyone to use in getting their distances and for the rotation of RO’s to utilize in calling out the hits. It made calling hits much easier and sped operations up for our squad. The rangefinders are accurate and reliable. I have two more major matches planned out for the remainder of the year and will give a progress report once my season is over.
Rated 5 out of 5
Paul Beasley –
I bought the Cronos 1x6 to go on an AR15 and wanted to save some money over the Zeiss that I ended up putting on the rifle. For the price thete is nothing out there even close!!!! I compared it to my Zeiss Divari and a Swarovski and it didn't measure up but those scopes are thousands of dollars more than the Athlon. A warranty is only as good as the people who back it up and Kevin gave me a refund for it, minus 3% wich I thought was a bit tacky since I wasn't charged the 3% when I bought my scopes, I bought two Sthlon scopes in the original transaction, he fid give me a very nice Military discount though. Not only would I recommend Athlon both as a fantastic product for the price, the people that I dealt with were all very nice to deal with.
Rated 5 out of 5
Gary –
I own several high quality optics for comparison (Eotech, Burris, Vortex) and I can attest this Athlon Cronus is awesome. The eye box and field of view are both really good. The glass quality is excellent. The throw tension from 1x to 6x is perfect (some other brands make them way to stiff in my opinion and hard to adjust quickly without a throw lever). Locking turrets that can be adjusted on the fly are just an added bonus even though I’ll admittedly use holdovers most of the time.
All of the mentioned features come in at a very acceptable weight which was one of the features that sold me. I didn’t want to carry around a two pound optic on a 16” AR. I have over a decade in law enforcement and have owned quite a few AR15’s as a firearms enthusiast but I’m not a competition shooter who can justify spending $2000 on a Kahles. This Cronus is absolutely the cream of the crop for a 1 to 6x in my opinion. I’ll be spreading the word about Athlon.
Dusting –
I’ve shot quite a few CQB style rifle scopes, but I’ve settled on the Cronus 1-6x for several reasons. First, rapid engagement on these style scopes is very important to me. I look for a very forgiving eye-relief and wide field of view, and the Cronus delivers! Whether I am in an odd position shooting off-hand in a 3-gun match and my cheek weld isn’t the greatest, or I’m laying prone at the rifle range, I have no trouble getting on target quickly on any magnification. There is no struggling to find the eyebox. A day-light bright illuminated floating dot in the reticle draws your eye in without being busy or distracting.
Outside of close quarters shooting, the ATSR2 Reticle really starts to shine. Bracketing your target in the subtension breaks means there is no reticle obstruction on targets at distance. The reticle even gives me quick holds for windage. At a recent 3 gun match I went 1 for 1 on the long-range portion of the stage. Rapid engagements, quick transitions and a great holdover reticle have been a huge time saver!
Dan Reardon –
Gun shop owner I do business with talked me into purchasing this scope and I’m glad he did. Excellent quality with crystal clear optics and backed with a no nonsense guarantee!
Matt –
I thought that switching from a Trijicon Accupower 1-8 to the Athlon Cronus BTR 1-6 was going to be a more challenging transition then what it actually was. I will admit I still miss having the extra 2x on an optic, but with long-range engagements, it has been a pretty seamless transition. I still am not right where I left off, but a little more training, and I’ll be right where I left off. I utilize 77gr Black Hills when I train and compete. My rifle has a 16” Criterion barrel with a rifle-length gas system; I’m used to using holdovers, so Strelok and the BDC line up reasonably well.
Where I have seen the most improvement has been when shooting targets 70 yards and in, my splits and transitions have gone up, I don’t worry about engaging no-shoot targets, and the best part is I can comfortably and confidently leave the scope at 1x and know that I am going hit the target where I need to hit it. The Illuminated reticle is visible during the brightest of days. Everyone I have shown the scope to has complimented the clarity of the glass as well as the smoothness of the magnification adjustment knob. Dialing in for zero was easy with the turrets, they’re noticeable and defined clicks, and I don’t have to worry about adjusting too much or too little. All in all, I’m pleased with the scope, some more training on more challenging targets and not getting sucked into the office, as I have been will ensure better results, but I have been very happy with the scope.
Pairing the scope with the Cronus UHD rangefinding binocular is even better. The Cronus UHD Rangefinder is a legitimate tool that accomplishes several jobs at once. A couple of weeks ago, at a match, my squad and I were on a stage that had some legitimate mid-distance targets that should have warranted a spotting scope. The match director didn’t have one set up out there, so I set the rangefinders down for everyone to use in getting their distances and for the rotation of RO’s to utilize in calling out the hits. It made calling hits much easier and sped operations up for our squad. The rangefinders are accurate and reliable. I have two more major matches planned out for the remainder of the year and will give a progress report once my season is over.
Paul Beasley –
I bought the Cronos 1x6 to go on an AR15 and wanted to save some money over the Zeiss that I ended up putting on the rifle. For the price thete is nothing out there even close!!!! I compared it to my Zeiss Divari and a Swarovski and it didn't measure up but those scopes are thousands of dollars more than the Athlon. A warranty is only as good as the people who back it up and Kevin gave me a refund for it, minus 3% wich I thought was a bit tacky since I wasn't charged the 3% when I bought my scopes, I bought two Sthlon scopes in the original transaction, he fid give me a very nice Military discount though. Not only would I recommend Athlon both as a fantastic product for the price, the people that I dealt with were all very nice to deal with.
Gary –
I own several high quality optics for comparison (Eotech, Burris, Vortex) and I can attest this Athlon Cronus is awesome. The eye box and field of view are both really good. The glass quality is excellent. The throw tension from 1x to 6x is perfect (some other brands make them way to stiff in my opinion and hard to adjust quickly without a throw lever). Locking turrets that can be adjusted on the fly are just an added bonus even though I’ll admittedly use holdovers most of the time.
All of the mentioned features come in at a very acceptable weight which was one of the features that sold me. I didn’t want to carry around a two pound optic on a 16” AR. I have over a decade in law enforcement and have owned quite a few AR15’s as a firearms enthusiast but I’m not a competition shooter who can justify spending $2000 on a Kahles. This Cronus is absolutely the cream of the crop for a 1 to 6x in my opinion. I’ll be spreading the word about Athlon.